President's Column

We all know what this month’s lead item is: the flying site. The college has decided not to renew our agreement so our last day is Sunday, October 30. We’ve had 14 years on this site, which is a great run. Let’s be sure that we finish as a “class act” by following all our usual rules and by leaving the grounds neat and clean.

While it does appear that this decision is final, it is also about 5 months ‘till we would have been using it again. If any opportunity appears to change the situation, we will certainly move on it. Meanwhile feel free to call me at 763-537-7182 or e-mail at toninjeff@comcast.net for help, information, or to coordinate some action.

I’m very pleased with the helpful response from many of you in terms of looking for flyable areas and/or a new permanent site. We’ll undoubtedly spend much of the upcoming meeting working out an approach to the problem. THIS MEETING WILL BE EXTREMELY IMPORTANT!  Please make every effort to attend.

I placed a thread on Stuka Stunt and have gotten some interesting responses, some on the forum and some sent directly to me. The useful ones have been printed and put into folder form. I’m also preparing a generic written, illustrated presentation to be given out when we approach someone. It should be ready by the meeting. AMA also will help when we get to something specific, providing a packet tailored to a particular proposal. I’m personally setting up to see a possible site owner through some other modeling friends. If he can’t help us himself, he may be able to point us in a productive direction.  Jim Borg has contacted the Airport Manager at Anoka County Airport, who is quite friendly. Unfortunately, the Metropolitan Airports Commission itself, owner and operator of the airports, has both a past and recent history of hostility toward model aircraft on their fields, so this is a long shot. In any case, things are already happening. We WILL get it done!

Let me end this part of the column with a quote from Sina. We were discussing the turmoil in one of the other aeromodeling organizations, where great bitterness on the part of some is doing much damage. As close as I can get the words from memory, Sina’s  very appropriate comment was “…remember, what we are talking about here is flying model airplanes”.  This isn’t the end of the world, war and peace, or anything on that scale. It is very important to us and we ALL need to work on the problem, but let’s keep a perspective on what it actually is we are dealing with. We can still laugh, smile, and enjoy ourselves. We’ll find ways to fly next year, and we will find another long-term site.  Remember, it’s also very possible that we will end up with a BETTER site than we had at the college.

I’d like to end this column with some positive things so here are my personal “high points” of the year 2005’s flying.

• Sina’s flight at Sig with one judge giving his inverted 40 and the other 38. Welcome to the big leagues, kid!
   

• Ryan Heath making some fine maneuvers, also at the Sig Contest.
   

• My win in classic at Polk City in terrible winds and turbulence.
   

• Keith winning the next day at Polk City in conditions that had gone from terrible to incredibly bad.
   

• Jim Jorgenson bringing back a huge perpetual trophy sponsored by Alan Brickhaus, as the best new open flyer at the Nat’s.
   

• Our Kids Kontest!
   

• The very large number of beginners at our Bentfield Memorial.
   

• The great social sessions at the field.
   

• Suppers for Toni and me, with Kelvin and Ryan at the 50’s grill, after a Sunday’s flying.
   

• John Christenson and I having 2 meals at Polk City with Jim Lee, Jim is one of the real class acts in our sport, telling about all kinds of things, but especially the World Championships.
   

• FINALLY, BEING A PART OF KIDVENTURE AT THE EAA FLYIN. If you ever have a chance to do this, don’t pass it up. It is a GREAT experience and you can bet that I’ll be back next year if conditions permit. Thanks, Keith, for having the idea.

As Frank Sinatra sang: “IT WAS A VERY GOOD YEAR!”.    See you at the meeting!

Jeff Welliver

Vice President's Column

I just want to write a brief personal note today getting on to something like a column. The year is winding down, and it has been a remarkable one in so many ways. My main pleasure has been in watching Ryan grow and improve. It is so much fun to see the light come on for him at each stage of his flying career. “Oh,” he says, “I can do that!” A lot of his confidence is there because of the help and fellowship the Piston Poppers as a group and individuals have extended to him. Thank you, all.

We discussed electric CL at the last meeting. There clearly is an interest in electric's as a quiet alternative to noisy IC models. The performance is there, no question about it. It looks like Bob Hunt will fly in the World Champs with an electric powered model! He carved away the motor mounts from an existing model, made new mounts, located the battery pack where the tank had been, and had a top-drawer plane. It wasn’t entirely that easy, but it wasn’t anything any of us couldn’t do, either.

The question is the expense involved in setting up an electric. The low-price power systems used ion the RC park flyer type models really don’t have the oomph to be very satisfying for our purposes. I suspect the additional drag of the lines would be a limiting factor. So, you could do a brush type motor, direct battery connection, switch-and-go type set up for about the price of an LA25. It would fly, but it wouldn’t have a lot of performance.

Something more like Bob Hunt’s arrangement will run you about $250-300 plus the airframe. You’re looking at $75-150 for a brushless motor, $35 for a timer, $40-60 for an electronic speed control, $25-35 for a battery charger, and $50-75 per Li-Po battery pack. These are broad estimates for good quality items that I feel safe in suggesting. This will put you close to a system that will reliably do the pattern or sport fly to your heart’s content.

So, let me close with a couple of thoughts. I think it behooves us to consider getting our electric feet wet. As we search for a new flying site, the ability to fly almost silently will be an asset. With no oil and less vibration, airframes will last as long as you care to fly them. The prices will continue to fall as the technology evolves. People are routinely doing things with electric's that weren’t being dreamed of ten years ago. The progress will continue at a rapid rate.

So please call or e-mail me and I will be glad to pass along the sources of supply that I am familiar with. Be sure to read Bob Hunt’s article in the recent Model Aviation about his experience. It is very enlightening. I also have software loaded here that works out the power needs for a design and suggests a list of workable motor/battery/ESC combos. I would be glad to run the calcs for your design ideas if you send me the dimensions, areas, and weights. I would like to put something in the air soon under battery power. We have some of the needed infrastructure in place, so we just need the power system and airframe part of the equation to give it a try.

The search is on for a new flying site. I think Jeff has it covered very well in his column, so I won’t try to add to his words. Let’s build a new and even better site for 2006!

See you at the field!

Kelvin Heath

Members Space

Hello everyone, as most of you know I have been working on my house this year. Siding, painting and doing a number of other long neglected projects. As I was coming into the final stretch I took an a night off to come out and fly, what a mistake, because of no practice or just being dumb I was crashing in no time. Believe it or not I broke my arm just above the wrist. Even I don’t understand how, just one of those freak things that just somehow happen. Oh well it will heal, the plane on the other hand go where all good planes go to die.

No need to state the sadness of losing the opportunity to fly at the college as it is well documented by Jeff Welliver. But what this means to me is we not only need to find another site but we need to keep everybody focused on the club. Mike Moylan has suggested we do a building session this winter. We all should agreed this would be a great way to keep focused and learn from one another, plus the fun social side of things (specially if there is a big turnout).

Jeff Lange and myself will hold another frozen fun fly Jan 1, 2006 with chili and hot chocolate with door prizes for flying. Keep watch for updates as to time and place in the next newsletter.    

Next is a reminder to let everyone know that our November and December meetings will be held on December 15, 2005

See everyone at the meeting 

Bob