Hear Ye!

September, 2005
No. 459

FROM THE PRESIDENT
By Bob Sudermann

Despite the hot weather it appears everyone is getting in a fair amount of
stick time. The season is proceeding along without any significant issues
or incidents. This is due to the entire club membership paying attention to
what they are doing, and doing it safely. Thank you all for your efforts.

We were able to get a full complement of nominees for the upcoming 2006-2007
BOG elections at the August meeting. Elections will be held at the October
meeting.

We are still looking for volunteers to help out with the upcoming Fun Fly
and possible takeover for Mike Estock as the official coordinator. The
coordinator is the focal point for both the spring and fall Fun Flies and
you do not have to be on the BOG. Mike has done a great job for the past
ten years and is asking for a break.

I had a great time with my father in Spokane. We did not get to fly the
Headless Pusher. Typical complicated mechanical issues (binding rudder
tiller bar). However, we did get to fly his Four Star 40 and Astro Hog.
One of these days I am going to tally up the money I've spent on this hobby
and send him a bill. As with a lot of us, my father got me hooked on model
building when I was a kid. It has provided me with a great release from
life's stresses and has also given my father and me a common interest that
continues to strengthen our bond. Thanks, Dad.

Safety Topic:

Communication. It is important that we communicate our intentions to other
pilots on the flight line. Please let the other pilots know your intention
to 'take off' before you taxi out onto the runway. Also, call your intent
to land and direction (from the right or left) if the direction is different
from the established pattern. This communication will help limit the
possibility of an 'on the field' collision.

Remember - Fly Safe and I'll see you at the Field.

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STUDENT UPDATE

Donald Barnett has completed the training and passed the solo test. Joe
Weizer was his instructor. Congratulations, Donald.

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LITTLE AIRCRAFT, LOFTY HOPES AT LEHIGH
Submitted by Richard Stiles

Written by STEVE WARTENBERG
Of THE MORNING CALL, Lehigh Valley

With each successive test, and inevitable crash after a few seconds of
uncontrollable flight, the confusion level of the six members of Lehigh
University's micro aerial vehicle team increased exponentially.

"We were getting such bad results and getting so frustrated," said senior
Rich Kurz.

And the thing of it was, their remote-controlled, 6-inch, 35-gram - that's
1.4 ounces - airplane should have flown. It's an aerodynamic work of art,
and they nailed the center of gravity calculations and the control rods
moved the elevons (the primary flight controls) with clock-like precision.

Team members wondered why the airplane wouldn't fly, unsure if it was a
design flaw or their inability to properly pilot the MAV.

More importantly, if the team - seniors Kurz, Angela Capece and Patrick
Boyle and juniors Russ Newbold, Tom Gilronan and John Winter - couldn't
quickly find the answers, there really didn't seem to be any reason to go to
the ninth annual International MAV Competition, Thursday through Sunday in
Seoul, South Korea.

The competition will feature about a dozen teams from American colleges, as
well as France, Germany and the host country's Konkuk University. The goal
is to build and fly the smallest MAV - which are gaining use by the
military - for the longest sustained flight.

A six-second flight, the Lehigh team's best effort, wasn't going to cut it.
The top teams, such as the University of Florida and University of Arizona,
will be bringing MAVs 4 or 5 inches wide - and flying them for 15 or 20
minutes.

"We were thinking all our hard work had been in vain and thinking that there
was no point in going," Capece said.
Joachim Grenestedt, associate professor of mechanical, engineering, started
Lehigh's MAV team in 2000. The team has struggled in past competitions, but
learned from its trials, tribulations and repeated crash landings.

"Over the last four years, I'd say we have built about 100 complete planes,"
Grenestedt said. "This project turns theory into actual engineering. One of
the main things they learn is things never work the way they think or hope
they will work. That's a fact of life and you have to learn to overcome
this."

Another fact of life is MAVs are tough to design, especially for mechanical
engineering students with no aerospace background. The small size makes the
tiny airplanes difficult to control, especially in windy conditions. A
little gust of wind can send the MAV plummeting right or left - or to the
ground.

"This is the last frontier of aerodynamics, the one area that has not been
explored," said William Grauer, senior manager of the wind tunnel at the
Boeing Co.'s Philadelphia Division. "The physics are very different at these
sizes and slow speeds and very little technical data has been collected."

Grauer, two co-workers and two retired Boeing engineers have adopted the
team. They talk weekly via conference call and Boeing donated $5,000 to the
team. The Lehigh budget is about $10,000, while some of the bigger teams
have budgets that are 10 or more times larger.

There is a growing military use for MAVs armed with video cameras. "They can
fly in an open window, into a ventilation shaft, over a battlefield and not
be seen," Grauer said. "With urban terrorism and far-flung battles, the
whole idea is a soldier can carry one in his pocket... pull it out and
launch it."

After last year's competition, in which the Lehigh airplane flew for only 20
seconds, "We knew we had to start totally over," Kurz said.

The 2004 model was made from a paper-thin, carbon fiber skeleton that was
technologically advanced, but not very stiff. The slightest breeze bent the
wing and sent it spinning out of control. This year's MAV is made from a
thin sheet of Depron, a sturdier foam material. "It's like the white trays
they put under the steaks you buy at the supermarket," Kurz said.

The shape of the wing is vital. "Lift is directly proportional to the area
of the wing," Capece said. "The more area the more lift.... A circle would
be the best, but it's not very aerodynamic."

After weeks of calculations and computer-aided design, the team settled on a
disc-like shape that features a curved front, straight back and a vertical
fin for added stability. A computer-guided water jet cut wing after wing,
each exactly the same.
Team members then came up with a way to give the wing a slight curve in
order to increase lift. They made a mold, placed the wing against the mold
and used a vacuum to suck the wing to the mold. "We heated it up, but not
too much, just enough to get it to stay in that shape," Kurz said.

To test the curved wing, the team attached a lump of clay to the front,
simulating the weight of the components it eventually would mount under the
wing, and began tossing it down the hallways of Packer Lab. "You can still
see all the clay stains on the floor from where it hit," Capece said, adding
the wing did well in the test, gliding up to 40 feet.

Next, the team mounted the components - receiver, 10-gram motor, battery
similar to a cell phone battery, antenna, control rods and elevons - at the
wing's exact center of gravity. "If you get the center of gravity
calculations wrong," Grenestedt said, "it's like throwing a dart backwards."

It was now time to fly their MAV. Test after test resulted in nothing but
quick crashes and growing frustration. Finally, desperate to find answers,
Capece and Boyle traveled to Tucson in March to meet with their
more-experienced friends on the University of Arizona's MAV team. "Their
pilot looked at it and said 'it will fly,'" Capece said.

And it did, eventually for seven-and-a-half minutes after two days of test
flights, with the Arizona pilot working the controls. The members of
Lehigh's team let out a collective sigh of relief. "Our design was fine,"
Capece said, adding all it needed was a few tweaks: a more powerful battery
and adjustments to the control surfaces.

However, the Arizona pilot had years of remote-control airplane experience,
and Boyle, the Lehigh pilot, was a novice. "We were worried it wouldn't fly
when we got back [to Lehigh]," Capece said.

But it did.

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

VFSS BOG MEETING
Submitted by Steve Kolet, Secretary

August 3, 2005

Members present: 15 plus president and secretary
Meeting was opened at 6:30 PM by President Bob Sudermann.

OLD BUSINESS: NONE

NEW BUSINESS:

Item 1: Fun fly planning

a. A replacement is needed for Mike as fun fly coordinator.
He wishes to take a break from organizing the events.
Mike said Al Marcucci may be willing to co-chair the events.

b. The following personnel stood up with offers to help at this September
fun fly:
Food organization and purchase - John Matt
Sausage - Warren Barrick
Sausage rolls - Carl Sutton
Soda, water and ice - Steve Kolet
Hostess pies, etc. - Alex Primas
Hoagies (30) - Walt Pierzchala
Emcee - Warren Barrick
TX impound - Al Marcucci and Vince Judd
Cooking / food prep / presentation - John and Elaine Matt,
Steve Kolet - need two more
Candy drop - Rom Boutin and Mike Estock

Item 2: A motion was made to buy two new plastic top tables at Cosco for
club use. The motion was seconded and passed. Bob Sudermann will obtain
the tables and get them into the shed in time for the fun fly.

Item 3: Two volunteers each are needed for fun fly setup and teardown and
will be sought at the next club meeting. Jim Meyers volunteered to help
with teardown. A volunteer is needed to organize the Route 252 monitor for
over-flight violation and will be sought at the next club meeting.

Item 4: Vince Judd has contacted the Alpha Squadron for performing at the
September fun fly, and they have agreed to perform.

Item 5: Treasurer Larry Scaggs reviewed the budget. The club is at
approximately the same fiscal position as this time last year.

Item 6: The following current BOG members offered to run for second terms
as allowed by current bylaws: Mel Jones, Mike Estock, Frank Bakay, Vince
Judd, Russ O'Brien. Tris Colket and Phil Leinhauser had previously been
nominated by Mel Jones and agreed to run.

Item 7: The Park Superintendent will be invited to attend the next club
meeting and bring his family to the fun fly.

Item 8: The Limerick Fly-in Breakfast is approaching in September. We will
need representatives.

All business was concluded. A motion was made to adjourn, seconded and
passed. The meeting adjourned at 7:05 PM.

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

BOG NOMINATIONS CLOSED
by Steve Kolet

The BOG nominations for 2005 are closed per the VFSS bylaws. The club
officers and current BOG thank all the nominees for volunteering to serve
our club.

The nominees are Frank Bakay, Tris Colket, Mike Estock, Mel Jones, Vince
Judd, Luke Koziol, Phil Leinhauser, Sean Merle, Russ O'Brien, Larry Scaggs,
and Price Stevenson.

The nominees will introduce themselves at the October club meeting and the
election will follow.

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

CLUB CALENDAR

Tuesday, September 6 -
BOG Meeting at the Field, 6:30 PM.

Saturday, September 10 -
Fun Fly starts at 9:00 AM (setup at 7:00 AM).

Tuesday, September 13 -
General Membership Meeting at the Field, 6:30 PM.

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