Genesee Valley Aero Modelers
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Editor: Glenn Crocker Another year over, another year begins. As you read this, 2002 is history and 2003 has begun. I hope you all had a Merry Christmas and a great New Years Eve and maybe a few nice airplane presents too. Unfortunately I was not able to join the gang for the Frozen Finger Fun Fly on News Year day. I hope it went well and there were no attacks by the snow snakes. Maybe Glen will let me see the pictures if I behave. Anyways, I’ll see you all at the next club meeting. On another subject, I need to make a confession. I purchased an ARF. I was on the Tower Hobbies Web site and they had a clearance sale going. Listed in the sale was the Great Planes ¼ scale Tiger Moth. The plane normally goes for $299. It was $50 off and with a bunch of other incentives it came to $190 with shipping. A built and covered ¼ scale plane with most of the hardware for $190. To top it off, since the Tiger Moth is a biplane, I didn’t have to build both wings. How could I say no? I did some quick research to find out if there were any problems with the plane and after finding only good reports, I ordered the plane. Five days later it showed up on my doorstep. The plane looks great, it’s well built and nicely covered with MonoKote. A cloth finish would be more scale but then, I didn’t have to cover it. I will be doing some customizing to make it a little different but not too much. I’m mainly looking forward to flying it, after all isn’t that what an ARF is all about? I sure hope it fits in my car. One last thing, I once again have a bunch of used 12-volt starter batteries. If you need a new one for spring or have a friend who does, please let me know. Happy Landings, Max
"Dear Mr. Penguin, I'm just
getting started in the hobby and I'm trying to choose a good first plane. John, I suggest you buy something large, really large, with a big engine up front. Ya know, something that has to be primed by three men in coveralls turning the prop slowly over their heads. Try a 1/3-scale DC-3 or B-17. You know, they say big planes are easier to fly. Don't bother asking any of those losers at the field for help either, just take it up yourself the first time and be a man - it's easier than it looks. Make sure you have someone videotape the first flight - it should be memorable. Also, get your name changed - you don't want your son going through school with a last name like that.
The method I use involves chopping the throttle, dropping the gear and flaps (if any), feeding in full aileron opposite to the direction of the spin, and hopping on one leg while screaming at the top of my lungs "PLEASE, DON'T CRASH!". Doesn't always work, but it's worth a try.
At The Field By Glenn Crocker The nineteenth annual Frozen Finger Fly will be history by the time you read this. I will have a write up and photos of those zany enough to attend this year in the Feb. Newsletter. Hopefully the weather will be 50 degrees with calm winds. In any event we want to get a picture of Scott in his shorts to send to the Florida folks. They have heard of the legend but don’t believe it. I have done some flying off the snow on Tuesdays at the RAMS Macedon field. The secret is to allow Tex enough time to get the fire roaring to take some of the chill off the shelter. Remember that we have an invite to snow fly on Tuesdays. I imagine the winter projects are in full swing. Since I didn’t have to rebuild wings this year, I am working on a Sikorski S-39 Amphibian. It has enough struts, floats. etc on it that I should name it the "Drag Queen". I feel a 350 hp V8 should be enough power. It is coming along nicely and should be ready for opening day at Canadice. If your project can travel, bring it to one of the meetings. Charlie is finishing up his P39 and is trying to convince himself to get into a Top Flight DC-3. Once you get into multi-engine it’s tough to go thru life without one because they are so much fun and relaxing to fly. The rest of the gang must be working on Top Secret projects as I have not heard anything. If you made it to the field on Jan. 1, I hope you got away unscathed. Hope to see you at the January meeting. Keep an eye open for the herd of Honeoye snow snakes that have been spotted at the field.
Courtesy of the flying Penguin of South Florid, Robert Osorino, Editor
Calendar of Events Jan. 1st: Nineteenth annual Frozen Finger Fly. Flying will start around 10AM and continue until our brains are as frozen as our hands. We will then adjourn to the Country Skillet to thaw out.Dues Are Due It is that time of year again. Dues are due by 12/31/02. I began collecting at the November meeting.
The Fuel Fool 2003 I will be taking fuel orders again this year. I plan to take orders at the December and January meeting and place the fuel order 1/15/03. The fuel is Red Max Fuel. The price has gone up this time around. The price this year will be:
If you need higher nitro or different lube blends they can
accommodate these needs. Glenn Crocker Patience (pa*shens) n.
Winter Flying by Larry Dudkowski Here it is January again. The beginning of another, and hopefully more peaceful year. This also marks the beginning of a new flying season. Yes, that's right, you can fly in the winter. In fact some area clubs begin the New Year with a fun-fly New Year's Day. Personally I'm too tired from New Year's Eve to get out of bed, let alone do anything that takes any kind of skill or coordination. To fly in the winter, other than dressing warmly, you do need to take a few extra precautions. So here are some helpful tips to keep you safe and airborne this winter. Most of these will seem obvious when you think about them. I'm just pointing them out. Watch those winter clothes. Winter clothes are usually loose and heavy with strings and ties. Take care around spinning propellers. You don't want anything to get sucked into the propeller. Tuck those hood ties inside your jacket. Tie your jacket ties together. Watch where you put your gloves, too, so they don't get sucked into the prop. Be careful working without gloves in the prop wash, it can chill your fingers very quickly. Be even more careful if you have wet hands from fuel. Don't fly alone. Most of us during the season have gotten into the good habit of flying with a co-pilot. I think this is great. With all of the people wandering about, an extra set of eyes can sure come in handy. This is a good habit in the winter months, too, but for just the opposite reason. Since there are a lot fewer people around, while this means you have fewer people to watch out for. It also means that if something happens you are less likely to have someone around to help. If you do fly alone, and we don't recommend this, take a cell phone along and let someone know where you're going and what time you'll be back. Check those batteries. Cold weather saps the power from batteries. This includes your glow plug driver, transmitter, and receiver batteries, not just your flight box battery. Your engine will be harder to turn over in the cold so you will need that fully charged flight box battery. Don't forget those receiver packs-check them after each flight. A dead flight box battery may keep your airplane on the ground but a dead receiver battery will put your airplane in the ground or a tree or the lake. Anchor that model firmly. Be sure your model is anchored in the ground and not just the soft snow. Better yet, have someone hold it while you make your adjustments. And remember do all your adjusting from behind and not in front of the prop. Remember loose clothes and spinning props make a bad combination. Start the engine. If your engine won't start, try opening up the needle valve. Try about a quarter turn then hit it with the starter. If it doesn't start, try another quarter turn open then hit it again with the starter. Repeat as necessary; Once it starts let it run awhile before you adjust it for peak power. I hope these bits of wisdom come in handy. From Plane Talk Prop Masters RC Club Bill Robinson, editor Warrenville IL
It’s that time of year again when you might be considering a new radio system. You can use this to get on an uncluttered frequency. If I have an incorrect frequency or if you have added or changed frequencies, let me know.
Names on Each Channel
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