Hear Ye!

The official newsletter of the :
Valley Forge Signal Seekers
Radio Controlled Model Airplane Club
June, 1999
No. 385

NOTICE
The Club meeting on June 8
will be held AT THE FIELD
at 7:00 PM. Bring a chair and
plane and enjoy the evening!

Club Notes

Tuesday, June 8..............Monthly meeting at the
Field at 7:00 PM. Lets hope for
good weather! Bring a chair,
your airplane and enjoy the
evening. Our speaker will be
Joe Weizer.

Saturday, June 12...........Buz Klein Memorial Fun-Fly!
Starts at 9:00 AM. Bring your
favorite airplane and fly!!!

This Fun-Fly will be run by Mike Estock and
Joe Weizer. Rom will bring his "Candy
Bomber" for the kids and the entire event
will be MC'd by Warren Barrick. There
will be refreshments and subs for members.
Gas grills ONLY will be allowed by the Park.

For Sale
Great Planes Spirit 100 Sailplane Kit, $40
If interested, call Peter Villas (610) 623-4998

Pilot Profile

Bob with his Beechcraft Staggerwing

Bob Flick

There aren't many folks around who can say they remember when Charles Lindbergh made his famous solo flight across the Atlantic but our subject, Bob Flick, remembers the excitement it caused.
Following Lindbergh's flight to Paris there was a great public interest in aviation. It also created a big interest in model planes for young boys and Bob was caught up in the hysteria. Bob's father was also an aviation buff and they would travel from western Pennsylvania to Cleveland to attend the National Air Races that were held during the 30's. Bob still has vivid memories of the pylon races held there and he remembers seeing such great airplane racing pioneers as Art Chester, Steve Whitman, and Tony Lavier.
Bob also remembers seeing the huge dirigibles "Akron and "Macon" as they passed overhead on their way to the east coast, and being so slow, he was able to get a good look at them.
As a young boy, Bob and his friends built many rubber band models. He remembered that the Saturday movies were 10 cents and he had to pass a hardware store on the way to the movie house. The hardware store had a model airplane section and many of the models were also 10 cents. Bob said "sometimes the model won out over the movie." Spoken like a true model airplane addict! Bob and his friends were avid readers of the "Flying Aces" magazine and the old "pulp" magizines filled with aviation adventure stories.
Bob began training as a tool and die apprentice but the U.S. entered WW II and he enlisted in the Navy on July, 1942. After training in Newport, R.I., he was sent to the Naval Gun Factory in Washington, D.C. and was later transferred to Norfolk, Va. as a Quartermaster "striker" aboard an APA Transport ship. The ship sailed for Africa but before reaching port, his ship and two others were torpedoed and sunk. Bob was in the water overnight and was picked up with other survivors the next day. Three other ships in the convoy were also sunk the following day.
After extensive sea time in the European Theater, Bob was sent to the Pacific area and assigned to a Submarine Tender in Pearl Harbor after the war. He remembers getting several derelict submarines ready to be used in the Bikini Atom Bomb Tests. One of the subs was a large Japanese submarine that carried a full size airplane inside. It was to have been used to bomb the locks at the Panama Canal. (On a recent club trip to the Paul E. Garber Facility at Silver Hill, Md., Bob finally saw the plane that was carried by the Japanese sub and it was undergoing restoration.) Bob says the A-Bomb Tests were a sight he will never forget!
Getting back to modeling, Bob states that his main interest was always free-flight models and he has lost several of them to the great thermal god "Hung". As a result he became quite adept in cross-country galloping and tree climbing. Since he is unable to do either one now, he flys "indoor-rubber" and relys on his mentor Joe Krush and his helium balloons for model retrievel from ceilings and rafters. Radio control is his "sideline" and he really likes to build.
A while back Bob had a part-time job with Ted Davey's Model Co., sawing balsa logs. As a result he has acquired lots of balsa and model hardware that has come in handy while building from plans.

Airtronics Battery Policy

You may not be aware of the Airtronics policy for replacement of NiCd batteries. If you have either a receiver or transmitter pack that needs to be replaced, you can send it back to us and we will replace it for one half of the list price. This policy has been in effect for over 13 years. If you have any questions call: 1-800-262-1178. (Calif.)
Jack Albrecht, Airtronics Tech Support

W/S, Weight, Eng. Guide

Try using the "Rule of Ten"as a performance guideline.
For example:

A plane with 250 sq. in. of wing area should weigh 2.5 lbs. and be powered by a .25 engine.

A plane with 600 sq. in. wing area should weigh 6 lbs. and use a .60 engine.

A plane with 900 sq. in. wing area should weigh 9 lbs. and use a .90 engine.

Table of Club Members
Radio Channel Ownership

ChannelNumber
of Radios		ChannelNumber
of Radios
11 6 36 5
12 20 37 12
13 6 38 21
14 6 39 8
15 11 40 22
16 18 41 16
17 8 42 17
18 16 43 8
19 9 44 16
20 13 45 6
21 8 46 24
22 16 47 9
23 2 48 23
24 14 49 3
25 8 50 20
26 12 51 16
27 6 52 20
28 9 53 10
29 5 54 16
30 17 55 7
31 9 56 14
32 9 57 6
33 11 58 8
34 14 59 8
35 10 60 9

Above data compiled by Rudy Forst
from info supplied on Membership Applications.

B.O.G. Review

The Board of Governors met on May 17, 1999.
Eight members were present, not enough for a quorum.
Among the items discussed were the following:

1. Compile a list of frequencies used by club members.

2. Try to schedule a lunch meeting with Park officials to
discuss various items, including warning signs for
public safety.

3. Buz Klein Memorial Fun-Fly to be held on June 12.
Rain date - June 13. News releases to be sent to
media.

4. Field maintenance - Al Primas has developed cost
figures on grass cutting, club vs. outside contract.
New tractor prices to be secured from various
dealers for comparison.

5. Phone answering system for updates on club news
and programs.

6. June meeting to be at flying field at 7:00 PM.
Speaker to Joe Weizer

(B.O G. meeting notes were submitted by Dennis
DiBonaventura in the absence of the Secretary)

New Members

New members for the month of May are:

Ronald Brown
Alfred Haftel
Tom Jones
John Mullen
Henry Rimmer
Joe Simko
Scott Wallhermfechtel
Gordon Zechman

Welcome aboard gentlemen. Thank you for joining
our flying club and good luck to all!

Feedback or comments to: Al Campana , HearYe editor
Michael Myers, Webmaster

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