Hear Ye!

May, 2002
No. 420

From the President,
Warren Barrick

As I write this, it is 92 degrees Fahrenheit, and I'm glad to be inside at
the computer writing these few words. It is hot, and the flying season is
really upon us. Quite a few members have been able to take advantage of the
elements and enjoy this "summer flying" in April.

Field maintenance for the season is well under way and may well be completed
before the end of April. So far Al Campana made arrangements and with a crew
of Pat Taggart, Carl Sutton, and yours truly rolled the field on April 8th.
It is as flat as a pancake.

Another group led by Walt Pierzchala and Russ O'Brien has moved the pits and
umbrella line 6 feet back from its former location. Aided by Pat Taggart,
Carl Sutton and Al Campana the umbrella holes were spaced 6 feet apart in a
very straight line for a much neater appearance. This same group has
scraped up and seeded some bare spots and hopes for the best germination
possible to give the pits a better appearance. A little rain would help.
Welcome back to our editor Marilyn Ayres! Marilyn had a miserable week or
two and was unable to handle the April Hear Ye. She is now feeling much
better and looking forward to future editions. Thanks again to Al Campana
who stepped in and did a superb job on the April newsletter.

Our April general membership meeting was a real hoot. We had a great
mixture of things that make the Signal Seekers a unique and outstanding
club. We had an alumnus, if you will, return to enlighten us on the
mysteries of fiber glassing, a great show-n-tell from present members, and
the delightful, often humorous, remarks of one of our founding members.

Billy Golden, our alumnus, showed us how to create fiberglass fuselages, how
to create a plug, make a mold and form a fuselage. Billy is a superb
craftsman, and he emphasized that he learned this particular technique so
that he would have better-looking models than his peers. He has succeeded
admirably. Thanks, Billy.

Joe Krush, one of our founding members, brought one of his indoor flying
machines that had to be seen to be believed. It weighed 4 tenths of a gram
more than a dollar bill! Joe explained its configuration and showed us how
it literally floated into a glide from his hand launch. Joe also told us of
the good times had in the past in the park and related to me individually
that "the club was as great a group of guys as it had ever been." Joe, you
are always welcome to be a presenter. Many thanks.
Rob Caso, who has been a frequent contributor to show-n-tell, brought his
latest, creation a Messrschmidt BF163. Rob is a superb craftsman and is
working very diligently to "kit" several small models. Contact Rob for
information regarding his very elegant aircraft. Thanks, Rob.

Art Rothstein presented his latest, a Patti Wagstaff Extra by Great Planes.
Art is another of our current members who does great work and produces new
models at a prodigious pace. Art, your efforts and fine work are
appreciated.

Enjoy the fine weather and remember that you are at all times a member of
the finest model aircraft club in the United States and that you fly safely
and courteously at the best model aircraft facility in the United States
also. When you are in the park, you are a representative of the park as
well as our club. Have fun.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

LIFE IMITATES ART
Submitted by Al Campana

The following was found on the RC newsgroup.

I wanted to share a story about what happened at our field yesterday.

We get a lot of low flying aircraft because we are located near the biggest
metro area in the US (NYC). We get plenty of helicopters and small
aircraft - even blimps that head to Giants Stadium on Sundays.

A full scale helicopter buzzed the field yesterday morning, which didn't
seem that unusual at first. However, after a few minutes it made a few
turns back to the field and started to fly unusually low. It seemed like
the pilot took great interest in our "little" planes and helicopters. After
a few minutes of him flying around we could all tell that he was getting
really close. Everyone who was up in the air decided to land their planes.
All the club members were now waving at the helicopter to land!!!

Guess what - he did. Everyone started to yell and cheer as he touched down.
Right smack dab on our grass field was a full scale helicopter. A bunch of
club members decided to run up and talk to the pilot. I decided to stay in
the pits area and just take in the view, as I have never seen a full scale
helicopter this close.

The pilot said that he spotted a downed RC plane in the woods and that he
would go back up, hover the helicopter over it and flash his lights to
signal where it is!!!!

So off he went up in the air, everyone still in amazement that this guy
landed his aircraft. A group of us (including me) went into the woods
directly under to where the copter was flying. The pilot was so close that
he was giving me hand signals as to the exact location of the plane. The
helicopter was no less than 30 feet above me as I tried to navigate the
thorn bushes and weeds. I could literally feel the prop blast all around
me. I never did reach that plane, as the pilot started to give me the
signal to head back to the field after about 10 minutes in the bush - I gave
him a thumbs up and made my way back. Apparently, the other club members
were faster than me. We recovered a 60-sized Tower Trainer that was downed
late last summer.

We all headed back to the field with the recovered plane. The helicopter
buzzed around the area for a few minutes and then finally landed again on
our airfield.

This time he gave us his business card and told us that if we ever need to
find downed planes again to give us a call. This guy was a pilot for
American Airlines, for the NYPD helicopter unit and also worked for an
aerial photography company here on Staten Island.

Needless to say it was an unforgettable day at the field yesterday!

Phil Quindara, PQuindara@fbc.com

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

WW II AIRCRAFT FLY-BY HONORS QUEEN MOTHER

On Tuesday, April 9, 2002, at age 101, Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother,
was laid to rest.

After services at Westminster Abbey, two Spitfires and a Lancaster bomber
saluted the Queen Mother on her final journey to Windsor. The historic
aircraft swooped down The Mall as the procession passed Buckingham Palace
for a final time. ([London] Times Online, April 9, 2002:
http://www.thetimes.co.uk/)

The Queen Mother's life spanned history's most dynamic century, but she's
perhaps best remembered for her grace and courage during World War II. Her
refusal to leave London during the Battle of Britain won her and the Royal
Family tremendous admiration and respect from her people.

The Spitfire is a popular RC model, and several VFSS members fly them. The
more cumbersome Lancaster bomber is not as popular, although it can be found
at large national air shows.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

JOSEPH PETRAGNANI IN MODEL AVIATION MAGAZINE

"Joey" Petragnani, our youngest pilot, who soloed during the summer of 2001
under the instruction of John Bragitikos, is featured in June's Model
Aviation Magazine. Joey is pictured with "Matt" Chapman in the AMA
Education advertisement on page 87. Check it out.

Matt Cahpman is one the nation's most popular and successful stunt pilots,
as well as an American Airlines pilot. It must have been a thrill for Joey
to have his photo taken for this ad, and we are thrilled for him. VFSS
takes pride in Joey's accomplishments, as we know his family does also. Way
to go, Joey!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

TEST YOUR OLD FUEL TANK FOR LEAKS
By Jim Myers

If you're lucky enough to keep one or more planes operating for more than 3
years, you may run into a common problem: the fuel tank starts leaking. In
the springtime, after the plane has sat idle over the winter months, the
rubber stopper in the fuel tank may have hardened. With some engine
vibration, the fuel may begin to seep out. Usually, you become aware of the
problem after the fuel starts dripping out of the fuselage. By then your
receiver, battery, and servos also may have become fuel soaked. An earlier
symptom, which you may not recognize right away, might be that the engine
does not run as well as usual, because the tank pressure is lower than it
should be, due to the leaky tank. In another case, your engine quits in
flight much sooner than you expect it to, due to an empty tank.

Well, I must admit I have experienced many of these events with my planes.
But, now I have a way of leak-checking my tank without removing it from the
plane, and without risking a fuel-soaked fuselage. I use a simple manometer.
If you don't already know, a manometer is a U-shaped tube, half filled with
a liquid, such as water. If you apply a little air pressure at one end of
the tube, the water level drops in the high pressure side and rises in the
low pressure (open) side.

You can build your own manometer using a piece of 1"x4" lumber,
approximately 30 inches long. Using a carpenter's square, draw a line at the
midpoint across the face of your board. Mark this line "0". Then, draw
parallel lines across the board at one-inch intervals above and below the
midpoint. Mark the lines above the 0 as 2, 4, 6, etc. As you will see, as
the water rises one inch in one leg of the tube, it drops one inch in the
other side, giving a total difference of 2 inches. Then put at least five
screw eyes in face of the board; one at the bottom, and two or more pairs
side by side, equally spaced along the length of the board. Get a 60" length
of clear plastic tubing, at least p inch inside diameter, and thread it
through the screw eyes. Mount the board vertically by drilling a hole in
the end of the board and sliding it over a nail driven through a square
piece of 1"x 10" lumber.

Finally, insert a reducer in one end of the plastic tubing, so you can
connect the small end into a piece of fuel line. You may have to add
silicone sealant to be sure this reducing joint does not leak. Pour water
into the open end of the tubing until it reaches the zero line. Place a
length of clean silicone fuel line on the reducer nipple, and you're ready
to go.

Test your manometer by blowing gently into the silicone tubing until the
difference in water levels is about 10 or 12 inches, then clamp the line.
If there is no leak, the water levels will stay without moving. Otherwise,
add more silicone sealant or use a hose clamp to properly seal the reducer.

Before testing any fuel tank, make sure you empty all the fuel out of it
first. Then, connect the manometer to the feed side of the tank. Connect a
clean piece of fuel line to the vent line of the tank. Blow gently into the
clean line until the water level difference is 12 inches or more, then clamp
the tube. If the pressure holds, the water levels stay constant, meaning
your tank is fine. If the water levels change, you have a pressure drop,
meaning your fuel tank or one of your fuel lines has a leak. Before you go
to the trouble of removing the tank from your plane, be sure to check both
the feed and vent lines. One of them might be bad. During the season, if
your plane makes a hard landing, suffering only minor damage, the tank
stopper might also have been jarred loose. Check the tank again for leakage
before flying.

I built my manometer years ago to measure muffler pressurization. I used a
"Tee" connector to tap into the line between the muffler and the tank vent.
With a .45 engine running at full speed, the pressure was about six to eight
inches of water. That amount of pressure helps force the fuel from the tank
up to the engine when the plane is nose-up in flight.

One psi of pressure is approximately equivalent to 28 inches of water in a
manometer. Therefore, you will see it is quite sensitive to small pressure
changes. I do not recommend using this simple manometer to check the
pressurization of a YS or any other engine equipped with a pressure pump,
because it would probably blow the water right out of the tubing.

James.L.Myers@verizon.net

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

VFSS BOG MEETING
Submitted by Dee Messina

April 2, 2002
19 members present
Meeting opened by President Barrick at 7:05 PM.

OLD BUSINESS

1. We are still trying to reduce mailing costs on Hear Ye. If any member
has Internet access and wishes to download the newsletter, he should contact
Rudy Forst.

NEW BUSINESS

1. Budget proposal presented and accepted. Membership apparently will be
as anticipated..

2. Club meetings will be in the Park through summer months. Check Hear Ye.

3. Field maintenance is starting. Al Campana will make arrangements for the
rolling of the field. Help will be needed.

4. Funfly dates will be July 6th and Sept. 21st. Rain dates will be the day
after if possible.

5. Concerns about large aircraft with loud engines were discussed with the
Park. We must control noise levels at all times.

6. Our charter from AMA is on file for this year.

7. We must continue our stewardship of our good relationship with the park
and our use of Federal land. We have always set a good example for others.

All business concluded, meeting adjourned at 7:55 PM.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

TOLEDO EXPO
By Walter Pierzchala

Joe Weizer, Joe Yalove and I drove north from Broomall on I-476 to I-80,
crossed Pennsylvania and continued on 80, which became the Ohio Turnpike.
After about 10 hours. of driving, we reached Toledo, Ohio. With three
drivers, the drive to Toledo was pleasant. After checking into the Ramada
Hotel on Thursday, we visited the Sea Gate Center, which is connected to the
Ramada, and observed the flea market being set up.

On Friday, the Sea Gate Center opened to the public and we proceeded to
inspect the various booths. The airplanes were beautiful and the quality of
construction of the ARFs outstanding. A small quantity of kits was
exhibited which consisted mostly of ARFs. No one had any sales of balsa
wood, although one supplier had a limited amount of aircraft plywood - I
guess this tells us that scratch building of airplanes is on the way out.
Some of the ARFs were outstanding and many were sold, including the two each
of our Joe's purchased.

One disturbing sight I noticed was the amount of gray-haired and balding
modelers. I would say the average crowd of spectators was around 60+ years
old. I believe we must do something to turn this around. The AMA and
various clubs must entice younger fliers to keep this sport continuing.

The highlight of the show was an auction of new and used airplanes, held in
another hotel that also connects with the Sea Gate Center. I estimated a
crowd of 1,000 people attended the auction. One disadvantage is that one
could not inspect the airplanes prior to auction. If a plane was ready for
auction, you could come up front and view the plane for about a minute.
Some good buys were obtained. A 1/3 scale CAP 232, all equipped including
radio and transmitter, went for $5,000. The auctioneer said this was the
highest price paid for a plane. Previous years' highest bid was about
$3,800. At the auction door, prizes were awarded to youngsters between the
ages of 5 and 12.

The Toledo Expo is about twice the size of the WRAM Show in New York.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

SUMMER RAFFLE NEWS
By Joe Yalove

The raffle is taking the summer off during May, June, July and August.
Since summer meetings will be held at the field, we can't run the raffle due
to regulations about no exchange of monies. Monthly raffles will be back in
September.

However, I would welcome any suggestions as to the types of prizes the
members would like to see. Airplane equipment is a tough item to buy, since
a lot of it is personal choice and the items can become redundant. How many
sealing irons do you need? Kits are really personal due to individual
ability to build, personal style and flying capabilities. There are so many
ARFS out there but they are not cheap. I have to keep some sort of a budget
to hopefully break even at the meeting and be self-sufficient.

I just came back from Toledo with Walt Pierzchala and Joe Weizer. All we
saw were ARFS. They are getting bigger and better, and the way it looks,
eventually no one will be building. It's a pity, since this is one of the
best parts of the hobby. If there are any thoughts please contact me at
jkly@erols.com.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

CLUB CALENDAR

Saturday, April 27th -
The scheduled Park visit of members of the Jr. Optimists Clubs of
Pennsylvania was canceled on 4/18/02 by the Optimist Clubs of Pennsylvania.

Tuesday, May 14th -
General Membership meeting in the park at 6:30 P.M. If weather is
inclement, the meeting will be held at the church at 8:00 P.M. No raffle is
planned for either site. Show-N-Tell as usual.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

VFSS SUMMER SCHEDULE

Summer general membership meetings will be in the Park at 6:30 P.M. during
May, June, July and August. If there is bad weather, the May meeting will
be held at the church at 8:00 P.M. All subsequent meetings for June, July
and August will be in the Park, and if weather is not favorable, there will
be no backup at the church. Entertainment will be planned, as well as some
fun-fly competitions. Bob Dolan will do his devious best.

Memorial Fun-Fly will be held on Saturday July 6th. Food and beverages
will be provided. Rain date will be Sunday July 7th.

Park Appreciation Day will be on Saturday, September 21st. Food and
beverages will be provided. Rain date will be Sunday, September 22nd.

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

Read another Hear Ye! | Back to Valley Forge Signal Seeker's Page | Back to Radio Control Airplanes