Thrustline Newsletter of the Sky Streakers R/C Club #1165 New Gloucester, Maine

August 2005 Edition

PRESIDENT Nelson Frost

VICE PRESIDENT

Dave Marin

TREASURER Dave Edwards

SECRETARY

Rosalie Marin

SAFETY OFFICER Bob Baker

FIELD MARSHAL

Bruce Morse

BOARD OF DIRECTORS Peter Flanagan

Ray Labonte Charlie Nelson

Bob Baker

NEWSLETTER EDITOR David Marin

588 Milton Road Milton Twp ME 04219

wemarins@megalink.net 207-369-0408

Visit the club web site

at: www.skystreakers.org

Please submit all materials for

publication by the first day of the month.

In This Issue July Meeting Notes page 2 Top Ten Signs You’re Becoming a Scale Modeler page 2 Tech Line – Connector Failure page 3 Ray & Robin’s New Home page 3 Maine Cow ☺ page 3 Flight Rule of the Month page 4 What Are We Doing When We’re Not Having Fun page 4 OOPS! ☺ page 4 Hints & Tips page 5 Thoughts ☺ page 5 Sky Streakers Classifieds from the Web Site page 6 Photos of Past Scale Shoot Out page 6

K.

PLEASE REMEMBER TO LOCK THE LOCK ONTHE MAIN GATE TO THECHAIN OR TO THE GATEITSELF AFTER OPENINGTO PREVENT THE LOSSOF THE LOC

2TOP TEN SIGNS YOU’RE BECOMING A SCALE

MODELER

JULY MEETING NOTES by David Andersen

It was a perfect evening on July 13th, the date of the most recent Sky Streakers Regular Monthly Meeting. There were 18 members present along with several guests when President Nelson Frost called for a short break in Novice Night training in order to take care of necessary club business.

10. You spend a week thinking about how to make a part that’s only a half an inch long. 9. You scrounge modeling supplies at weird places like photo stores, auto parts stores, fabric stores, surplus stores and art stores. NEW BUSINESS 8. French and German words are creeping into your vocabulary.

Prior to the meeting, Field Marshal Bruce Morse stated that he would be unable to attend the meeting due to a prior commitment and would like to make a request that members consider the purchase of four (4) new picnic tables to replace the old ones at the field that were becoming dangerous. He had a contact that would be able to provide the new tables for the price of $115.00 each. He also wanted members to know that he had trimmed off some branches along the access road that had been jutting out into the road and scraping vehicles as they drove in to the field. Members who were present agreed that the tables needed to be purchased and a motion was passed to release the funds necessary.

7. You purchase servos by the dozen. 6. You have a box full of model railroad and model rocket stuff. 5. None of your retract servos are used for retracts. 4. You buy women’s hair set pinking tape, ten rolls at a time. 3. You criticize your full-size pilot friends on the way they fly. Ray Labonte reported that he had received the bill for the

Port-A-Potty and asked if the members wanted the bill paid for the entire season. Approval was granted to do so.

2. You collect broken vacuum cleaners. 1. You choose a window seat so you can study the dirt.

from At the Field Dave Edwards, Treasurer has submitted the following report for the month ended June 30, 2005.

STATE OF MAINE SCALE SHOOT OUT TO TAKE

PLACE AUGUST 27TH AND 28TH!!! Total Receipts $130.00 Total Expenses 745.15

The following was taken from the web site of Ray & Robin’s Hobby Center

TOTAL DECREASE IN BAL. -$615.15

Checking Account Bal. $1184.93 “Start Date 8/26/2005 Reserve Account Bal. 3168.98 End Date 8/28/2005 TOTAL ASSETS $4353.91 Description: The cost of mowing the field during the month of June was

$700.00; the cost for May was $590.00 bringing the cost of keeping the field in great condition so far this season to $1290.00

Traditionally held the first weekend in August this year’s event has been moved to the last weekend of August due to a scheduling conflict. Thirteen years and counting, Maine’s biggest and best in Scale Modeling returns for another year of battle at the Skystreakers field in New Gloucester. This event draws a large number of the finest scale models to be seen in the Northeast. From Jennys to Jets spectators are treated to a wide range of museum quality Scale R/C Model Airplane flying. The noontime demonstrations add to its reputation as a must see event. A Saturday evening barbeque provides the highlight to a full day of modeling fun. A great opportunity to see what the best in modeling has to offer. Highly recommended for spectators. Bring your camera.”

The meeting was adjourned and flying resumed.

Respectfully submitted, Rosalie Marin,

secretary

THE AUGUST 2005 REGULAR MONTHLY MEETING OF THE SKY STREAKERS RC CLUB WILL BE HELD ON WEDNESDAY,

AUGUST 10TH

BEGINNING AT 7:00 P.M. A SHORT BREAK IN NOVICE NIGHT TRAINING WILL BETAKEN IN ORDER TO TAKE CARE OF NECESSARY CLUBBUSINESS. FLYING WILL THEN RESUME.

2005 SCHEDULED EVENTS AUG 26-28 (Fri, Sat, Sun) STATE OF MAINE SCALE SHOOTOUT CD – Ray Labonte – havefun@mainehobbies.net OR 207-797-5196 OR at Ray & Robin’s Hobby Center – 734 Riverside St., Portland ME ________________________________________________________ SEPT 24 & 25 IMAA GIANT SCALE FLY-IN

CD - Peter Flanagan – spits@gwi.net OR 207-839-5512 for FMI

3

TECH LINE by Jim Tomblin

from the web site of Ray & Robin’s Hobby Center Just a reminder for you who just fly and don’t think anything goes wrong with radios. Those fabulous connectors that we take for granted—connectors for our servos, batteries and switches—do have their own failures, some very slight but disastrous. There are several failures which can occur that you can prevent.

“06/15/2005 Ray & Robin’s New Home Construction has begun on our new building at West Falmouth Crossing located off Exit 53 (old Exit 10, North Portland) of the Maine Turnpike. This new 48’ x 80’ building with a full daylight basement will be completed for our move in October of 2005. Our newly built building will provide for twice our current retail space. A dedicated facility for hosting weekly car racing as well as monthly club meetings. We’re also working with the town for approval of an outdoor racing facility to be ready for Spring 2006. This “stand alone” building provides for plenty of parking with room to grow. We look forward to offering more products and services along with a carpet racing surface. This new location also provides for easy access given it is located less than 1/3 mile from the Toll Plaza. Our visitors from the south will enjoy a quicker trip since travel form the exit to our driveway is much less congested and therefore easier to travel. Needless to say, we are very excited about our future. Ray & Robin’s Hobby Center is growing. Thanks to you, our loyal customers, we’ll soon call West Falmouth Crossing home with plans to offer the modeling community a premier shopping experience. Please tell a friend and visit us at our new location coming in October 2005.

Failure Corrective Action Vibration-induced wear of -Replacement every switches season -Shock mount Fuel contamination of any -Radio Shack component connector cleaner/spray used sparingly. Disconnect and spray. Dry and reseat several times. Corrosion due to dissimilar -Same as #2. This is the manufacturing contaminants. worst type of failure. It is not obvious. Failures are subtle to catastrophic. Reseating all connectors every few months will

normally keep this one off your back.

Battery failure induced by -Every time you come out cold weather to fly, use your expanded scale voltmeter and watch for a decrease in voltage, caused just by transporting

The only cow in a small town in Arkansas stopped giving milk. The people did some research and found they could buy a cow up in Maine for $200.00. They bought the cow from Maine and the cow was wonderful. It produced lots of milk all of the time, and the people were pleased and very happy. your warm aircraft out to

the cold field. They decided to acquire a bull to mate with the cow and

produce more cows like it. They would never have to worry about their milk supply again. They bought a bull and put it into the pasture with their beloved cow. However, whenever the bull came close to the cow, the cow would move away. No matter what approach the bull tried, the cow would move away from the bull and he could not succeed in his quest. The people were very upset and decided to ask the Vet who was very wise what to do.

Electronic failure induced by -Do an engine warm up cold weather. range test when the air- craft is cold. Some elec- tronic component failures and solder connections will raise their ugly heads. The vibration of the engine running at various rpms will sometimes aggravate these types of failures. If They told the Vet what was happening. “Whenever the bull

approaches our cow, she moves away. If he approaches from the back, she moves forward. When he approaches her from the front, she backs off. An approach from the side and she walks away to the other side.”

the trouble is not corrected by reseating, service or replacement is in order. Isolating intermittent problems with our radio equipment can be a highly frustrating experience. I deal with it every day and sometimes I walk away shaking my head. We are very fortunate to have such reliable systems. With intermittent problems, it is sometimes better to retire the assembly rather than risk a major safety problem and loss of your aircraft, engine and everything else that goes with it.

The Vet thinks about this for a minute and asked, “Did you buy this cow in Maine?” The people were dumbfounded, since they had never mentioned where they bought the cow.

“You are truly a wise Vet,” they said. “But how did you know we got the cow in Maine?” from SAM-antics

Official Flypaper of the Sacramento Aero Modelers Sacramento CA The Vet replied with a distant look in his eye, “My wife is from Maine.”

via AMA National Newsletter

4

FLIGHT RULE OF THE MONTH

And what does “sport” mean as in “Sport Scale” and “Sportsman Class”? Merriam’s defines sport as an activity that is performed for recreation—it’s a synonym for “fun.” Confusing?

Casa de Aero R/C Club of Arizona sports its own safety code in addition to the mandatory AMA Safety Code. While the AMA strongly recommends “flying with a buddy,’ one of the Casa de Aero rules, Rule 2.4 of the Flying Field Regulations states:

If some of us fly for a reason other than sport, fun or recreation, what could this dark side be? Do we suggest that Novice Pattern is flown for prestige, that sailplanes are flown for big bucks, and scale brings fame and fortune? Could it be that teenage groupies forsake rock stars in favor of pylon racers? Do helicopter pilots form PAC’s? Is there insider trading going on in Peanut Scale? Not likely.

“Solitary model aircraft flying is not permitted. At least two persons must be at the flying field when model aircraft are flown. There must be at least one responsible person, in addition to the model aircraft pilot, to act as a spotter for manned aircraft flying in the vicinity and to provide assistance in case of an accident or emergency.”

Is it implied that some modelers enter competition only for the prizes? Oh sure—like someone will practice for years just to win a roll of Monokote.

The rationale for this rule is SAFETY. Picture a model aircraft with a 10” diameter bench saw blade on the front instead as a propeller. A propeller running at 12,000 RPM can do as much damage as a saw blade to a finger, a hand, an arm or any other human appendage which happens to get in its way! If you are the only one at the field and the propeller tries to eat one of your appendages, just stop and consider the difficulties you would encounter while you are getting yourself to the Emergency Room.

Let’s consult the dictionary once again. Reading further, I find another definition that defines sport as “an individual exhibiting a sudden deviation from type beyond the normal limits of individual variation, especially as a result of a mutation.” it also describes a sportsman as “a good loser.” Aha! The picture becomes clearer—we are deviates, mutants and losers!

First, you have to stem the gush of blood pulsating from the deep laceration(s), probably with a handkerchief. Then you have to figure out how to drive your car and hold the handkerchief in place at the same time. Then you start to fret about having to leave your model, support equipment and radio at the field with the gate unlocked. It probably hasn’t started hurting yet because you are still in shock, but soon the throbbing will begin. You will start to become faint, either from shock or the loss of blood. Do you pull over or do you forge ahead, hoping that you get to the hospital before you pass out completely and hit something or someone? Think how much easier things would have been if you had a buddy with you to help out.

Not really. The hint of snobbery is only an unfortunate accident. What is really clear is that the appellations “Sport” and “Fun” are poor word choices because they obscure what the activities really are. What to do about it I offer the following substitutes. Let’s rename Fun Scale for what it really is—a pattern event. Dave Platt admits that the 5-point bonus was included as a ploy to prevent it from being controlled by the AMA pattern contest committee. Let’s call it “Scale Pattern.” Who cares which committee claims it!

The essence of Fun Fly is that the tasks are varied and not amounted in advance. So let’s call it “Free Style” or “Decathlon” or “Unlimited.” Although I like “Open Fly” best, I’m sure you can think of something better.

It is obvious from the above hypothetical situation that the second person at the field should be a responsible adult, one who is capable of driving who can assist you with first aid. Any person younger than driving age would not be considered a “responsible person” even if he is that grandson who you think is the smartest kid in the world.

Since there is only one scale event, let’s simply call it “Scale.” Let’s eliminate the redundant “Sportsman Class Sport Scale” and borrow the straight-forward term “Novice” from the glider guiders as a replacement for the patronizing “Sportsman.” Then we have Scale—Novice and Expert. Isn’t that clearer?

from Flight Lines

Don Tabor and Jerry Gill, co-editors Prescott AZ

via AMA National Newsletter Now about Designer Scale….

from At the Field WHAT ARE WE DOING WHEN WE’RE NOT HAVING FUN? by David Andersen

I’m confused by the meaning of “fun” as in “Fun Scale,” “Fun Fly,” and the oxymoronic “Competition Fun Fly.” My dictionary says that “fun” means “providing enjoyment or amusement.” Did the coiners of this word, as applied to modeling, mean to imply that other types of flying lack enjoyment or amusement? Do they suggest that other types of flyers are deranged neurotics who cannot control their compulsive behavior and suffer while doing slow-rolls against the summer sky? No, it’s generally accepted that the term “fun” means the activity is performed only for fun and nothing else. If so, why do these events offer prizes? And what ulterior motives exist in the other events?

OOPS! Two airline mechanics were working on a 747 when lunchtime came. Rather than leave what they were doing, they just took their lunch break while sitting in the cockpit. While they were eating lunch, one mechanic bet the other that the landing gear would not retract if he pulled the gear lever up. He lost the bet.

5HINTS & TIPS

Hole Marker A few years ago, while attempting to mark center holes for drilling wing mounting bolts I made a discovery. If you have to drill a recessed hole and line it up with a hole that is over ¾ inch deep, you have to reach about 1 ½ inches to mark the spot. If the hole you are marking through is only 3/16 inch diameter, how do you mark it accurately? An awl will work to make a dot, but it’s better if you can cover the entire circle. So, what I did was pull the center out of a black marker, put it into a piece of brass tubing, and voila (that’s French), I had a six-inch long, 1/8 inch diameter marker! It worked perfectly.

from Plane Talk Dan Knack, editor

Woodbury MN via AMA National Newsletter

Cleaning Glow-Drivers Ever have your glow plug driver not really work well when you know the battery is fully charged? Maybe the contacts need cleaning. What you need is contact cleaner which is available at electronics stores, and a cotton swab. Spray some contact cleaner on the cotton swab and clean all interior surfaces. Keep spraying the cotton swab until all areas are free from oil and dirt. If the battery is replaceable, clean the threads of the top and base, too. Now get up and glow do it! Pantyhose Air Filter Dirt and dust should be kept out of engines. This is especially true if you fly on dirt or grass fields. Try clipping some patches from a pair of panty hose. Next, go to the local hardware store and pick up some “O” rings that will stretch over the carburetor intake. Hold the patch taut and roll the “O” ring down over the carburetor. Voila! You have an instant air filter. Up to three layers can be used with no noticeable loss of power. Flexible Palm Sander Cut an inexpensive, adhesive backed, vinyl floor tile to a convenient size. You can make them custom sized to fit any application you may have. Now cover it’s adhesive side with sandpaper of the grit of your choice. The vinyl is fairly flexible and will conform nicely to simple curves, such as a wing camber. Consequently, it won’t produce flat spots as regular sanding blocks do.

from The Signal Squeaker Jerry Wino, editor

Garden City MI via AMA National Newsletter

The Pinch Test If you pinch the fuel line, and the engine speeds up, it is on the rich side of the adjustment. How much it speeds up shows how close you are. If it speeds up a lot, you are rich. If it

speeds up just a little, you are just right. If it doesn’t speed up at all, you are just going lean. If it slows down, you are lean. The test temporarily starves the engine for fuel and is reliable to test for a too-lean condition. At full throttle, quickly pinch the fuel supply line. The engine should momentarily increase rpm before starting to die. If it starts to die immediately, then it’s already too lean and should be adjusted.

from BAMAC via Contact, Tim Mihalski, editor

Hockessin DE via AMA National Newsletter

Bolts That Hold Tight From Hardware stores, you can get rubber-backed washers. Use these on the cowl and canopy bolts. They are nice because they hold the bolts in a way that they don’t vibrate loose, and the rubber backing is easier on the paint than bare metal.

from DCRC Newsletter Silver Springs MD

via AMA National Newsletter

Rotary Film Cutting Those miniature, rotary fabric-cutting tools from the fabric or sewing store are ideal for cutting covering film. Use a straightedge as a guide, or make curved trim pieces freehand or with a French curve.

from Brainbuster Newsletter Brainbuster Free Flight Club

Abram Van Cover, editor Newport News VA

via AMA National Newsletter

Joining Balsa Sheets When joining balsa sheets together with Cyanoacrylate (CyA) glue, join the sheets along their sides, then wick the CyA into the joint. While wet, sand immediately. The sawdust from sanding will fill in any gaps in the joint. When joining balsa sheets with white glue, sand the edges so the butt joint is nearly perfect. Then dust the pieces off and lay them flat on the bench. Now, tape (masking tape works well) the two sides together and lift from the bench. Gently fold open and run a bead of your favorite glue in the joint. Now, lay the joined sheet back down on the bench with the taped side down and join with tape on the opposite side. Leave the sheets to dry, maybe slightly weighted. When dry, remove the tape and sand to a reasonable finish.

from John Nooyen

THOUGHTS When I was a kid I used to pray every night for a new bike. Then I realized that the Lord doesn’t work that way, so I stole one and asked him to forgive me. I think animal testing is a terrible idea; they get all nervous and give the wrong answers. I’ve often wanted to drown my troubles, but I can’t get my wife to go swimming.

6

Sky S

1/4 Scale Fly Baby, .91 Magnum Four Strokdings. It is in excellent condition with scale

Futaba Radio 9CAP PCM (9 channel) New intop drill press used very little $85 or best of

I am a young r/c pilot looking for a cheap ato be fancy or in great shape.

Free to a good home, a hollow-core door pa

Tiger 60 completely built.<<<NEW PRICE>Fiberglassed with auto paint and clearcoat. cashiers check or money order requested.

MDS .40 motors $35 each or both for $50

Original Lou Andrews Aeromaster. Enya .60great. Maroon and cream Monokote, trimme

F l 60 i S S t t ith 70 O

S

FreBring

ate: 8/28/2005 treakers Classified Ads

Item Description Contact

e and Airtronics radio, This plane flies real nice and has no details. $450.00

Al Ghoreyeb, 721-3233 or aghoreyeb@u74.k12.me.us

box $375. Enya 155 4 stroke engine $350. Craftsman 8" table fer Charlie Nelson 207-781-4510

irplane that may need a little work that will fly. It doesn't have Chris May: at Cessna150flyr@aol.com

nel about 6' long and 18" wide. Peter Flanagan spits@gwi.net

>>> Never flown. Saito 100 installed and air retracts. No engine. Was $995 now $399.95 or best offer, plus shipping, Charlie Nelson 207-781-4510 anytime

Dean Casciola 207-892-4641

III. No radio. No crashes. Plane is in excellent shape and flies d in lite blue. $200 obo Nik Rende - rcngolf@yahoo.com

S 4 t k Lik 300 00 N Ridl 655 3575

n organizing this event Ray & Robin's Hobby Center is closed on Saturday, August 7.

EEN AT PREVIOUS SCALE SHOOT OUT

Make sure you attend this years event on August 27 & 28

at the Sky Streakers Flying Field Bald Hill Road, New Gloucester

e admission, concessions stand will be open, lots of parking. your family and invite your friends for a great weekend of RC!