From The President
By Warren Barrick
Due to deadlines and the date of the Fall Fun Fly I Haven't had the opportunity to thank those who made it a successful, enjoyable day. Thanks to Mike Estock (Toys for Tots), Rom Boutin (Candy drop), Bud Klopp (Tables for Impound), Walt Pierzchala (Hoagies and P.R), Tony Szczur (Beverages) and Alex Patson (Impound). Special thanks to Don Szczur, son of Tony, for his scintillating aerobatic performances. It was a great fun fly, thanks to all who participated.
October Meeting
Ted Davey our resident guru on electric flight presented us
with a wealth of information about silent flight. he brought
a satchel full of motors and enlightened us all with data
about use and efficiency of each. It was a super
presentation. the overall message was that electric flight
can be fun for all who want to participate. Care must be
taken in the selection of components and less expensive
components can still provide enjoyment. thanks, Ted!
BOG
Several members have agreed to participate on the BOG for
1997. They are: Russ O'Brien, Dan Cooper, George Dukes, Rom
Boutin, Mike Estock, Joe Weiser and Ed Snead. Thanks fellows
we will need you at the December BOG meeting. If anyone else
would like to volunteer please contact Warren Barrick.
November Meeting
We may have a speaker from a national magazine. We are going
to have a report/update on the training program from Rom
Boutin. Also on the agenda will be nominations for our annual
awards; Doug Davidson and Technical Achievement. Show N tell
and the raffle will be held as usual.
Volunteers
Thanks to Harry Charnock, bud Klopp, Sam Fitzgerald, Sam
Andreas and Bob Engman for raking the hay at the ends of the
runway to allow the mower to complete our field expansion.
The undersigned was also there to witness the toil and sweat,
thanks again.
Auction
Don't forget our Annual V.F.S.S. Auction on November 2nd at
the Valley Forge Middle School. Details are in the October
"Hear-ye!"A full report will be in our December "Hear-Ye!"
We will also tell you about it at the November Meeting.
December Meeting
Secret balloting for our annual awards will take place. Plan
to attend and cast your votes.
B.O.G. Review
By Sam Andreas, Secretary
The October meeting of the V.F.S.S. board of Governors was called to order at 7:10 PM on 10/8/97. In attendance were: The president, Vice President, Treasurer, Secretary, 9 Board Members, the Chief Flight Instructor and Chief Field Marshall. Topics discussed were as follows:
1- It was noted that nominations for the Doug Davidson and
Technical achievement awards will be taken at the December
general meeting.
2- At the December B.O.G. meeting the 1997 officers will be
elected.
3- The President noted that we presently have 7 members who
are willing to serve on the B.O.G. for 1997.
4- Issues pertaining to the upcoming club auction were
addressed including: Purchasing of Hoagies, hot Dogs,
Beverages, coffee and donuts.
5- The subject of recent costs for repairing the mower and
the feasibility and necessity of purchasing a new mower
was discussed. A maintenance committee was formed which
will be headed by B.O.G. member John Matt. The possibility
of adding a New Tractor Fund to the 1997 budget was raised
and will be ruled on by the 1997 B.O.G.
The meeting was adjourned at 8:15
Training Program Update
By Rom Boutin
As of OCTOBER 22 1996 the V.F.S.S. Instructor staff has Soloed 12 club members. Included in this count is JEFFREY WALTERS who soloed on 21 Sept '96. His Main Instructor was CHUCK KARR and assisted by Associate Instructor ED MOORE. Jeff soloed after 21 sessions and a total of 19.5 hours of instructions. Jeff started on 20 May '95 and soloed on 21 Sept.'96. A job well done by CHUCK and ED. and congratulations to JEFF . Additional Information about JEFF is contained in an article elsewhere in this issue.
On 7 November a very recent V.F.S.S. member JIM LaROSA was Soloed by JOE WEIZER. JIM had some informal instructions prior to his encounter with JOE but had never taken off or landed. Well JOE took care of that with a little refresher airwork course and lots of take offs and landings during 7 sessions without a buddy box.. A GREAT job JOE and congratulations to JIM and KEEP FLYING....SAFE.
Some Thoughts on Drag
By Lewis Roosa
Rob Caso and I were talking about drag the other day and things got a bit interesting. We know that drag slows down our planes, but what causes it? Well, it can be a bit technical and the calculations do not always give a true picture of what is going on, which is one reason we have wind tunnels. In a simplified approach we can consider it as consisting of three quite different things. The first, and the one you can't do much about, is called induced drag. This is due to the lift of the wing. The pressure distribution over the wing which creates the lift is approximately perpendicular to the airfoil cord. Now, think of all wing lift as concentrated in a lift vector about at the 1/4 cord point. This lift vector is thus tilted back from our flight path at the same angle as our angle of attack of the airfoil. In level flight the cosine component of the lift vector is the force that balances the weight of the plane, which due to gravity is always straight down. The sine component of the lift vector, of course much smaller, is directed aft, and this is the induced drag.
In a turn this effect gets worse. As we bank, the lift vector tilts toward the center of rotation of our turn. Now we have another cosine component directed out along the span of the upper wing. This second cosine component is at an angle to the one described above equal to the angle of our bank. The second one now, of course, supports the weight of our plane. The second sine component pulls us around the turn. To do all of this, our wings'lift vector has to be greater than that required for level flight, so up goes our induced drag. The German air force recognized this problem early in World War-I when engine power was often marginal. They issued a standing order that no pilot could make a turn immediately after takeoff in a effort to minimize stalling out and crashing. The great Ernst Udet, 60 Victories, broke this rule early in his training, crashed and as punishment spent a week in the stockade.
The second part of our drag is called parasitic drag. This is due to the friction between the air stream and all of the outer surfaces of our plane over which it flows. The exposed area is important, of course, but this is usually set by our plane's plan form and function. We can, however, reduce the number of things that stick out, and if they do have to stick out we can streamline them parallel to the flow of air. We can also smooth all outer surfaces as much as possible. Flush rivets have made a big difference in the top speed of many an airplane.
Buddy Baker, now retired, who won several Firecracker 400's, tells of when Chrysler was trying to break the 200 MPH barrier with a stock Dodge for publicity purposes. They fell just short several times. The thing that got them over the top was a highly polished coat of wax. He should know; he was driving.
The third part of our drag is called profile drag. This is due to the fact that an airplane has to push out of it's path an amount of air equal to the area of its frontal silhouette. Actually it's a bit more complicated than that. Visualize a series of cuts perpendicular to our planes longitudinal axis from fore to aft, where the area of any one cut is the largest, that determines profile drag.
NACA engineer Whitcomb came up with the "Coke bottle" concept back in the late 40's when they started to approach supersonic speeds. By reducing the fuselage cross sectional area where the wing cross sectional area was the largest, they minimized the profile drag.
These three then constitute the drag of our airplane -- Induced, Parasitic and Profile. With good design and attention to details and finishing, we can minimize them, but they will always be there. At supersonic speeds we run into new problems but V.F.S.S. don't have to worry about that. Actually drag is not all that bad. Have you noticed that the space shuttle pilot bleeds off speed before landing by pre- arranged banking? For example, if approach velocity is 1000 fps, the bank angle would have to be 57 deg in a cylindrical pattern which is too high for good control. Instead , he banks at 42 deg and follows a conical pattern of longer length.
Lew Roosa
The HOBBY HOUSE is moving to a new location as of
November 1st
New Address:
2727 E. Lancaster Hwy,
Barley Scheaf Shopping Ctr
Coatsville, PA 19320
610-380-1300
The new location is just 5 miles west (On Business Rt.30) of their old location.
Jeffrey Gets His Wings
From the parents of Jeff Walters
Under the instruction and guidance of Chuck Karr and associate instructor Ed Moore, Jeff got his wings after 19 1/2 hours of instruction, only visiting the field once a week. They have done a tremendous job teaching Jeffrey all the techniques and wisdom of flying. Minutes before his solo test flight, Jeffrey encountered a BITE from the propeller. Fortunately, it was only two minor finger tip cuts. With bandaged fingers and his determination to get over this set back, Jeff was up flying and ready to solo.
Jeffrey joins V.F.S.S. with a minor handicap. Most people on the flight line do not realize Jeffrey is hearing impaired. When you see him on the flight line, he will always be with a friend or family member, to help him hear the flight line commands. Jeffrey lost his hearing at the age of 4, but this didn't stop him in pursuing his love for flying. His Doctor gave strict orders never to fly in a real airplane, because sudden pressure changes could be very damaging to his inner ear, beyond correction. Jeffrey has nerve loss in both ears, as well as a conductive (bone loss) in the right ear. He does not have as many nerve endings as a person with normal hearing. Fortunately, Jeffrey's speech was developed prior to losing his hearing. That's why when you talk with Jeffrey, you might not notice and realize that he is hearing impaired. Jeff wears two hearing aids and gets along just fine. He has overcome physical restrictions and limitations of activities, yet has maintained a positive attitude through it all. He spends time each year at one of our elementary schools, talking to younger students about his hearing loss. He educates them about hearing loss and explains the positives in his life that he maintains. He talks to them about his RC Airplane hobby at V.F.S.S. and his years as an active Boy Scout. He is working very hard toward his goal of becoming an Eagle Scout within the next 2 years.
Arthur Rothstein, a long time family friend, introduced Jeff to the sport of RC Aviation. Ever since his first trip to The Valley Forge Signal Seeker's Airfield at age 9, Jeffrey made it to his personal goal to own and fly RC Airplanes.
Good luck Jeff and keep your fingers out of the props! Mom and Dad
Congratulations Jeffrey on soloing! You did a wonderful job learning how to fly. It's fun flying airplanes together and spending time with my brother. Gregory
Feedback or comments to:
Sam Andreas, HearYe editor
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