Hear Ye!

September, 2001
No. 412

From the President,
Warren Barrick

August's meeting at the field was a real hoot!

Attempts to fly the fickle "Limbo" were made by Carl Sutton, Dennis
DiBonaventura, and John Bragitikos. Carl was able to make one successful
pass between the posts and under the ribbon. Dennis came close and John
managed, to the enjoyment of everyone, to clip the ribbon.

Carl was awarded the "un-prize" and first place. The support pole that ate
up Carl's wing on a subsequent pass was awarded second place, and the third
"un-prize" was awarded to Dennis. John was disqualified for clipping the
ribbon and bringing the fun to a temporary halt.

Jeff Troy soon came on with his humorous patter and user-friendly
suggestions for silent flight. Jeff trotted out two very attractive 2-meter
Olympic gliders and gave a demonstration of controlling a launch with a
high-start.

Jeff goes way back as a Signal Seeker and has a solid reputation as a scale
modeler, Model Aviation columnist, and a great contributor to our wonderful
hobby. As a very busy man he always finds time for VFSS. Thanks, Jeff.
Thanks are also in order for our little "round man" Bob Dolan for organizing
our summer outings in the park. They have been fun. Just what is an
"un-prize?"

September is going to be a very busy month. Check this schedule of events;
BOG meeting at the field on Sept. 4th at 6:30 P.M., Vintage Aircraft Day at
Wings Field on September 8th (Static display, scale aircraft), Full Scale
Fly-In and Pancake Breakfast at Pottstown-Limerick Airfield (Static display,
scale aircraft) on September 9th, Club Meeting at the church on Sept. 11th
at 8:00P.M., and last but not least, Park Appreciation Day Fun-Fly at the
park on September 15th from 9 am until 4 pm. Plan to attend and participate
in as many as you can or all of these events.
Our Raffle is going to have a new look! Joe Yalove has come up with some
super ideas to reinvigorate this popular feature of our meetings at the
church.

Please bring your Show-N-Tell projects to our general meetings. We want all
of our meetings to be entertaining and informative.

Nominations for BOG membership will be accepted at the September meeting.
Plan to participate. VFSS needs you!!!

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SCALE MODEL DISPLAY & FLY-IN
by Al Campana

Yep, it's that time of the year again. Time to display your best scale
model at Wings Field on Saturday, September 8th and/or at the Pottstown AOPA
Fly-In at Limerick Airport on Sunday, September 9th. It appears our club is
in demand for the members to display their scale aircraft. It is
unfortunate that both events will be held on the same weekend, but we have
no control over the dates.

The activity being held at Wings Field will be called Vintage Air Day. They
plan to have several older aircraft on display along with many restored
vintage automobiles. This annual event is held for the benefit of the Make
A Wish Foundation and Angel Flight.

The gates will open at 10:30 AM and those modelers with a scale aircraft can
drive through the main gate to Hangar 1, the first hangar on the left. You
can leave your model in the hangar and they will tell you where you can park
your car. Admission is free for those bringing a model. Spectators will be
asked for a $5.00 donation for parking with the proceeds going to the
charities.

At last year's Fly-In, Limerick Airport was the scene of an unusal
happening. The Signal Seekers had more models on display than the airport
had of full-scale airplanes. An early morning fog refused to clear, and
visibility remained poor - so poor that only one airplane was able to fly
in. The Pottstown Club then had several planes taxi out of their hangars
for display.

However, the weather did not dampen the appetites of the spectators, and the
breakfast of scrambled eggs, ham, pancakes, juice, and coffee went over very
well. This year's Fly-In will offer airplane rides and balloon rides. The
price for the breakfast is still $5.00 and for children under 12 it is
$2.50. There is no admission fee. The entrance to the Fly-In is off Ridge
Pike on Airport Road (opposite Pottstown Honda) and is usually marked with a
large sign. The Fly-In will begin at 8:00AM and continues until 1:00 PM.
Hopefully the weather will cooperate this year and we'll be treated to many
private aircraft flying in for the annual breakfast event.

The static displays attract many people that are not aware of model
aircraft. Here's your chance to show these spectators and pilots what we're
about. Bring a scale model to one or both of these events. I'm sure you'll
enjoy the activities.

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VFSS ELECTRIC FLYER A WINNER

Pat Taggart "shocked" the opposition gaining first place in Scale at the
Prop-Stoppers Electric Fly-In on Saturday, August 25th.

Pat flew a 90 sized Balsa USA Taube equipped with an Astro 40, a 3:1 super
box, 16x10 Master Airscrew,that used 22 cells for power. Way to go Pat!

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

SEPTEMBER 2001 RAFFLE
by Joe Yalove

Welcome back to the church after a long, hot summer. The forthcoming cool
autumn should be a pleasant change. Besides the Fun Fly, I wanted to start
the change with a special raffle. I was getting tired of the same type of
prizes so I'm going to try something different.

Winter is supposed to be the building season. To build, you need the proper
tools, so we will have a TOOL RAFFLE. Instead of a bunch of little items, I
got five good-sized items:

1. A Craftsman red all-metal mobile tool cabinet with four drawers on
roller slides, key lock, compartmentalized top with a replaceable fiberboard
center insert so you can mess it up with glue. You can also cover it with
metal for soldering. The casters are large, so it moves easily and can be
placed out of the way for storage. Bring a big car if you win this. If you
don't have a large vehicle, I can take it to my garage and you make
arrangements to pick it up. NO HOME DELIVERY.

2. A large set of Craftsman screwdrivers including a wall holder to store
the tools. The set includes Philips and slotted types. It also has some
pick and awl tools - just like dental instruments.

3. A Ryobi 10-inch adjustable bench drill press. If you don't own a drill
press and finally use one you will wonder how you ever built without one.
The tool will not only drill, but you can attach drum sanders, make a
vertical lathe out of it, and leave the rest to your imagination. Try
drilling 4 engine-mounting screws perfectly parallel by eye in an engine
mount. Just purchase an inexpensive drill press vise. Absolutely one of the
most versatile wood and metal working tools around.

4. A Dremel corded multipurpose hobby tool including a gaggle of
accessories. Everyone who builds should have a Dremel tool. I couldn't
build without one. This one has the cord so you don't have to worry about
losing power or torque.

5. A Ryobi 9.6-volt battery-operated 3/8-inch drill. This is a lightweight
unit, but it is a workhorse. There are some accessories and the required
charger. I use mine all the time. It makes a great power screwdriver.

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

NEW MEMBERS JOIN VFSS
by Rudy Forst, Membership Chairman

Rickey Bailey, Philadelphia, PA
Adrian Ecker, Philadelphia, PA
Wagner Guignard, Frazer, PA
Aaron Largent, King of Prus., PA
Adrian Matthis, Philadelphia, PA
Bruce Matthis, Philadelphia, PA
Robert Muma, Exton, PA
Michael Petragnani, Toughkenamon, PA
Stanton Pressman, Blue Bell, PA
Alan Scherer, Malvern, PA
Richard Stiles, Wayne, PA
Joseph Varallo, Upper Darby, PA
Joshua Widzer, Gulph Mills, PA

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OH, THOSE PARK FLYERS
By Russ Cleversley

Recently I was driving by the West Seneca Soccer Field off East and West
Road. I noticed a family out on the filed trying to fly a park flyer
airplane.

After observing from the sidelines for a short period, it became obvious
that the father did not know how to fly the airplane. I strolled over to
him and identified myself as a member of the RC Aircrafters and described
what we are all about. He then asked the anticipated question, "Can you fly
this thing for us?"

Never having flown with rudder and stab before, I told him that it may take
be a whack or two to get it right. Fortunately, the airplane had a nice
hand-launched glide to it, and after having him slowly toss the airplane a
few times, I was ready to power up the tiny electric motor.

As the mini craft left his hand, it climbed nicely and the slow speed
allowed me to quickly gain some in-flight feel. The most significant part
of the flight was the look of awe written on their faces when the airplane
was, indeed, flying. Gazing back at the boy was the most enjoyable. His
expression was amazement and fascination.

I gauged him, Robert, to be around 11 years old, discovering that he was
nine and a half. The flight only lasted for a few minutes, and I kept the
airplane in close, anticipating the depletion of power.
The landing brought a round of jumping, clapping, and cheering from the now
delighted family. I now know how Lindbergh felt when he dropped his craft
onto the shores of France.

After a quick charge, we were set to go again. The father, Bob Sr., not
wanted to look inept again, declined the first offer to try it out. Robert
got so excited when he realized that he could try it that he stumbled while
charging over to me and fell face-first into the soggy turf. Unfazed and
never stopping his forward progress, he bounded up and was at my side in a
flash. Not having a buddy box did not pose any problems - the airplane
literally floated at maximum speed of three to 5 miles per hour into a
barely perceptible breeze. Flying upwind and hand-off, it hung nearly
motionless in the sky. When Robert took the radio, his excitement ignited
the calm air. With minimal coaching he began his first Radio Control (RC)
flight. He did amazingly well, a tribute to youth, I suppose.

Aware that his father was feeling a little left out and with his pride
somewhat compromised, I convinced him to try it on the next flight. I
sensed and uneasiness that froze his expression and trembled his hands.
Before we took off, I went through the things that he, as a new RCer, would
need to be responsible for, giving him an informational edge that would set
him a level up from his son.

We toggled the controls and then it was launch time. Steadying the airplane
at a safe altitude, I handed the radio to him and began giving quiet, almost
inaudible instructions. Each second brought a new level of confidence until
the pure joy of flying overflowed into a pool of exhilaration. As the power
seeped away, he tried to hand the radio to me. Instead, I continued to give
him reassurance as the airplane began a graceful, feathery descent. As it
touched down, Robert Jr., acknowledging a true modern day hero, ran to his
father's side, and they embraced while reveling in their accomplishment.

The controversy over park flyers will intensify in the coming years. Yes,
they can be a hazard to established RC fields such as ours. To me it simply
means that we need to be keenly aware of what is going on round us while at
the field. With our experience and knowledge, the burden falls squarely on
our shoulders. I noticed on the Great Planes® Web site that they include a
warning about flying their park flyers near RC fields. It will take some
prodding by all the RC clubs to get every supplier to place these warnings
on the packaging, instructions, and Web sites. But the adventuresome side
of human nature has often precluded good judgment.

The vast majority of the park flyer crowd will fly a few times and then move
on to something else. Attrition will help to keep the threat of
interference at a manageable level. Those who realize that there is much
more to RCing will eventually get involved with a club. That is another
great reason for all clubs to stay involved with the public. Not only is it
a great opportunity to enlist newcomers, it is also a superb venue through
which we can educate tem and ourselves. The experience at that West Seneca
field hopefully is repeated and cherished by many seasoned RCers worldwide.
It is uncharacteristic of me to be so open with a stranger unless it is an
emergency situation. RCing seems to bring out some great human qualities.
There is a lot of that quality in our club and others throughout the world.

Let's go flying!

from THE FLIGHT LOG
Russ Cleversley, Editor
Radio Control Aircrafters of Western New York
Cheektowaga, New York

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CLUB CALENDAR

Saturday, September 8th -
Vintage Aircraft Day at Wings Field. VFSS members are encouraged to bring
scale models for a static display. Vintage cars and full scale vintage
aircraft will be shown.

Sunday, September 9th -
Pottstown Limerick and the local chapter of the aircraft Owners and Pilot's
Association will be sponsoring a full scale fly-in for a pancake breakfast.
VFSS will, as in the past, display scale model aircraft. Come out and have
breakfast and join all the other aircraft "junkies" gawking at the take-offs
and landings.

Tuesday, September 11th -
First fall General Membership meeting at the church at 8:00 P.M. Raffle,
Show-N-Tell, and an invited guest speaker.

Saturday, September 15th -
Park Appreciation Day at the park. Everyone join in for a fun filled fly-in
with monstrous amounts of food and drink, as we show our appreciation to the
staff of Valley Forge Park. All park personnel and their families are
invited for food, drinks and buddy-box instruction. Be there!

Tuesday, October 9th -
General Membership Meeting at the church at 8:00 P.M.

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

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