THE RLMAC FLY-BY

               March, 2003 Newsletter              http://rlmac.cjb.net

        PRESIDENT: DUANE NICHOLS

 VICE PRESIDENT: DON FILTER

        SECRETARY: SHANE IORNS

        TREASURER: CHUCK DOREY

       SAFETY OFFICER: WAYNE BARTA

                                                                                                             NEWSLETTER EDITOR: DARIN NICHOLS

 

 

Meeting:         The next meeting will be held Saturday, April 12th at 7:00 P.M. in the Library basement. Topics will include spring clean up and setting a summer schedule.

 

Presidents Report:     We had a visitor at our last meeting, Valerie Leair from the Rice Lake Chronotype. Valerie is doing a cover story on our club, which will be published April 9^th, 2003 in the Panorama section of the newspaper. On Sunday after our last meeting, Valerie visited our field where many of our members were flying. She was very surprised to see what we really do. And she was eager to learn more about our club, airplanes, and the people behind what makes this club tick. I would like to thank our members who helped Valerie with her story……………………………..Happy Landings.                    

 

Minutes:  A good turnout at our last meeting- 21 members. Duane talked to the club about attitude, negative, positive, and promoting the club. Darin suggested Pilot Training day or days. This is when members or any visitors can have a dedicated one on one with our pilot trainers. Our pilot trainers will set up a schedule and submit it to the club. Dave Strohmeyer will submit summer schedule to club when finalized. Meetings are held generally on 2^nd Saturday/Sunday of each month. If you are not sure when the meeting is, call someone. Joe Zamiski will talk to Doug Karis about acquiring Doug’s hanger. Ed Mc Manus will finish re-constructing the trainer donated to the club by Doug Zimmer. Darwin Avery suggested we should look closely at recruiting younger members. Don Filter said he will talk to other clubs about inter-acting, and check into static displays at Mall Shows.

 

Events:  We have 2 major events scheduled at this time, a Fun Fly scheduled for June 14^th, 11:00 A.M. to 5:00P.M., at Moon Lake Park. The Fun fly is open to all types of aircraft, including jets. Also scheduled is the Float and Fly for August 17^th, 11:00 am 5:00P.M. Located at Grandpas Train-Shop. The Float and Fly is open to boats as well. Other events are in the works. Contact David Strohmeyer with any suggestions at 715-234-6085

 

Newsletter/Website:   Please contact Darin Nichols if you no longer want a newsletter by USPS mail. If you wish to save the club some $$ and view the newsletter on-line, you can contact me to be taken off the mailing list. Give me a call or e-mail me to get a password for viewing the newsletter on the web site.

dlnichols181@yahoo.com  715-386-1811. 

 

I just wanted to share this article with everyone; because I have had similar things happen to me just last summer. Problems like loose servo mounting screws, a loose motor mount, to an about to become stripped elevator clevis, can make your airplane talk to you. The following article was taken from the AMA national newsletter, June 2002.

If you have any suggestions, or want to see different or more information in the RLMAC newsletter, just give me a call. Thanks, Darin.

 

Do Model Airplanes Talk? 

by David Beach 

We all become accustomed to listening to model aircraft. Typically we focus on the most audible component, the engine. Is the engine running well and fuel mix okay? We listen for the right sounds in reaction to throttle up from idle. We listen to make sure the engine doesn’t sag in response to the pinch test or holding the nose up. These are the obvious ways in which our flying models “talk” to us and indicate their airworthiness.

But model aircraft can tell you a lot more about their condition if you pay close attention. At the field the other day I overheard a pilot say “It sounds like my fuel tank is foaming.” In that case the airplane was attempting to say “You did not set your timer and I’m about to run out of fuel.” A minute or so later the airplane ran out of fuel and a successful dead-stick landing was the result. With a little more pilot awareness a powered landing would have been possible.

Unusual noises are often a precursor to something that is about to go wrong. Paying attention to what your airplane is telling you can mean the difference between landing with a loose muffler and losing a muffler in the woods. It can mean the difference between slowing down an airplane experiencing control surface flutter and having control failure. Unusual model aircraft noises have a variety of sources, but your first reaction to an unusual noise should probably be slowdown, land, and inspect.

I have an airplane that gives feedback that is not audible, but it’s talking to me nonetheless. With a fuel tank that’s well ahead of the center of gravity (CG), once the fuel level starts to get low, this airplane gradually gets light in the nose and starts to climb from what started out as level flight trim. I don’t need to look at a timer or listen for changes in engine noise to know that it’s about time to land.

Have you ever attempted to fly with your antenna down or a low receiver battery? It’s not uncommon to get a short “glitch” and have temporary loss of control before all is lost. If you recognize that your airplane is attempting to tell you something, it can make all the difference.

Learning to pay attention to what your airplane is trying to tell you is not always easy. Through personal experience I’ve learned a new signal to look for that might have saved two different airplanes, and I’d like to share it with you.

Any sudden change in flight trim means something is wrong!

Twice in the past year, I have retrimmed airplanes in flight and kept flying when I might have had the opportunity to avoid an in flight failure. Just because adding three clicks of down-trim makes the airplane fly straight and level again doesn’t mean you should keep flying; it means land now if you can.

Is a control horn coming loose? Has a control rod bend become fatigued and gotten soft? Has the engine mount shifted and changed the thrust line? Has the battery moved in the fuselage and changed the CG? Has a wing bolt mount failed and changed the trim? When an unusual change to flight characteristics occur, it is our job as pilots to understand why and properly assess the impact of that change. Get this done safely on the ground.

Staying in touch with what your aircraft is trying to tell can make a big difference. It can make the hobby more rewarding, and can make you a safer pilot. Do model airplanes talk? Only if you pay attention and listen very closely.

from Eagles News
Southern New Hampshire Flying Eagles RC Club
David Beach, editor
Merrimack NH