Skymasters Newsletter:
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Chartered Club #970
Skymasters R/C Club Newsletter
- July 2000
See Skymasters on the Web at www.geocities.com/~skymasters
President's Message
Hello fellow R/Cers and welcome to the busy summer flying season. This
time of year you can find a flying event almost every weekend in this part
of the state. Following a busy (and in my opinion a breezy) spring, look
for full event reports in the Skywriter from Carl Long for Kids Day and
from Pete Foss for our new Small Fry, Electric, and Sailplane event. Thanks
to Carl for putting on another successful Kids Day. The trainers were flying
all day long and we had some great demo flying at noon, which included
a witch! Our Small Fry event included a contingent of Great Planes Slow
Pokes. With all of the design creativity in the club the half dozen Great
Planes Slow Pokes at the event didn't look at all to be from the same kit.
My Ford Flivver Slow Poke is still in the framing stage but I'm determined
to make the Slow Poke Derby later this year.
Mark your calendars for July's events. Our Team Fun Fly is July 9th,which
will include a Slow Poke one-design class this year. Our always-popular
War Birds and Scale event will be July 23. (If all goes well my new Wildcat
will make an appearance.) On July 29th we will host our unique
Harold 'Bid H' Mesales 4 stroke and Majestic Flyers event. This event is
a treat for the ears as well as the eyes! There is another event in July
worth mentioning; A growing part of our hobby is model jets, some of which
are powered by real turbine engines! If you have not yet seen or heard
a model jet fly, Michigan Jets 2000 on Gross Ile July 28-30 is worth the
trip.
If you have had the chance to fly at the Scripps Road Field lately you
perhaps have noticed that the runway actually has grass growing on it.
Let's give credit where credit is due; Mother Nature provided sufficient
rains this spring. That, along with the hard work of several fellow Skymasters
including Al McGee, Bill Wood, and Mark Smith have given us a very nice
surface to fly from. Overall, our flying site is looking very nice and
well kept. That is so important this time of year since we get so many
visitors including potential club members and state park staff. Let's all
keep up the good work!
From a personal note, last month saw the successful maiden flight of
my 1/5 F4F Wildcat. First flights are always a big event. Whether its an
ARF or a scratch built model, they are all subject to that ultimate test
when they leave the safety of the ground for the first time. First flights
can be very busy and distracting, which is why I always have another pilot
standing right beside me on maiden flights. It doesn't matter how experienced
you are, it is always nice to have some coaching as well as a spotter who
can help with trim settings on that first, busy flight.
That does it for this month. Remember that student night / potluck night
is each Wednesday during the summer at Scripps Road. Learning to fly, helping
to learn, or just eating we always have a good time. See you there.
Fly safe and happy landings!
Gary Weaks
Some Pictures of Gary's Wildcat
From the Editor…
Welcome to to the July 2000 issue of Skywriter!
It has been a busy month - both for Skymasters and for me… Several
successful events in June - see more details inside - and Student night
have begun. After a few slow weeks due to weather, we had over 50 people
out on the 28th! Gary mentioned our July events in his President's
message. Look for more info inside!Please send me any input you may have
for the newsletter. Please send mail to GMCardillo@att.net, or to my address
on the back cover…
Events of the Last Month
Bald Mountain Float Fly
Ross Jones
Imagine one of the most perfect days for float flying. A perfect breeze,
unlimited visibility, lots of sunshine and 23 pilots with one or more planes
and comfortable temperatures. As Cronkite often said, "That's the way it
was." Everything was outstanding for this event with no losses, some dings
and quite a lot of swimming/wading from our young member volunteers. Ross
Hardy's son Josh was rowing the retrieval boat with a broken leg. Our eyes
were closed a lot during those occasions! Carl Long's power boat was Kaput.
That boat of his looked good on the trailer however...
All kidding aside, thanks to my wife's volunteering we had excellent
concessions due to her organizational ability and volunteers for the grill.
Thanks Carl!
Five flight lines were going from the opening @10am until 3pm. Thanks
to Greg Cardillo finding and bringing the frequency board (borrowing from
Chet! Thanks Chet! Ed.), there were no mishaps. In fact, pilots got so
comfortable with the weather that they started doing things they never
thought they might try. An interesting example was Terry Overton finally
getting the chance to run his Supermarine Stranraer on one engine by limiting
fuel in one nacelle. With perfect conditions, it limited the number of
factors that could lead to a bad experience. The plane flew like a charm.
Even the smallest electric planes were able to fly with ease.
More than a few pilots proved beyond a doubt that the Northstar design
can fly with a big enough engine and a good head start. Pete Foss broke
the water speed record with a .40 two stroke on floats and a high wing.
Never did leave the water, try as he might! (Been there, done that! Ed.)
All in all, everyone seemed to have fun. Ar-Jay Hobbies and Joe's Hobby
Center had representatives in the
audience and flight line, respectively. There were a few members from
other clubs, something we haven't seen before.
I would like to thank Rider's Hobby of Madison Heights for supply and
donation of gift certificates, which most pilots received. This year we
also had a grand prize drawing for a "Something Extra" kit by Sig Manufacturing.
This was provided jointly by Skymasters and Rider's. Terry Overton got
it! I would also like to thank Bob and his staff with the Park
for providing us a window of opportunity to fly without the swim buoys
in the water. However, I failed in my attempt to install them afterwards
because none of us could find more than one anchor point for them! My profound
apologies again to Bob.
Perfect Weather for Kid's Day 2000!
Carl Long
We had 82 first time flyers for this event this year and many spectators.
This year the weather was perfect, not too hot, no rain, and very nice
flying conditions. No lost planes or mishaps to report either--another
plus.
I would like to thank the many people who helped to make this event
run smoothly. (My apologies now if I miss anyone!) Carolyn Foss and Laura
Devine registered our guests. Darrell Watts and Tom Hoagland ran flight
school; Tom talked about the flight surfaces and the principals of lift,
drag, thrust, and of course lastly gravity. Darrell introduced the newcomers
to the transmitter and how it made the aircraft respond. We also mentioned
the AMA youth membership discount and the EAA Young Eagles Flight Rally
held at the Troy Oakland airport Saturday June 24th, with a
rain date for Sunday June 25th.
Jerry Blumenthal escorted the students to the flight line. The Skymaster's
flight staff: Greg Brausa, Greg Charbeneau, Jack Ferguson, Bob Burns, Kirby
Elliott, Dan Devine, Joe Finkelstine, Gary Weaks, Paul Shurtliff, Marv
Middleton, Mark Smith, Ross Hardy Paul Zabawa, Bill Leppard, Herm Greif,
Steve Fredricks, Roberto Mesnik, and Jim Held kept the planes in the air,
bear hugged the students, and were the guardian angels for the aircraft.
The Kitchen was a busy place, Dave Shea, Gladys Hougland, Cindy Long,
and Gary Walling, handed out the free hot dogs, chips, hamburgers and pop.
Special thanks to Mark Smith for the "Flying Witch" which flew along
with Gary Weaks Astro Hog (PT 19) Jim Held and his Slow Poke GB Racer,
and Pete Foss for the Elipse electric flyer as our demonstration flights.
Thanks also to Josh Hardy for his narration of the demonstration-flight
performances..
I would like to express our appreciation to Harold Reuter for the programs
in modeling with the Lake Orion Schools, promoting Kid's Day and youth
involvement. A special thanks to Jim and Rose Adams of EAA chapter 13 who
displayed the flying model replicas made from printed chipboard.
Our club membership grew as Ross Hardy took in applications at this
event. I'm certain that the cordial atmosphere and our willingness to help
our guests cast a favorable light upon our club. This effort continues
to acquaint new members with our club and get the younger people to think
about modeling.
And lastly thanks again to my wife, Cindy, for all her help with this
event.
Many thanks to all those who helped.
(Thanks Carl! Sorry I had to miss it this year… Ed.)
Skymasters Pilots WIN IMAC Contests
Gene Payson won the top prize at the JR IMAC Challenge in Rantoul, Illinois...a
$1300 JR 10X radio with digital servos!! Gene and Mike Wallo took first
and second at the IMAC contest in Wooster Ohio as well. Congratulations
guys!! If anyone is interested in getting involved with IMAC, give one
of them a call.
Skymasters Events
Every Wednesday Through August 30th - Student Night! –
Scripps Road Field
Flying starts at 10am weather permitting. Dinner at 6pm regardless of
weather! Flying till 8pm. For those new to the club, this is a great chance
for students to meet and fly with different instructors. Then make arrangements
to get together other days as well. Dinner is a potluck. Families welcome.
We ask that you bring something for the grill - at least enough for your
family - and a dish to pass. You will not leave hungry! This potluck is
supported by those attending. We will have a sign up each week with needed
staples (charcoal, plates, ketchup, etc…). If you would like to bring these
instead of a dish, you can contribute that way as well.
Come on out; bring the family, and enjoy. Remember, "We always eat,
we sometimes fly!"
July 1, 2000 Club Meeting (Saturday) – Scripps Road Field, 12:00
PM
Summer meeting are always short. Bring a plane and enjoy…
July 9, 2000 Team Fun Fly – Scripps Road Field, 10:00 AM
Events for all skill levels - from beginners to experts - and a Slow
Poke category! Bring a partner and have some fun! Don't have a partner??
We'll find one for you at the event. Flying events will start at 10:30
sharp so get there early with your plane ready to go. Let's see what event
Mark Smith and Bob Donohue have dreamed up for us.
July 23, 2000 Warbirds and Scale – Scripps Road Field, 10:00 AM
Any warbird or other scale plane welcome to fly! Come see a wide assortment
of planes take to the air over Lake Orion - from a P-51 to an F-18; from
a Cesna to a Chipmunk and much more!
July 29, 2000 Harold "Big H" Maseles 4 Stroke and Majestic (Saturday!)–
Scripps Road Field, 10:00 AM
Any plane powered by a four stroke engine! What a wonderful sound as
these planes fly by.
August 12, 2000 Multi Engine / Multi Wing (Saturday!)– Scripps Road
Field, 10:00 AM
More than one engine and/or more than one wing to fly today.
August 20, 2000 Corn Roast / Top Gun / Slow Gun – Scripps Road Field,
10:00 AM
Our annual Corn Roast for members, their families, and the neighbors
to our field. The club provides all the fixins for this one. Come on out
and enjoy the corn, and whatever else our President chooses! Also the chance
to compete for Top Gun honors; the Slow Poke Static competition; and the
Slow Gun honors.
Upcoming Programs/Events
Skymasters events listed elsewhere in this issue!
Sat-Sun, July 8.9 UFO "Flight of Giants" Giant Scale Fly In, Dan Wamboldt
734-433-5451
Sat-Sun, July 8.9 AA Falcons/EFO Mid-America Electric Fly, Ken Myers/K.
Shaw 248-669-8124
Sunday, July 9 Irish Hills R/C 17th Annual Outdoor Swap Meet,
Gary Adams 517-592-6060
Thu-Sun, July 13-16 CARDS IMAA Giant Scale Mini-Fest, Harold Morris
517-669-2301
Saturday, July 15 Milan Flyers Air Show, Phil Smith 734 429-4707
Sat-Sun, July 15,16 GLASS Dual Soar In Sailplane
Sunday, July 16 Chesaning R/C Heli Fun Fly, Paul Binkley 810 639-2711
Sat-Sun, July 22,23 Signal Seekers Pylon Q-500-Std & Exp, Barney
Polzin 734 728-3029
Sat-Sun, July 22,23 Selfridge Air Show, Selfridge Air National Guard
Base
Sunday, July 23 Windsor Airport Air Show - Full Size & Models
Sat-Sun, July 29,30 Ribcrackers Open Air Show, Lang Field, Greg Bessette
810 229-9732
Fri-Sun, July 28-30 DAM/Pilgrims Michigan Jets, Grosse Ile, Burton Eisenburg
248 626-8838
Fri-Sun, Aug 4-6 CAPS Classic Pylon Q500, Wright Patterson, Dayton,
Mike Condon 734-464-7027
Sunday, Aug 6 PMAC 12th Annual Scale Meet, Don Hines 248-681-2752
Sunday, Aug 6 EFO Electric Fly-In at RCCD, Doug Kursinsky 810-264-5014
Sat-Sun, Aug 12-13 LIFT Northern Michigan Soaring Champs, Troy Lawicki
231-929-3816
Sunday, Aug 13 Chesaning R/C Big Bird Fly-In IMAA, Greg Brausa 248-373-8949
Wed-Thur, Aug 16-17 Weak Signals SAM 40 Old Time, Phil Smith 734-429-4707
Sat-Sun, Aug 19-20 DAM Giant Size Air Show/Fun Fly IMAA, Stan Spiewak
313-534-3300
Sat-Sun, Aug 19-20 RCCD 10th Annual Great Lakes Scale, Bob
Chapman 248-524-0092
Sat-Sun, Aug 19-20 PMAC IMAC Pontiac Grand Prix, Tom Wheeler 248-334-7693
Sunday, Aug 20 MISS Summer Soar In Sailplane, Al Sorensen 313-274-8712
Saturday, Aug 26 Bits & Pieces Big Bird Fly-In, Adrian, Larry Dalrymple
734-722-2489
Sat-Sun, Aug 26-27 Hobby Stop "Silver Cup" Pylon Race, Wayne Yeager
517-547-4430
Sunday, Aug 27 Midwest R/C DeBolt Fun Fly, Pete Waters 248-486-4800
*See additional information for these events in this issue of Skywriter!
Event info from mailings received, AMRCC, and Michigan RC Flying Times
Other Area Events
Air Show at Selfridge Air National Guard Base on Sat/Sun July 22-23.
Gate open at 8 AM until 2:15 PM.
See air show site at: http://www.selfridgeairshow.com/
Jerry Blumenthal will be attending on Saturday, July 22 and expects
to be at the base at the time the gates open. He can take six passengers
and will pickup at a common place. May be able to find preferred parking.
Contact Jerry at gblumen545@aol.com
Orion Township Wacky Water Weekend
The Skymasters have been invited to display some of our craft during
the Orion Township "Wacky Water Weekend". This is a multi-event weekend
with festivities taking place at the Orion Civic Center Park. (Located
just West of us at Joslyn and Greenshield Roads.) I'm looking for a few
float-planes for static display on Saturday, July 29 from 5:00 PM until
7:30 PM. We will erect the EZ-Up canopy to protect the planes and the display
will be staffed. The purpose is to advertise the club and possibly attract
new members. Since this is the same day as our Four-Stroke event we will
invite interested visitors to stop in at the field to see some flying.
If you have a plane that would be suitable and can display it that day
please give Gary Weaks a call (248-540-8358) or E-mail . Thank you.
For Sale!
XXL Club Jacket - Jacket is new and is the 'Sport' style. Logo is embroidered
on front and back. Available immediately (allow one week if you want your
name on it.) $90. Craig White at 248-435-5235 or 248-388-3564 (Nextel).
Skymasters Information
Skymasters field is located within the Bald Mountain State Park (see
map). State Park Permits are required and can be obtained from the Park
Headquarters located on Greenshield Road or at club events. Flying is permitted
from 10 AM to 8 PM. The noise limit for 2000 is 94dBa at 10 feet - this
noise rule is strictly enforced.
Wednesday evenings during the summer is Student Night and there are
usually instructors around all afternoon. Student night is also 'pot luck'
buffet night so that you can fly-n-feed (though not usually at the same
time). Students are encouraged on other days and weekends. It is a great
idea to come on Wednesday, meet the Instructors and arrange for more instruction
time together. Our Chief Flight Instructor is Greg Brausa.
From June to August, Club Meetings are held at the field on the first
Saturday of the month at 12 Noon - a great chance to fly and gossip too!
Winter meetings (September to May) are held at Larson Middle School (on
Long Lake just east of John R - see map) on the second and fourth Wednesday
of the month at 7:30 PM. Show and Tell, coffee and donuts, and model-speak
are the order of the evening. Come along - they are fun.
The Skywriter newsletter is sent to all members, local hobby shops and
other local R/C clubs. Any and all contributions are welcome, please pass
any articles to the Editor. If you know of anyone who may be interested
in our hobby (friend, relative, neighbor, colleague or acquaintance) -
please give them a copy of this newsletter or a copy of an AMA magazine
- it may spark their interest and get them into our hobby!
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