Genesee Valley Aero Modelers
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21 Highview Trail Pittsford, NY 14534 The Prez Sez . . . Last month I went to the WRAM’s show down by New York City. This was my second time to the show, and it was just as exciting as the first time. The last time I went was only two years ago, and it was amazing how much had changed. Eric Higham and Jim McBride joined me on the trip, so the electric flyers were well represented. This worked out well since the biggest change was the amount of stuff available for electric flyers. All kinds of planes, radios, electric motors and as Eric stated, "there are more batteries than I’ve ever seen in my life!" The new Lithium batteries and chargers were in good supply as well as Nicads and Nickel Metal Hydride. Nobody had even heard of lithium two years ago. Don’t get the idea the show was all electrics, there was plenty of stuff for the "wet" flyers too! From plans by Nick Zirolli to old time kits to some great new ARF’s and helicopters. We spent over 6 hours walking both floors of the show taking only a couple of breaks for lunch and a drink. With over 100 venders, there was a lot to see. Spending money wasn’t a problem either. I purchased a new small electric plane and decided to try a lithium battery and charger for it. Catch me at the field some time to see how it worked out. I think Jim and Eric found a few things to spend their money on too. On a different note, it’s April, the days are getting longer and flying season is here! Remember to check all your equipment and think safety. Just be careful not to get stuck in the driveway. Also, how are those building projects going? April is the project meeting! Happy Landings, Max At The Field It is officially spring. Now don’t you feel better. I don’t know what you are sulking about it is only in the teens with high winds and a few inches of snow on the ground. Blame Charlie! It’s all his fault because he lives in the dreaded south of the Thruway part of town. Take heart, very soon we will be complaining about the heat and wishing for a cool day. From the Calendar of Events it looks like there is quite a bit of RC activity in the area this flying season. Plan to take advantage of the activity even if you only go to watch. The plan this year is to keep the field rolled and smooth. Charlie will provide rolling instructions and let us know when it is the best time to roll. You would be surprised how a smooth field improves landings. I hope I will get a Titusville terror alert from Florida when he starts north. I will be sure to spread the word. Hang in there it won’t be too much longer until we will be enjoying the flying. Ain’t It the Truth? If there is anything a pilot hates worse, it is to wake up and find the copilot asleep. From The Sunny Times Midwest Sundowners Rick Johnson, Editor Valpariso IN From the halls of model aviation truths: "When the crash is inevitable, relax and enjoy it. Everybody else is going to!" From Space City Crash Space City R/C Mike Crotts, editor Houston TX Calendar of Events May 22-23 Canandaigua Chiefs Honeoye Float Fly. Sandy Bottom Park. May 29-30-31 Canandaigua Chiefs Camp & Fly June 5-6: Ray Edmunds Memorial Fun Fly at North Hampton Park. June 19-20 CHIEFS Electric Fun Fly July Olean July 10-11 RAMS Open House Macedon Field. July 24-25 Sky Rovers – Fun Fly Aug 21-22: Great Electric Fun Fly-Bolling Field. Aug. 27-28-29 2nd Annual Helicopter Event (Macedon) August: GVAM Family picnic. Sept. 18 Interclub Picnic (Macedon) Airplane Cleaning Solution For those of you, who like to keep a clean bird, try a few drops of this in your spray cleaner bottle. It’s called Kodak Photo Flo (put out by Kodak). It’s a super wetting agent and works like magic, even a little in the bucket when washing the car. It comes in a 4-ounce size bottle. Buy it at any photo supply shop. From the newsletter of the Duluth/Superior RC Club Ed Johnson, editor Superior WI April Meeting Plan to bring you winter project to the April meeting. We would enjoy seeing it even if it isn’t completely finished. What do you need in your flight box? What do you consider necessary for your flight box? Usually, the important items are the items needed to keep you flying while at the field. Obviously, you can't carry everything. I tried that once. I custom made my own flight box. When finished, it more or less resembled a truck, and I still didn’t have what I needed at times! When you are beginning, all you can do is make your best guess what you will need at the field. Better yet, go ask some of the veteran members what they keep in their flight boxes. Some items can be substituted for others. For instance, if you don't use a starter, a leather glove, or a chicken stick to start your model, you'll have plenty of room for band-aids, which you'll surely need eventually! A small roll of clear packing tape can patch up those cornfield MonoKote dings and allow you to keep flying. Of course, spare glow plugs and props are always high on the list. The nice thing about this is that among the members who are usually at the field, some will always have what you're looking for. Don't be afraid to ask for something if you need it. From Flying Times Valley RC Flying Club Randy Ryman, Editor Harrisburg VA Hymn #365 A Southern minister was completing a temperance sermon. With emphasis he said "If I had all the beer in the world I’d take it and pour it into the river. With even greater emphasis, he said, "And if I had all the wine in the world, I'd take it and pour it into the river. And then finally, he said, "And if I had all the whiskey in the world, I’d take it and pour it into the river. Sermon complete, he then sat down. The choral director stood up very cautiously and announced with a smile, "For our closing song, let us
sing Hymn #365, "Shall We Gather at the River," Casa de Aero RC Club Jerry Gill, Editor Prescott AZ 2004 Mowing Schedule I would like to thank those that volunteered to mow this season. The following is the proposed mowing schedule for 2004. If this presents a problem with anyone please let me know.
You know you’re a real modeler when you arrange your shirts in the closet in two groups the ones with CyA glue spots and those without. From Space City Crash Space City R/C Mike Crotts, editor Houston TX
In order for a taildragger not to tip over on its nose, its wheels must be ahead of the center of gravity (CG). As it is further forward, it tolerate rougher ground and the tail wheel can get a better grip on the ground, but the tendency to bounce is worse. But when a taildragger lands, the impact of the main wheels tends to push the nose up, increasing the angle of attack, lowering the tail, and increasing lift and the airplane is flying again. Eventually, air speed is reduced, falls to the ground again, maybe harder. The nose is rotated, and airplane becomes airborne once again. This process will continue until all flyable air speed is exhausted. The aircraft may continue bouncing due to a phenomenon known as "loping." Loping occurs in a taildragger when the bounce of the main wheel causes the tail wheel to slam into the ground while the main wheels are still in the air. Then, the tail wheel bounces, slamming the main wheels onto the ground. This argument between the front and rear continues until momentum is lost. But the severity of the loping can increase in the interim. Loping can occur in trike-geared aircraft as well. If the nose wheel strikes the ground before the main wheels do, the nose is pushed severely, slamming the main wheels onto the runway. Being behind the CG, the rebound of the main wheels rotates the airplane forward so the nose wheel slams down again, maybe harder than the first time. The process repeats. Loping in a trike airplane can start with taxiing. If the main wheel a bump, weight is shifted forward onto the nose gear. It rebound: returning weight backward. This pingponging can grow, especially if the airplane is accelerating. The only way to stop it is to stop the airplane. The longer the distance between the main wheels and the nose wheel, the greater the tendency to lope. Loping also increases if the main wheels are too far aft of the CG. Stiff struts and bouncy wheels aggravate matters. Trike gear has less potential for bounce because the main wheels being placed closer to the CG. When the main wheels touch down, the impact lowers the nose and the angle of attack, reducing lift. Some trike-gear designs actually have negative angles of attack when sitting on all wheels. This holds the airplane on the runway. Trikes have positive ground steering because the nose wheel makes firmer contact with the runway than a tail wheel, especially at higher speeds. Another little-known cause of bounce is main wheels that are too far apart. This may be shocking because this practice is generally considered good for ground handling. It usually is because it improves directional stability when rolling along the ground. What happens when the airplane lands and one wheel hits the ground before the other a lateral form of bounce occurs from one wing to the other. One might think that soft tires and springy struts would increase bounce. Not so. More often, bounce is aggravated by the landing that is too stiff. Rigidity does not absorb energy; it reflects it. The hardness of the runway contributes to bounce for the same reason. Some early racing airplanes, such as the Howard Ike, had landing gear so rigid they could not land on concrete runways because of the uncontrollable bouncing that occurred. Moving the main gear close to the CG reduces bounce and improves tracking. The Spitfire, for example, is quite bounce resistant, but tips over easily on rough ground Moving nose and main gears closer together reduces bounce and loping, but it degrades tracking and increases the tendency to tip on rough ground and in crosswinds. Oleo struts help absorb impacts, but the spring tension must be just right-stiff enough to keep from bottoming out, soft enough to absorb shock. The same may be said of tires. If your airplane rebounds into the air after a severe impact, head further bounce by inching up the throttle slightly. Apply down elevator if necessary to level the nose. This increases air speed, prevents stall, and lowers the rate of decent. From Flare-Out Twin City Radio Controllers, Inc Jim Cook, Editor Minneapolis MN
According to today’s regulators and bureaucrats, those of us who were kids in the ‘40s,'50s, '60s, 70s, or even the early '80s, probably shouldn’t have survived. Our baby cribs were covered with bright colored lead-based paint and we had no childproof lids on medicine bottles, doors, or cabinets, and rode our bikes without helmets. As children, we would ride in cars without seatbelts or airbags. Riding in the back of a pickup truck on a warm day was always a special treat. We drank water from the garden hose and not from a bottle. Horror! We ate cupcakes, bread and butter, drank soda pop with sugar in it, but we were never over weight because we were always outside playing. We shared one soft drink with four friends, from one bottle, and no one actually died from this. We spent hours building go-carts out of scraps and then rode down hill, only to find out we forgot the brakes. After running into the bushes a few times, we learned how to solve the problem. We would leave home in the morning and play all day, as long as we were back when the streetlights came on. No one was able to reach us all day. No cell phones Unthinkable! We did not have Play stations, Nintendo 64, X-boxes, or video games at all. No 99 channels on cable, video tapes, surround sound, personal cell phones, personal computers, or Internet chat rooms. We had friends! We went outside and found them. We played dodge ball, and sometimes, the ball would really hurt. We fell out of trees, got cut, broke bones and teeth, and there were no lawsuits from these accidents. No one was to blame but us. Remember accidents? We had fights and punched each other and got black and blue and learned to get over it. We made up games with sticks and tennis balls and ate worms, and although we were told it would happen, we did not put out any eyes nor did the worms live inside us forever. We rode bikes or walked to a friend's house and knocked on the door, or rang the bell, or just walked in and started talking. Little League had tryouts, and not everyone made the team. Those who didn't had to learn to deal with disappointment. Some students weren't as smart as others, so they failed a grade and were held back to repeat it. Tests were not adjusted for any reason. Our actions were our own. Consequences were expected; there was no one to hide behind. The idea of a parent bailing us out if we broke a law was unheard of. They actually sided with the law. Imagine that! This generation has produced some of the best risk-takers, problem solvers, and inventors ever. The past 50 years have been an explosion of innovation and new ideas. We had freedom, failure, success, and responsibility, and we learned how to deal with it all. And to all of you who are part of this generation-congratulations! From The Fly Paper South Bend Radio Control Club, Inc. Jack Allinger, editor South Bend IN Repairing loose firewalls There are many times that you have to repair a loose firewall or tail section on an airplane. Maybe it's not completely out–just loose, and you need to reinforce the joint. One of the best ways to make sure you have a good joint is to heat the epoxy with a heat gun after it is applied. This will almost liquefy the epoxy and let it seep into the joint to ensure a solid repair. I also recommend using triangle stock to reinforce the joint, particularly on firewalls. One warning though be sure you do this with a long-working resin. The heat will speed up the reaction. If you are using five-minute epoxy, it may set up before you can finish your work. From Mission Briefing Magic Valley Air Force Gary Nelson, Editor Jackson TN
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