December 2009 Newsletter

A lot to fit in this month and yes, we have purposely sent you this newsletter by post . . . !!

‘A’ Test Pass – Martin O’Connell

Possibly one of the quickest (from joining to test pass) in the Club history . . . well done Martin

That will be our 4^th ‘A’ test pass this year . . !

Membership Costs – 2010

The good news is that the Committee has kept the same subscriptions for 2010 at £45.

BMFA senior membership has gone up a quid, so the total cost to pay to the Treasurer

Keith Godwin at 9 Marsh Way, Catshill, Bromsgrove, Worcs B61 0JD) is

Seniors =£74 (£45 subs + £29 BMFA), Juniors = £60 (£45 + £15 BMFA)

Cash is always acceptable, or cheques payable to Bromsgrove Model Flying Club, and please, please, please without fail by 31/12/2009. If you have not paid up by then, we assume you do not want to rejoin. Also, can you please complete the details on the extra sheet with this newsletter and include it with your payment.

AGM

WEDNESDAY 13th January, 2009 at the Crown Inn, Catshill – 7pm for 7.30pm

The format will be as in previous years – a subsidised carvery meal for members at £3 (guests are very welcome at the full price of £6) followed by the formal AGM proceedings and then drinks and chat.

The subsidised meal is based on at least 25 people, so come on, at this price let’s have a good turnout ! !

Committee Re-Election

As always, ALL posts are up for election – see included sheet for the current nominations – please request your nomination if you wish to stand for a post on the Committee to Mick Danks by 31/12/2009 please.

December Club Night

Don’t forget the December Club Night on Wednesday 2^nd December, 2009 – 8pm onwards as usual, at The Crown Inn, Catshill where you can

è è Return that Club Trophy in your possession

è è Pay your subs and BMFA for 2010 . . . . . . bring cash or cheque for £74

è è Order your subsidised carvery meal . . . . . bring cash or cheque for £3 (or £6 for a guest)

Flying Times Reminder – You Should Know These Off By Heart!!!

Winter Parking

Please avoid creating ruts in the flying field, and park on the slabs or on the track up to the gate, and do NOT attempt to park in the field. You will be amazed how much it costs to tip the farmer to pull you out!!!

C of G (Centre of Gravity)

Manoeuvre of the Month will come back next year – here is something for you to get your head around.

Why is C of G so crucial? The aircraft’s front-to-rear balance (i.e. pitch) determines the airplane’s “stability” and the effectiveness of ALL control surfaces – especially the ELEVATOR. So, the trick is to note where the C of G is on the plan or instruction booklet, and balance the plane as recommended . . . . !

If the C of G is too far REARWARD, the model will be unable to maintain level flight and may become less roll stable. The elevator, even if it has enough authority to control the model’s pitch, will be extremely sensitive and small inputs will have big pitch results. If you plan to fly with an excessively rearward C of G it is best to wear bike clips before takeoff and if you don’t know what PITCH is, it = the up and down movement.

If the C OF G is too far FORWARD, the elevator might not have enough authority to raise the “heavy” nose during slow flight and landings. Roll rate and rudder effectiveness diminish, and the model becomes “sluggish” and boring to fly. Maximum airspeed also drops. The model will survive flying with a heavy nose, but the pilot might find installing a new nose gear or replacing the broken prop after every nose-first landing very tiresome.

Balancing HIGH wing models = should have a slight nose down attitude (with tank EMPTY) when held with both fingers under the wings at the designated balance point.

Balancing LOW wing models = INVERT the model, which should have a slight nose down attitude (with tank EMPTY) when held with both fingers under the wings at the designated balance point.

If you have designed your own model, then you really need to work the C of G out . . . there are equations that can be done to ascertain the C of G for tapered wings, swept wing, biplanes and combinations of all 3.

Get yourself a copy of “Radio Control Scale Aircraft: Models for Everyday Flying” By Gordon Whitehead = this is a really good read anyway for all you balsa heads out there, and there is a section devoted to balancing your model.

Covering Demonstration

Thanks go to Mick Danks for doing the session at the November club night.

If you could not make it, here is a summary of some tips and tricks that came out of the Q&A session afterwards.

• How to easily separate solarfilm backing? Two small dabs of cellotape on each side = that’s how
• Don’t discard the backing film – it can be used get a really smooth fibreglass bandage joint for foam core wings – just smooth it over the fibreglass bandage joint before it cures
• If you are a cheapskate (like me) and use an old iron to apply solarfilm, have an old rag handy, spray it with some cheap wax furniture polish, rub the iron over the rag and immediately use to apply the solarfilm. This provides a bit of “lubrication” which aids the application of the iron
• Do you have trouble getting solarfilm to stick around the engine firewall area? Apply a 50/50 mix of water/pva and allow to thoroughly dry (preferably overnight). The solarfilm sticks better to the treated wood
• Painted surfaces – don’t use masking tape for that fancy multi-coloured design – use cellotape BUT after “de-sticking” it by running it through your fingers before applying. The painted edge will be pin sharp – you always get paint bleed under masking tape
• Painted surfaces – you can rapidly add weight by painting – so always keep this to a minimum and fuel proof with a coating of polyurethane varnish (satin finish seems to give the best overall finish)
• Borrow your missus’ pinking shears for the overlap areas – this works especially well on solartex – remember to return the pinking shears to the sewing box afterwards or risk GBH of the earhole

Kevin Walker and the Committee.

November 2009 Newsletter

‘A’ Test Pass

Congratulations to Mike Parker who passed his ‘A’ test in October. He bought himself a bigger trainer (a Boomerang) and never looked back. There’s a lesson to be learnt perhaps.

That means we have reached the hat-trick and have had three ‘A’ test passes this year. Congratulations to Terry, Hugh and Mike, are there any other surprises in store?

Winter Flying times

Now that the clocks have gone back Winter Flying times are in operation – for IC powered Fixed Wing these are:

We can also look ahead to wetter weather therefore a reminder to start parking on the track and slabs if the flying field looks too wet to drive into.

• Please do not make ruts in the flying field – for those of you with mobility difficulties this includes you.
• Ensure all gates are shut – the animals will be out for some time yet before winter really sets in.

Slabs and Hardcore

On a related topic, does anyone have any old slabs for the parking area or old bricks we can break up to use as hardcore and fill in some of the larger pot holes in the track? If so please contact one of the committee.

Manoeuvre of the Month – Four Point Roll

Enter the manoeuvre with plenty of speed and power and quarter roll into knife edge. If you roll to the right then input left rudder to hold the nose up. Try and keep the knife edge straight and at constant height. Hold this position for a moment then continue the roll to the inverted position with another quarter roll and hold in down elevator to maintain height. Again after a moment, execute a third quarter roll to go into knife edge and hold. Note that this time, the direction of rudder input is the same as the rolling direction i.e. If you are rolling to the right, then input right rudder. This makes sense because, for example, three quarter left rolls equals one quarter right roll. Finally, quarter roll to upright.

The co-ordination required for this manoeuvre is fairly tricky to learn and requires a fair amount of patience (and a lot of height!).

Briefly, the control inputs required for a clockwise and anti-clockwise Four Point Roll are:

2010 Fees

Looking ahead, we’ll be collecting 2010 fees from the December club night onwards so time to start saving. BMFC fees (Subs £45 + Joining £25 [if applicable]) are unlikely to change and we’ll know BMFA fees (currently £28) later on.

November Club Night

Following on from Mel’s talk about ‘Building from Plans’ at the November Club Night, I’ll be looking at the subject of covering a model – hopefully with a practical demo. There is some logic in planning club nights honest!

With the wide variety of coverings / finishes available I hope we have a lively Q&A debate too.

So let’s have a good turn out at about 8.00pm on the 4^th November at the Old Crown, Catshill. See you there.

Mick Danks & The Committee

October 2009 Newsletter#

September Club Night

For those of you who could not make it to the September club night, I would like to tell you that you missed a very interesting and entertaining talk and display from Eddie Lloyd and Steve Newman-Whitworth about the design and manufacture of SPAD (Simple Plastic Aeroplane Design) models. A big thank you to Eddie and Steve for their inspiring talk….

October Club Night

Well.. if Septembers talk didn’t get the creative juices going, why not give this months talk a go. Mel Houghton will be giving a talk / demo on ‘Building from Plans’. For those like myself, who have little experience of this, it should prove interesting and enlightening. If you have some plans that you are considering building, or may-be something you have started, why not bring them along and show ’em off. We will have a Q & A session at the end too, so see you there.

Li-Po Batteries (and Ni-cads)

Just a little re-iteration of a point… Recently some of us saw a Li-po ‘go up’ shortly after an accident damaged it at the patch. As I was driving home with 3 of the little blighters rattling around in the boot of my car, my mind began to wander…. fuel, sparks and shaken about for miles and miles… gulp! I have since taken more care over where/how I put them in the car.

What if that damaged Li-po had ignited before being put on the floor?… what if whoever carried the bits back and tucked the battery into a back pocket to free up their hands to carry something else?…. What I am trying to point out is that Li-po’s are in soft packaging and can be easily damaged, they are also quite likely to catch fire if this happens…

DO NOT carry them in a pocket, and DO treat them with the respect they deserve, even when un-damaged.

ALWAYS store them and charge them somewhere safe, away from flammable or conductive items.

While NiCads will not burn in themselves, they can heat up a pocket full of change to a very painful degree in a very short space of time. I know this to my cost, and for the record it was a front trouser pocket, and yes I did shout… I now have a brand of the queens head in a very interesting place! An average AA cell can deliver more than 10 amps…

Manoeuvre of the Month – Inverted flight.

Flying upside down is not just a case of turning the aircraft over. For those who have tried a roll, you will know that while the plane is in its upside down phase, all that lift from the wing that kept you away from the ground is now pulling you back towards it. What do you do to stop that?

Well you need to change the angle of attack of the wing by pushing the elevator stick away from you. (Yes ‘down’ is now ‘up’… but left and right are still the same) How much you need to push forward depends on the model and the way you have it set up. My WOT4 requires very little forward stick, whereas I have flown models that would not maintain level flight when upside down even when the stick was pushed full forward.

My advice, is get your model in the air with plenty of height, into wind and not too far away. (A 45 degree angle when looking up is ideal). Plan to invert her and hold inverted flight for a count of 3 only for the first attempt. This way you will not risk trying to hold an inverted dive for too long, and pulling the stick towards you if panic sets in. (been there and bought the bike clips!)

Get to a safe height, and with the model heading into wind and not too far away, pull up slightly, (as if about to enter a roll) and invert your model. Push away on the elevator just enough to maintain height, while counting 1, 2, 3… now roll the model back to upright and fly on.

Did you get a feel for how much ‘forward stick’ was required for level flight? Yes!!.. Well done, now maintain height, do another circuit and do it again. (Do the same if the answer was No!!).

Once you have the feel for this, it opens the door for lots of other manoeuvres… Inverted Figure ‘8’s, The 4 point roll, the double roll (required for your B test) even rolling circles, and square loops. (but more of them next time) Why not give some of them a go if you are feeling confident. Just remember to maintain height and to flip back over at the first sign of trouble. Does your engine run OK inverted? Another reason for not being too low or too far away!

Preventative Maintenance

As the weather starts to get cooler and windier, you may be tucking up some of your ‘more delicate’ aircraft. Don’t forget that a bit of TLC now, will ensure that they will be fit to fly next year.

Batteries – Ni-Cads – They don’t like to be frozen, and do like the occasional charge. If you keep your aircraft in a shed/workshop or cold garage, remove the batteries and keep them indoors. It will be helpful to cycle them once every couple of months too.

Li-po’s have a much thinner skin and can freeze more easily. You may also notice that they do not perform as well in the cold either. Keep them in a suitable non-flammable, non metallic container.

Don’t forget to give those engines a little squirt of after run oil orWD40, if you are not planning to fly them for a month or so.

Don’t waste the lack of good flying weather. Give your fleet a bit of a going over, and check the linkages, servo’s, hinges and the general condition of joints etc. You may find something that you could be fixing.

Lets have another great turn out on the 7^th October at about 8.00pm, and we will see you at the Old Crown, Catshill

Wishing you happy and safe flying….

Alan Brown & The Committee

September 2009 Newsletter

Membership

July and August were excellent months for the membership. Firstly a belated welcome to the club goes to Martin O’Connell & George Kelly (Junior) who joined in July but missed the last newsletter. This was followed by Tommy Lennon (novice), Bill Cartwright (‘A’ test level) and John Marley all joining the club on Sunday 16^th August. Please give them all the usual BMFC welcome if you meet them at the patch. The membership now stands at 47.

Also on the 16^th Hugh Revill passed his ‘A’ test. Congratulations Hugh and now, as they say, the learning really begins! Hugh’s success follows hot on the heels of Terry Peet’s – can we get three ‘A’ test passes this year?

Futaba 2.4 GHz – look for the “I” sticker on 6EX TX

On Sunday 2^nd August we experienced interference between planes using 2.4 GHz equipment. This was traced to the TX coding problem first reported last year and caused by early 6EX Futaba transmitters being incorrectly manufactured. Both Martin O’Connell and Rob Knox confirmed they had transmitters that didn’t have the “I” sticker and were potentially faulty.

Ripmax are now offering a full exchange programme for all early 6EX 2.4GHz transmitters to resolve the problem; therefore:

• If you use a Futaba 6EX 2.4 GHz transmitter check your transmitter (see the pictures in appendix 1).
• If it doesn’t have the “I” sticker contact Ripmax for a replacement.

• For more details see their web site http://www.ripmax.com/.
   

LiPo batteries – a timely warning

On the same day Rob Knox had a ‘nasty’ with his electric ducted-fan model. Sometime after having collected the bits and returning to the pits the LiPos that powered the model burst open. The cause may have been crash related; however the batteries were unattended at the time and had become hot.

This serves to prove how potentially dangerous LiPos are – be very careful when using them.

Pin those hinges!!

Paul Ainge crashed an ARTF model he flies and investigation revealed the rudder hinges had worked loose casting doubt on the quality of the build. The hinges weren’t pinned and the amount of glue used was questionable. Check the fixing of hinges whatever the source of the model and if uncertain pin them – you know it makes sense!

All Day Fly #3 – Saturday 12^th September 2009

Another reminder about ADF #3. Glorious weather (pre-booked), wind straight down the patch (pre-booked), yummy BBQ nosh (pre-booked) – put it in your diary now!

Manoeuvre of the month – the Spin

The spin is one of the basic aerobatic manoeuvres, and one which every pilot should be comfortable with. Spinning is a mode of flight in which the aircraft is stalled and in autorotation about its vertical axis, either upright or inverted, and is a condition during which substantial altitude may be lost and a high rate of descent maintained.

As the aircraft enters the stall the nose will drop, at which point full back stick and full rudder should be applied in the intended direction of the spin. Typically the aircraft will assume a nose low attitude, as the incipient phase is passed and the spin fully develops. Throughout the spin full back stick with aileron neutral must be held (some specific types may also need aileron), to maintain the wings in a stalled condition.

Recovery is initiated by applying rudder opposite to the direction of the spin, to slow and eventually arrest the rotation. When the yaw rate has dropped or stopped, backpressure should be eased off to unstall the wing, while neutralising the rudder. As the wing unstalls the aircraft will typically assume a near vertical nose down attitude, and speed will rapidly build up if this attitude is maintained – therefore it is necessary to pull out of the dive without too much elevator or another spin could be induced.

Much the same applies for inverted spins, with attention being paid to the direction of the elevator input which has been reversed. Because the direction of rudder action is maintained in inverted flight, the application of rudder opposite to the direction of rotation will achieve the desired effect. With most types the rudder will be more effective in the inverted spin, as less of its area is shielded by the elevator.

http://www.rc-airplane-world.com/more-rc-airplane-aerobatics.html

September Club Night

Eddie Lloyd will be giving us a talk and answering questions based on his experience of building SPAD models. (SPAD = Simple Plastic Airplane Designs – very quick and cheap to build!)

See you at the September club night on Weds September 2^nd at 8pm at the Crown Inn, Catshill.

Mick Danks & the Committee

Appendix 1.

Following previous Ripmax advisory statements regarding the coding issues with some TM-7 2.4GHz transmitter modules, Ripmax are pleased to be able to advise that we are now in a position to offer a free exchange for all modules that may be affected by the coding issue.
Modules at risk do not have the ‘I’ sticker (as shown on the following image).

Below is an example of a transmitter that is eligible for the exchange program.

Those sold more recently will have the ‘I’ sticker (as shown on the following image) and does not need to be exchanged.

August 2009 Newsletter

August 2009 Club meeting

What club meeting? Traditionally we do NOT have a club meeting in August – so see you at the SEPTEMBER meeting on Wednesday September 2^nd.

All Day Fly #2 – Saturday 25^th July

Glorious weather, wind straight down the patch, yummy BBQ nosh – where were you all?

Thanks to all the usual suspects who put the effort in to make these sessions go smoothly – you all know who you are!

Manoeuvre of the month – the Stall Turn

The Stall Turn is one of the most graceful aerobatic figures. When flown well it is beautiful to watch.

• To execute a stall turn, make sure you have plenty of height.
• Fly into wind straight and level and gently apply up elevator as if to do a loop.
• When the aircraft has reached the vertical (or about 80 degrees will do), put the elevator to neutral and close the throttle.
• The aircraft will go straight up and will lose speed very quickly. Before the aircraft stops, apply full rudder to the right or left. (NB leaving some throttle on will make the rudder “bite” better)
• The aircraft will wing over and point down to come back following the path it went up.
• Let off the rudder as soon as the model is pointing down and then gently pull out of the dive into straight and level flight
• Don’t pull too hard on the elevator for a clean exit

See the diagram overleaf . . .

All Day Fly #3 – Saturday 12^th September 2009

Glorious weather (pre-booked), wind straight down the patch (pre-booked), yummy BBQ nosh (pre-booked) – put it in your diary now!

September Club Night

Eddie Lloyd will be giving us a talk and answering questions based on his experience of building SPAD models. FYI SPAD = Simple Plastic Airplane Designs – very quick and cheap to build . . . !

See you at the September club night à Weds September 2^nd at 8pm at the Crown Inn, Catshill

Kevin Walker & The Committee

July 2009 Newsletter

‘A’ Test pass

After what seems like an age we have an ‘A’ test pass to celebrate. Congratulations go to Terry Peet who recently passed – now the hard work begins!!

Some find flying easier than others however the more time and commitment you put in the closer you are to that ‘A’ test pass. Simulators, visualising that takeoff, circuit and landing all help the essential hands-on experience.

All Day Fly #2 – Saturday 25^th July a date for the diary

It seems only yesterday that we were preparing for All Day Fly #1 however All Day Fly #2 is at the end of July and this is probably the last Newsletter before then. Therefore make a note of the date and watch the web site in case of postponement.

Know your BMFA insurance

Page 5 of the June BMFA newsletter was devoted to understanding the Insurance we pay for each year. While many take it for granted, if you are unfortunate enough to be involved in an incident when you are flying remember the following points: –

• Stay calm
• Never admit liability to the third party
• Exchange contact details with the third party
• Remain civil and polite
• Refer them to the BMFA office if they require further Information
• Contact the office and request an incident report form at the earliest opportunity
• Complete the form honestly and accurately
• If you are unsure how to complete the form contact the office for assistance and guidance
• Return completed form to BMFA with a cheque for the policy excess where required
• Forward on any correspondence from the third party to the BMFA office

Manoeuvre of the month – the Cuban 8

The ‘standard’ Cuban-8 requires you to dive down to pick up speed and pull up into a loop – you could pull up from level flight if you have the power. As you come down the “back side” of the loop, roll 180 degrees so that you’re not inverted, and dive down at 45 degrees. You’re now halfway through. At the same altitude you started your pull-up for the first loop, start a pull-up for a second iteration of the same manoeuvre.

The whole thing will look like an “8” on it’s side.

A more difficult version is to perform the 180 degree roll as you go UP the “front side” of the loop followed by an inverted inside loop back to your initial centre position and again start a pull-up for a second iteration of the same manoeuvre.

July Club Night

This month Johnny Cross will be giving us a talk and answering questions based on his experience of modelling and the LMA. We are now running short of topics for future Club Nights so ideas or favorites you’d like repeated let us know.

See you at the July club night à Wednesday July 1^st at 8pm at the Crown Inn

Mick Danks & The Committee

June 2009 Newsletter

New Member

We have 1 new (old) member this month. Carl Upton has rejoined – so welcome back Carl . . . . !

We now have 42 members and 13 trainees.

All Day Fly #1 – Report

It was the correct decision to postpone for a week and 15 members enjoyed a good days activity – apart from the BBQ lunch being a bit longer than usual as we waited for the silage to be cut (those contractors really can motor!).

And For your diary

All Day Fly #2 = Saturday 25^th July and All Day Fly #3 = Saturday 12^th September

Keep it quiet…

THREE models in the air at all times please – in the interests of noise control, the Committee has decided to stick to this ruling at all times, rather than allow a fourth plane in the air at busy periods

June Club Night..

Many thanks to Alan who showed us how to make a shock flier from plans – get cutting that depron!

Your esteemed Chairman has rashly agreed to give his foam wing core cutting demonstration (not again says Paul Ainge) – but for some of those who have not seen it before, prepare to be truly amazed.

Tank Troubles

Paul Sutton arrived at the patch with a new Super Air – the Chairman was desperate to do the test flight, but Paul had plumbing problems (not personal ones I might add). I thought I would go over some basic points regarding clunk tanks – you may know these already, but it is worth re-iterating them.

1. 1. You can of course assemble any tank as either a “2 Piper” (fuel feed + pressure feed) or a “3 piper” (fuel feed + pressure feed + tank filler). The “2 piper”, will entail filling by removing the fuel feed at the carb end of course, so is very easy to use when you have unfettered access to your motor – if the motor is buried in a cowl, then the “3 piper” with the filler tube comes into it’s own
   2. In either of the two types, always ensure that the pressure feed and filler are bent upwards to touch the TOP of the tank
   3. The clunk must be able to swing freely, just short of the back of the tank, and when inverted should drop to the top of the tank cleanly
   4. Sometimes the clunk tubing as supplied is thin walled, and an “arrival” or even just overturning in the grass at the end of the runway, can kink the clunk round. If a perfectly running engine starts playing up with fuel starvation, give the plane a good shake backwards to free the clunk. Sometimes it pays to replace the supplied tubing with thicker stuff regardless. The clunk has been known to come off too – so just shaking the plane and hearing the rattle, does not mean the clunk is still attached to the internal feed pipe ! ! If in doubt, especially if your engine runs are shorter and end in dead sticks (because the clunk is not at the bottom of the tank, therefore runs out of fuel after half a tank), take it out and take a look!
   5. Here is my top tip – if you have several planes, ALWAYS assemble the bung in the SAME WAY – for example, regardless of whether you have a “2 Piper” or “3 piper”, make the BOTTOM pipe the FUEL FEED, then you will never get them mixed up will you? As Homer Simpson would say – DOH – why didn’t I think of that?

1. PRESSURE TEST your tank after assembly and BEFORE you fit it in the plane, you dummy! METHOD = attach tubing to all pipes, blow hard down one pipe while squeezing all the other pipes. If there are no air leaks, there will be no fuel leaks either. Once, pressure tested, you could do another test by filling it with fuel on the bench to make sure it fills completely, then drain it again, using the appropriate pipes. THEN and ONLY THEN fit it to your plane. . . . . no more arsing about in the pits wasting valuable flying time when you have to get the tank from the depths of the fuselage!

Mick Danks found a superb article about tanks – see the new link on the web site !

Carb Linkage Set Up

Another couple of quick tips

1. The THIRD hole out is usually the best one to use on a Futaba “cross” shaped horn on the throttle servo end (you do cut the other three arms off to stop them fouling anything, don’t you now?)
2. The outer hole is the better one to use at the carb end

Manoeuvre of the Month – “The Avalanche”

This will be a regular newsletter item, to get you thinking about increasing your flight envelope a bit more by adding some simple aerobatics to your routine – you can do these with your trainer too!

This month it is the “Avalanche” and it is quite a simple – it is a complete 360 degree roll (better if a flick roll) at the top of a loop. So, position yourself nicely down the patch, into wind as usual, Increase power and pull up into a loop. Then just BEFORE you reach the top of the loop (and whilst inverted of course), apply full aileron to perform a full 360 degree roll. Stop when you are inverted again and then pull through for the final half of the loop. Easy Peasy and it looks good too. . . . go on give it a try.

See you at the June club night à Wednesday June 3^rd at 8pm at the Crown Inn – see you there for the foam wing cutting demo . . . .

Kevin Walker & The Committee

May 2009 Newsletter

New Members

We have 3 new members this month. John Hine and Stan Kupiec are brand new members and John Bradley has re-joined. Please be sure to say ‘Hello’ and give them the usual Bromsgrove welcome.

We now have 42 members and 13 trainees. Due to the number of trainees we will have to re-introduce the waiting list for new members who require training.

All ay Fly In Number 1…

Put Saturday May 16^th in your diary’s as it will soon be the 1^st all day fly in… There will be the usual BBQ, tea and coffee and maybe (if Steve Hill has been a very good boy) the odd scone or two. Add to that the clowns, jugglers and dancing bear and we are all set for a fantastic day.

So dust off those seldom seen models, and give them a good pre-flight check, cycle those batteries and lets see you down in the pits.

2^nd all day Fly In is Saturday 25^th July

3^rd all day Fly In Saturday 12^th September

Keep off the grass ..

The grass and clover is starting to grow again, so can we all please keep to the mown paths when moving about the field, to protect the farmers crop. (The clover can easily trip you up as well, which may cost you a model) When parking try and stay as close to the hedge as you can, to minimize the flattening. Also please walk to the patch if you can, we don’t want to leave ruts if we can help it but we do allow careful driving up to the pits for those who have difficulty walking.

Whilst we are on the subject of grass.. Steve and Mel have seeded the patch with the hope that we will have a bowling green

Stimulator anyone??

As mentioned at last months club night. I have been able to source the FMS Flight Simulator and all the required USB leads for FUTABA, JR and Multiplex transmitters for £10. If anyone is interested then please let me know and I will put an order in. It’s a basic flight sim, but will help to train those thumbs.

Spare for Repairs..

If anyone has any broken servos that they are going to bin, please forward them to Kevin, as he can use the remaining good bits, to resurrect any duff ones that members may have.

Keep it quiet…

Well done to everyone in keeping away from the No Fly Zones. We have had no more noise complaints, but do need to keep up the good work.

May Club Night..

Following on from Mel’s successful talk on glues etc, I hope to be able to show you how easy it is to build a ‘shock flyer’ out of depron for the May club night. So get ‘stuck in’ and we hope to see you there,

Wishing you happy and safe flying…

And finally as an appendix to the newsletter, here is a summary of the April Club Night: Hints, Tips & Questions all raised and suggested by the members present on the night.

Questions

Aileron Hinging

Q. How do you fix ‘furry’ hinges?

• Fit the hinges into the aileron (or elevator and rudder) and fix with ‘thin’ cyano glue bt dribbling the glue onto the hinge and allowing to “wick” or soak in. By drilling a hole in the middle of the slot in the aileron or trailing edge, the cyano “wicks” better
• This is repeated when you fix the aileron to the wing – fit the other half of the hinge into the trailing edge and fix with ‘thin’ cyano glue. If applicable, at the same time epoxy torque rods into the aileron.
• To ensure half the hinge is inserted into the trailing edge and aileron, fit a pin temporarily through the hinge at the mid point to act as a ‘stop’. It also creates a gap between aileron and trailing edge allowing free movement of the control surface.
• It was suggested to consider ‘pegging’ the hinge in place also using a cocktail stick (or similar) inserted and glued vertically through the trailing edge & hinge and the aileron & hinge. This was the traditional method for fixing plastic pin hinges and provided security.

Q. How do you cut the hinge slot?

• The simplest method is to use a Hinge Blade Kit specifically designed for the job and available from model shops.
• Alternatively a modelling knife, a straight edge and a steady hand making small cuts into the balsa could be used.
• A hacksaw blade or nail file could be used to enlarge the slot.

Q. Why is Side & Down Thrust Needed?

• Side thrust is essentially used to counteract the torque or ‘turning’ effect of the engine.
• In aerobatic models down thrust is used to maintain the correct ‘angle of attack’.

Q. What is the best clevis type to use (plastic v metal)?

• The consensus was that metal clevises were preferred, regarded as more robust and easier to adjust. As with all clevises however don’t forget the fuel tubing to keep the clevis closed.

Q. Should you always balance a propeller?

• Technically yes, however experience had shown that only propellers 12″ diameter and over may need it. Imbalance in new propellers less that 12″ diameter was rare possibly due to manufacturing techniques.
• Balancers could be bought from a model shop for about £6 and to balance a propeller sand it along the ‘heavy’ side with glass paper – not changes at the tip will have a greater effect than changes at the centre.

Q. What fuel should I use – there are so many types.

• A topic everyone will have a different view about however as a guide
  • Follow your engine manufacturers / importers instructions.
  • Once you find a fuel that works for you stick with it.
• The facts
  • The fuel used is basically a mixture of Methanol (approx 80% for COMBUSTION) and oil (approx 20% for LUBRICATION), which passes through the engine and comes out of the exhaust. The oil is traditionally Castor Oil (a natural oil capable of withstanding high temperatures).
  • The bewildering array of fuels comes about through the addition of synthetic oils (used as a replacement for or mixed with the Castor) and the addition of Nitro methane (‘Nitro’ = more power and better tickover) in typically 5%, 10% and even 15% measured at the expense of some of the methanol. Also there are different manufacturers!

Hints and Tips

Power tool. Buy a Dremel or similar ‘mini’ power tool. The uses seem endless from ARTF models through to building from plans and particularly useful is the flexible drive attachment.

Reusable jig. Use aluminium angle and strip to make a reusable jig to ensure a 90-degree angle when joining bulkheads to fuselage sides etc. Cut the angle and strip to the desired length, epoxy the strip to an external face of the angle (this makes sure the angle doesn’t get stuck in any glue). Leave to set. Using small clamps or clothes pegs hold the jig against the wood to position it and while the glue sets.

Permagrit. Buy a set of Permagrit tools for shaping. In a similar vein emery board is useful in some circumstances – you can do your nails afterwards as well.

Pinking scissors. Use pinking scissors to cut solartex particularly when patching. The effect is more scale-like.

Winter wheels. In the winter use wheels 0.5″ bigger dia to cope with the mud.

Pipe wrap. Use plumbers foam pipe wrap to wrap receivers.

Pro-skin. This is a relatively new finishing material from Mick Reeves models. It is epoxy-glass sheet of various thicknesses (0.2 – 1.6mm) that has been moulded under high pressure and heat resulting in a flat sheet with semi-matt surface that accepts paint and glues well. A potential alternative to ‘traditional’ fibreglass (less messy and time consuming) but with some limitations because it comes as a sheet. See Mick Reeves web site.

Polyurethane glues. Another addition to the arsenal of glues available are the new polyurethane glues particularly ‘Gorilla’ glue. It is waterproof and when used it expands to fill minor gaps and cracks, however it does not contain air bubbles and is therefore a better glue for wood end grain, as it will be better absorbed into the wood. Recommended for use with Pro-skin.

Car wax. When finishing a model apply a coat of car wax to repel dirt and oil however avoid silicon based wax.

Storing models. This can sometimes be a problem – how about hanging the fuselages by the their propellor using a loop of string / twine from a suitable ‘rail’.

Tail assembly. When assembling the tail of an ARTF model it is often necessary to remove an area of plastic film / solarfilm in order to get a wood to wood bond. Using a modelling knife will potentially weaken the wood since you cannot avoid cutting into the wood, so use a soldering iron to burn away the covering instead.

Wing bandage. When fitting a fibre glass wing bandage once the resin has been applied smooth the plastic backing off Solarfilm or cling film around the bandage to get a smooth finish. The film will peel off the bandage once the resin has set.

Hinge line. Always line up the holes of control horns with the hinge line to ensure equal movement.

Solarfilm. When applying Solarfilm spray (cheap) furniture polish on a rag, rub the iron on the rag and then iron on the Solarfilm. The iron will move more smoothly over the surface.

Piano wire. When cutting piano wire cut a groove with the edge of a file all the way round the wire then snap it off. This will leave a chamfered edge. An alternative is to use the carborundum disk attachment on a Dremel.

Collets. Simple and effective collets can be made from the top of the brass pins from three pin plugs or an alternative is the electrical block connectors (after removing the plastic cover).

Superglue. When using superglue squeeze the bottle before tipping it up. When the glue has been applied, right the bottle and release the grip and excess glue in the spout is sucked back into the bottle. Also, lightly moistening the surfaces to be glued improves the joint since cyano requires moisture to react.

Alan Brown & The Committee

April 2009 Newsletter

1. Newsletter Opt-in

IMPORTANT

The committee recently discussed the club newsletter, the increasing cost of production and potentially better communications with members by using email. The agreed way forward was for members to opt in to receiving the monthly newsletter by post – the default would be to circulate the newsletter by email. With this in mind please contact the secretary (mick_danks@hotmail.com) and…

• If they wish, send him their email address
• Tell him if they want a postal copy of future newsletters

Remember future newsletters will be emailed to members unless you’ve requested a postal copy, it will continue to be available on the club web site.

2. Noise Complaint

A repeat of last month’s message so we don’t become complacent.

Hopefully, there will be nothing more to report about this incident however we ask you to

1. 1. DO fit APC or BOLLY props only (they are no more expensive than other makes)

1. 1. DO fit super quiet silencers

1. 1. DO rigidly observe the No Fly Zones and Flying Times – have you studied the laminated maps in the tx box??

1. 1. DO observe the 3 models in the air limit

1. DO NOT fly around at full throttle throughout the flight – having fitted a throttle servo, then use it

Regarding APC & Bolly props below is an extract from the club web site showing recommended propeller sizes v engines.

3. FMS Simulator

This free simulator that can be downloaded from the web is reported to be comparable to retail simulators and has a special mention this month. Alan Brown has purchased some leads and is working out how to connect transmitters to pcs while Ron Harrison (ronharrison@eml.cc) has 70 Aircraft including Airships, Airliners, Warbirds (Ancient & Modern, Helicopters and some of the Multiplex Range) and 39 Landscapes, (Indoor and Carrier) for the simulator.

If you would like more details please contact Alan and Ron.

4. APRIL Club Night

We’re planning a Hints, Tips and Questions evening for the April club night so put your thinking caps on, this is all about sharing knowledge and experience. Everyone who attends will be asked to either share their building or flying ‘Tips’ or submit modelling related question(s) to the members to resolve any problems they may have encountered. Remember there is no such thing as a silly question – despite the friendly torrent of verbal abuse it will generate! All points will then be collated and put on the web site for general consumption by all.

5. Next Club Night

A final reminder about the next club night on

WEDNESDAY 1^st April 2009 at the Crown Inn, Catshill – 8pm for a drink and a chat.

Mick Danks and the Committee.

March 2009 Newsletter

Noise

This month’s newsletter is devoted entirely to the subject of NOISE.

“Oh No, not again!” I hear you say – well maybe I spoke too soon at the AGM about noise and perhaps we have been a little complacent in 2008.

SO – this is where YOU as a BMFC member come in . . .

Included in the web site is an aerial view of the site, clearly showing the No Fly Zones, especially near the noise sensitive premises.

We will expect ALL members to religiously observe the No Fly Zones, and they will be actively policed during flying sessions.

The outer limit is approximately 350 metres from the patch, giving 400 metres separation distance to the houses in Fosters Green (twice the minimum separation distance stipulated in the D of E Code of Practice – which is copied in the BMFA handbook – a link is available on the Club web site).

The training area will be concentrated on the area to the RIGHT of the patch, until the trainee has become proficient enough to be able to do accurate circuits and be able to position the model positively.

The Committee want and expect you to be as noise aware as you possibly can in the future

• DO fit APC or BOLLY props only (they are no more expensive than other makes)

• DO fit super quiet silencers

• DO rigidly observe the No Fly Zones and Flying Times

• DO observe the 3 models in the air limit

• DO NOT fly around at full throttle throughout the flight – having fitted a throttle servo, then use it

March Club Night

WEDNESDAY 4^th March 2009 at the Crown Inn, Catshill – 8pm for a drink and a chat.

Kevin Walker and the Committee.

February 2009 Newsletter

BMFA membership

This month’s newsletter is quite ‘weighty’ starting with your personal confirmation of BMFA membership and insurance cover. I hope I’ve matched them to the right envelope – let me know if I didn’t!

Notes from the 2009 AGM

January 7^th 2009 saw the AGM and a copy of the notes is attached. It was our first time at the Crown Inn, Catshill and everything seemed to go well with 30+ people being fed and watered.

Lost

Kevin lent the club flight simulator to someone and has forgotten who! Will anyone own up to having it and let Kevin know?

And Found

A trendy pair of blue sunglasses with 3 diamante inserts in each corner was found on the patch weeks ago – anybody lost a pair? Again please contact Kevin if they’re yours.

After the winter lay-up

As we look forward to flying after the winter here are some reminders

• Put after run oil in your four stroke and turned it over to free it up (2 stroke oil is good for that). I like to store four strokes will oil in them.
• Charge up those batteries and test them out – better still cycle them if you can to keep optimum capacity. Take care with LiPo batteries though, there have been reports of temperamental performance after the winter – due to cold storage conditions – and never leave them unattended when charging.
• Trainees (and experienced pilots for that matter) have you been practising on your simulator?

An invitation

The club has received an invitation from North Worcestershire Model Aircraft Society to their Winter Bring and Buy Sale, details as follows. Contact Peter Seddon (North Worc Secretary) at peter@seddonp.freeserve.co.uk if interested further.

The Winter Bring and Buy Sale will take place at the HDA Sports and Social Club, Cherry Tree Walk, Batchley, Redditch on Sunday 22nd February 2009 from 10am until 4pm. Tables will cost £5 each. Outdoor flying of electric models can take place after midday and there maybe some indoor flying depending on space availability. A transmitter control will operate. The bar will be open and sandwiches and other refreshments may be purchased. This is an opportunity to sell those items that are no longer required and create space for that winter project. All are welcome and all this can be enjoyed for an entrance fee of £1.

Next Club Night

At the AGM you were asked for ideas to encourage people to come along, unfortunately there’ve been no moments of inspiration although for me considering the amount of flying I’ve been doing (not a lot!) it’ll be a chance to see you all. Lets have a good turn out for the next club night on WEDNESDAY 4^th February 2009 at the Crown Inn, Catshill – 8pm for a drink and a chat.

Mick Danks and the Committee.

January 2009 Newsletter

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

As this is the first newsletter of the new year we hope everyone had a good Christmas and New Year and is looking forward to flying in 2009. I can’t remember if 2008 was particularly good or bad all I know is that on a cold Sunday morning it can only get better.

PLEASE PARK ON THE SLABS

Last month’s newsletter contained a reminder to park on the slabs and not attempt driving into the field. Due to the wet weather the risk of creating ruts or getting stuck was too great.

Well, on at least one occasion the advice was ignored. Someone has driven into the flying field creating ruts and potentially pi***ng off the farmer. Park on the slabs – please don’t let the few spoil things for the many.

Also two people got stuck in the mud by the slabs (‘well it looked firm enough’). Be careful – you may not be lucky enough to have others around to help.

Debris

Please take all debris home with you – broken propeller blades, bits of plastic, wire etc. We don’t want to leave stuff around the patch that can be harmful to the animals.

Safety issues

• Exposed battery terminals. Most of us use 12V batteries of various sizes for starters, fuel pumps etc. and the risk of a short circuit between exposed terminals is an ever-present danger. The power in these batteries – especially car batteries – is high and could easily be the source of explosion / fire. If you use crocodile clips make sure ‘live’ terminals are exposed for as short a time as possible. Ideally connections should be permanent and insulated and taken to a ‘power panel’.
• Spontaneous combustion. Apparently under the right conditions natural oils (like castor) can spontaneously combust. This seems to be a chemical reaction when a certain concentration of oil on a piece of cloth is exposed to air. The advice is to use disposable cloths or wash cloths regularly to avoid high concentrations of oil.

Servo bits

Another appeal from Kevin for servo bits. A damaged and unwanted servo may help the repair of another.

Membership Costs 2009 and AGM

A reminder of membership subs for 2009:

Seniors =£73 (£45 subs + £28 BMFA). Juniors = £60 (£45 + £15 BMFA)

And the 2009 AGM to be held on:

WEDNESDAY 7^th January, 2009 at the Crown Inn, Catshill – 7pm for 7.30pm

The format will be as in previous years – a subsidised carvery meal for members at £3 (guests are very welcome at the full price of £8) followed by the formal AGM proceedings and then drinks and chat.

Whether you’re coming for the meal or just a drink, joins us and get 2009 off to a good start.

Mick Danks and the Committee.

December 2008 Newsletter

Membership Costs – 2009

The Committee has reluctantly increased the subscriptions for 2009 to £45.

BMFA membership has remained the same as 2008, so the total cost to pay to Keith Godwin, the Treasurer (Address = 9 Marsh Way, Catshill, Bromsgrove, Worcs B61 0JD) is

Seniors =£73 (£45 subs + £28 BMFA), Juniors = £60 (£45 + £15 BMFA)

Cheques payable to Bromsgrove Model Flying Club, and please, please, please without fail by 31/12/2008.

Also, can you please complete the details on the reverse of this newsletter and include with your payment.

AGM

WEDNESDAY 7^th January, 2009 at the Crown Inn, Catshill – 7pm for 7.30pm

The format will be as in previous years – a subsidised carvery meal for members at £3 (guests are very welcome at the full price of £8) followed by the formal AGM proceedings and then drinks and chat.

Please remember to return any Club Trophy ON or BEFORE the AGM.

Committee Re-Election

As always, ALL posts are up for election – see overleaf for the current nominations – please request your nomination if you wish to stand for a post on the Committee to Alan Brown by 31/12/2008 please.

December Club Night

Don’t forget the December Club Night on Wednesday 3^rd December, 2008 – 8pm onwards as usual, at The Crown Inn, Catshill where you can

è è Pay your subs and BMFA for 2008 . . . . . . bring cash or cheque for £73

è è Order your subsidised carvery meal . . . . . bring cash or cheque for £3 (or £8 for a guest)

The subsidised meal is based on at least 25 people, so come on, at this price let’s have a good turnout ! !

Winter Parking

To avoid creating ruts in the flying field, please park on the slabs, and do not attempt to park in the field.

Kevin Walker and the Committee.

Please complete the details below and either post or hand to Keith Godwin at

9 Marsh Way,Catshill,Bromsgrove,Worcs B61 0JD

Committee Re-Election

At time of writing, the nominations for all Committee posts are as follows.

If you cannot attend the AGM, and wish to vote for any of the nominees, please tick the appropriate box

If you wish to be nominated for any of the posts above, please contact Alan Brown on 07875-866535

Note – We also have 2 co-opted Committee positions (with restricted voting rights)

Mel Houghton wishes to stand again in 2009

November 2008 Newsletter

Next Club Meeting at ‘THE CROWN INN’ Catshill

Although the Gate Hangs Well appears to have re-opened, we will be staying at the Crown Inn, Catshill as we have had a number of positive comments on the seating at the new venue.

See you on Wednesday 5^th November – don’t hibernate for the winter!!!

Time Slots…

After a trial of the time slot flying the Committee have decided that we will not use them again. If things do get busy, then we will have a gentlemen’s agreement to ensure that everyone gets an equal number of flights. If you are a trainee and need to get a flight then PLEASE approach the instructors to get yourself into the rota. We do try to allocate time to everyone but it is so easy to assume that a trainee is being looked after by someone else = SO IF IN DOUBT PLEASE ASK.

Safety Issues & Flight Line Breeches…

It is of utmost importance and for the safety of all at the patch, that we do not, under any circumstance, breach the flight line. Flight line breaches and safety issues will be logged in a book, and help and training offered where required to ensure that we are all flying to the best of our ability. If you see anyone having trouble, then please offer help if you can.

An Explanation about the Cows

Apparently, Tony the farmer has been keeping the cattle out for longer than normal, since the wet weather earlier in the year has halved his silage stock. That is why all the gates are left open at the moment, so they can roam freely. Tony has no issue with you herding them into another field and closing the gate, but please remember to open it again after you have finished flying. NEVER repeat NEVER leave the gate open to the road of course. It will not be long now before the cows are kept in.

Instructor / Trainee log..

To ensure that a good mix of skills and methods are available, we have a list of instructors to which trainee names will be added as they turn up. This will ensure that trainees will get the widest instruction available.

Fancy doing a review for the web?…

How many of us have read reviews on-line? Well we have lots of web space available and we have had quite a few different models at the patch. If you fancy writing one up, and don’t forget the pictures, just e-mail to myself at earthtoalan@hotmail.co.uk or Kevin at kwskodaman@blueyonder.co.uk.

Engine Problems…

Eddie Lloyd had a nice new engine that ran very well on the test bench but refused to run when installed in the plane. He explains below…

As this was my new JEN 47 I spoke to Jenny at Just Engines and had a very interesting conversation.  I asked if they would check it out for me and after answering all her questions the only thing that seemed likely to cause the problem pointed to erratic intake of air from the fuel tanks and connecting fuel tubing.

As soon as I stated that I was using SLEC tanks she asked me to set up the engine with a Sullivan or similar tank and redo the tests. I did so yesterday with immediate success!

Jenny said they had received several identical problems from other modellers and using SLEC tanks was the common link.

I have been using these tanks for all my models and now realise why I’ve been getting so many engine troubles. I have to admit on reflection that when installing the new tanks I thought the fuel tubing didn’t appear to fit as tightly as I expected and when flying on the Buddy Lead with Lloyd a while back the pressure feed pipe from the silencer actually blew off the tank outlet pipe in flight and caused a dead stick. I thought it might help other members if my experiences with SLEC tanks could be passed on… Regards Eddie

Extracts from “Aero Modeller” magazine dated June 1971. (supplied by Paul Ainge)

Then repair to…

A recent article on flying field repairs (not to the terra firma but to the models that bounce thereon) serves to illustrate just what sort of manic devotion you have to bring to model flying in order to stay in the race. In fact, the authorities are thinking about printing a warning on cigarette packets I don’t know that they should also apply one to the model kit – something on the lines of it being injurious to a normal way of life.

The newcomer to the hobby may blithely think that once the model is completed in all its glistening glory he will have left the drudgery of the building board behind him, and rejoice in the innocent belief that his model will continue to be a thing of joy and beauty for ever. But if that is what he is imagines he is sadly deluding himself, for if on that very first flight he gets his model back in one whole piece he must either be carrying the right sort of rabbit’s foot or he has carried out the test over a field of foam rubber.

The above was obviously written long before the buddy lead system, however to continue the text:-

On the time honoured basis that you never get something for nothing in this life, the thrill of achieving flight is somewhat offset by the fact that aerial balance can be a pretty precarious thing, and that it’s a long way down when the equilibrium goes awry. This can happen at the most inopportune times; usually at a point when the greatest – back to earth – impact presents itself. Then of course the, model plane, in order to attain levitation rather than sheer momentum, is inclined towards that fragility which comes of minimal weight considerations. The exception being that heavyweight monster that keeps whistling past your left ear, and which defies every known law, including the law of the land.

Sound like anyone we know????

Fortunately, most models can be repaired on the spot (though not advised in certain radio events) which was what the article was all about. If not, there is always a jolly bonfire to look forward to. Still, for those who find the rigours of the workbench all but unbearable – and the growth of the luxury, pre fab kit trade suggests that such people exist in their thousands – the idea of taking the workbench to the flying field, where all should be fun, in the shape of the model box top is too frightening to contemplate. But all should be well when these kits reach the hundred pound mark; they will be of unbreakable plastic.

Flying Times.. (winter is here!)

A reminder that the WINTER Flying times for GLOW engine models are now in place

10am till dusk Monday through Friday, 12am till dusk on Saturday and 10am till 2pm Sunday

See you at about 8.00pm at the CROWN INN, Stourbridge Road, Catshill, Bromsgrove, B61 9LE on Wednesday 5^th Nov for the next meeting. Wishing you blue skies and happy flying

Alan Brown and the Committee….

October 2008 Newsletter

NEWS FLASH!!! – Next meeting at ‘THE OLD CROWN’ Catshill

We are sorry to announce that it appears that the Gate Hangs Well pub has ceased trading.

We will instead be meeting at ‘The Old Crown’ in Catshill, Bromsgrove on Wednesday 1^st October… (There is a map on the reverse at this newsletter)

All ay Fly In…

It seems that the 3^rd and last All Day Fly In was the best of the year. If there was a fly in the ointment for this one then I would say that it was engine problems… some of the problems were to do with incorrect mixture (see the ‘engine tuning’ section on the web site) and old fuel problems.. keep that top on your fuel bottles to stop it absorbing water from the air. The weather was just right and the burgers went down a treat. I would like to thank all those that helped get the food, drinks etc.

Flight Line Breeches…

It is of utmost importance that we do not under any circumstance not cross the flight line. Any breaches will be investigated immediately by a committee member to help ensure that we are all flying as safely as we can. We are not looking to turn this into a witch hunt but need to offer help and or training where needed to ensure that everyone is as safe as possible and flying to their best standards….

Shhhh… Choose that prop and Use that throttle..

Remember that we still need to fly quietly.. choose your prop to fly quietly… its no good revving the nuts off your engine and getting nowhere when you could change that 12 x 6 for a 12 x 8 and fly much quieter and even a little faster.

Keep those transmitters in the box…

Please keep your Transmitter in the Transmitter Box when you are not flying and do not take them on the patch when you are retrieving your plane.

Solo Flying

After lengthy discussions, the committee have decided that members must have passed their ‘A’ test certificate to fly solo. (even for park flyers). Please have a look at the web site http://www.bromsgrovemodelflyingclub.org.uk/CodeFlying.htm to see recent changes to the club rules safety check list & code of flying. A hard copy is available from committee members upon request if you do not have internet access.

Car Access to the Pits Area

Please remember that only allowed members with mobility problems should be driving to the pits to unload. PLEASE use the track and RETURN your car to the normal parking area.

Flying Times.. (winters on the way!)

SUMMER Flying times for GLOW engines are 2pm till 7pm Monday till Saturday

And 10am till 2pm Sundays

WINTER Flying times for GLOW engines are 12am till dusk Monday till Saturday

And 10am till 2pm Sundays

Electric models can be flown at any time of day.

See you at the OLD CROWN on Wednesday 1^st Oct for the next meeting..

Wishing you blue skies and happy flying Alan Brown and the committee….

Directions to the OLD CROWN

THE OLD CROWN Stourbridge Rd, Catshill, Bromsgrove, B61 9LE

September 2008 Newsletter

All Day Fly #3

The third and final All Day Fly and BBQ is tabled for SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 13^th 2008

As usual 10am to 5pm, and check out the web site for a postponement due to weather.

September Club Night

We are back in operation on Club Nights again, so get yourself scrubbed up and we will see you at The Gate Hangs Well à Wednesday September 3^rd 2008

Activity – or Lack Of

Is it me or has this been the quietest summer in BMFC history? Roll on Autumn and Winter!

Eddie Lloyd is Unbalanced !

I was talking ( yes, again ! ) to Lloyd Campbell about balancing model aircraft and happened to mention that I have a Multiplex Balancing Unit.

I am quite happy to lend it to any of our members if they wish to borrow it e-mail me at eddie.lloyd@sky.com OR call to me on 07840-731378 to arrange something.

If this is of any help I am quite happy for you to mention this on our Club Website or Newsletter.

Thanks for the offer Eddie!

Easy Peasy, Lemon Squeezy

From Fixed Wing Novice to ‘A’ Certificate in 4 Easy Stages à by Lloyd Campbell

Cheers – Kevin Walker – See you at the patch

AND

SEPTEMBER Club Night à on Wednesday September 3^rd 2008

August 2008 Newsletter

August Club Night

It is traditional that we DO NOT hold an August club night since a lot of members are often away on holiday – this is a throw back to the old “last week in July, first week in August” annual factory closure (although we don’t seem to have factories any more!). There is always at least one member that turns up on the night – is it going to be you this year?

‘A’ Test Pass

On a day when some of the hardened fliers were thinking twice about flying, KEITH WESTWOOD took his ‘A’ test and passed with ease. WELL DONE KEITH – NOW you learn to fly matey!

Our advice to all ‘A’ test achievers is to FLY THE WINGS OFF YOUR TRAINER whilst you are building that quarter scale Spitfire you have always hankered after!

Membership

A warm BMFC welcome to Terry Peet who has recently joined he Club. He is a novice to the sport, so give him all the usual BMFC help and encouragement as normal. Also, welcome back to Paul Bates and Steve Ebbon . . . they obviously missed us so much . . . current membership now = 45 members.

We have introduced the waiting list again until further notice, so that the number of members under instruction is manageable.

Web Site & Newsletters

This has now registered over 10,000 hits – some sort of land mark, surely!

Newsletters are always posted onto the web site – so if you are happy to look on the web, and DO NOT want a mailed version, let one of the Committee members know please.

All Day Fly #2 – Report

Another enjoyable day was had by all – flying, eating and general fun – apart from the lengthy periods standing under umbrellas and the trench foot! The weather could have been kinder – hence the smaller turnout than #1, but we got some flying in between the heavy (and prolonged) showers.

Thanks to all the Committee members who helped out – Mel and Chris Houghton for bringing the caravan, Steve Hill for the constant encouragement and Yvonne Hill for the now traditional scones, Mick Danks for getting the food, and Alan Brown for getting the drinks stuff.

All Day Fly #2 Antics – Smoke On à Go

One Regin King Size smoke pellet in a brass tube attached to an undercarriage leg – very difficult to ignite in a wind, hardly visible against a grey sky and the smoke gets dissipated too much at speed.

Result = FAILURE

All Day Fly #2 Antics – Parachutes

1. One old margarine tub strapped to the upper surface of the wing, with the lid loosely hinged at the leading edge
2. Two parachutes made out of handkerchiefs and 35mm film canisters with pebbles inside for weight
3. Take off, gain height, fly upwind, roll inverted, hold . . . and hey presto! two parachutes pop out!

Result = SUCCESS

Note: the margarine tub acts as a VERY effective airbrake, so a high powered approach is a must!!!

Patch Move

I think you will all agree, the move to the new field has gone remarkably smoothly, and indeed the new field has even more to offer than the other field in a number of ways. The new patch is almost as good as the old one, and will progressively improve the more it is mown.

If you spot a pebble on the patch, either of the pilots boxes or the pits (i.e. where the gang mower operates), please dig it out with a screwdriver. If it is on the patch itself, and it’s a big one, please try to fill the hole with some dirt – and kindly deposit all the pebbles into the gateway as hardcore.

There is method in our madness – if the gang mower picks up a stone, it can be very costly indeed – and we do want a nicely mown patch each week, now don’t we?

All Day Fly #3

This is definitely tabled for SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 13^th 2008

New Club Buddy Transmitter

The club has splashed out on a new Futaba 4EXA transmitter – we pensioned off an old Futaba 6A because the buddy socket became “intermittent” – not good for consistent instruction! And guess what – somebody bought the old 6A for £6.98 on ebay!

Cheers – Kevin Walker

See you at the patch and the SEPTEMBER Club Night à on Wednesday September 3^rd 2008

July 2008 Newsletter

New Members
We have 2 new members this month. Paul Sutton and Paul Dashper.. seems we have a ‘Paul’ theme running at the moment.. Please be sure to say ‘Hello’ and give them the usual Bromsgrove welcome.

All ay Fly Ins…
The next All Day Fly and BBQ is almost upon us so put Saturday 19th of July in your diary! We will have the usual Tea and Coffee and the Burgers and Scones (if we can persuade Steve’s better half!) go down very well….. must remember the onions..
Flying time slots .. will be introduced at the next All Day Fly In and at any time if more than 20 members are present and wish to fly. (This will ensure that everyone gets a fair chance to fly)

Administration of the slots on the day will be allocated to a nominated Committee member and will be explained on the day. Committee members will marshal the pits area if the turnout is high to avoid overcrowding.

Off the peg?
Kevin has made 2 extra 2.4ghz pegs – they are now the ones with the black square tags and now numbered 1 to 4. He also modified the pegboard with a retractable arm to hold them…
Keep in the habit of using the Pegs please, even if you don’t think it matters for 2.4GHz.. it’s a good habit.

Eyes Front..
All planes, whether glow OR electric must be flown from the patch. (even my electric shockie will have to be flown ON the patch!) We cannot afford to put pilots off by flying behind them..

Size does matter..
We have increased the length of the pits to try and accommodate all the members that turn up for the all day fly ins. We were taken by surprise by the sheer numbers that turned up at the last one.
Please follow the new mown paths down to the patch and ask if it is OK to take off before crossing in front of pilots and putting your plane down ready for take off. This will allow pilots who are currently flying to see a member wishing to take off, and the member will NOT have to walk amongst the pilots currently in the air.

We have also moved the patch to the right by 4 metres and extended the length by 5 metres. (A bit flatter and longer should make life a bit easier!) The silage has been taken and until the grass greens up and starts growing again, it is quite difficult to see the above changes so look for the red arrow will be placed in the operational pilot box to indicate where the pilots should stand when flying. Newsletter – July 2008

Oh! and if you do see the odd stone in and around the patch please remove them, as they play havoc with the mower.

Round and round? Not necessarily..
Circuits are normally flown dependent upon which pilot box is in operation. It is ok to deviate from the circuit AS LONG AS the pilot has informed ALL OTHER PILOTS IN THE AIR what his intentions are.

At the double..
Retrieving planes from the patch should be done as quickly as possible (No post mortem on the patch please!) and other pilots informed that a plane is being retrieved. It is recommended that a full overfly of the patch is done at the START of a landing sequence so that a check can be made to ensure that the patch is completely free. It is up to the pilot ATTEMPTING TO LAND to ensure he has a completely clear patch

Its worse than that its dead Jim…
If a DEAD STICK is called (SHOUTED over revving engines please), all other pilots MUST give priority to the pilot with the dead engine, and any aircraft ready to take off should be retrieved as quickly as possible if time allows.

Alcohol Fueled?
It may be fine for your engine but it is recommended that no alcohol be consumed at the patch if you intend to fly. (The BMFA say if you should not drive then you should not fly).

Do not feed the Props..
All visitors must be briefed as to the dangers to be encountered in the pits, (where not to stand ,mind spinning props and flying aircraft etc) and all children must be kept under strict supervision at all times. A lot of us have had bites from a prop at some time or other and we KNOW what the dangers are!!

We are approachable..
Despite our grumpy looks the members of the committee would like to say that they are ALL very approachable and will listen to any problems / suggestions you may have. Please keep them to the ‘model flying’ and ‘physically possible’ variety though.
So lets see you all at the “Gate Hangs Well” on Wednesday July 2nd and at the All Day Fly In and BBQ on Saturday July 19th. Everything will be bigger and better.. except for myself of course.

Wishing you happy and safe fly

June 2009 Newsletter

All Day Fly

This month’s newsletter is slightly early to remind everyone of the years first All Day Fly and BBQ on Saturday May 31^st from 10:00 until 17:00. Rumour has it that Steve Hill’s wife will again be making scones and, for those that remember, they definitely ‘went like hot cakes’ last year – turn up early to avoid disappointment!

It should be ok to park on the slabs (left hand side, just before the aluminium gate) as Tony, the farmer, has promised to keep the cows out of the field on the 31^st. There are also a few spaces inside the gate where the usual (weekend) suspects park. Remember the golden rule is not to drive on the grass being grown for silage.

The weather forecast looks promising (famous last words!) however if it looks doubtful keep an eye on the club web site or contact a committee member.

The Patch

The (new) patch is looking as good as ever. Use of the tractor + gang mower continues to improve the surface and the wind seems predominantly ‘down the patch’ rather than a crosswind. Also there have been no comments from the neighbours – definitely good news.

Bank Holiday Flying Times

At the last committee meeting it was decided to change Bank Holiday flying times to be the same as Sundays

Powered Fixed Wing times become 10:00 until 14:00

Helicopters become 14:00 until 18:00.

Currently times are the same as Monday to Saturday – the web site has been updated accordingly.

Skills ‘database’

The list so far is below although many members will have experiences to share. If you want to be added let Kevin know.

LiPo Batteries – a word of warning

In the BMFA News April 2008 (page 32 ‘Winter Flying’) there’s an article about LiPo batteries not surviving the winter and failing unpredictably – in some cases the failure rate was 50% with reports of batteries working one day and failing the next. The conclusion seems to be LiPo’s are very prone to temperature damage and are best stored and used at temperatures above 25C (keep them warm before installation so they deliver their full capacity).

This adds another twist in the use of batteries. They are a central part to our hobby and even more so have an uncertain, finite life and need constant attention.

2.4Ghz issue

The ‘common coding’ issue with Futaba TM-7 transmitter modules appears to be resolved. If you have one of the ‘rouge’ modules it will replaced free of charge by Ripmax. Further details can be found at the Ripmax web site http://www.ripmax.com/notification_futaba.asp or in the extract copied overleaf.

Finally don’t forget June’s Club Night on Wednesday 4^th. It follows the usual format; so let’s have a good turnout at the Gate Hangs Well from 8pm onwards.

Mick Danks.

Extract from the Ripmax website…

Important Futaba TM-7 Information – April 2008

Futaba TM-7 Exchange Programme

Following previous Ripmax advisory statements regarding the coding issues with some TM-7 2.4GHz transmitter modules, Ripmax are pleased to be able to advise that we are now in a position to offer a free exchange for all modules that may be affected by the coding issue.

Modules at risk do not have the ‘I’ sticker (as shown on the following image).

Those sold more recently will have the ‘I’ sticker (as shown on the following image).

These have been manufactured to the new specification, and are identical to the modules being sent out as replacements, so should not be returned for exchange.
If you have a non ‘I’ stickered module, please send it to the following address for your free replacement:

Ripmax Ltd (TM7)
241 Green Street
Enfield
Middx

EN3 7SJ

May 2008 Newsletter

New Member

We have a new member to the club Mike Parker – One or two may have seen him and his Ripmax trainer with shiny new JEN37. Lovely to fly and Very quiet too… Please give him a big BMFC welcome..

Newsletter Opt Out

If you do not wish to get a Newsletter by post and wish to look on the WEB for the latest newsletter (It will not sent via E-mail, you will need to remember to check the WEB site) Please let us know, otherwise you will continue to get a hard copy in the post.

New Patch…

We have now started to fly from the new patch. It has been walked for pebbles, rolled and mown, rolled and mown again! We have also hired a road roller to iron out the final wrinkles. By the time you read this it should be looking more like the old patch. Not bad for 3 or so weeks and our thanks go out to all those who helped removing pebbles or took part in the Lower Bentley 500 (a bit like the Indy 500 but a bit slower) and helped with the rolling. PS. If you want to know how to tip over a 2mph road roller.. ask Alan…

If you do see more stones and pebbles on or near the patch can you please pick them up and put/throw them far away from the patch.

Below is a map showing the flight box. Please remember the change in orientation brings new premises into ear shot of our engines. Please remain in the flight box and do not fly too near or neighbours.

If you haven’t flown at the new patch yet, be sure to work out your takeoff and landing approach before you take to the air. Also make a note of where the sun is. (yes, yes, its that bright thing up there…)

All ay Fly Ins…

The First BBQ of the year is within sniffing distance… 31^st of May folks, get those models dusted off and polished. The dates are finalised as…..

May 31^st / July 19^th / September 13^th

Member Skills List…

Mel Houghton had a brainwave, and suggested that we put together a list of members skills, for questions and a little help. This is not designed for ‘Can you build me my plane mister’ type problems, but more as a ‘I could do with some advice or show me how to..’ type problems.

Eg Mel Houghton is a whizz on the lathe, and may be able to help fabricate some parts. Alan Brown is someone you can ask to mend that broken receiver Arial or general electrical stuff. Kevin is the un-disputed master of the foam cutting bow. He can tell you how to make your own wings and has demo’d this on many a club night.

If you have any stills that you think may be useful to draw upon, please let us know what they are and we will add you to the list. We hope to put this on the web for other members to see.

Over Winter Checks

For those people who have not flown over the winter, it is important to give your model/s a good check over before flying them.

Batteries do deteriorate with time, and if they haven’t been charged in a while. Do make sure that yours are holding their charge, (will you only get 1 ½ flights out of them? Or do you feel lucky… well do you?) Check them with a battery checker after each flight if its been some while since the plane has flown. Not got a battery checker?.. then ask at the pits to borrow one (Myself and Kevin always have one) or invest £10 in one. It may save you a model…

Range Check, Remember that you should regularly check that your model receives a signal from about 50 meters with the aerial down. There should be no fluttering if there are no other TX’s switched on. Do remember to pull the aerial on the TX up before you fly. Nick Rowet will be only too glad to help if you are unsure about this J . (Oh and DO remember not to leave your TX on the roof of your car when you get home!!)

CDS Models (AKA The Lawn Mower Man)

Kevin has recently been down to CDS Models and they have a large selection of Fuel, (including the Chairman’s favourite tipple, GX5) , lots of props, engine mounts etc. Its very handy to have a shop right on our doorstep, so try and support them. Next time you need a wossit or a tingumybob, pop in and have a look.

Opening Hours are Mon-Fri 9 to 5pm and Sat 10 to 4pm

Plane Nutz….

Yet another bit of good news… The chairman has also managed to blag 5% off for all members who spend more than £100 with Plane Nutz and mentions that they are a member of Bromsgrove Model Flying Club… Pete and Morris have a very nice selection of models at very reasonable prices. Find them at www.planenutz.co.uk/

Roll on the good weather and wishing you safe and quiet flying…. Alan Brown & The Committee

April 2008 Newsletter

No Newsletter

March 2008 Newsletter

Futaba 2.4Ghz transmitter problems

An important note to anyone owning the Futaba TM-7 module and 6EX FASST systems. It has been announced that a quantity of these systems has been manufactured incorrectly and subsequently sold to the public. The effect of this is that if two such systems were used simultaneously they may interfere with one another – similar to trying fly two planes with two transmitters that use the same ‘peg’.

The official release from Ripmax is in appendix 1 which suggests they will soon be setting up test points throughout the country where you will be able to determine whether or not your transmitter is affected. There are also ‘Precautionary Measures’ to take prior to all units being tested.

For owners of these systems it appears the safest way forward is to get your system checked before it’s used. Contact your retailer, your local model shop and / or Ripmax and hassle them for details of your nearest ‘test point’.

Newsletter

Following the discussion about the format of the Club Newsletter it was decided to give members the option to opt out of receiving a hardcopy. If you do want to opt out and view future newsletters on the web site please email Kevin at kwskodaman@blueyonder.co.uk and put ‘Newsletter Hardcopy Opt out’ in the subject.

Flying times reminder

Here’s a reminder of the Flying times agreed at the AGM

• Weekend flying times for ic powered fixed-wing aircraft are unchanged i.e.
  • Saturday flying times 12.00 till dusk winter and 14.00 till 19.00 in the summer
  • Sunday flying times 10.00 till 14.00 in both summer and winter.
• Weekday flying times for ic powered fixed-wing aircraft becomes 10 till dusk in the winter and 10.00 till 19.00 in the summer.

2008 All Day Fly-In + BBQ – Proposed Dates

The proposed dates for this year’s All Day Flt-ins and BBQ are:

• May 24^th / July 12^th / September 6^th

Driving around the perimeter of the second field

Periods of dry weather have meant driving around the second field is possible, however the top edge of the field (which can’t be seen from the gate) often stays boggy. To avoid getting stuck and / or rutting the track only drive round after guidance from a committee member.

Throttle servo installation and set up

This is a repeat of a tip produced about a year ago after watching more struggles setting up the throttle on a plane – life is cyclic!

• Connect the throttle cable / wire to the outermost hole on the carburettor arm
• On the transmitter open the throttle fully and set the trim fully forward.
• Fit the horn onto the throttle servo approximately 20 degrees off centre

The aim of this set up is to give differential movement to the throttle, with more movement at low revs towards the closed position. This allows you to get a really precise tick over setting. You may need to experiment with which hole to use on the servo arm to give the correct throw.

Engine bearings

Comments from the pits recently about how noisy my ASP 52 was indicated it (again) needed a new set of bearings and I was impressed by the improvement changing them made – better starting, better pick up and of course quieter. But for the uninitiated and even those with experience where do you start.

• The first stage was recommendation by members to Seager (Bearings) Ltd, 52-54 Goldsmith Road, B14 7EL as a source of good quality replacement bearings. The added bonus is the cost – you can expect to pay about half the price expected at an engine spares retailer (two new bearings for my ASP 52 was £7 + VAT). The slight downside is I had to take the old bearings down to Seager to be measured to ensure I got the right ones.

• • YouTube. An excellent step by step explanation of how you strip a 2 stroke engine and replace the bearings is given in these two YouTube videos – part one is at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TuzEco3EDUM which includes links to part 2. They show what you have to do and allow you to decide if want to give it a try. Referring to the videos, personally I prefer to use wood rather than aluminium to ‘cushion’ taps from a hammer and a vice or ‘Work Mate’ plus blocks of wood may be needed to push the crankshaft and new main bearing fully home.

• Finally, if in doubt ask – there are plenty of members with experience and advice.

A useful site

Our Chairman found this website which belongs to Chase Model Aero Club (www.cmac.org.uk/index.htm )t’s worth a visit to see the clock / calendar on their home page. Their ‘Useful Data’ section is full of hints and tips including a Retract battery wiring diagram – which shows how to use a separate battery to your Rx battery for operating retracts thus preserving Rx battery pack power and a procedure on how to replace those worn out engine bearings.

Anemometer

The club recently bought an anemometer that not only measures wind speed but also gauges how mad we are going out in the wind and cold! The unofficial title of ‘Flying in the Highest Wind’ is now up for grabs – from memory it’s 31 mph gusts although I can’t remember who was on the sticks.

Club Night

March’s Club Night follows the usual format; so let’s have a good turnout at the Gate Hangs Well on Wednesday 5th March 2008 – 8pm onwards.

Cheers

Mick Danks

Appendix 1.

Important Notification – Futaba 6EX and TM-7

Futaba 6EX and TM-7 Important Notification

This notification affects only owners of the Futaba TM-7 module and 6EX FASST systems. Each FASST transmitter contains a unique eight digit identification code, programmed at the factory to identify the respective transmitter and to allow a receiver to be paired only to that radio’s signal. Recently we have learned that a very small number of the TM-7 modules, and 6EX FASST systems were incorrectly coded with a common code number during the manufacturing process. These units were subsequently sold prior to our awareness of the situation.

If two or more units using this common identification code were to be in use simultaneously, they may cause interference with one another. Please note: Units which use the correct identification code will not be affected by these units.

We’re extremely confident that this is not a widespread problem. However, to give you peace of mind that your system is not affected, we will soon be setting up test points at participating model shops throughout the country where you will be able to go to determine — within a matter of seconds — whether or not your transmitter is affected, at no charge to you. (We anticipate that all shops will have been advised and that this testing system will be starting in participating shops very shortly, so please contact your local shop to arrange testing.)

Precautionary Measures and Information (Revised 22-1-2008)

1) As with all radio control equipment, we strongly suggest that you pre-flight your aircraft thoroughly prior to flying. When flying at a location with other FASST owners, particularly prior to all units having been checked, we suggest that prior to flying all models are turned on, then each transmitter is turned on (one at a time) to check for correct operation. If any interactions should occur, do NOT fly. Please return the transmitter/module to the Ripmax Futaba Service Centre immediately.

2) If other FASST owners arrive at the site, then they should turn their model on and ask each of the existing FASST owners to turn on their transmitters to confirm that none of the already tested transmitters operate the model. Once it has been confirmed that none of the other transmitters operate the model, it can be assumed that this transmitter will not interact with any other models either.

3) Each time that your transmitter is turned on, it is imperative that you allow the FASST system an adequate amount of time to thoroughly boot-up completely before shutting down the transmitter. The system requires at least five (5) seconds boot up time prior to turning off the power to the transmitter.

4) If the transmitter and receiver have lost their binding which required them to be re-linked, we recommend returning them to the Ripmax Futaba Service Centre for analysis. This is not expected behaviour and should be investigated accordingly.

February 2008 Newsletter

Let me be the last person to say Happy New Year… February ALREADY!!!

We hope that 2008 will be a great flying year at Bromsgrove Model Flying Club….

Payment of Fees

Just a reminder that the doors are now open to new members and anyone who wishes to rejoin should send a cheque, made payable to Bromsgrove Flying Club, to:

Keith Godwin

9 Marsh Way

Catshill

Bromsgrove

Worcestershire

B61 0JD

2007/2008 AGM

For those who could not make it, (and there seemed to be quite a bit of the lurgy about…), we were treated to a cracking carvery by Gary the new owner of the Gate Hangs Well.

Apologies:- Steve Hill, Les Crow, Frank Tansley

Matters Outstanding:- N/A

Chairman’s Report (Readers Digest version)..

First a big thank you to the membership and committee for all their support throughout the year. Well done to Paul Ainge, who has joined the ranks of instructors.

2007 has been a ‘so so’ year for Bromsgrove Flying Club. We had the usual 3 BBQ days which were very successful and there have not been to many ‘no fly’ days.

We have not had to close membership in 2007, (50 members at the close), and plan to be a bit more active in getting new members in 2008. Flyers in the local model shops etc.

There were only 2 ‘A’ Test passes in 2007, we will also be looking to improve on this in 2008.

The Chairman’s Trophy this year goes to Frank Tansley in recognition of all the times he has turned up in the cold and wet to put our trainees through their paces.

Secretary’s Report (again very Readers Digest version)

The winter is upon us and the usual ‘nutters’ can still be seen flying. There are some very nice flying days to be had in the winter too. All you have to remember is to dress for the cold. I know access is a problem for some, but training is more leisurely in the winter, so don’t go rusty in the winter. join the nutters!

Each year we lose a few members because of one reason or another. It’s a real disappointment to us if anyone leaves for reasons we could do something about. Do remember that it is YOUR CLUB, and we are YOUR COMMITTEE. You put us here to run the club on your behalf. Give us your ideas, and we will try and follow them up.

A big thank you to Keith, for looking after our finances and turning up on a Saturday morning to make sure the rest of us can just turn up and fly. And another thank you to Kevin who has kept us going in the right direction throughout the year and updates the WEB site month in month out.

Election of Officers

Post Name of Officer Proposed by Seconded by

Chairman Kevin Walker Mel Houghton Mick Danks

Secretary Alan Brown Andy Green Bob Norton

Treasurer Keith Godwin Kevin Walker Lloyd Campbell

CFO Lloyd Campbell Brian Bromwich Ron Harrison

Safety Officer Steve Hill Mel Houghton Alan Pendle

Award of Trophies

The Ray Harrison Memorial Trophy – Awarded Mel Houghton

Clubman’s Trophy – Awarded to Paul Ainge

Chairman’s trophy – Awarded to Frank Tansley

Resolutions;

1. 1. It is proposed that the Saturday flying times for ic powered fixed-wing aircraft becomes the same as for Sunday flying. I.e. 10.00 – 14.00 in both summer and winter. The sun is in a better position at this time of day.

The Proposal was not carried by the members –

Saturday flying times remain 12.00 till dusk on Saturdays winter

and 14.00 till 19.00 on Saturdays in the summer

1. It is proposed that weekday flying times for ic powered fixed-wing aircraft becomes 10.00 – 19.00 (or dusk) in both summer and winter.

The proposal was carried and WEEK DAY flying times are 10 till dusk in the winter and 10.00 till 19.00 in the summer.

AOB:

It was asked if every member required a ‘hard copy’ of the news letter, and if money could be saved by e-mailing those members who would prefer that option. – This will be discussed at the next meeting.

It was also asked if we could improve the gateway areas leading to the patch. The farmer has indicated that he wouldn’t mind some hard core being put in the gateways, but it must not be put anywhere on the track around the fields. – this item will also go forward for discussion by the committee.

On behalf of the Committee I would like to wish you all happy and safe flying for 2008.

Alan Brown & The Committee

January 2008 Newsletter

‘A’ Test Pass

Congratulations to Nick Rawet on passing his ‘A’ Test. Very well done, let’s hope you get some practice in over the winter months.

2.4 Ghz Transmitters

Following on from the last newsletter, please keep your transmitters in the transmitter box with all the others. We have also made two spare pegs especially for 2.4 Ghz transmitters. Please use these pegs as while we are still using 35 Mhz transmitters it is a good safety practice and will keep the ‘peg habit’ alive.

The Patch

The Danks-Tansley plaza has had a make-over and is now in full swing. Unless we get a lot of dry weather, or a deep freeze, the path to the patch is too muddy to be used. Please park on the slabs by the first gate.

Laying up for Winter

As the bad weather is upon us, it is time to put those nice models to bed, but don’t forget they will need some ‘tucking in’ too.

Batteries – It does the batteries good to have the occasional top-up and remember that they don’t like to frost.

Engines – Remember to give them some after-run oil if you plan to put them away until Spring.

Returning Trophies

Could anyone, who hasn’t already done so, please return their trophies at the AGM.

A Reminder About AGM Issues

Just a reminder about the proposed changes to flying times:

1. It is proposed that the Saturday flying times for ic powered fixed-wing aircraft becomes the same as for Sunday flying. I.e. 10.00 – 14.00 in both summer and winter. The sun is in a better position at this time of day.
2. It is proposed that weekday flying times for ic powered fixed-wing aircraft becomes 10.00 – 19.00 (or dusk) in both summer and winter.

A caveat to both the above proposals is that they are accepted by the membership and subsequently do not cause complaint from any of the locals.

Re-election of Committee Members

The current committee has agreed to stand again, however, if anyone else wishes to stand for any of the positions please let the Committee know.

Payment of Fees

Anyone who wishes to rejoin should send a cheque (made payable to Bromsgrove Flying Club) to:

Keith Godwin

9 Marsh Way

Catshill

Bromsgrove

Worcestershire

B61 0JD

We will be taking on new members as from January 2008.

On behalf of the Committee I would like to wish you all a Happy New Year and happy and safe flying for 2008.

Alan Brown & The Committee

December 2007 Newsletter

Winter approaches >>> time to dust off those WOT4 and Ugly Stik airframes! A full newsletter too!

Cowpats !

Unfortunately we have to share the field with other livestock. They deposit things on the patch because they are not house trained (that may also include other club members you stand next to in the pits!).

For removal of said deposits, there is a brand new shovel hidden under the hedge by the large oak tree (where we keep the rakes). It has a bright orange handle so you can’t miss it . . . think of this process as therapeutic – you get valuable exercise and your fellow club members get to take off in a straight line . . .

Membership Costs – 2008

The Committee has once again agreed to keep the subscriptions the same for the third consecutive year running at £41, however BMFA membership has gone up by £1 across the board, so the total cost to pay to Keith Godwin, the treasurer (Address = 9 Marsh Way, Catshill, Bromsgrove, Worcs B61 0JD) is

è è £69 for Seniors (£41 subs + £28 BMFA) or è è £56 for Juniors (£41 + £15)

Cheques payable to Bromsgrove Model Flying Club, and please, please, please without fail by 31/12/2007.

Perimeter Track and Parking in the Field

The farmer is concerned by the how far the perimeter track has widened. We know there are ruts, but these can be negotiated with care, so please drive as close to the hedge as you can, and don’t swing out in a wide arc to go through the gate! He has also asked us to keep the cars parked close together, starting from the tree next to the gate. Due to health reasons, some members are allowed to drive to the pits to unload, but please keep to the tractor wheel marks and reverse back up again to park.

Winter Parking

The winter parking arrangements will come into use once the perimeter track becomes impassable and this will be notified by a “No Vehicles Past This Point” notice – please park on the slabs when this sign appears.

We intend to get a working party together to tidy up the parking spaces by transferring all the broken bits of slab into the gateway to make it firmer, and to realign the slabs so it will be just like your local ASDA

car park è Await the text asking for volunteers (sick notes allowed if signed by three qualified doctors).

NEWS FLASH ! ! – Nick Rawet passed his ‘A’ test on Sunday 25/11/2007 – well done matey!

AGM

Get your diaries out now and make a note – this has been booked for . . .

WEDNESDAY 9^th January, 2008 at the Gate Hangs Well – 7pm for 7.30pm

The format will be as in previous years – a subsidised meal for members at £3 (guests are very welcome at the full price of £8) followed by the formal AGM proceedings and then drinks and chat to round it all off.

Committee Re-Election

Nominations are invited for ANY post on the Committee. Please forward your nominations by 31/12/2007 to Alan Brown. You may (or may not ! ! ! !) be pleased to know that all existing Committee members are happy to serve again in 2008, but don’t let that stop you from applying for a place on the Committee.

Indoor Flying

Brian Bromwich (0121-242-7173) and Lloyd Campbell (07790-144268) run an indoor flying session (7.30pm – 10pm) in a hall in Wythall every fortnight over the winter period. This is mainly for electric helicopters, but small electric indoor planes can also be flown. A number of BMFC members (up to 8 or 9) attend and it would be nice to see a few more faces and there is always plenty of flying to be had – no problems with the weather at all ! The hall costs £20 per evening and is a non-profit exercise – the cost is divided by the number of people flying – the more that turn up, the cheaper it is. See you there? – Lloyd

2007 Dates are è è 2^nd and 16^th December

2008 Dates are è è 13^th and 27^th January, 10^th and 24^th February 2008

Frank Tansley

In honour of the sterling work that Frank Tansley has done over the years and for devoting himself to passing out all our ‘A’ tests, we have made him an Honorary Member of the Club. Well done Frankie !

Flying Times Change – AGM Proposals to be voted on !

This is another reminder that we are due to vote on a change to the flying times as 2 separate proposals.

There are NO proposed changes to Sunday flying times.

Proposal 1

SATURDAY FIXED WING : times become 10am to 2pm (for both BST and GMT)

SATURDAY HELICOPTER : times become 2pm to 7pm (BST – Summer) and 2pm to dusk (GMT – Winter)

Proposal 2

MONDAY to FRIDAY : times become 10am to 7pm (BST – Summer) and 10am to dusk (GMT – Winter)

Please note that this now jointly applies to both fixed wing and helicopter flying

Club Trophies – Have a think in readiness for the AGM !

Ray Harrison Trophy = Awarded for building excellence.

• • Off plan building
  • Repair and reconstruction techniques.
  • Innovation and own design.
  • Best practice and overall finish e.g. for ARTF models.

Top Gun (Clubman’s) Trophy = Awarded for flying excellence.

• • Improvement / achievement over the year.

• • Contribution to training.
  • Demonstrable flying skills.

December Club Night

Please don’t forget the December Club Night on Wednesday 5^th December, 2007 – 8pm onwards as usual, and you can also do the following . . .

è è Pay your subs and BMFA for 2008 . . . . . . bring cash or cheque for £69

è è Buy your subsidised carvery meal ticket . . . bring cash or cheque for £3 (or £8 for a guest)

The subsidised meal is based on at least 30 people, so come on, at this price let’s have a good turnout ! !

Kevin Walker and the Committee.

November 2007 Newsletter

‘A’ test pass

Please congratulate Stephen Boulton on passing his ‘A’ test recently – don’t give that trainer too soon and the only way is up. Incidentally the membership now stands at 50.

2.4Ghz transmitters

It has been decided that despite their advantages 2.4Ghz transmitters should be placed in the transmitter box with all the others. This is a good safety practice and a habit that avoids confusion with all transmitters in one place.

Walk to the patch?

It’s approaching that time of year when driving to the patch might not be possible. We may have to park on the slabs in the first field on the left just before the aluminium gate and walk to the patch. Watch the weather, check conditions and use your judgement on the best thing to do. We don’t want people stuck in the mud and carving up the track!

AGM issues

With the AGM two months away the following issues are open for discussion and will be voted on at the AGM in January. Any comments or queries should be raised with the committee.

Proposed changes to flying times

1. It is proposed that the Saturday flying times for Powered Fixed Wing aircraft becomes the same as for Sunday flying i.e. 10:00 – 14:00 in both summer and winter.

One reason for this is the better sun position for earlier flying.

2. It is proposed that weekday flying times for Powered Fixed Wing aircraft becomes 10:00 – 19:00 (or dusk) in both summer and winter.

A caveat to both of the above proposals is that if they are accepted but subsequently cause complaint there would be an immediate review.

Re-election of committee members

The current committee has agreed to stand again for election at the AGM as follows

Kevin Walker Chairman

Alan Brown Secretary

Keith Godwin Treasurer

Lloyd Campbell CFI

Steve Hill Safety Officer

Mick Danks Co-opted member

If anyone else wishes to stand for these positions please let the committee know.

Some Club statistics

While we look forward to the AGM here are some Club statistics from the last five years. Back in January 2003 (i.e. nearly 5 years ago) the Club moved to Lower Bentley with a diminishing membership. To reverse the trend, the Committee took the strategic decision to actively recruit new members via the (then) new web site, and by leaving leaflets with local model shops to advertise ourselves, and more importantly, to offer training up to ‘A’ standard as part of the “deal”.

Here are the facts…

a) In nearly 5 years (i.e. since January 2003), we have had 71 new members join the Club

b) Of those 71, a total of 12 could already fly – which is 17% (about a sixth)

c) The current membership stands at 50, of whom 13 were members prior to January 2003 (i.e. nearly 75% of the current membership is “home grown”)

This proves that the overall Club strategy has, and still is, working. The fate of Bromsgrove MFC could have been rather different five years ago and the Committee likes to think that we have a friendly group of members willing to help anyone out, and pursue the sport in a responsible and safe manner, with due consideration for the local community.

Hints and tips

1. After the smallest adjustment or repair expect to re trim your plane.
2. Watch the mechanical trims on transmitters. They can get knocked without noticing with frightening results!
3. Beware of sloppy wing bands. They gradually loose elasticity and under load (e.g. in a loop) the wing can become unseated from the fuselage resulting in sudden changes in flying characteristics.

Club Night.

Don’t forget the November Club Night on Wednesday 7^th November 2007 – 8pm onwards as usual.

Mick Danks and the Committee.

October 2007 Newsletter

New Member

We have 2 new members this month, Keith Westwood and Roy Boulton have joined the club, so please show them the usual Bromsgrove Flying Club welcome. This brings our membership up to 50. (We now have 3 members from the Boulton clan!…)

The Patch

The Good… It looks like the farmer is cutting the hedges this year. We can hopefully reduce that glide angle on landing now.

The Bad… The cows are roaming the fields now, and several ‘cow biscuits’ have been left on the patch. Those of you that have been flying for 12 months or so will know how hard the stuff is to get off your plane when it has set. There is a shiny new shovel in the hedge for the removal of said ‘biscuits’.

The Ugly… Unfortunately the cows have been given a helping hand as the farmer has been muck spreading. Not a pretty site. (misprint)

All Day Fly-In + BBQ

We had a very good turn out for the 3^rd and final All Day Fly In of the year. It was nice to see everyone and there was much banter in the pits area and quite a bit of flying to be had as well. The usual thanks go out to all those that helped set up the BBQ etc Mick (Smoke On) Danks, Kevin (Has that kettle boiled?) Walker, Mel Houghton, and a special mention for Steve Hills wife Yvonne , who’s scones were so good that the chairman had to hide his!

Flight Line Breaches.

Please be very aware in the interests of safety that we are not to cross the flight line towards the pits area. Please try and think ahead when doing any acrobatics, and be aware of where your plane will be when you have finished the manoeuvre. Think about wind directions and how this might affect your flight path too.

We have had no more complaints from the locals, but please be aware that this is because we have made an effort to fly quietly and not too far away.

Thinking Caps on…

With the orientation of the patch, the sun can be a problem when flying on afternoons. It has been suggested that a move to flying Saturday Mornings rather than Afternoons may help. (NOT BOTH!) The committee may bring this idea up at the AGM, but meanwhile if you have views either way, please let the committee know. We do not want to make a change if Saturday afternoon is valuable to our members.

Wishing you Happy and Safe flying from Alan Brown & The Committee

September 2007 Newsletter

Steve Hill

Steve “3 Minute” Hill (that nickname comes from the length of his flights I might add) has been diagnosed with Hairy Cell Leukaemia and is currently undergoing treatment. He is still the same old Steve telling you about his latest “wassername” and with that laugh you can hear from the other side of the field.

So get well soon Steve and we look forward to you seeing you back at the patch ;-}

Overflying of Vicarage Farm

Still no further contact has been received from Vicarage Farm, which is VERY good news – we must be doing the right things – but still remember the out of bounds area please!

All Day Fly #2 – Aug 4^th 2007 – Report

We certainly had fine weather BUT there was a stiff and steady cross wind (at least 15mph) which stubbornly remained at 90 degrees to the patch – you could have used a set square on the windsock too.

Notwithstanding all of that, some flying was had, beef-burgers and hotdogs scoffed and lot’s of chat. No major incidents to report either, so all told a reasonable day.

A note from Larry Atwood.

I took advantage of the all day fly #2 to bring the leftovers from a belated spring clean of the shed for club mates to pick over. A collection tin was placed amongst the treasure with the suggestion that donations be made to Leukaemia Research. The BMFC bods were feeling generous and a total of £52.88 was turned in to help the charity continue its good work. Nice one guys ! Larry.

Don’t Forget! All Day Fly #3 – SATURDAY 1^st September 2007 10am to 5pm

Membership

Membership is currently running at 50 and Alan and myself are always getting enquiries about joining the club – some people turn up for a look, others you never hear from again!
We are very aware of being fair to the existing members under tuition and that is why we have imposed the waiting list again so that the training is manageable.

However, there has to be a compromise since we can’t keep turning people away – the Club always needs a regular supply of new members for the long term – if a prospective member makes the effort to visit us and is keen enough, then we may decide to bypass the waiting list . . . . .

Futaba Servos

Don’t scrap them if the motors don’t work anymore! Donate the gears to me and I may be able to resurrect a servo with stripped gears for you (for free) – just ask!

Bifurcation

This is defined as division into two branches and not some weird deviant practice!

Basically, drill and tap the exhaust outlet of the silencer and fit a suitable bolt.

It works by reducing the outlet size and splitting the exhaust outlet into two and helps to reduce noise. I have tried it on both my Irvine. 61 and Leo .61 (fitted with an Irvine silencer).

I picked this idea up from the Just Engines web site – so thanks to them for this idea!

Here’s what they have to say . . .

The silencer (and therefore engine) can be further quietened down by drilling and tapping either an M3 or M4 bolt through the end of the outlet (a cap head bolt is ideal) – as close to the end of the outlet as you can. This reduces the outlet area – and reduces noise. Again, some care and attention is needed here. Firstly – only drill and tap at 90 degrees to the join line (the part being cast in 2 parts) – never through the join line or it will split. Secondly – this will increase ‘back pressure’ to the engine – and if the bolt is too big (and reduces the outlet by too much) the engine will overheat (and the needle will become sensitive). Once you are happy with the noise reduction (and performance) of the engine, take the bolt out and re-fit with a permanent heavy thread lock (e.g. Loctite 648) and file down the head of the bolt (optional) so as to improve the appearance of the silencer.

Also – why don’t you take a look at the Just Engines web site – the service is second to none!

Mick Danks – The Fuel Meister!

Over to you Dankseeeeeeeee!

I’ve been in touch with CDS Models near the patch and they’re offering a 12.5% discount on Model Technics fuel when ordered in 4 gallon lots. This means per gallon costs (for example) are GX-5 = £8.62, Sport 5 = £11.95, Contest 10 £13.22. Not bad eh ?

If anyone is interested let me know – perhaps we could make this a regular order?

Contact me on 0121-476-8288 or 07760-128824. Cheers Mick

Don’t Forget! All Day Fly #3 – SATURDAY 1^st September 2007 10am to 5pm

Club Night

Also, please don’t forget the next Club Night on Wednesday 5^th September, 2007 – 8pm onwards as usual – come on, let’s have a good turn out . . . bring your old modelling photos along for a laugh! Kevin Walker and the Committee.

August 2007 Newsletter

No Newsletter

July 2007 Newsletter

New Members

Please welcome and give the usual BMFC help and support to two new members – Nick Rawet (chn 84) and Stuart Bolton (chn 57). Both have flown before and hopefully will be back on the sticks with the minimum of instruction. That takes the membership upto 47.

Overflying of Vicarage Farm

No further contact has been received from Vicarage Farm, which is good news considering we’ve had an All day Fly and seem to have flown from the right hand pilot’s box quite often (or am I paranoid). We shouldn’t be complacent however and must remember the out of bounds area (to the right of the patch) as described in last month’s newsletter.

All day Fly #1 – Scheduled for SATURDAY MAY 26^th 2007 – 10am to 5pm

The first All day Fly went well although it was comparatively quiet compared to previous events with about 25 turning up. Thanks go to Jeanette for cooking, Larry for providing the barbeque and Alan for the gazebo.

Get ready for All day Fly #2 which is planned for the 21st July in order to miss Cosford on the 14^th and which is not that far away – fingers crossed for good weather and let’s have a good turnout.

While we are on the subject of weather, it hasn’t been kind recently with a lot of rain falling. It’s possible to access the patch by car although watch the mud, don’t get stuck and try not to cut the track up.

Pre flight checks.

These are in the club’s Code of flying and basically state that before launching a model check that ALL controls operate in the correct sense and then re-check the controls under full power.

These should be well ingrained into your brains by now, so immediately before takeoff always check the control surfaces – don’t just waggle the sticks to see if they move, but CONFIRM that they move in the correct direction.

It’s so easy for control surfaces to become ‘switched’ after a late night building session or messing about with your other model(s) – so CHECK and then DOUBLE CHECK! There have been a couple of incidents lately the most recent was an aileron reversal that was only discovered after takeoff!

ARTF Kits

These are now firmly part of the R/C scene, and most kits include all the fittings needed to complete the model for flight. However, the quality of some of the fittings can be suspect. The Chairman recently completed an ARTF kit and the rudder would make a clicking noise when operated and had to constantly adjust the clevis (otherwise known as quicklink) to centralise the rudder. The problem was caused by the very sloppy fit of the clevis on the threaded bar, both of which were supplied with the kit. Replacing the clevis with one from a good old well-established English model shop located in Kingswinford cured the problem. Now that’s the sort of thing you

definately don’t want to happen on the elevator . . . . . so be very aware!

And finally some notes for beginners.

These are taken from the April 07 edition of RCM&E, I’ve put them into some sort of order ranging from sensible downwards!

• Join a club. (This was from an Andy Green – was it our Andy Green?)
• One word: persevere.
• Don’t ditch your trainer too soon after going solo.
• You ARE going to crash your plane and if it bothers you take up golf.
• It’s only a piece of wood.

They all have a ring of truth although I particularly relate to the first three.

Club Night.

Don’t forget the July Club Night on Wednesday 4^th July, 2007 – 8pm onwards as usual.

Remember there is no Club Night in August and this will be the last one until 5^th September so lets have a good turn out.

Mick Danks and the Committee.

June 2007 Newsletter

Overflying of Vicarage Farm

On Monday 30^th April, I received a phone call, which as chairman of a model flying club, you never wish to have to take – a complaint about our activities.

You may or may not be aware that there is a property completely out of site to the RIGHT of the takeoff/landing area, nestling at the foot of the bank – the land slopes away steeply after two fields. This is Vicarage farm, and the owners are irate at the amount of over-flying that has been happening by model aircraft, which is perfectly understandable. The property is approx. 500 metres from the right hand pilot’s box, as the crow flies, between the two large trees.

After a flying session, on Saturday 5^th May, Alan Brown and myself went to speak to the property owners to find out the scale of the problem. The meeting went very well all things considered, and we are very lucky that the owners are reasonably noise tolerant, HOWEVER they cannot and will not accept model aircraft flying over their dwelling. The (male) owner had decided not to approach either Tony Gibbs or Bromsgrove Council but to stop over-flights with a 12 bore – and he reckons he is a pretty good shot – and NO I am most definitely not joking.

We left the meeting with an agreement that we will take whatever steps necessary to prevent this from happening in the future. The owners have also been given our contact numbers and have been instructed to inform us of date, time and model details, should we have to investigate individual incidents in the future.

To combat the problem, the Committee has now introduced a new out-of-bounds area, which MUST repeat MUST be strictly observed. Please study the map of our flying site overleaf, and familiarise yourself with the new out-of-bounds area marked. If there are any further questions or explanations required then just ask a Committee member. On a final note – the Committee prides itself on running the Club in a low profile manner, but we cannot and will not tolerate any individual member that jeopardises the whole Club by ignoring this new rule – so be warned . . . . .

Quiz Results

1^st Place – Frank Tansley. 2^nd Place – Larry Atwood and 3^rd Place – Ron Harrison

Well done to all three – the rest of you will just have to try harder!

All Day Fly #1 – Scheduled for SATURDAY MAY 26^th 2007 – 10am to 5pm

There will be a BBQ at 1pm as usual, with hot drinks making facilities available throughout the day. If the weather forecast is crap, we will postpone by 1 week, so look on the Diary Dates section of the web page to see whether it is going ahead on that day, or for a postponement.

Don’t forget June Club Night – Wednesday 6^th June, 2007 – 8pm onwards as usual – come on let’s have a good turnout – Kevin Walker and the Committee

Noise Reduction

We still have to be vigilant about noise, so here are some points for you to take on board, and more importantly, ACT UPON.

• You have to THINK about your ENGINE & PROPELLER COMBINATION . There is a lot of information on the web site (see the “Noise Reduction” page) to point you in the right direction – if you are still unsure, ASK! Don’t just grab any old propeller that has been gathering dust in your flight box, and make sure it is an APC or Bolly of at LEAST 8 pitch.
• In addition to the above, your FLYING STYLE goes a long way to noise reduction. DO NOT fly round at full power with the throttle stick nailed fully forward throughout the flight. Use half to 2/3 throttle and only use full throttle for take-off and aerobatic manoeuvres.
• Fit an exhaust extender – it reduces the exhaust note and keeps the goo of your nice model !

May 2007 Newsletter

No Newsletter

April 2007 Newsletter

New Members

Give a warm BMFC welcome to new novice members Bob Norton, Alan Pendle and Les Crow give them all the usual BMFC help and support. Membership currently stands at 45 and with other prospective members in contact with us – here comes the magic number 55 again!

The Patch

The track through the second field is now passable with care so we don’t have to walk to the flying field. The patch has also had its first cut with the petrol mower. Despite this the Danks plaza parking area is fast turning into the Tansley / Danks plaza thanks to some slabs sourced by Frank. Thanks Frank and to everyone who has helped transport and lay the slabs.

Trophies

Following the AGM this year the merits behind each of the annual trophies awarded by the club were reviewed. The aim was to make the reason for each trophy clear and aid the voting process. The outcome was as follows:

The Ray Harrison Trophy awarded for building excellence.

Sub-categories to consider:

• • Off plan building.
  • Repair and reconstruction techniques.
  • Innovation and own design.
  • Best practice and overall finish e.g. for ARTF models.

The Top Gun (Clubman’s) Trophy awarded for flying excellence.

Sub-categories to consider:

• • Improvement / achievement over the year.
  • Contribution to training.
  • Demonstrable flying skills.

The Chairman’s Trophy is unchanged.

Extended flying times

The subject of extending flying times was discussed at the March committee meeting. The feeling was that BMFC as a matter of policy adopted a ‘low profile’ approach to model flying – particularly on issues of noise and nuisance. This had been tried and tested, and with no problems in over 2 years the flying site was relatively secure. The idea of extending flying times was therefore rejected.

It was pointed out that the discussion only related to IC powered fixed wing planes -the restrictions on electric power were already less stringent.

Summer flying times.

Related to the item above and bearing in mind BST has now started, here is a reminder of the Summer flying times:

IC Powered fixed wing

• • Monday to Saturday – 14:00 to 19:00 hrs
  • Sunday – 10:00 to 14:00 hrs

Electric powered fixed wing and glider

• • Monday to Sunday – 10:00 to 21:00 or dusk

Helicopter

• • Monday to Saturday – 10:00 to 14:00 hrs
  • Sunday – 14:00 to 18:00 hrs

Club Propeller Order

It is proposed that we place another club order for propellers with Just Engines. We need to order 20+ propellers to qualify for the 20% discount that would give the following prices:

.40 engine = 10×8 = £2.20

.46 engine = 11×8 = £2.40

.53 engine = 12×8 = £3.40

.61 engine = 13×8 = £3.99

Very cheap!! Let Kevin have your order and he’ll organise things as in the past.

Throttle servo installation and set up

After watching Steve Hill struggle to set up the throttle on his plane, Kevin produced this guide.

• Connect the throttle cable / wire to the outermost hole on the carburettor arm (greyed out in figures below).
• On the transmitter open the throttle fully and set the trim fully forward
• Fit the horn onto the throttle servo approximately 20 degrees off centre

The aim of this set up is to give differential movement to the throttle, with more movement at low revs towards the closed position. This allows you to get a really precise tickover setting. You may need to experiment with which hole to use on the servo arm to give the correct throw.

All Day Fly-In + BBQ – Confirmed Dates

The dates for this years All Day Flt-ins and BBQ are confirmed as:

• May 26^th / July 14^th / September 1^st

Flight Line Discipline

A final note about Flight Line discipline and procedures – the full version can be found on the web site under ‘Code of Flying’ – here are some reminders:

Pre flight.

• • Do a physical pre flight check of aircraft and equipment
  • Before flying carry out a full radio check however under no circumstances should a transmitter be switched on unless the correct frequency peg is available for use and is attached to the transmitter.

Flying.

• • When ready to take-off take your aircraft via the mown paths (ensuring the propeller is facing away from other people) to the edge of the take-off and landing area and request clearance to move to the take-off position from all pilots that are currently flying.
  • Always communicate intentions / situation clearly to other pilots – e.g. ‘Landing approach’, ‘Landing deadstick’, ‘On the patch’.
  • Never allow your aircraft to fly behind you over the pits.

Post flight.

• • Do not taxy the model towards the pilot’s box.
  • Immediately replace the transmitter in the Transmitter box, and return the peg to the pegboard
  • Carry out a post flight check for damage and battery condition.

Club Night – including demo

April’s Club Night follows the usual format and additionally includes a foam wing core cutting explanation and demonstration from Kevin.

So let’s have a good turnout – see you at the Gate Hangs Well on Wednesday 4th April; 2007 – 8pm onwards as usual.

Cheers

Mick Danks

March 2007 Newsletter

The Snow

Well, did any of you rush into the workshop to make up some skis? (For the model, not you!)

Don’t worry. the good weather is on the way – it’s the law!

New Members

Give a warm BMFC welcome to novice Richard Yeomans and give him the usual BMFC help and support. Membership currently stands at 42 at the end of February, with three prospective members in contact with us already.

Will we reach the magic 55 maximum in 2007? We have never failed yet – watch this space!

First Aid Kit

Remember that the first aid kit is located in the box on the tree. It has been replenished with additional plasters, since the stock was a bit depleted after several fingers in propellers . . . .

I sincerely hope no-one has to use them in future, but they are obviously there just in case.

Remember that the Map Reference of the patch is printed on a laminated page in the box on the tree and also directions to the nearest A&E . . . . but let’s not make the national newspapers, eh?

TV Program

Did you any of you see the BBC 4 program on the two top contenders for the UK Aerobatic Championships for 2006? Now that’s what I call dedication to the sport – the thick end of £3000 for the plane and gear and over 500 training flights a year . . . tell that to the missus next time she moans about how much time and money you are spending on your beloved pastime!

Winter Hibernation

Now I know only a handful of you are hardened all year round fliers, which is fair enough, but we don’t want a spate of ‘incidents’ when the weather improves and we see more faces at the Patch.

Especially if you have been working all winter on that new project – rusty pilots and out of trim models on test flights do not go well together . . . .

If you need a check out flight or just someone to stand by you for moral support if you are feeling a bit rusty then don’t be shy and just ASK! It could save embarrassment all round!

See you at Club Night at the Gate Hangs Well on Wednesday 7th March 2007 – 8pm onwards as usual . . . . come on, let’s have a good turn out!!

Kevin Walker

February 2007 Newsletter

No Newsletter

January 2007 Newsletter

New Members

We have now opened the doors to new members again. We have 2 new members, Donald Ainge, (Pauls Father), Tim Garrington (Allan Wrights Nephew) and Richard Yeoman, Please give them the usual Bromsgrove Flying Club welcome.

For Sale:- Kevin has 4 x Futaba 148 servos, with switch harness and 700ma/hr battery for sale. Price £20..First come first served, so ring him on the number above.

2006 – AGM

For those that could not make it, you missed a great night! Great food and a smashing turn out. Our thanks to Keith for arranging it all.

Apologies: Doug Allan

Matters Outstanding: None

Chairman’s Report

Thank Yous

Thank you to all the Committee members for their support and hard work.

Again, additional mention must go to Larry Atwood, Alan Brown and Lloyd Campbell for their help with the training during 2006.

Thank you to Andy Green for organizing the quiz at one of the club nights during 2006 (please try to make the questions easier next time), and to Andy Wainwright for loaning his BBQ and Steve Hall for organising the drinks for every club fly in during 2006. Applause please!

Safety

Safety is ALWAYS, repeat always the number 1 priority for the Club and 2006 was another good year with no major safety incidents to report. Well done and let’s make sure 2007 is another safe year like 2006.

Membership

We have a dedicated membership and I also like to think that we have an enviable reputation for being a very friendly club with all members always willing to help each other out. So well done each and every one of you and long may it continue.

The BMFC training school continued with further ‘A’ test passes – well done to them.

I would like you all to spare a thought for Ted Roche who has not been very well lately.

Summary

I will go on record to classify 2006 as the “Year of the Ugly Stik” – that model seems to have been the most popular model of the year, with Paul “Life’s too short” Ainge starting it all off. On the whole, 2006 was not the most spectacular of years for the Club, however there is no harm in that and I and happy with overall progress during the year – and so may it continue into 2007.

Chairman’s Trophy

This member has gone out of his way to utilise his skills and experience to help out a number of fellow members within the Club, and as Chairman I wish to recognise those deeds with the award of the Chairman’s trophy.

Would you all give a thunderous round of applause as MEL HOUGHTON comes to receive the trophy.

Secretary’s Report

Once again, I believe that last year was another very good year for Bromsgrove Model Flying Club. There were no noise complaints we know about and in fact the biggest problem we have is the weather!

I would like give the usual thank you to our members for following the rules on noise and where to fly, and more importantly where not to fly. The newer members probably don’t realise the problems we have had in the past. It is imperative that we stick to the rules set out, if we wish to keep flying at Lower Bentley.

Each year we look to fill a number of spaces in the club. This year we had to close the club at 55 flying members in August. (1 month earlier than last year), This is quite an achievement I think, when you consider we are just an ordinary club. We do have members that choose to fly at other clubs as well, but prefer the ‘banter’ that you get with Bromsgrove Model Flying Club. It is this ‘banter and camaraderie’ that helps make us such a popular club. I put it down to friendly membership and the way that the club is run. It is just going that extra yard that can make all the difference. We have 37 members in the club as we speak.

We have had 3 successful all day fly-ins this year, and there was some very good flying to be had. All were well supported with 25+ members turning up. We had the usual BBQ and a good show of different models (which I look forward to very much). My thanks to all who helped with the BBQ, Burgers, Teas, Coffees and Gazebos etc.

I have managed to get through two gallons of fuel this year, which is a good sign for The Bromsgrove ‘flight school’. We have had 7 members passing there ‘A’ tests who were Paul Bates, Steve Ebbon, Andy Green, Simon Davies, Steve Hill, and Steve Newman-Whitworth and Lloyd Campbell who passed his ‘A’ for Helicopters.

Can we put our hands together and congratulate them…Well done lads.

I did notice that there were no ‘B’ tests this year. If anyone is interested in practicing for the ‘B’ test, we would be delighted to help. Do let us know.

The club has a Web page, which is kept up to date by Kevin, and is the source of most of the prospective members have contacted us during the year. We have been getting about 10 hits a day which is very good. We have had quite a few glowing comments regarding its content, and I would say its one of the better ones out there. Well done Kevin. If anyone has ideas for additions please let us know.

Will you please keep me informed as soon as your email, or Telephone number or Crystal Frequencies change and of course if you move. The BMFA have to be notified, then your details can be altered and this will enable you to carry on receiving the BMFA newspaper.

I have a “thank you” to Keith who looks after all our finances, cuts the grass during the summer months and looks after the tractor and gang mower, Just for the fun of it!

And lastly a ‘get well soon’ for Ted Roach, we wish him a speedy recovery.

I hope you have all voted for the Ray Harrison Memorial trophy and Clubman trophy’s . Please pass all the slips to the front when you have done so.

Election of Officers

Apart from Steve Hall the Committee said they would stand ‘on block’, this was Proposed by Frank Tansley and seconded by Bob Marshall

Steve Hill was proposed for Safety Officer by Ron Harrison and seconded by Eddie Lloyd

Award of Trophies

The Ray Harrison Memorial Trophey – Awarded to Robert Knox

Clubmans Trophy – Awarded to Kevin Walker

Chairmans trophy – Awarded to Mel Houghton

Monthly Trophy – Awarded to Eddie (Wheels) Lloyd

AOB

Could we get different trophies for the different disciplines of modelling, maybe 4 categories?

Is there anyone out there with any concrete slabs for the car park area?(please let a member of the committee know).

Wishing you a great start to 2007

Alan Brown & The Committee

December 2006 Newsletter

Ted Roche

Most of you will know Ted, who has not been very well lately.

Get well soon, Ted, we miss your smiling face and jokes in the pit lane!

MUDDY TRACK !

By the time you read this, the sign will have gone up to prohibit any vehicle past the galvanised gate – please respect this at all times – the extra exercise walking round the perimeter track will do you all a power of good of course! Also, when the patch gets very wet, please try to keep footprints on it to the minimum.

PS Take a leaf out of Eddie’s book and fit your model with barrow wheels . . . . you know it makes sense!

SHEEP !

Also, it is around this time of year when the pasture fields (including the flying field) are grazed by a (seemingly) huge number of sheep. Electric fences are put up to keep them in – so be careful not to disturb these and be mindful when you cross over them – they can give quite a kick.

Apologies are in order to some of you who missed a weekend’s flying (25/26 November).Unfortunately, this year, by mistake, the sheep farmer wired off the adjoining gate so we could not herd them into the adjoining field.

Certainly by the time you read this, the sheep should have gone anyway, since they are only around for a few weeks of the year around this time, and the problem will have disappeared.

Annual General Meeting

Make a note in your diaries – THE GATE HANGS WELL on Thursday 4^th JANUARY 2006.

As last year, we will be offering a subsidised carvery meal for £3. The format of the evening will be the meal, followed by the AGM then drinks and chat.

If you do want a carvery meal, then you must contact Keith Godwin BEFORE Monday December 18^th, which is when we have to commit to numbers – see him at the December club night or phone him (see above)

Please note you will NOT be able to turn up on the night expecting to get a meal as only the Club are being catered for that night by the Gate Hangs Well ! !

2007 Club Subscriptions

Last year we were very lenient and let people rejoin after the close of the Club year.

Unfortunately, that meant a lot more paperwork which was a complete pain in the ass for the Secretary, so this year we are clamping down and subscriptions MUST, repeat MUST be received by 31/12/2006.

So NO PAY, NO PLAY = you will be deemed to have left the Club . . . . .

In 2006, for the second year in a row, the Club did not raise the annual subscriptions and indeed absorbed some of the BMFA increase.

So for the third year running, the Club does not plan to raise the subscriptions, but you will be asked to pay the increase in BMFA costs, so the total you will have to pay is the princely total of £68 – which consists of £41 club subscriptions and £27 BMFA membership (Juniors will still be £55 = £41 subs and £14 BMFA).

So why not come to the December Club Night on Wednesday 6^th December to pay your subs and buy your £3 AGM meal ticket?

Transmitter Box

* * * PLEASE USE IT * * * * * * PLEASE USE IT * * * * * * PLEASE USE IT * * *

If you are not flying PLEASE make sure that you return the peg to the pegboard AND place your tx in the transmitter box (ensuring it is switched off, of course). It is pit lane etiquette and good safety discipline.

2007 Committee

Nominations are invited for all Committee posts and can be passed to either the Chairman or Secretary.

For Sale and a Freebie !

Be Quick! First come, first served – phone me on 07971-326323 or 01384-288434.

Futaba 7 Channel Single Conversion receiver – no xtal – £15

Futaba S148 servos – 5 off – no grommets or servo horns – £15 the set or £3.50 each

Futaba Wiring Harness – 3 off – £2 each

Building Board – this is home made and has 8 adjustable brackets (width and length wise) and a grid to ensure you never get another fuselage shaped like a banana again . . . . and it’s FREE to a good home !

Safety Officer – Steve Hall

JUST BE CAREFUL OUT THERE!

CFI – Lloyd Campbell

Hiya folks, if you remember, in last months news letter I mentioned that if anyone would like any further tuition maybe to sharpen up those flying skills or to learn some new tricks to “just come over and see me”, well it seems that just the threat of me standing next to you has suddenly improved your flying abilities!

We’ve had fewer mishaps this month than any month this year (I think). However, winter is upon us which means increased windy conditions. crosswinds & gusty conditions which calls for a little more thought as to how you’re gonna bring your precious baby in to land (softly and without any drama). Well, as I always say “PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT” so after takeoff, bash a few circuits to get those thumbs warmed up and then start banging those “touch’n’go’s” out.

By the way “banging” is a figure of speech as landings are meant to be “soft”.

Anyway “well done chaps” and “happy landings”!

See you at Club Night at the Gate Hangs Well on Wednesday 6th December 2006 – 8pm onwards as usual. . . . . Kevin Walker and the Committee

< < < < < < Don’t forget to bring your cash or cheque book with you > > > > > >

November 2006 Newsletter

Futaba Tree

Apparently we have a Futaba Tree growing in the hedge over to your far right in the next field. We just keep on plucking out Futaba servos and extension leads . . . or could it be something to do with Robert Knox and Mick Danks . . . . !

Mud

Once the track gets too wet, Tony has again asked us that NO VEHICLES (and that includes 4×4’s) be driven past the galvanised gate – he gets financially penalised if gateways and tracks get cut up too much – it’s something to do with an EU initiative to preserve the countryside . . . You will come to enjoy the slabs on the Danks Plaza (i.e. the parking area near the gate) please try and keep to the slabs, and if your car moves them out of position, put ‘em back again! If you have the odd slab or two gathering moss behind the shed, then feel free to start another parking space . . . Remember, it is usually firm enough to park PARALLEL to the track on the side OPPOSITE the slabs – especially if your vehicle is not good in the mud (like some white vans . . . eh Simon?). Just ensure to leave enough space for a tractor to get through the gate if need be.

Flying Times

By the time you read this, the clocks will have changed again (29^th October) so turn your clocks BACK remember!

This means that the GMT flying times come into operation, and to remind all of you with the memory retention span of a cheese grater, they are Monday – Saturday 12noon to dusk and Sunday – 10am to 2pm

Propeller Sizes

This subject is worth revisiting (ask Steve Hill about his Irvine .53 – he was amazed by the difference after he ran his on a 12×8).We want you to use the following propeller sizes for the list of engines below and if it is not in the list then just ask. Take a look at the web site again – the section on propeller noise tests – so wherever possible run an 8 pitch propeller.

The bonus for the club is that the exhaust & propeller noise generated when flying is less (fewer revs!!) – which is ALWAYS a good thing! Generally, four strokes conform to roughly the same criteria on engine size – either ask or refer to your instructions supplied with the engine – the exhaust & propeller noise is less of an issue with 4 strokes thankfully . . . .

What a Turn up for the Books

It is amazing the breadth of experience and skills we have in the Club, and here I am going to sing Mel Houghton’s praises. Firstly, he machined up a sleeve to enable Paul Bates to adapt another carb with a smaller spigot to his Irvine .46 and secondly, he machined up a silencer tube + end cap for a Laser .90 for me which was as good as, if not better than, the original. Without a doubt, Mel is one of those members who is very useful to know if you want a little engineering job done.

Please note this does not mean he can machine up a complete engine from a small block of scrap aluminium to save you a few bob. . . . ! (and sorry for the corny heading Mel!).

Wind Strength (again!)

Always fly well into wind, especially in stronger winds, and create as much space as possible between you and your model before turning down wind. NEVER, EVER fly too far down wind. In general, your model must never be flown so far down wind that you can’t bring it back safely, should it suffer an engine failure or dead stick. Turns should be made into wind as early as possible, in order to keep the model reasonably and safely close to you. Turning away down wind is risky, since the model will travel a few hundred feet more than you expect and you may loose the model altogether.

Paul Ainge has emailed me – bless him !

I have had my favourite phrase translated into Latin… … “Life is too short”  I think this should become our club motto…..Vita est quoque brevis What do you all think? I reckon Say Goodbye to DIY . . . this one could run and run . . .

Chief Flying Instructor – Lloyd Campbell

There are still too many “arrivals” and dodgy landings – if you need some encouragement to get those circuits and greaser landings, right down the middle of the patch, then please do not hesitate to approach me for some refresher tuition!

Cheers Lloyd.

Trip to A&E

Eddie Lloyd had a very unfortunate accident recently and ended up with 11 stitches in his thumb and 5 hours in casualty and that’s not the TV series. Luckily, there was help on hand – but we ask you to be EXTRA careful if you are flying alone.

In summary, we ask you ALL to be extra vigilant once you are about to, or have started your engine.

• • Be careful when priming and turning over the engine with your finger – the back edge of the blades can cut deeply

• Make sure you use restraints to hold back your model, and ensure your model cannot possibly move forward
• Do not peer over the engine when it is running, you may loose your balance (or slip as Eddie did)
• Keep rags, wet wipes, glow drivers, starter leads etc. etc. WELL away from that spinning propeller
• Always, always adjust the mixture from BEHIND the propeller

• Keep out of the 30 degree arc from the propeller at the side of your model (or anybody else’s for that matter) – there have been isolated incidents of propeller blades shedding and they don’t come off at 90 degrees to the fuselage . . . .

Airspeed vs Groundspeed – Some Points to Ponder

Groundspeed is the speed at which an airplane is moving with respect to the ground. Airspeed is the speed of an airplane in relation to the air. (Think of airspeed as the speed at which the engine is set to move it along.) If an airplane is flying with the wind then its ground speed will be enhanced. That means its ground speed will be faster than its airspeed. If an airplane is flying against the wind then its ground speed will be reduced. That means its ground speed will be slower than its airspeed. If an airplane is flying through still air (air with no measurable wind), then ground speed and airspeed will be the same.

You will notice that on a windy day your model will fly much slower into wind, even at full throttle (groundspeed is low but airspeed is high) and speed up dramatically as soon as you turn downwind without any throttle at all. So the golden rule is – when flying down wind, DO NOT pull back on the elevator to try and slow the model down, (groundspeed is high but airspeed may be low). This will result in your model being flown very near the stall point (which is when the wing stops LIFTING), a turn will be very difficult to execute and you may loose total control of your model.

So it is the speed of the air over the wings (airspeed) that is important, not the speed compared to the ground (groundspeed).

Think of a kite. When being held, the speed of the wind causes the kite to fly. If you let go of the string then the kite quickly matches the airspeed and so the lift caused by that airflow is lost. But the kite is now moving relative to the ground, at roughly the same speed as the air (groundspeed high, airspeed nil).However, the kite having lost LIFT, will fall to the ground.

SUMMARY – the stronger the wind, the more likely that you will get into trouble on the downwind leg of a circuit, since although the model might be “going like a train” (i.e. high groundspeed), the wings might not be producing much LIFT because the airspeed is low. If your controls go “mushy”, then you are in this situation . . . . so get it into wind early!

Safety Officer – Steve Hall

No safety issues to report – apart from the stuff already covered. JUST BE CAREFUL OUT THERE!

Cheers Steve

See you at Club Night at the Gate Hangs Well on Wednesday 1st November 2006 – 8pm onwards as usual. . . . . Kevin Walker and the Committee

October 2006 Newsletter

A Test success…

Congratulations to Steve Newman-Whitworth on passing his ‘A’ test. All eyes were on him as he flew very smoothly despite a few nerves. Very well done Steve, now the real learning starts…

Want to try something new?….

Just a reminder, that the ‘A’ test is just the first milestone your journey into flight. If you want to progress and try some new manoeuvres or just crack some that are giving you trouble, don’t be afraid to ask.

All day fly in..

With summer almost over, we finally had a rain free fly-in. Hooray!! It was nice to see a good turn out for the flying and BBQ. Our thanks as always to Andy Wainwright, Paul Bates and Jeanette for organising the food and drink on the day. There was a little bit of a breeze but there was a good day and lots of flying to be had.

The bumps…

Unfortunately there were several arrivals on the day also. I think most of them could be put down to human error of some sort or other. So a little reminder to keep your planes close when flying. When attempting new manoeuvres, you don’t want to be flying too close for comfort, but at the same time you must be able to see which way up the model is. The low autumn sun does not help with orientation either, so keep ‘em fairly close,

Picking up the Pieces..

If the worst does happen, there are a few things you should do when resurrecting an bits you can salvage to prevent the same thing happening to your next steed.

1. Check that the receiver will still give 50m or more range with your TX aerial down.
2. Check each of the servos to ensure that they function smoothly across the full range of movement and have no broken teeth.

Stuck in a rut?

The weather is starting to turn a little damp now, and to avoid leaving ruts around the field please try not to drive in the ruts. If we all try to keep to the ruts we will only make them worse, so try and spread the load of the traffic a little. And if it is too wet PLEASE do not try to drive to the 2^nd field.

Break in…

Steve Hall was unfortunate enough to have his shed broken into . There were several items stolen, and we will ask members to keep their eyes and ears open for any of these coming up for sale. Items included..

A Ripmax Sabre electric helicopter with a Futaba Skysport6 Transmitter (Mode 2, Channel 89) Both items were new condition and still in their boxes.

A new ladies mountain bike, a Motarola mobile phone and a JCB Mini Drill set (like a Dremil) were items also taken.

Should you hear of any thing, please let Steve Hall know on 0121-523-0698

Para gliders

Having spoken with Neil at the Gate Hangs Well, both sides have agreed that safety and communication are the key issues. Please remember that the Para gliders have more than a model at stake and we are required by law to keep away from people and property.

There should be no reason why we can’t co-exist, without problems.

Our being there at he same time is quite unlikely, as they tend to fly later at night when the thermals have died down. (they are aware that we fly until 7.00pm and will generally not arrive until after this time).

If however you arrive at the patch and the Para gliders are there, or if they arrive while we are there, then please speak to them.

It has been agreed that they will give us 10 minutes warning before they take off to allow us to land planes, and allow them a safe take off.

Conversation also needs to take place to see how long they plan to be away, and whether model flying could resume once they are in the air. Both sides must agree, that model flying can resume, and models should be landed as soon as they come back into earshot.

Please try and be polite and courteous whenever dealing with others… even when this may be difficult.

A few items for sale at the next meeting…

There will be a number of small items for sale at the next club meeting., Spinners, Wheels, Servos, tanks, engine mounts, the odd pilot or two and other bits and pieces.. So ask the wife for an extra couple of quid for you’re Wednesday tipple, and grab a bargain. See the list attached for details.

See you at Club Night at the Gate Hangs Well on Wednesday 5^th July 2006 – 8pm onwards. . . .

Wishing you Blue Skies, Warm Weather, Safe and Quiet Flying..

Alan Brown & The Committee

September 2006 Newsletter

Club Night

Please Note – Club Nights resume on the first Wednesday of the month again on September 6^th 2006

‘A’ Passes & Web Site

I’ve gone all statistical – being the sad old codger that I am (be quiet Paul Ainge!), I counted up how many ‘A’ test passes we have achieved for our members since January 2003 when we embarked on our program to attract fresh faces to the Club.

Well the grand total is 22 and we are precisely 44 months (3 years and 8 Months = 44 Months) down the track, so according to my very simple brain that is an average of one ‘A’ test pass every two months.

Yet more numbers – we have passed 3300 hits on the BMFC web site since September 2005, and if you click on the counter in the menu frame, you are given statistical analysis any which way you chose. We are averaging between 8 – 10 hits per day.

Now all of that ain’t bad – even though I say so myself!

All-Day Fly-In #3 – Saturday September 9^th 10am to 5 pm

It is the usual format of informal flying broken up by a BBQ at around 1pm.

The first event was a complete washout and at the second event we at least managed to get the BBQ done before the rain arrived. By the law or averages, we should get a full day’s good weather – so put it in your diary now!

As before, lview the web site on Friday 8^th in Diary Dates > Club Events which will tell you whether it is ON or OFF.

CFI Report – Lloyd Campbell

There is an increasing interest in the Club for flying those small electric only helicopters – if you have bought one and want some advice on how to set it up + some flying tips – bring it along and I will sort you out!

Ted Roche has had some simulation which results in stimulation! He has invested in a flight simulator and his flying has improved because of the extra “stick” time (even from the comfort of his armchair) – buy one now!

PITS

HOW MANY TIMES DO WE HAVE TO SAY THIS? TAKE YOUR NUB ENDS HOME WITH YOU!

Be Hit With An Ugly Stik – just like Paul Ainge

Now come on, don’t jump to conclusions – Paul has a lot to answer for (giving the Chairman a hard time is one of them), and let’s face it he is no George Clooney – but yes, he was the first to bring an Ugly Stik to the patch.

You may have noticed they are becoming more & more popular in the Club and in fact the Committee are even discussing changing the Club rules to make it compulsory for every member to have one (that was a joke – don’t phone or write in). Let’s face it, with the engine so easily accessible, lightweight, fully aerobatic and a breeze to fly – what more can you ask of an airframe . . . ?

From the Internet – Many years ago in 1967 a genius named Phil Kraft created the first proportional digital radio control equipment. Travelling in the USA by train, Kraft began to sketch on a small piece of paper a model for testing the new radio equipment. He drew something reliable and strong, simple and build-able having no exotic materials – only light balsa and woods. The model by design had to be simple and fast to build and strong enough to be a test model. The last item necessitates easy repair. Kraft’s inspiration was a very old German aircraft called the Eindecker.

No formal drawings were made. In one day a pair of wing panels were built and the next day the fuselage and tail group. Upon the first flight at the airfield somebody said, “What an ugly model, and built using sticks!”

Go on – buy one or start building one today! No matter that the design is nearly 40 years old!

Danksy’s Delectable Deliberations

Following on from the August newsletter I read with interest Steve’s comments about the safety of flight boxes. The idea of an isolating switch is a good one however here are some basic “‘do’s and don’ts” that would make flight box electrics safer in the first place

• Don’t have exposed bare wiring or connectors (e.g. spade connectors or crocodile clips) use the insulated type
• Don’t use crocodile clips (personal choice) because of the risk of them ‘springing off’ & causing a short circuit.
• Do secure cables so movement isn’t excessive and make connections permanent – this gives a better electrical connection and reduces the risk of a reverse polarity connection
• Do check wiring regularly. Connections will come loose and wiring will degrade.

Finally if anyone has any queries or wants any help they can give me a call or see me at the patch. Mick Danks

Clarification of Helicopter and Electric/Glider Flight Times

Thanks to John Dean for asking for clarification on this point.

Electric Fixed Wing models or Gliders can be flown during helicopter flying times – BUT ONLY WITH THE CONSENT OF ALL HELICOPTER PILOTS PRESENT AT THE TIME.

This reflects the “mirror image” situation whereby powered fixed wing takes precedence over helicopter flying during fixed wing powered flying times. See the web site for the latest flying times and updated Code of Flying.

Down-thrust & Side-thrust

Much discussion has taken place in the pits on this subject lately – down-thrust & side-thrust (i.e. right thrust – viewed from BEHIND the model) are often needed to counteract engine torque & a thrust line either above or below the wing.

Generally, the more powerful the engine, the more torque the prop applies to the fuselage, therefore the more right thrust you may need. Without it, many planes tend to turn or roll to the left when power is applied.

Also generally, the further below the wing the thrust line is, the more down-thrust a plane will need. Without it, a plane will usually tend to balloon up when power is applied – this is especially true of high wing trainer models. Ideally, you can get the plane to track straight in pitch, yaw, and roll when power is applied or removed if you properly set up the thrust angles.

SO NOW YOU KNOW!

Wind Speed – How Marginal is Marginal ?

I reckon anything above 15mph makes flying exciting – especially if it is gusty, and even more so if it is a cross-wind. You could always use our web site – we have the UK wind map plus the Pershore MetOffice weather station links which give ACTUAL wind speeds and direction on the hour! If you are undecided – it might help you choose whether to do some DIY!

Safety Officer – Steve Hall

Nice to see that there are no safety issues to report again this month, only have a reminder for you all. I have noticed that we are starting to lapse when we take our aircraft down the pits and not watching which way we are facing with that running engine!! Please ensure that who ever is caring the aircraft has it facing away from the pits and that who ever is holding the transmitter is walking behind. On the incident side we have now had four mid-air collisions this year (this has to be some sort of record for any club!!!!!). As we should all know by now we have revised the flying practice rules and should all be flying in the SAME! circuit, In theory we should be making our turns past the hedges either end of the patch, unless the unforeseen dead stick happens the turn may be made earlier! If you are going to turn early please please make sure all other pilots flying know your intensions, this also includes all aerobatics, which should really be done past the hedge line in front of the patch.

Anyway safe and happy flying all see you at the patch.

PS If you are going pull lots of ‘G’ in a loop, make sure your wing bolts are securely glued in!

Another two sides of A4 of utter drivel completed for another month – how do I do it?

See you at Club Night at the Gate Hangs Well on Wednesday 6^th September 2006 – 8pm onwards as usual. . . . .

Kevin Walker and the Committee

August 2006 Newsletter

Remember, there is no Club Night at the Gate Hangs Well in August. We’ll see you at the September Club Night on Wednesday 6 September 2006!!

Membership

We’re at the full BMFC membership of 55. The warm BMFC welcome to the hobby you all give at the patch seems to be working!! Nice one!

A-Test Pass!!

Congratulations to Steve Hill who passed his A-test on Sunday 23 July. Well done Steve!!

The Patch

Yes the young cattle are back in the field, and besides the rather “fresh” array of cow pats that greet us when we arrive, this means two very important points:

1) Before flying starts, herd the cattle through the gateway into the OTHER grass field, and shut the gate. The gate has been roped to the gatepost to make it easier to close and therefore shut them out – when we get chance (i.e when the ground is not like concrete), the post (which was taken out by a tractor) will be hammered back in. When flying has finished, ALWAYS remember to open the gate to allow the cattle to roam freely into the flying field

2) ALWAYS BUT ALWAYS (sorry but did I say ALWAYS?) shut the gate into the flying field when you leave when flying has finished. The golden rule is, if you drive through a gateway, shut the gate after you!! Message given, message received!!

The windsock pole has got bent, badly enough to have to replace it! The club is going to splash out and get a replacement. Please put the windsock back into the box on the tree, and the pole slots into the two plastic pipes screwed to the fence near the trough, to keep it out of harm’s way.

Safety Officers Report

There were no major safety incidents to report this month which is a good thing! There are the usual items like making sure that after fueling or de-fueling your aircraft in the pits you make sure the fuel cap is securely tightened on your fuel container. As we have members partial to the occasional nerve-calming smoke in the pits this is a self-evidently important issue!! An issue that also populates R/C modelling magazines from time to time is the incidence of fires in the flight box. For those with 12V batteries wired into their field boxes through a power panel or other contrivance please make sure that either the power source (i.e. 12V battery) is isolated by a power switch or is manually disconnected. This could save a smoky and potentially embarrassing moment.

Given the increasing interest in helicopters within the club, not least by the CFI achievement last month of his helicopter A-test, and more will likely follow his example, it is appropriate to establish some club convention for the flying of helis during our normal weekend sessions. Past experience has shown that combining fixed wing and helicopters does not work very well, mainly due to the vastly differing flight paths. However, the Committee has recognised the issue and has come up with a solution as follows by amending the Code of Flying and Flight Times to suit (see the web site for the amendments)

a)      Flight times – there has been an important change to the flight times, to allow helicopter only flying to avoid interfering with fixed wing times – they are helicopters only from 10am to 2pm Monday to Saturday and Sunday 2pm to 6pm

b)      Flight Patterns – helicopters are restricted to flying between the patch (i.e. the normal fixed wing flight line) and the hedges bordering the field. Also, a VERTICAL restriction applies, with a limit of 80ft (i.e. approximate tree top level)

c)      Helicopters can be flown during fixed wing flying times – BUT ONLY WITH THE CONSENT OF ALL FIXED WING PILOTS PRESENT AT THE TIME. This is a very important point to note – fixed wing flying ALWAYS takes precedence during fixed wing flying times, but the Code of Flying has been changed to enable a degree of flexibility to cater for limited helicopter flying during fixed wing flying times.

It is VITAL to remember that noise issues still remain. If strictly adhered to, the height and boundary restrictions for helicopters will mean that the noise footprint will not be a problem.

As this is a new set of procedures within the club the Committee welcomes comments from club members as experience in different modes of flying accrues. Remember, at the end of the day we all come to the patch to enjoy the hobby so please feel free to voice any concerns on this that come up with a Committee member if they should arise. As far a possible all views will be taken into account but in the sole interests of safety the Committee view will be final.

CFI Report

Not a lot to say this month other than to encourage new pilots to listen to their instructors and other club members to build up their set-up, pre-flight and post-flight check routines and flying practices. Safety is paramount and good habits before, during and after flying will help make sure that enjoyment is guaranteed!

All Day Fly #2

In the long dry spell we have to choose the day it rains! Never Mind, we had a good morning’s flying and the BBQ food before the rains came . . . ! It was good to see over half the membership there – we counted over 25 cars at one point.

A few very special mentions – Jeanette Brown for buying & cooking the food, Andy Wainwright for providing the BBQ, Les Preston for supplying the electrical power (and also getting the milk, coffee, teabags and cups). Take a very well-deserved bow folks!!!

Thanks must also go to you all for participating in the auction of gear for charity – we raised £110 which will be split between Save the Children and Mercy Ships. Is this something that the club should continue with in future? Let a Committee member know if you have a view.

Next Club Night

Wednesday 6 September 2006. See you then!! Happy flying!!!

July 2006 Newsletter

New Members

Please give a warm Bromsgrove Flying Club welcome to Eddie Lloyd and Steve Newman-Whitworth. This brings us to our full compliment of 55 members.

A Test success…

Congratulations to Lloyd Campbell on passing his ‘A’ test. (Yes you did read that correctly . .) Lloyd picked a beautiful day to pass his Hellicopter ‘A’ Test. (With a borrowed machine too…)  Well done Lloyd…

The Bromsgrove Flying Club ‘Footprint’…

Remember – Flying Times Please stick to them…..

We all want to squeeze the very last seconds from our weekend passes, and fly right to the very last minute. However, just remember that the locals will be just as keen for us to clear the air so that they can sit in the garden in peace… PLEASE , stick to the flying times below.

Monday to Saturday (and Bank Holidays) 2.00pm till 7.00pm

Sunday 10.00am till 2.00 pm

You can fly electric at any time of course.

Don’t fly around at full chat all the time..

The way in which you fly, can have a great deal of impact on the noise that your aircraft makes. Do remember what the throttle is for. Only use full throttle when the manoeuvres call for it.

Prop Pitch…

Flying with too fine a pitch prop can make an engine very noisy. We recommend an 8 pitch as minimum. See the Table below for engines recommended propeller…

New Pegs & Pegboard!!!

If you haven’t seen them yet, ask your Labrador! They are bright beyond belief.

PLEASE make sure that you have the CORRECT peg BEFORE you switch your transmitter on.

Got a new plane John?….

Do you want help setting up or test flying your new steed, or even trying something with your old one? Don’t be afraid to ask for help. The sight of 8 people trying to get an engine set up is not uncommon, so it seems we have lots of people willing to pitch in. (What a great club!) Better to get that shiny new plane trimmed and flying well than risk a whoopsy.

Tis the season to be flying..

With summer finally upon us, the patch is quite busy at the weekend now. Please remember that we are all there to enjoy ourselves, so please be patent and tolerant of each other.. I have included an extract from the club rules below… (A full copy of the revised rules are also included on a separate sheet).

“All Club Members are expected to be courteous to each other and verbal or physical abuse will not be tolerated. If any member has a problem with another member regarding their conduct then in the first instance they should report this to the Committee for investigation.”

LMA Cosford.Show…

So far we have..

4 cars going to Cosford on the Sunday 16^th July. Mick Danks, Eddie Lloyd, Lloyd Campbell and myself. Mick , Eddie and Lloyd have spare seats for anyone who would like a lift. (I will have two kids and the ‘finance manager’ with me!).

1 car on the Saturday 15^th July. (Kevin Walker) with 3 spare seats.

If there is anyone who would like a lift, please get in touch with myself in the first instance, and I will lease with others to arrange pick-ups etc. (Alan’s mobile… 07875-866535)

In any case, we will try and meet up at the ‘Commentary Van’ at 10.00 , 12.00, 2.00 and 4.00pm to share the gossip and point out the bargains.

2^nd All day fly in and BBQ of the year… July 22^nd

If you can get all those bargains put together in a week… Don’t forget the 2^nd All Day Fly In on July 22^nd.

See you at Club Night at the Gate Hangs Well on Wednesday 5^th July 2006 – 8pm onwards. . . .

Wishing you Blue Skies, Warm Weather, Safe and Quiet Flying..

Alan Brown & The Committee

June 2006 Newsletter

Thanks Larry for last month’s newsletter – a sterling effort with pictures as well.

Unfortunately, you have got me back again as scribe, so take those stay awake tablets now , , , ,

Membership

No new joiners, but we have two people on the short waiting list which takes us up to the club membership limit of 55, and therefore the membership is closed for 2006. We’re full up again!

Mowing

Thanks to all of you who have turned up early recently and helped rake the grass cuttings off the patch. – good work lads and you got some exercise too . . !

Gates

BMFC Golden Rule = IF YOU DRIVE THROUGH A GATE – ALWAYS SHUT IT AFTER YOU.

Also, make absolutely sure that the latch is secured, just letting a gate swing shut is not enough. The two most important ones are the heavy gate at the start of the track by the road and the galvanised gate by the parking slabs – PLEASE ensure that they are closed with the latch. We don’t want the livestock getting onto either the road or the standing crop.

‘A’ Test Success

Well done to Andy Green on getting his ‘A’ test recently – he has been flying for more years than he cares to remember but has only just done the formal test – well done!

Club Night Quiz

A big thank you to Andy Green (he must be the man of the moment!) for organising an enjoyable event at the last club night. I must point out at this juncture that it was pure coincidence that the first three places went to Committee members (1^st Larry Atwood, 2^nd Kevin Walker and 3^rd Alan Brown)

Safety Officers Report – Steve Hall

After a couple of mid air collisions in the past months, in the interests of safety, the Committee will be discussing whether there will need to be any revision to the Code of Flying for the Club. Until further notice, will all pilots please be aware of the preferred circuit dependent upon the wind direction, If we are flying from the left hand pilot’s box (viewed from the pits), then a LEFT HAND (anticlockwise) circuit is in operation, and from the right hand pilot’s box, a RIGHT HAND (clockwise) circuit. If you wish to perform aerobatics, these should be done with plenty of height with the axis of the manoeuvres being over the hedge parallel with the patch. It is also good flying etiquette to inform other pilots of your intentions if your flight path will deviate from the operational circuit (e.g. low passes, doing figure of eight’s during training, stall turns, ‘A’ test practice etc. etc.). Also, in the event of a dead stick, ALL pilots should gain height and even abort their own landing approach if necessary, thus giving the pilot with the dead stick absolute priority. It is all about keeping your fellow pilots aware of what is happening! Happy Landiings!

Hints and Tips

Come On! We have given you all of ours, let’s have some of yours! Pass them on to a Committee member.

Damaged Futaba Servo Gears and Casings

I have resurrected 3 damaged servos for members using my spares – donate any duff Futaba servos to me!

For Sale/Wanted

Have you taken a look at the web site For Sale/Wanted section lately? We were approached by a lady who wishes to dispose of a large amount of modelling stuff – give Michelle a ring if you like the look of anything!

Club Night

Why not bring along your favourite plan or photo of your favourite aeroplane (model or full size) to discuss!

Cosford Large Model Association Show – July 15^th/16th

We are thinking about organising a group visit on the Sunday – we have priced up a minibus but the cost was extortionate, so the next best thing is to organise a couple of drivers & cars, with the passengers sharing the fuel costs. Let Alan Brown know if you are interested, so we can assess the numbers and get it sorted.

Wet Wet Wet

I have never known it so wet at this time of year. The downside is that the perimeter track and parking area in the flying field have become impassable, and the Farmer has specifically requested for us not to attempt the track until further notice because it will get churned up.

Normally, when we park by the gate it is during the winter, when the dairy herd is kept in. However, the past two weeks of parking on the slabs have meant mixing it with a bunch of large black & white cows, so spare a thought for Steve Ebbon and Alan Brown who have had their cars damaged by the buggers. Don’t assume that because you cannot see them they are not in the field. . . .

By the time you read this however, the track and field should have dried out sufficiently so that we can resume normal parking in the flying field, and the problem will go away.

All-day Fly-In #1

To follow on from the above, the first All Day Fly for 2006 was a complete washout. There were a couple of early flights, then it started to rain .. . . and rain . . . and rain!

Having learnt from this experience, we will change things for the future. It will work like this, so concentrate hard –sit down if it helps – are you sitting comfortably? Then I’ll begin.

On the Friday before the chosen date, the Committee will decide at 7pm whether the All Day Fly for the following day is going ahead. The Diary Dates page of the web site will show whether the All Day Fly is ON or OFF. If it is OFF, we will try to run it the FOLLOWING Saturday, again the decision point will be 7pm on the Friday before and the Diary Dates page will be updated accordingly.

Note we will only be falling back one week – we can’t keep on putting it back indefinitely! If any of you out there do not have Internet access, then just text any of the Committee for the decision after 7pm on the Friday. If any of you out there don’t have a mobile phone, or don’t know how to text, there really is no hope!

Remember to keep 22 July and 9 September free for the other BMFC all-day fly-ins!!

See you at Club Night at the Gate Hangs Well on Wednesday 7^th June 2006 – 8pm onwards as usual.

Kevin Walker and the Committee

May 2006 Newsletter

Membership

We must be doing something right!! Welcome back to Malcolm Taylor who re-joins a nearly full complement of 55 members. The warm BMFC welcome to the hobby seems to be working!!

The Patch

The “echelon roll” has seen off the worst of the humps and bumps on the patch and it is looking a right picture after a couple of goes with the mower. ‘Tis the season when growing crops don’t like being flattened or choked up with fag ends sooooo… please drive to the patch close to the hedge, walk on the path to the pits and take your fag ends (and other litter) home with you!!

Safety Officers Report

There were no major safety incidents to report this month but it’s worth reminding members that we are all safety officers when we’re out flying. Remember to walk your plane along the pits with the running prop facing the patch, use the cut paths down to the patch and don’t cut behind the pilot’s box. Call out your take off request to flying pilots (who will acknowledge and answer clearly, won’t they!!). Pilots under instruction should be using the safety checklist provided; safety checks apply to all pilots. We fly for fun and a little diligence can go a long way to making sure it stays that way!!

CFI Report

Trainee pilots should remember to bring their training logs to the patch for their instructor to sign off each week. This is important so that at the beginning of each flying session both trainee and instructor know the progress that has been made and can plan the next flights.

Hints and Tips

Let’s make this an open forum!! There’s a wealth of building (and repairing!!) knowledge in the Club so let’s share it around! What are those clever things that you have come up with that makes your flight box the envy of your club mates for its Tardis-like capacity to hold loads of the spares and bits and bobs that we all need to stay in the air yet weigh less than a feather? How do you organise and install the radio, battery, servo and pushrod guts of your airplanes? How do you go about repairing the aftermath of that “heavy” landing, etc?

As a starter for ten, we all need to make sure that the cable connections in our aircraft are positively made and secure. Whether it be servo extensions or battery connections to the switch harness, we need to have the reassurance that glow fuel and vibration will not cause the connection to be “unmade”. There are any number of ways to tape or wire together the plugs so they won’t come apart if they’re hidden away but what about the aileron (and where applicable retract) servo connections between the removable wing and receiver, or the battery/switch harness connection? There are secure there are several little moulded plastic things you can buy. Or you can make your own from 2mm sheet polystyrene.

Below is an example of a connection keeper you can make yourself. Dead easy and gives peace-of-mind.

If you have any ideas to contribute then let Larry Atwood know (email L.Atwood@warwick.ac.uk or tell me at the patch!). Better yet, bring them along to the next club night and do a “show and tell” (see below).

First 2006 All-day Fly-in!!

Put this date in your diary!! The first BMFC all day fly-in and BBQ for 2006 – Saturday 20 May, 10:00am to 5:00pm – get plenty of glow fuel in, charge those Tx and Rx batteries and hone your appetite (and cross your fingers for decent weather!).

Keep 22 July and 9 September free for the other BMFC all-day fly-ins!!

Modelling Quiz!! May Club night

Andy Green has been working hard to put together a modelling quiz for the club night on 3 May. This sounds like a real cracker whether you’ve just joined the hobby or have been involved for more years than you care to admit!! There will be prizes for 1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd places so let’s see if we can surprise Andy, and ourselves, with how much we really do know about our hobby!!

Club night ideas

In the past we’ve had demonstrations, members have brought in their new pride and joy, the flight simulator and videos. These have gone down a treat so if you have any ideas for a club night let one of the Committee members know.

See you at Club Night at the Gate Hangs Well on Wednesday 3^rd May 2006 – 8pm onwards as usual

Larry Atwood and the Committee

April 2006 Newsletter

New Member

Give a warm BMFC welcome to Simon Davies, a novice. Please give him the usual Bromsgrove Flying Club welcome.

The Patch

Despite all the rain, the patch seems to be drying out a little. It won’t be too many weeks more, before we can drive across the field.

Remember – BST Flying Times

Just a reminder that the clocks have gone forward and that means that the flying times are…

Monday to Saturday (and Bank Holidays) 2.00pm till 7.00pm

Sunday remains unchanged as 10.00am till 2.00 pm

You can fly electric at any time of course.

Winter Hibernation by Larry Atwood

For those of us who have taken some time away from the patch, put the models into storage for the winter and got on with that next project, before loading the lot into the car for the first flight of 2006, there are a few checks it’ll pay to do:

BEFORE YOU GET TO THE PATCH check the general condition of the model; (start at the tail, and check everything up to the prop) if you find anything which you have doubts about, REPLACE or MEND it:

• Are the wing-fixing points, whether elastics or nylon bolts sound?
• Is the servo tray itself sound? The servo/pushrod connections sound?
• Check the control horns and quick-links for wear at the control surfaces and throttle: are the silicon fuel tubing keepers sound?
• Are the engine mounts secure – remember that oil-laden glow fuel is excellent at loosening those perfectly-tightened nuts and bolts; snug up the engine mounts themselves; check fuel tank plumbing and replace any that look naff; clean out your in-line fuel filter (you do use one don’t you?!)
• Check the propeller for nicks; ALWAYS balance your props and if there’s a nick from that one “arrival” last season, then re-balance or replace
• Check the landing gear mounting points – are the bolts/saddles sound? Wheel collets snug? (always file a flat spot where the collets grub screw hits the piano wire and use thread lock or cyano to hold the grub screw in
• Are the servo leads firmly pressed into the sockets in the Rx? Are they on the correct channels? Check that servo lead extensions are also firmly made (you can get little plastic “keepers” or can devise your own)
• Make sure the crystal is firmly pressed home in the Rx – you could bind it in with a wrap of insulation tape to be safe!
• Lastly switch on your transmitter and receiver in the plane and make sure all surfaces move smoothly and securely. Nothing catching or loose, the carb hasn’t got gummed up over the winter has it? (Better to find out at home than when you have carted it all to the patch.

CYCLE Rx & Tx NICADS: most batteries will self-discharge on their own over time and to get them back into proper flying condition you need to charge and discharge them a few times.

Though most aftermarket chargers have a cycling option, it would be best to give the batteries a full charge and then go flying, Investing in a Rx battery checker to keep an eye on the battery condition; your transmitter should tell you when it’s charge is too low. You might get one or two flights in but subsequent charges should lead to more flights per charge – note that Nicad duration will degrade as they get older; keep an eye on this.

• Be careful to check for “black wire corrosion” on the negative (black) wires of the battery/switch harness circuit if your batteries have become completely discharged over the winter; to do a proper inspection you need to clip through the negative (black) wire and check that the metal is shiny all the way to the core; if it is dull then the entire length of the black lead must be replaced; the bottom line is that the conductivity of the wire is much less and will fail to transmit sufficient power for controlled flight with obvious consequences – your BMFA handbook has a detailed description of what to look for; check it out
• Charge your 12V lead acid starter/power panel battery, Tx, flight pack and your glow stick if you use one

Down at the patch, having checked for transit damage, assembled the model and obtained your frequency peg do a range check – you should get 35-40 paces away with the aerial collapsed before the signal is too weak; properly restrain the model and get the engine started; let it warm up – if your fuel has been sat around for a few months it can degrade and be unreliable so beware of this – obtain a reliable idle and full throttle, adjusting the main needle a click or two if necessary; check for throttle response between idle and full throttle – it should be crisp with no appreciable lag – if it isn’t then enrich the “low end” slightly and re-test; if you have trouble getting it right ask someone!

If you have any doubt that something is not right, don’t risk it. It will be quicker to not fly and fix the problem for next week, rather than have to re-build the whole plane if ‘owt goes wrong.

If all the above is fine then go flying and enjoy a fun and safe 2006 season!!!

See you at Club Night at the Gate Hangs Well on Wednesday 5^th April 2006 – 8pm onwards. . . .

Wishing you Blue Skies, Warm Weather, Safe and Quiet Flying..

Alan Brown & The Committee

March 2006 Newsletter

The Patch

Just when you thought the patch was starting to dry out, it goes and hammers it down again!

So can you all try not to put deep footprints into the main takeoff and landing area whilst the patch is so wet . . . . The good weather is on the way – I promise!

Winter Hibernation

Now I know quite a few of you don’t like flying in winter, which is fair enough, but we don’t want a spate of ‘incidents’ when the weather gets better and we see a few more faces at the Patch.

If you need a check out flight or just someone to stand by you for moral support if you are feeling a bit rusty then don’t be shy and just ASK! It could save embarrassment all round!

New Members

Give a warm BMFC welcome to Richard Clements and Steve Hill, both novices, so give them the usual BMFC help and support.

Membership now stands at 50 at the end of February! We must be getting it right.

‘A’ Test Success

Yet another one! Well done to Steve Ebbon who passed his ‘A’ test on Sunday Feb 5^th, with only one lens in his glasses . . . . . he must have kept one eye closed all the time???

Safety Officer – Steve Hall

Ok guys just a few reminders of what I will be looking out for this coming year.

1. Make sure that aircraft are secure before starting the engine, once started remember to do all adjustments FROM BEHIND that spinning prop. If you have some one chatting to you while you are doing all this, it is up to you to point out that they must stand to one side.
2. While taking that running aircraft to the take off area. point the engine AWAY from the pits .with who ever is holding the receiver behind you. Always use the path down to the pilot’s area and NEVER carry the aircraft behind pilots already flying!
3. Make sure pilots are aware of your intentions to take off, and while in the air remember THAT FLIGHT LINE!!!!. plus always remember to shout out that landing or dead stick.

Now for all members if there is an incident and there is no committee member around please make notes on weather condition, who was involved, wind speed and a brief description of what happened and the outcome. This year I will be logging all safety breaches (with names) and also a log of all arrivals!?!, so please report anything you see. The purpose of logging is to make sure we learn from our experiences. So try and be certain of the cause, be it pilot error, contol surface failure etc. etc. we want to know.

A FEW HANDY HINTS.

• When refuelling and you can’t remember which pipe is the filler, why not invest in a length of different colour tubing and put that on your feed, then you’ll know which is the correct pipe.
• Broken cockpit or windscreen?. . . try cutting a large coke bottle to fit! There are a couple of different sizes around and once cleaned and trimmed to fit they make a good replacement, and for some of the cockpits around they are already curved to shape.
• With the patch being a bit on the dirty side and with all that uel residue, when you get home why not spray a good helping of WD40 all over your motor (not into the carb) and giving the engine a good rub down – it gets rid of all that nasty used fuel and stops the stains.

Dates for Your Diary – 2006

These are on the web site – along with the local model show dates and some full size air-shows.

• • #1 Saturday All Day Fly + BBQ May 20^th 2006

• • #2 Saturday All Day Fly + BBQ July 22^nd 2006

• #3 Saturday All Day Fly + BBQ September 9^th 2006

Web Site – www.bromsgrovemodelflyingclub.org.uk

There is a new hints & tips and lessons learnt sections and the photo gallery format has been revamped – send me any of your favourite photos (preferably ones with your clothes on!).

The Links page has also been updated rcently – if you have any favourite links then email them to me at KWSkodaMan@blueyonder.co.uk

Duff Futaba Servos

Mick Danks recently suffered from stripped gears! (That’s in his aileron servo by the way).

There are some lessons to be learnt here – if you have a nasty, the servos can take a hefty whack, and often the gear train suffers with stripped teeth – they are only plastic after all! So check them out after a crash – don’t just expect them to work as they did before. If you find teeth missing on any of the gears, the servo horn will NOT operate properly.

Also, if one of your servos goes belly up – DON’T THROW IT AWAY! You can cannibalise them for spares – mainly for the gear train and outer casings. If you don’t want them, let me have them! (I have several duff Futaba servos ‘in stock’ – note that the 3000 series all use the same gear train). On the other hand of course, I may be able to help you resurrect a perfectly good servo by replacing a gear wheel with stripped teeth or a broken casing . . . . . for free!

That’s about all for this month.

See you at Club Night at the Gate Hangs Well on Wednesday 1^st March 2006 – 8pm onwards. . . .

Kevin Walker

February 2006 Newsletter

See you at Club Night – Wednesday 1st February at 8pm

New Members

Give a warm BMFC welcome to Steve Ebbon, Mel Houghton and Phil Millward, all novices.

Membership now stands at the 48 mark plus two on the waiting list – not bad for February.

‘A’ Test Success

Well done to Paul Bates, who passed his ‘A’ test on a cold Sunday in January.

Patch

While the ground is so wet, can you try to avoid making large numbers of deep footprints on the Patch. If necessary, walk round the mown edge to collect your plane. Hopefully, this will reduce the amount of rolling the patch will need when things start to dry out in the Spring.

AGM Reports

For those who could not make it, you missed a great night! Good food and a smashing turn out. Thanks to Keith for arranging it all.

Apologies: None

Matters Outstanding: None

Chairman’s Report

Safety

Safety is ALWAYS repeat always the number 1 priority for the Club. 2005 was another good year with no major safety incidents to report. OK, there were a few fingers in props (sometimes the same finger in the same prop – mentioning no names!).

Next year we plan to move the pits back even further away from the patch to increase the separation distance.

Well done to all of you and let’s make sure 2006 is another safe year like 2005.

Noise

We had a timely reminder in early September 2005 about the noise issue. Luckily, the problem was quickly and easily solved and it did not go any further.

We rely on all the members to be self-policing and this noise complaint served to remind us that we should not become complacent.

All that I ask is for you all to be aware of the noise issues during 2006 – remember they will never go away.

Membership

After 3 years at the helm (it does seem a lot longer), I would like to think that the investment in training over this period of time is beginning to pay off.

We now have a core of committed modellers (or maybe that should read modellers that should be committed) who are in for the longer term and very devoted to the Club. And what’s more of course, they have all come through the BMFC flight school.

We lost 11 members at the end of 2005 but we have already started to claw that back with 5 new faces and it is still only January! I reckon we must be doing something right.

Thanks

Once again thank you to all the Committee members for their support and hard work.

Additional mention goes to Alan Brown and Lloyd Campbell for their help with the training.

Summary

I am very pleased with overall progress during the year – may it continue into 2006.

To conclude on a lighter note . . . . .

A few recollections and special mentions for some of you out there

• Unluckiest new member of 2005 must surely go to Bob Marshall for his mid-air with Andrew Wainwright on his very first training flight.
• Larry Atwood for letting me do a complete mowing circuit before letting me know I had set the blades going backwards on the gang mower
• Ted Roche – thank you for making sure my heart rate stays above 100 when you are on the sticks.
• Steve Hall for showing how accurate you can be with a flour bomb dropped from a model aeroplane – Gill has never been able to get the stain out of my flying trousers to this day
• Thank you to Paul Ainge on 2 counts – pointing out that everything in Poundland costs a pound – I never realised that – and also for arriving early to the AGM – one week early to be precise!
• And last but not least – to Mick Danks doing his Jonny Wilkinson impression and showing us just how far into the air you can kick an Irvine Tutor 40!

Chairman’s Trophy

I mentioned earlier about how much training and how many successful A passes we have had this year.

We all sometimes forget that someone has to give up their valuable flying time to actually do those tests and also the subsequent paperwork.

By now you will have guessed I am referring to Frank Tansley – one of the unsung heroes of the Club – thank you for your time and efforts and as a token of gratitude you get the Chairman’s Trophy this year!

Would Frank like to step forward and receive the trophy along with a thunderous round of applause.

Secretary’s Report

I believe that last year was another very good year for Bromsgrove Model Flying Club

We did have another noise complaint early in the year, although it seems to have been resolved for the moment.

I would like to start with the usual thank you to our members for following the rules on noise and where to fly, and more importantly where not to fly. The newer members probably don’t realise the problems we have had in the past. It is imperative that we stick to the rules set out, if we wish to keep flying at Lower Bentley.

You may remember we also had a bomb scare this year, when our chairman was the subject of an aerial strafing, and almost bought the big one.

Each year we look to fill a number of spaces in the club. This year we had to close the club at 55 flying members in September.We have 46 members in the club as we speak. This is quite an achievement I think, when you consider we are just an ordinary club. We don’t have concrete runways, and cannot park right next to the flying area all year round. We have to be careful where and how and what we fly. It makes you wonder why we are so popular. I put it down to friendly members and having an excellent person at the helm.

We have had 3 all day fly-ins this year. (May, July and September) A couple of the dates were postponed as the weather looked a bit iffy, but on the days, there was some very good flying to be had. All were well supported with 25+ members turning up. We had the usual BBQ and a good show of different models (which I look forward to very much). My thanks to all who helped with the Burgers, Teas, Coffees and Gazebos etc.

The Bromsgrove ‘flight school’ has been quite successful this year with 10 members passing there ‘A’ tests and one ‘B’ Test.

They are Steve “Bomber” Hall, Paul Ainge, Larry Attwood, Olof Lee, Andy Hardwick, Mick Danks, Andy Wainwright, Bob Marshall, Adam Hardwick and Paul Bates, and Lloyd Campbell passed his ‘B’.

Can we put our hands together and congratulate them…Well done lads. There are a few other members who are not far off their A’s also and we hope to see them pass in the next few months.

For those who already have their ‘A’ tickets, I will reiterate that we are still available for tips and advice etc. We have some very good flyers in the club, who all have their own styles and fancy moves. Keep looking at the flying and if you see something you like ask whoever how its done. Get yourself some height (not too far away of course) and give it a go.

The club has a Web page, which is kept up to date by Kevin, and is the source of most of the prospective members have contacted us during the year. I hope you have all had a look at it. There are noise reduction tips, a photo gallery and all the usual contact details and opening hours etc. You have all been and had a look haven’t you. Any ideas for additions should be forwarded to Kevin.

Will you please keep me informed as soon as your email, or Telephone number or Crystal Frequencies change and of course if you move. The BMFA have to be notified, then your details can be altered and this will enable you to carry on receiving the BMFA newspaper.

I have a “thank you” to Keith who looks after all our finances, cuts the grass during the summer months and looks after the tractor and gang mower, Just for the fun of it!

And lastly a ‘get well soon’ for Gordon Troth, we hope to see him at the field as soon as the weather is good.

I hope you have all voted for the Ray Harrison Memorial trophy and Clubman trophy’s . Please pass all the slips to the front when you have done so.

Treasurers Report

The Treasurers financial statements have been mailed out. For privacy and security reasons, the financial accounts are not included on this web page

Election of Officers

Chairman: Kevin Walker, proposed Ron Harrison, seconded Everyone!

Secretary: Alan Brown, proposed Steve Hall , seconded Eric Owen

Treasurer: Keith Godwin,proposed Reg Sinclair , seconded Andy Green

Chief Flying Officer: Lloyd Campbell,proposed Steve Hall, seconded Kevin Walker

Safety Officer: Steve Hall, proposed Alan Brown, seconded Paul Bates

Award of Trophies

Chairmans Trophy – Frank Tansley

Ray Harrison Memorial Trophy – Lloyd Campbell

Clubman’s Trophy – Alan Brown

AOB Nothing was discussed and the meeting was closed at 21:45hrs.

We wish you lots of safe and quiet flying during 2006 (and maybe some dry weather would be nice).

Kevin Walker & Alan Brown

January 2006 Newsletter

2006 Club Subscriptions

If you have not done so already, get your subscriptions to Keith Godwin by the 31/12/2005.

His address is 9 Marsh Way, Catshill, Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, B61 0JD

Remember, the Committee has decided NOT to increase the Club subscriptions, so you will have to pay £67 – which consists of £41 club subscriptions and £26 BMFA membership (Juniors will be £55 consisting of £41 subs and £14 BMFA).

AGM

Don’t forget – THE GATE HANGS WELL on WEDNESDAY 11^th JANUARY 2006.

Please bring your trophies back with you on the night, or pass them to a Committee member if you are not going to be there.

Remember to get your carvery ticket from Keith for £3 – before the AGM !

Timings: Arrive7pm, meal 7.30 – 8.30pm , followed by the AGM then drinks and chat.

A plea from the non-smokers in the Club – can you NOT smoke until after we have eaten please.

Committee Places for 2006

All posts are up for grabs again – let Alan Brown know if you wish to nominate yourself.

Just Engines Club Order – Propellers and Glow Plugs

Not one person approached me about this! See the price list attached to the last newsletter and either let me know your requirements by phoning me on 07971-326323 or 01384-288434.

Closing Date for the club order will be December 31^st 2005.

Flying Tip(s) of the Month (Contributed by Mick Danks)

• ONLY YOU control the plane. Fly it where you want it to go, don’t let it fly itself.
• Throttle equals Height, Elevator controls the model’s attitude in the air.
• Flying towards you it is ‘Thumb to the Low Wing’ to level the wings.
• Keep the plane close in and watch for the effect of the prevailing wind.
• Concentrate! Concentrate! Concentrate! Where’s the plane and what is it doing? Where are your thumbs and what are they doing? Think… plane… thumbs… plane… thumbs.
• Control Linkages must be direct from servo to horn and have no ‘slop’ or flexing.
• Aim to keep two models airworthy at all times thereby maximising flying time & experience.
• Lastly, don’t forget all the above tips immediately after take-off. Like I do!!!

* * MERRY CHRISTMAS & HAPPY NEW YEAR * *