Genesee Valley Aero Modelers
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Editor: Glenn Crocker For the past several weeks, I've been feeling as if I live in Oklahoma (you know, 'where the wind comes sweeping down the plain."). And we're not talking gentle zephyrs here, but real, honest to goodness wind! A couple of Thursdays ago I decided to go flying, but when I got to the field the wind was so bad that I didn't bother to take my plane out of the car. About six or eight of us stood around for a couple of hours awaiting the approach of sunset to bring calmer skies, but guess what? It never happened. It was blowing just as hard when we left in approaching darkness as it was earlier in the day. The only brave soul in our pathetic little group was Dave Beckwith, who flew his LT-40. But it bounced all over the sky, and after he landed he wisely decided against a second flight. On another recent occasion, I took off into a south wind and landed into a west wind. If this keeps up, we'll all require a spotter simply to keep track of wind direction! Although the last couple of days have given cause to hope for better weather ahead, we need to keep the pressure on our weather forecasters. Let's all demand an end to these windy conditions and insist that they give us some nice calm weather -- without rain, of course. The problem here is that we really need the wet stuff right now. A good compromise would be to have it rain only at night! On another, more serious subject, probably most of you know by now that Jim McBride had a nasty argument with a propeller and as usual, the propeller won, to the tune of 15 stitches in Jim's hand. This is the third injury incurred by club members in pursuit of this hobby within the last twelve months. The first was my encounter with a propeller late last summer that required one stitch on the knuckle. The second episode occurred when Charlie Vogel sustained a nasty cut in his hand that nicked a tendon while he was at work in his shop. And now we have Jim's unfortunate experience. Fellows, let's not add to this list of dubious accomplishments. Remember, carelessness combined with inattention can be a lethal concoction, in the workshop or at the flying field. Be alert and be careful!!! 'Nuf said! To conclude on a more upbeat note, the GVAM had a nice representation of personnel and planes at the Olean STARS scale rally the first weekend in July. Saturday's weather was very good, except for a nasty crosswind, which the fliers generally were able to compensate for, and the collection of aircraft was outstanding. I left late Saturday afternoon as the rain clouds were gathering, but most of the troops of the GVAM camped overnight at the field. Unfortunately, Sunday's weather, according to my unimpeachable sources, was slightly less than perfect, with foggy conditions prevailing until late morning. Nevertheless, a good time was had by all. That's all for this month. Until next time, Happy Landings! !!
2001 GVAM Family Picnic
Date: August 5th
Bring a plane, large appetite, a dish to pass, table service and chairs. The club will provide the meat and cold drinks. Plan to join us for a very enjoyable day! Rain Date August 12th 2001 Mowing Schedule
At The Field By Glenn Crocker Here we are, half way through the summer and we can’t seem to get enough flying. For the most part the weather has not been too bad. It seems that when it is good it, is good for an extended period of time but when it is poor it is poor for an extended period of time. Evenings are still quite well attended. The Helicopter brigade is still in the majority on Monday evenings. They have made a lot of progress since the beginning of the summer. Mark is still looking for additional converts. We have two new junior members Zachary Kruly and Joshua Gefeller. Zachary has already been burning up the sky We had a good turnout at Olean. Even Walt (grumpy) Judd was there. The weather was very good most of Saturday and the usual crosswind was not as fierce as it has been. The one disappointment was the fact there was no chicken barbecue this year. Apparently Charlie retired and so did the barbecue. The GVAM members that planned to stay the night were well equipped with firewood, wine and cheese. Through John Streets efforts we believe we have found someone that will do some repair work on our mower. We will have to disassemble it and take it to him. If you get to the field and find the reels missing, we haven’t been vandalized. Remember our goal this year and last and the one before. We are working to get Tom Brown to solo before he migrates south for the winter. So when you see Tom, cheer him on. I have heard rumors that the plane eating trees are getting more active (must be the heat), so be careful when you are flying. Calendar of EventsAugust 3-5 Aero Show. Experimental A/C, Vintage A/C, Warbirds, Helicopters, Sky Diving. Pine Hall airport, 4906 Pine Hill Rd. Barre, Orleans County (716-589-7758) August 5 GVAM annual family picnic. Coye field. Rain date is the following Sunday. Sept. 2 Interclub Fun Fly. Nov. 24 RAMS annual auction. Church of the Holy Spirit.
Repairing A Broken Wing By Dave Schwarzen
G.V.A.M. Newsletter
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