Hear Ye!

The official newsletter of the :
Valley Forge Signal Seekers
Radio Controlled Model Airplane Club

An AMA Gold Leader Club

April, 2001
No. 407

From the President,
Warren Barrick

March's general membership meeting was held to a capacity audience at the
church. It was an enjoyable evening.

In keeping with our plans for this type of meeting, we had once again as a
featured presenter another accomplished modeler from our own club, David
West.

Dave brought a 17-year-old Ziroli F4U Corsair that is a real show stopper.
He related to us the construction, detailing, and flight of his outstanding
war bird. We were all impressed with his aircraft and his expertise and are
happy that Dave is a long time Signal Seeker. We have a lot of gems in this
organization! Frank Butta showed us his nearly completed Bridi pattern ship.
Frank is going to have fixed gear on his bird, and the completely covered
wing gave us an idea of its ultimate good looks. Thanks, Frank, and good
luck with your new aircraft.

Our other show-and-teller was the redoubtable engineer and tinkerer Russ
O'Brien. This time Russ displayed his new plane hold-down contraption and
gave us some pointers on repairing or restructuring large holes in a cowl.
Way to go, Russ.

April is upon us and I am hoping that by the time you read this we will have
had some decent breaks in the weather and have gotten in some serious flying
time. This should be a very busy and informative month! Attend the general
membership meeting and get your private air forces prepped for the AIAA
picnic/fly-in on April 28th (rain date April 29th).

On April 10th, Bruno Cavallo will speak to the club. His topic will be
"Pre-WWII German Aircraft." He is a recognized authority on this period and
these aircraft and has a national reputation. Come out and be informed.

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About AIAA

The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics has been the official
society of aerospace engineers and scientists since 1963. The AIAA was
formed with the merger of the American Rocket Society and the Institute of
Aerospace Scientists.

Today it has more than 31,000 members and is the world's largest
professional society of its kind. AIAA has published more than 350 books and
250,000 technical papers.

Its motto is "All There Is To Flight." The Greater Philadelphia Section is
honoring us by holding their spring picnic at our field on April 28th from
1:00 to 5:00 PM. The rain date is April 29th.

---------------------------

BUILDER'S CORNER, by Gerry Keenan

Well, the weather's breaking and hopefully you have made your first trip to
the field by now. If you're new to the hobby and smart, you had one of
those good-looking guys (instructors) help you out. You probably had a
couple of bugs to work out, but nothing too serious. So now is a good time
to start putting together a flight box. You'll need something to carry all
those donuts in.

I group field boxes into four categories: brown bag; rebuilt; kits; and the
XL-15 models. Any one of these will work. It really just depends on how
much time and money you want to invest. Before you make a choice, go to the
field and talk to people, as there are many different thoughts on field
boxes. Think about what you are going to use at the field and how much
weight are you willing to carry. Also remember that some types of repairs
are best done at home.

"Brown bag" flight boxes can be just about anything and everything - a milk
crate, an old tool box, a brown bag, anything that will carry tools, fuel,
starter, and glow plug clip. These are good if you are just starting out.
The down side is you will not be really organized, probably will not have
what you need, the containers are not fuel proof, and a lot of times they
are not pretty when you put donuts in them. They do work, though.

Pre-built field boxes are becoming as popular as ARF's. Just about every
manufacturer has one out. Things to look for include how much room you
have. Are there plenty of drawers, and can you carry all of your accessories
in it? What is the cost? And how much time do you fly? Pre-built boxes
are good for someone in a hurry or someone who has a hard time building.

Kits are a good choice for someone who has a little time. They require
gluing, sanding, and painting. They are usually a little cheaper than the
pre-builts. The biggest advantage is you can customize them to fit your
needs. Many pilots also add their own graphics.

The last choice is the XL-15 class, and about the only thing to say is to
wait till you've been flying for a while before you get this type of box.
These boxes are for the serious pilots only, as they tend to hold lots of
donuts.

Just one last thing to mention is that I like to put the channel number of
my radio on my box so other pilots can easily see what channel I am using.
As for what tools you want in your box, Jim Myers wrote a good piece on the
subject in the September issue of Hear Ye! (Thanks, Jim.) You can access
this on the web site, or get in touch with me and I'll print you a copy.

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RAFFLE

Below is the list of prizes for the last raffle of the current season.

1. Precision SAE Screwdriver Set, Including Case
2. Hobby Knife with #11 Blades and Proglo Starter Clip
3. Precision Z-Bend Pliers
4. Uproar 60 Funfly Airplane Kit - Not for the Faint of Heart
5. Bench Topper Built and Ready to Use - Keep the Bench Organized

The meetings beginning in May will be held in the park. We cannot hold
raffles in the park. They will begin again when the meetings at the church
resume in September.

----------------------

NOTES FROM THE FIELD, by Dennis DiBonaventura

Well, the time of the year is almost upon us, and the weather is about to
break. With this in mind, there are a number of chores that have to be
finished for the upcoming year. I am scheduling a workday for Saturday April
14, 2001 (rain date Sunday, April 15), for the completion of these items.

First and foremost, there is the rolling of the field. Second, the barrels
need a coat of paint, and the roof of our bulletin board is in sad shape.
The park will supply us with the cedar shakes to do the repairs. I am asking
for your help in accomplishing these tasks.

Also I will be looking for additional help in the weekly maintenance of the
field (mowing). If you can let me know that you will be there, please
contact me by e-mail or phone. I am sure that I can count on many of you for
your ever-helpful hands.

----------------

ENGINE SPECIFICATIONS, by Dave West

There was some controversy during the March meeting as to displacement
(i.e., # of cylinders) of the Pratt & Whitney R 2800 Double Wasp radial
engine. In an effort to keep our facts straight, I did further research.
This information is from the Pratt & Whitney web site
(www.Pratt-Whitney.com/).

Pratt & Whitney R 2800 Double Wasp

An 18-cylinder, two-row radial engine providing up to 2,500 horsepower. An
important factor of Allied air supremacy in World War II, the Double Wasp
remained in production until 1960.

Displacement: 2,804 cubic inches
Revolutions per minute: 2,250 - 2,800
Production years: 1939 - 1960
Engines produced: 125,334
First run: 1937
First flight: 1939
Weight: 2,360 pounds

This engine powered not only the Corsair, but also many, many other aircraft
of WWII and aircraft produced for a long time after.

-----------------------

IN MEMORIAM

We regret to inform the membership of the passing of Thomas W. Jones on
March 1st in Florida. We will miss him and extend our condolences to the
members of his family.

------------------------

CORRECTION

Ed Romanowski is not in a senior care facility. He resides with his daughter
and son-in-law in Abington, PA. He sees visitors after 3 PM.

------------------------

THE SPORT FLYER

I know we always seem to be pushing for events and asking for help. All of
this is fine if your interests lie within one of these areas, but our sport
is made up of many different facets.

Let's not forget the sport flier in all of this. Who is he? What is he?

The sport flier, contrary to popular belief, represents the backbone, not to
mention the bulk, of participants in this sport. He is just an average guy
who just likes to go out every now and then and make a few laps or do a few
loops with his airplane.

His skills vary from beginner to very proficient. In fact, if he could
devote more time to the sport, he would probably be in competition.

I personally have seen some of these guys and they are far better than some
of the competitors I've seen. They buy the bulk of equipment from the hobby
shops - not the big buck items or specialty stuff - but the day-to-day sales
that keep the shops in business.

Why sport flying? Well, this average guy is the one with the wife, kids,
and yard work to do, as well as overtime and weekend duty. His
opportunities to get out to the field are severely limited by these factors.

When he does get the time to do what he likes, who can blame him for just
wanting to get out and relax a little, fly around and talk with friends. I
can't fault him for not committing to work events or participate in them
because half the time he can't plan that far in advance.

I have seen these people come out to the field and be asked to do something
and have to decline or be pushed into making commitments that they can't
keep.

The other point to bring up here is that sport flying is a lot like driving
and playing golf. Everyone with a car does not want to race it or put it in
shows. And to prove this point, most people don't. Not everyone who plays
golf wants to compete in tournaments.

I guess the bottom line here is not everyone is committed to the same degree
or has the same interests. Does that mean they are any less important? No
way!

So, the next time you hear, "Aw, they're just a bunch of sport fliers,"
remember that not everyone is as perfect as you.

Reprinted from NOTAM
Bayou City Flyers
21215 Park Bluff Drive
Katy TX 77450

---------------------------------

AVIATION QUOTES

>From the Web Site Aviation Quotes
Http://www.skygod.com/quotes

"More than anything else the sensation is one of perfect peace mingled with
an excitement that strains every nerve to the utmost, if you can conceive of
such a combination."
Wilbur Wright

"The scientific theory I like best is that the rings of Saturn are composed
entirely of lost luggage."
Mark Russell

"In America there are two classes of travel-first class, and with children.
Robert Benchley

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CLUB CALENDAR

Tuesday, April 3rd:
BOG meeting at 7:00 PM in Room 207 at the church.

Tuesday, April 10th:
General membership meeting at the church. Bruno Cavallo, AIAA, will speak to
the club. He is an authority on pre-World War II German aircraft.

Saturday, April 28th:
AIAA picnic and VFSS fun-fly at the field from 1:00 to 5:00 PM. Bring out
your best aircraft, gliders, and helicopters to fly before an appreciative
audience. Introductory pilots should bring trainers to give novices a flight
experience.

Tuesday, May 8th:
Gene "Geno" Greatti, a professional pilot and a VFSS member, will share with
us some of his aviation experiences. Show-N-Tell and the last raffle until
September.

Saturday, May 12th:
Eagles All-Electric Fly-In at Hope, New Jersey. This is Joe Beshar's event.

Saturday, May 19th & Sunday, May 20th:
Fun Float Fly at Mauch Chunk Lake, Jim Thorpe, PA. Contact "Jack" Carrigan
for details.

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Note: The e-mail address for Hear Ye! editor Marilyn Ayres is now
mayres8@home.com


Feedback or comments to: Marilyn Ayres , HearYe editor
Michael Myers, Webmaster


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