*From The President
*B.O.G. Review
*Start Of Flying Season
*The Curve Ball
*Transatlantic Flight
*Stewart Middle School Project
From the President
March Meeting
The March meeting at the church was well
attended. Many probably came to meet the annual dues
deadline but most came for the information and camaraderie
which has become an important part of our gatherings. After
all, if the weather is too bad to fly we can at least get
together to talk about flying and building model airplanes.
Dean Pappas, who was originally scheduled to speak at our April meeting, filled in for our planned speaker who had to take flight out of town.
Dean is a nationally ranked pattern flyer, magazine columnist and authority on model aviation. He shared with us at the meeting his expertise on noise abatement. He categorized sound problems in five specific areas; the muffler, the prop, the mount, the airframe and the carburetor. Most questions, comments and "head-shaking" were caused by his remarks on noise generated by our use of so-called "standard props". According to Dean our use of a 10x6 prop with a .40 engine and 12x6 prop with .60 engines is a real source of dbs and we should increase pitch on those "standards" to eliminate much noise. Much more was said about doubling muffler capacity and use of soft mounts as well as solid building techniques. Thanks Dean for a very informative evening. Now that we know you are employed in the area we will feel free to call on you again.
Fixed-Wing Fun Fly
The first fixed wing fun fly of 1997 will be on June 28th. No rain date was selected at this time. Mike Estock and Joe Weizer have agreed to coordinate this event. All BOG members and volunteers who participated in our 1996 fun flies will be expected to do more of the same thing. I'll be in touch.
1997 Flying Season
As I write this on March 19th I'm looking out the window at snow flurries but I know that in a few days spring flying will begin in earnest. Let me share some thoughts with you about 1997 flying. Let's make 1997 an even better, safer, quieter year than 1996. We can do this even though 1996 was a terrific year.
Lets all endeavor to be helpful to one another and to instill a spirit of cooperation that will make us all better human beings and as a result our unique sport much more enjoyable.
Reaquaint yourselves with the rules of our flying site. They are posted on the bulletin board and extra copies are in the barrel. Help others by quietly informing them of proper procedures. Know the BOX! Do not overfly the boundaries!
Avoid confrontations! We are the representatives of our club and of model aviation on a truly national stage. Don't let your activity reflect badly on the rest of us. We enjoy and entertain spectators from all over the U.S. and other parts of the world. Make sure they observe you at your very best.
Elsewhere in this issue, Ed Snead, our chief field marshal is going to lay down the rules and get on us about our use of facilities. Let's not give him any reason to have to write any future columns of this nature.
April Meeting April meeting will be at the church 8:00 P.M. Plan to attend, we have some surprises and a mammoth raffle planned.
May, June and July meetings will be at the field. After all that's why we are in this hobby, isn't it? Attend, fly and have some fun.
B.O.G. Review
By Sam Andreas, Secretary
The March meeting of the V.F.S.S. Board of Governors was called to order at 7 PM on Tuesday, March 18th.In attendance were: The President, Vice President, Treasurer and Secretary and 17 board members. Topics discussed were as follows:
1) It was decided that the May, June and July general
meetings will be held at the flying field.
2) The first fixed wing Fun-Fly of the season will be held on
Saturday, June 28th. The Alpha squadron will not perform
at this function.
3) A meeting with the park superintendent will take place
sometime in early April.
4) The Port-a-Potty will be in place as of the beginning of
April.
5) It will be standard procedure to rope off the pit area on
weekends as an added safety precaution.
6) Ed Snead announced that he is seeking volunteers to act as
field marshalls.
The meeting was adjourned at 7:45.
The next B.O.G. Meeting will be on May 20th at 7 PM at the church.
START OF FLYING SEASON
By Ed Snead
Chief Field Marshal
Just a few more days and we will be into our flying season. However, with the increase in activity comes the enforcement of club regulations. Club regulations really are nothing more than the use of plain old common sense which we, as humans, forget sometimes.
Like taking off for example; So as not to create a problem for people on the line flying, you announce that "you're taking off" loud enough to be heard. It is the same when you are ready to land - announce that you are "coming in".
Taxing in the pits or starting your engine not perpendicular to the flight line or in front of someone. These are just plain common sense no-no's.
Every club member is expected to be familiar with the field management guide lines. A couple of years ago one of our members lost his plane due to battery failure. It simply flew away. Someone in Berwyn, about seven miles away, found it in tact with just a broken prop. But NO I.D. After much time was spent asking questions, we finally found the owner - a simple problem made difficult because the owner forgot or just didn't bother to identify the model.
Some weekends during the season I visit the field and see 10 to 15 fellows flying. Spectators are walking all about the pit area; some even standing on the flight line with children, no less. To make matters even worse, some club members have their friend standing with them on the flight line - who are not AMA members. The ropes, which should be installed to prevent such things from happening, are still in the barrels.
Saturdays and Sundays are the days when there is the greatest number of people watching the club fly and it is the responsibility of all club members to prevent accidents from occurring.
The ropes should be put up by the first person to arrive at the field on weekends to fly. There should not be a debate as to who takes down the ropes, put the pin board away or lock up the barrel. It is the responsibility of all members to see that these matters are taken care of at the close of the flying day.
Don't assume that because there are a couple of flyers left everything will be taken care of. They could be visitors and are unaware of what must be done. If only one or two people are left flying, take their pins, close up the board, store it in the barrel and lock it.
The responsibilities of all the field marshalls are not to make enemies of our members. Our responsibility is to see that the club rules are enforced - by everyone. There are no Prima Donnas, no VIPs - everyone obeys the rules.
Membership in the club was predicated on following club rules, as so noted in the yearly membership application. If anyone in V.F.S.S. feels that the rules do not apply to them, please check with any club officer or field marshal and they can recommend another club where you would be happier. Our flying site is a joy to all club members, a place where discontent and loud engines are not permitted.
Speaking of loud engines; sound level testing will commence with the start of the season and again, there are no VIPs. If your plane fails the sound test, the problem must be resolved before it is permitted to fly at the field.
Mike Estock has volunteered to be field marshal. Mike is a dedicated club member who is serious about adherence to the rules. We need more volunteers so if anyone is interested please contact me or any board member.
So while the epoxy is curing or the paint is drying, take out your Field Management Guide and peruse its contents to get familiar with these rules that help us to keep such a beautiful flying site.
Don't create problems for the club because: Some Times Unnecessary Problems Indicate Dysfunction.
The Curve Ball
By Lew Roosa
The boys are down in Florida again and the baseballs are starting to fly around. Yes, a pitch can curve, and it is for the same reason that our planes fly. With a birds eye view let us look along the flight path of a curve ball thrown by a right hander.
He does two things: As he throws to his catcher he gives the ball a forward velocity, and as he snaps the ball over his index finger he gives it a counter clockwise spin around a vertical axis.
Consider the relative velocities of the air over each side of the ball. The air is flowing back on each side due to the ball's forward velocity just like air over our wings. On the right side, the seams and rough surface of the cover drag boundary layer air forward due to the tangential velocity from the ball's spin. This second effect subtracts from the first so the local air velocity is less than the ball's forward velocity. On the left side of the ball we have the opposite effect. Here the velocity of the dragged air adds, and the local air velocity is greater. Our old friend Bernouli takes over. The pressure on the right is increased to make up for the drop in local air velocity, while on the left side the pressure is decreased. Our ball responds to this pressure differential and moves to the left along its flight path. Essentially we now have a horizontal coefficient of lift.
Complicating this situation is another effect which the pitcher can use to his advantage. From wind tunnel tests we find that when spherical objects in an air stream are spun there is a threshold below which there is no lift. The ratio of the ball's tangential velocity to it's forward velocity is the key. If this ratio is below (about) one half, we don't develop any cooeficient of lift. Above one half it rises dramatically. The exact ratio is influenced by surface roughness, which is one reason every pitcher rubs a new ball. If the pitcher throws a slow pitch with a lot of spin, the threshold ratio is exceeded over most of the flight path, and we have a Round house curve. If he throws a faster pitch and gets the spin just right a funny thing happens. The tangential velocity changes very little because the ball has a high angular momentum. The forward velocity drops off due to air resistance. For most of the flight path the one half threshold is not exceeded and the ball travels straight. Then the forward velocity drops off enough that the ratio rises above one half, and the ball breaks sharply just before it gets to the plate. This can be a tough pitch to hit.
We see the same thing happen on the golf course. You hit one that goes straight as an arrow, and then curves off badly at the end. You just exceeded the threshold.
Transatlantic Flight
By Jim Myers
Three score and ten years ago this month in San Diego, the Ryan Airlines company employees were putting in many hours of overtime to complete the design and construction of a very special airplane. The plane had to meet some unusual requirements specified by their customer, a 25-year- old Air Mail pilot from Missouri. That pilot, Charles Lindbergh, was living in the same city during this period, making sure the plane would suit his needs. He also spent time visiting the nearby Navy base and some local libraries and map stores to learn about navigating across the Atlantic Ocean. He wondered whether to buy a sextant, but decided it would be too cumbersome to use in the air. He settled on using dead reckoning with occasional landmarks for his 3500-mile trip.
I have recently read Lindbergh's book, "The Spirit of Saint Louis," published in 1953, to refresh my interest about that historical aeronautical adventure. The book is filled with anecdotes about Lindbergh's early life and family, his five-year flying career, the condition of US aviation (barnstorming, etc.), and how he persuaded a group of Saint Louis businessmen to fund his amazing endeavor. I was surprised to find out that on his way to becoming a pilot, he performed wing-walking, parachute jumping, and aerial fireworks displays for barnstorming spectators in small midwestern towns.
Lindbergh's fame started to grow when "Slim" flew his single-engine monoplane from San Diego to Saint Louis in one overnight hop on his way to New York, in early May of 1927. He not only set a record, but aroused lots of world attention. The saga of his non-stop flight from New York to Paris covered 33 hours, in which he seemed to be fighting sleep for about 25 of them. That flight more than doubled all the flight time the plane had accumulated up to that point. His haste to leave on the overcast, drizzly morning of May 20, 1927 without a good night's rest was partly spurred on by growing publicity about many airmen of more experience attempting the same feat, in competition for a $25,000 prize. Many of them had already met disaster, using multi- engine planes and aircrews of two or more people.
I would like to recommend this book to anyone interested in aviation. When I was a youngster, I read Lindbergh's first book, "WE," which was published in July 1927 and includes a number of photographs. I recently purchased both of these books at a used book store in Paoli. I'm sure you can find them in any public library.
Stewart Middle School Project
Once again, it is time to prepare to teach fundamentals of aircraft
model building and flying to students at the Stewart Middle School in
Norristown. Principal Joe Howell is enthusiastically looking forward to
our annual project for sixth-graders. The model building project will
be held on May 5 through 9 from 8:45 to 10:15 a.m. each day of that week.
We will plan to have the children at our flying field the first clear,
calm day of the following week.
Please call me for details
Jim Myers
For Sale
Great Planes 40 size Ugly Stick w/Royal 45 and Kyosho 91 Series 7 ch radio. $200.00
Ace Digipace II charger. $40.00
Lainer Laser 60 Size w/Fox 75 motor and quiet muffler. Futaba 6ch radio $300.00
Carl Goldberg Eagle 2 w/ Fox 45 and Hitec Focus 4 Radio $200.00
Sterling Lancer Fox 45 w/ quiet muffler and Futaba 4ch radio. $230.00
Great Planes Super Sportster 40 Size Magnum 45Pro engine w/servos no radio. $50.00
Top Flight 90 Size Biplane. built covered in Red Fabric with Iron Cross. Open frame to tail. No Engine or Radio but ready to fly. $150.00
Minicraft Ultima 40 Size Biplane ARF still in box. $100.00
Sig Wonder 20 size still in box $30.00
Futaba Attack 4 4ch AM radio and Servos. $50.00
McDaniel Ni Starter still in box. $30.00
Various other Parts, Props and things.
Contact Wayne Stouth
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Sam Andreas, HearYe editor
Michael Myers, Webmaster
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