Message from the President - Terry Foote

N e w s l e t t e r f o r S P AR K S
S p r i n g Ar e a R a d i o
Kontrol Society
Message from the
President - Terry Foote
December 2013
W el l , h e r e we a r e a b o u t t o h e a d i n t o t he C h r i s t m a s s e a s o n. A s
I s i t a n d t yp e m y c o l u m n f o r t h e D e c e m be r i s s u e I am we l l s t uf f e d wi t h t h e T h an k sg i vi n g d i n n e r o f a f e w h o u r s a g o .
I c a m e u p s t a i r s t o do m y c o l u m n a n d a vo i d d r i f t i ng of f t o s l e e p
o n t h e c o u c h f or t h e u m p t e e n t h t i m e t o da y. . . . W el l , I ' ve g o t t e n
u p a n d g o n e i n t o m y wo r k r o o m s e ve r a l t i m e s t o s e e wh a t m y
n e xt s t e p f o r t h e c u r r e n t p r oj e c t wi l l b e b u t k n o wi n g G a i t h e r i s
f a c i ng a d e a d l i n e t o g et t h i s n e ws l e t t e r o u t I o b e d i e n t l y h e a d
b a c k t o t h e k e yb o a r d a n d g et af t e r i t .
M y t h o u g h t s t u r n t o a r e c e n t n ig h t i n t h e wo r k r o o m s o I d e c i d e d t o s h a r e i t wi t h a l l o f yo u . My q u e s t i o n t h i s m o n t h s t em s
f r o m t h e af or e m e n t io n e d r e c e n t n i g ht so h e r e ya g o :
W ho d o yo u h a ve w o r k i ng wi t h yo u i n t h e s h o p ?
S o m e t i m e s t h i s i s a r e a l p e r s o n o r a p et o r s om e s o r t of i n a n i m a t e o b j e ct . I h a ve h a d f l yi n g b u d d i e s f r o m a l o ng t i m e ag o
t h a t h a d s om e p r e t t y we i r d p e o p l e , p e t s a n d o b j e c t s t o h e l p
crank out the latest project.
O n e of m y ve r y d e a r a n d d e p a r t e d f r i e n d s h a d C h e r yl T e i g s a n d
F a r r a h F a wc e t t ' s p os t e r s o n t h e wa l l . Q u i t e f r a nk l y, I p r o b ab l y
wo u l d h a ve n o t g o t t e n a l o t d o n e h a vi n g t h e b o t h of t h e m ho ve r i n g o ve r m y e ve r y m o ve . A g u y c o u l d n ' t p o s s i b l y g e t a n yt h i n g
d o n e a n s w e r i n g a l l t h e i r q u e s t i o n s . (W ha t ? Y o u g u ys d o n ' t t a l k
t o t h e g i r l i e p o s t e r s i n yo u r s h o p ? )
T h e n t h er e ' s t h e p e t s . . . . I h a ve k n o wn F r a n k i e a n d P e s o a nd
Osso and Aileron and Shoo -Shoo and Stootsie. And, let's not
f or g e t S n o ok i e ! ( N o . . . . N o t t h e J e r s e y S h o r e S n o o k i e ! I ' m
s p e a k i n g of m y l a t e u n c l e ' s r e d l o n g h a i r d a c h s h u n d ! )
Y e s , d o g s m ak e g r ea t b u i l d i n g p a r t n e r s i n t h e s h o p . T h e y' l l
b r i n g yo u t h a t er r a nt s a n d i n g b l o ck t h a t d r o p p e d b e l o w t h e
b u i l d i n g t a b l e . T h e y' l l r e t r i e ve a b e e r f r o m t h e f r i dg e .
December 2013
www.sparksrc.com
Or mail to:
SPARKS
P.O. Box 1361
Tomball, TX 77377-1361
SPARKS 2012 - 2013 Officers*
Terry Foote
President
936-537-4718
Chris Cavanaugh
Vice President/
Safety Officer
281-701-7527
Pam Gabel
Treasurer
713-594-9741
E.J. Hunyadi
Secretary
281-350-4229
Gaither Simmons
Newsletter
* email addresses
832-256-8820
on next page
Sparks Flight Instruction
Contact our Chief Instructor, EJ
Hunyadi, at 281-360-4229 to
coordinate flight and or ground
instruction.
Crosswinds
Message from the President - Continued
Page 2
(W ha d d a ya m e a n ? Y o u r d o g c a n' t o p e n t h e f r i d g e ? ) T h e y' l l a l w a ys l a y n e a r yo u r f e e t ,
r e a d y t o a s s i s t . D og s m ak e g r e at wi n g m e n !
N o w a n d t h e n a wi f e o r g i r lf r i e n d h e l p s o u t s o m e of yo u . I n f a ct , t h e r e ar e a c t ua l l y
a p e r s o n o r t wo o f t h e f e m a l e p e r s u a s i o n t h a t a ct u a l l y h e l p s b u i l d wi t h s o m e of yo u .
T h i s i s a r em a r k a b l e t h i n g t o h a p p e n f or s e ve r a l r e a s o n s . ( 1 ) Mo s t wo m e n h a v e a n a ve r s i o n t o t h e sm e l l s t h a t e m i t f r om t h e m an c a ve / h o b b y r o o m s we wo r k i n . D o p e s a n d t h i n n e r s a n d p a i n t s j u st d o n ' t s e em t o c u t i t wi t h t h e f em a l e p o p u l a c e . ( 2 ) Me n i n m a n
c a ve / h o b b y r o o m s t e n d t o i n c r e a s e t h e ir vo c a b u l a r y wh e n t h i n g s g o wr o n g wi t h t h e p r oj e c t . ! @ # $ % ^& * ( ) ! ! ! ! ! ! I g l u e d m y ! @ # $ %^& * f i n g e r s t o t h e ! @ # $ % ^& * c a n o p y! W o m e n
s e e m t o t ak e of f e n se a t t h i s k i n d of b e ha v i o r a n d g o b a ck t o t h e l i vi n g r o o m t o r e s u m e
wa t c h i n g t h e i r p a u se d c h i c k f l i ck t h e y r e c o r d e d t h e l a s t t i me t h e y ve n t u r e d i n t o t h e h o b b y r o o m t o s p e n d t i m e wi t h yo u . T h e c o m p a n y wa s n i c e wh i l e i t l a s t e d . Y o u n e e d t o
s t r a i g h t e n u p a n d f ly r i g h t if yo u wa n t t h e m t o s t i ck wi t h yo u a n d a s k yo u a l l t h o s e s i l l y
questions.
( 3 ) T V ' s m ak e g r e a t c o m p a n y wh e n yo u wo r k o n a p r oj e c t . Ju s t m ak e s u r e yo u h a ve a
g o o d e p i s o d e of B aa B a a B l a c k s h e e p t o h e l p t h i n g s a l o n g . T o p G u n , C l o u d D a n c e r ,
F l i g h t of T h e I n t r u de r , T h e R i g ht S t uf f c a n m ak e g r e at b a ck g r o u n d t o h e l p a ny p r o j e c t
a l o n g . J u s t m ak e s u r e yo u h a ve a r e m o t e h a n d y t o g o o ve r t h e g o o d p a r t o ve r an d o ve r
a n d o ve r . . . . I ' m p l a y i n g t h e p ar t wh e r e G o o s e i s " k e e p i n g u p f o r e i g n r e l a t i o n s " w i t h t h e
e n e m y wh i l e g o i n g ca n o p y t o c a n o p y. U p u n t i l l a s t we e k e n d wh e n t h e A g g i e s d id n ' t
s h o w u p t o p l a y a g a i n s t L S U , I t h o u g ht t h e y m a d e p r e t t y g oo d b a c k g r o u n d n o i se wh i l e i n
t h e s h o p . ! @ # $ % ^& * ( ) AG G I E S !
W el l , t h e r e ' s o n e o t h e r t h i n g t h a t c a n be g o o d or b a d i n t h e s h o p . . . . . T h a t wo u l d b e t h e
f am i l y c a t . ( O r c at ' s i f t h e r e' s m o r e t h a n o n e of ' e m . ) A r o u nd o u r h o u s e we h a v e M i n n i e
a n d T i g er . Mi n n i e i s of t h e t a i l l e s s M a n x p e r s u a s i o n a n d T ig e r i s of t h e 2 3 p o u nd , l a y
a n y w h e r e h e wa n t s t o p e r s u a s i o n .
W he n I ' m wo r k i n g on a p r o j e ct , I d o s o u s u a l l y p r e t t y l a t e i n t o t h e e ve n i n g . I f i t g et s t o
b e l a t e , b o t h c at s t e n d t o c o m e u p s t a i r s t o m ak e s u r e t h e y b l e s s m e wi t h t h e i r c o m p a n y.
T i g er i s n o p r o b l e m . H e j u s t n e e d s a g oo d c h i n r u b a n d a pa t o n t h e h e a d a n d h e ' l l m o z y
o f f t h e c o r n e r a n d co m m e n c e t o s a w l u m b e r . ( Z Z Z Z Z Z Z Z Z Z Z Z )
M i n n i e o n t h e o t h e r h a n d i s a d i f f er e n t st o r y. E ve r yt h i n g i n t h e r o o m n e e d s t o be d i s c o ve r e d . E ve r yt h i n g i n t h e r o o m i s s u d d e n l y h e r s wo r n e n e m y. I f Mi n n i e e n t e r s o r exi t s t h e
wo r k r o o m , i t h a s t o b e S U D D E N L Y . T h er e ' s n o t h i n k i n g a b ou t t h i n g s. . . . T h i ng s n e e d t o
b e d o n e r i g h t , d a d - g u m N OW i n a n ef f o r t t h a t wi l l c a u s e m a xi m u m d e s t r u c t i o n , c h a o s
a n d n o i s e . G e t t h e p i c t u r e , O r vi l l e ?
W el l , t h e o t h e r n i g ht I wa s s p r e a d o u t on t h e f l o o r c o ve r i n g a s e t of wi n g s . O k ay. . . . I
wa s R E - C O V E R I N G a s e t of wi n g s t h a t we r e d e f e c t i ve f r om ! @ # $ % ^& * ( ) P e r f o r m a n c e
A i r c r a f t U n l i m i t e d . I t ' s a ! @ # $ % ^& * s t o r y f o r a n ot h e r t i m e b ut i t u p s e t s m e e ve r y t i m e I
t h i n k a b o u t i t ! W e l l , a n y w a y. . . . . I h a d q ui t e a p i l e o f c o ve r i n g , b a ck i n g a n d s c r ap s o n t h e
f l o o r a s I wo r k e d a nd i n c o m e s Mi n n i e . H e r e ye s g r e w w i d e w i t h a n t i c i p a t i o n o v e r t h e
f a ct t h a t t h e r e wa s s o m e s o r t of e n e m y l o c a t e d a t t h e b ot t om of t h e p i l e of s cr ap s .
2
Crosswinds
Message from the President - Continued
Page 3
T h i s e n e m y n e e d e d t o b e j um p e d wi t h t h e p r e c i s i o n o f a SW A T t e am a n d s h e wa s t h e
c a t t h a t c o u l d d o i t . M o m m a a l wa ys t o l d m e t o p i c k u p m y r oo m b u t I d i d n ' t l i s t e n . I m a y
a s we l l h a ve g i ve n M i n n i e t h e l a t i t u d e / l o n g i t u d e c o o r d i n a t e s of t h e p i l e o f c o ve r i n g
s c r a p s . . . . S h e h i t t ha t p i l e l i k e a h o m e - s i c k c r u i s e m i s s i l e . I s c o o p e d h e r u p o u t of t h e
p i l e a n d g a ve h e r a g e n t l e s h o ve t o wa r d t h e d o o r . " G e t o u t a n d s t a y o u t ! " O n e o t h e r
t h i n g t o n o t e a b o u t M i n n i e . . . . D o n ' t h u r t h e r f e e l i n g s l ik e t ha t o r yo u ' r e g o n n a pa y s o o n e r o r l a t e r . L a t er j u st a r r i ve d . I pr o c e e d e d t o p i c k u p t h e s cr a p s a n d p u t t h e m in t o a
s m a l l t r a s h c a n I k ee p i n t h e wo r k r o om . I t h e n p i ck e d u p t h e X a c t o k n if e t h at ha d t h e
n e wl y - i n s t a l l e d # 1 1 b l a d e i n i t . I t ur n e d m y a t t e n t i o n t o t h e w i n g l a y i n g o n t h e f o l d e d
b l a n k e t c o ve r i n g t h e f l o o r . I wa s p r e t t y pl e a s e d wi t h m y r e c o ve r i n g e f f o r t s o n b o t h of t h e
s o r r y, d ef e c t i ve , wi n g s of t h e ! @ # $ % ^& * ( ) P A U C h a l l e n g e r b i p e . A s I t u r n e d t o l o o k at
t h e t o p of t h e t o p wi n g I n o t i c e d t h at t h er e wa s a s l i g h t a n o m a l y s t a n d i n g o n t he t o p of
t h e wi n g . I ' m s i t t i n g t h e r e o n t h e f l o o r k i n d a I n d i a n c r o s s - l e g g e d a n d n o t i c e d t h a t t h e
a n o m a l y s t a n d i n g o n t h e wi n g wa s M i n n i e . . . . . N o w Mi n n i e h a s a c e r t a i n a n n o yi n g l i t t l e
d i d d y t h a t s h e d o e s f r o m t i m e t o t i m e a nd I r e a l l y h a t e i t . T ha t wo u l d b e t h e f a ct t h a t
s h e h a s a h o t b ut t on t h a t a ut o m a t i c a l l y m ak e s h e r c l a ws c o m e o u t . ( I f t h i s h a p p e n s
wh e n s h e i s i n yo u r l a p , l e t ' s j u st s a y
Y O U h a ve a s u d d e n u r g e t o j um p u p a nd l e a ve t h e r o o m R I G H T N OW !
W el l , h e r e I am h o p i n g s h e h a s n o s u d de n u r g e t o s wi t c h - b l a d e m y n e w c o ve r i n g j o b a n d
a l s o I ' m h o l d i n g t h at n e wl y - b l a d e d X a c t o k n if e i n m y r i g h t ha n d . I s e e h e r e ye s d o i n g
t h a t b i g a n d wi d e n i n g t h i n g s o I d e c i d e d t h a t m y o n l y c h a n c e of g e t t i n g h er of f t h e n e w
c o ve r i n g i s t o d r o p t h e k n if e a n d s i m u l t a n e o u s l y d o a s c o o p i n g , wi n g - s a v i n g m ot i o n t o
r e m o ve h e r f r om d o in g d am a g e t o m y n e w l y c o ve r e d w i n g . Ya e ve r h a ve o n e o f t h o s e
d a ys ? A s I d r o p p e d t h e k n if e i t c a ug h t m y p i n k y f i ng e r a n d f or l a ck of b e t t er c om m e n t a r y, i t s t a ye d f i r m l y i n m y h a n d a s I l u ng e d t o wa r d Mi n n i e t o d o t h e s c o o p i n g ac t i o n I
t o l d yo u a b o u t . Q u i t wo r r y i n g a b o u t Mi n n i e . ( N o c a t wa s h a r m e d d u r i n g t h e m ak i n g of
t h i s c o l u m n . ) A s I t r i e d t o s c o o p h e r of f t h e wi n g , s h e m a d e o n e o f t h o s e f a m o u s d a s h f r o m - t h e - r o o m m o ve s t h a t o n l y M i n n i e c a n d o . A q u i c k s u r ve y o f t h e s u r f a c e of t h e wi n g
f o u n d t h a t n o d a m ag e wa s d o n e . W he w! W ai t a m i n u t e . . . . . . I f e e l p a i n . Y a k n o w. . . . . . I
f e e l J a l a p e n o p a i n i n m y r i g h t k n e e . Hm m m m m . . . . . . . T h i n g s a r e n o t g o o d . I f e e l wa r m t h .
I f e e l m o i s t c o n d i t i o n s i n t h e vi c i n i t y o f m y r i g h t k n e e c a p . Ye p . T h e r e i t i s . A n ap p r o xi m a t e 4 i n c h i n c i s i o n i s g r a c i n g t h e s u r f ac e of m y r i g h t k n e e c a p . Y o u k n o w t h a t vo c a b u l a r y e n h a n c e m e n t w e t a l k e d a b o u t e a r l i e r ? T h e m o i s t u r e I r e f er r e d t o wa s r e d a n d m ak i n g g o o d t i m e r u n n i n g d o wn t h e s i d e s o f m y k n e e . I wa s wo u n d e d ! I h a d m a n a g e d t o
s l i c e o p e n a s i xt e e n t h i n c h d e e p g a s h i n m y r i g h t k n e e a n d p a i n wa s g r i p i n g m e i n s u c h
a m a n n e r t h a t m y v o c a b u l a r y w a s e n h a n c e d t o t h e m a xi m u m s e t t i n g . S o u n d s pr e t t y b a d ,
h u h ? O h , i t g e t s wo r s e . T h i s a i n ' t o ve r w i t h .
I n m y c o ve r i n g ef f or t s , I a l wa ys k e e p a we t t e d - d o wn p a p e r t o w e l a n d s o m e d r y, s o f t
b a t h r o o m t i s s u e n e a r m e. I m o p p e d u p al l t h e b l o o d a n d c l e a n e d m y wo u n d wi t h t h e we t
p a p e r t o we l . I m a n ag e d t o n o t g et b l o o d o n t h e f l o o r a n d a s m y e ye s s c a n n e d t h e s i t u a t i o n , I n ot i c e d m y t hi n C A b o t t l e s i t t i n g o n t h e e dg e of t h e sh e l f . W e l l , a l l i d e a s a r e n o t
g r e a t . I p u t a 3 / 8" pu d d l e o f t h i n C A o n m y k n e e a n d pr o c e e d e d t o m ak e a s wi p i n g m o t i o n d o wn t h e s u r f a ce of t h e i n c i s i o n . A l l i d e a s a r e n o t g r e a t . R e m e m b e r . . . . . I ' ve m a d e
t h a t s t at e m e n t t wi c e . S u r g e o n s o n t h e ba t t l e f i e l d h a ve s u r g i c a l g r a d e C A a t t h ei r
3
Crosswinds
Message from the President - Continued
Page 4
d i s p o s a l t o s e a l i n c i s i o n s i n a n e xp e d i e n t m a n n e r . L e t ' s t ak e s t o ck a t wh a t we h a ve h e r e
f o lk s . ( 1 ) we t l e g . ( 2 ) p u d d l e o f t h i n C A t h a t I ' ve j u s t s wi p e d o ve r t h e wo u n d . Y e s i t
g l u e d t h e wo u n d t o g e t h e r a n d s t o p p e d t h e b l e e d i n g . G o o d f o r m e . . . . R e m em b e r t h a t J a l a p e n o t h i n g y we s p o k e of e a r l i e r ? W at er + C A = i n s t a n t s e t t i n g of t h e C A . I n st a n t s e t t i n g of t h e C A = c h em i c a l r e a c t i o n wh i c h = H E A T . T h i s h e a t we s p e a k of i s ve r y i n t e n s e .
I h a ve m a d e a n o t h er d i s c o ve r y q u i t e b y a c c i d e n t . W at er + he a t o n a n e w s k i n wo u n d a l s o i n c r e a s e s vo c a b u l a r y i n a r a t h e r i n t e n s e m a n n e r . A sk m e . I k n o w.
Y o u h a ve a n y i d e a h o w f a st a h um a n be i n g c a n g e t u p of f a f l o o r wh i l e s i t t i n g I n d i a n
s t yl e ? Y o u wo n ' t n e e d a c a l e n d a r t o m e a s u r e t h e s p e e d a nd yo u ' l l p r o b a b l y b e l i e ve m e
wh e n I s a y h o w i n t e n s e t h e p a i n wa s . W e l l , t h e r e ya h a ve i t . . . . A t yp i c a l n i g h t i n t h e
wo r k r o o m e nj o yi n g m y h o b b y w i t h m y p e t . I t h i nk I ' l l g o d o wn s t a i r s a n d c a l m do w n . D i d
I t e l l yo u I wa s b a r e f o ot e d wh e n a l l t h i s wa s h a p p e n i n g ?
N o w wh e r e d i d I l e a ve t h a t X a c t o k n if e ? O MG ! ! ! ! I t h i nk I f ou n d i t !
T o we r ,
I ' m g o n n a l i m p o n ou t of h er e f or n o w. . . . .
4
Crosswinds
Infor matio n and Re m inde r s
PS: Remember to come
o u t t o t h e To y s F o r To t s
event we'll be having on
December 7th. I'm looking
forward to it. M y limp
probably will have gone
away by then…
Page 5
WANTED
For assault with several deadly
weapons and attempted wanton
destruction of private property.
Minnie the Cat
Should be considered Clawed
and Dangerous.
C o n t a c t i n f o r m a t i o n f o r S P AR K S O f f i c e r s t h i s w i l l b e i n eac h i s s u e,
b u t yo u m i g h t wa n t t o p r i n t a c o p y f o r e a s y r e f e r e n c e
Position
Name
Email address
Phone #
President
Terry Foote
terryfootejr@hotmail.com
936-537-4718
Vice President/ Safety Officer
Chris Cavanaugh
chriscav@sbcglobal.net
281-701-7527
Treasurer
Pam Gabel
mpgabel@gmail.com
713-594-9741
Secretary
E.J. Hunyadi
ej@hunyadi.net
281-350-4229
Newsletter Editor
Gaither Simmons
gaither@simmonsfam.net
832-256-8820
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President’s Message
Te r r y F o o t e
Officer’s Contact Information & Reminders
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October 2013 Meeting Highlights
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S a f e t y C o r n e r F l i g h t l i n e C o m m u n i c a t i o n - J i m Ti l l e r
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Ar o u n d t h e We b Al a n B u c k n e r
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S PAR K S To ys f o r To t s F l y I n
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Hobby Shop Ads
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Reminders
Don’t forget the Wednesday… December 4th Meeting,
Valley Ranch Grill, 249 & Spring Cypress - 7 pm…
Come early and enjoy a meal with us.
D e c e m b e r 7 t h i s t h e SP A R K S T oy s f o r To t s F l y I n .
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August 7th, 2013 SPARKS Meeting Minutes
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Club Meeting November 6, 2013
Pam - Raffle, ROTC - Parking
Meeting called to order by Terry Foote at 7:06PM
Randy will be Sponsoring the event through his donations
and other offers. The planning committee will meet at a
time to be designated at Randy's Hobbies. Decisions
around flying fees, etc are to be handled by the committee
in the near future.
Guests - Claudia Gallagher, Alexander and his father.
Terry gifted ROTC cadet Lance with a trainer that Terry
had flown and had a radio failure in. Terry and Gaither
Simmons both have 40 size engines to go with the plane.
The Fossil Flyers will start their meetings next Tuesday at
9am. Dale is collecting names for the club.
Minutes were read by Gaither Simmons and were approved as read.
Terry raised a concern about large helicopter 3D flying and
3D airplane flying and the safety issues involved. Discussion around these points was heard. Terry discussed updating the signage at the field to clarify that we expect Helicopters and airplanes should take turns flying and move
any 3D operations further away from the pilots and spectators. Airplane pilots should call high speed passes and no
3D operations should start flying toward the spectators or
Field report was given by Terry. Chris Cavanaugh has repilots. Any changes to the signs will be coordinated with
ported to Terry that we have an ant problem at the field that
the county to have the signs made.
needs to be addressed. Terry would like to find something
more effective against the ants. Gaither suggested that we Terry brought in some demo quads. The first was an Estes
should capture a sample of the ants to know what to treat
Proto X Nano Quadcopter. Randy allowed us to raffle it off
them with. Dale Simcox will check with a local exterminator for $1 per person. The second was a 1SQ quad.
for assistance.
Terry also showed RealFlight 7 in both the Interlink and
The indoor fly-in will be at the Cy-Falls cafeteria on Nov
trainer cord versions and AirCore aircraft with interchange13th. Terry asked for everyone who can to attend.
able power and receiver module.
Pam Gabel gave the treasurers report and presented members with copies of the report including lists showing expenses on the bathrooms. Dale simcox has made additional improvements to the bathroom including adding a message board, shelves in the storage room and a combination
lock for the key to the storage room.
No new news on the newsletter reported by Gaither. Requests for newsletter articles was made by Gaither and
Terry.
Dale Simcox showed a plane for airplane of the month. He
showed us his Maxford PT-17 Stearman. Dale has added a
sound module with a speaker that simulates the engine
sound.
Terry asked for any field issues or other concerns. Dale
asked if the new grass was being mowed. Folks reported
that it did not look like the new grass was being mowed.
The second aircraft of the month was presented by Clancy
Aggen who showed off his custom built Quad Copter. His
copter has 1.2 MHZ FPV downlink and a 2 axis gimbal to
Terry discussed the work parties and folks that came out to
stabilize the camera. Votes were taken and Dale's Stearhelp who many of us do not see. Dale Simcox had an idea
man won by one vote.
about creating a group in the club called the "SPARKS
Fossil Flyers" which will be limited to members 60 years
The gift certificate was donated to the junior member in
old and over. They will meet on Tuesdays and Thursdays. attendance.
Dale has looked into getting hats for the fossils. There was
Raffle tickets were drawn and gift certificates awarded.
interest in the members in attendance. A vote was taken
and it passed.
The estes quadcopter was won by Ed Pierce.
Votes were taken on the changing of dues and initiation
Terry announced that he is working
fees. The votes tallied to show that both the initiation fees
on having a speaker for January.
and membership fee will remain the same at $150 and $50.
The meeting was adjourned at
Dues votes were 15 for remaining the same and 2 for in8:26PM.
creasing to $175. Initiation fee votes were 12 for staying at
$50 and 3 for increasing to $75.
Respectfully Submitted by
Planning for the Toys for Tots was discussed.
Gaither Simmons
Kyle - will handle the grill, Ej - sign up, Chris - Safety
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Flightline Communication
b y J i m Ti l l e r ( AM A I n s i d e r N o v 2 0 1 3 )
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This summer I attended an out-of-town event here in the outback of the US. At
this fun-fly event, there were pilots and models of all types—from small electrics, to large Scale airplanes, to even larger 3-D aircraft. The weather was
great and lots of airplanes and pilots took to the air to enjoy the day and the
camaraderie. The local club was well represented, but many of the pilots were
from other towns and some did not know one another very well.
At the end of the day, I sat in on a conversation by a few of the modelers who
were disgruntled about "hogging the airspace," near misses, and supposed
malicious near misses. The biggest complainers were the smaller airplanes
and the biggest targets were the large 3-D airplanes.
I don’t have an answer to these types of problems and concerns, but I might
have something in the way of a solution. At this event and some others I attended there was no requirement to fly with a spotter. I think there should
have been.
In many competition events, spotters or callers are required. Obviously, they
are there to aid the pilot in his or her own performance, but they are also there
for safety. Their job is to monitor the flight path of other airplanes and inform
their flier if they pose a threat. It is also the spotter’s job to call the pilot’s intentions to other fliers in the pilot station.
Surely, the pilot can also make these intentions known, but his or her full concentration should be on flying his or her airplane. It is the spotter’s responsibility to make sure the other pilots understand his or her pilot’s intentions and that
his or her pilot is aware of the intentions of other pilots.
I think requiring a spotter should be part of all your event organizations whenever there will be multiple pilots on the line at the same time.
Obviously, it is a safer way to fly. The best way to see and avoid other aircraft
is to have more eyes on the situation. Any in-flight emergencies should also
be called in a loud voice so other pilots get out of the way. The spotter should
loudly announce takeoffs and landings. It is also the spotter’s job to retrieve
the aircraft from the runway if necessary, but not before calling loudly announcing his or her presence there. Those are basic responsibilities of the pilot’s
second.
Back in the day, it was common for pilots to distance themselves from one another to avoid radio interference. With the new radios and improved technology, this is no longer a great concern. It is more important for the pilots to be
able to communicate with one another. Your flightline should be arranged so
that all pilots can easily hear what the others are saying.
There is a value in having your pilots and spotters talk to one another. They
should make their intentions known to the other pilots. If a 3-D pilot wants to
use the centerline to do some hovering, his spotter should announce it. If the
Scale flier wants to make a low pass and a victory roll with his Mustang, his
spotter should announce it. This not only allows the others to clear the space
for those actions, it is simply common courtesy. It also asserts your rights to
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some of the airspace. If your small electric is in the air with a 50%-er, your
words and intentions are the signal that you are going to use the airspace and
that should be respected by the others on the flightline.
Your club safety officer or his or her designate should be the Air Traffic Controller. Even if the flying is intermittent he or she should have a presence. Have
the person wear a colored shirt or vest and announce his or her authority at
the pilot meeting.
The person should stand behind the flightline and monitor the fliers and those
starting up, coming out to the runway, or leaving it for the pits. Once again, it
is the spotter’s eyes and ears that should be attuned to those directions.
This is the best way to avoid ruffled feathers when one pilot thinks another has
wronged him. Many of those situations are simply a failure to communicate.
This way you are doing your best to avoid them.
Yet another benefit is that the pilots get to know one another a little better.
I know what you are thinking. There are a few airspace bullies out there. In my
experience, more often it is a perception or a lack of communication, but sadly,
there are a few. If you have one at your event, your CD and safety officer
should deal with it. Give a warning and if the actions are not corrected, ground
that pilot. It is your event.
As I have said so many times in this column, the key to safe flying and having
fun is the Golden Rule. By doing a few of these things you are simply facilitating it.
At my club field, this kind of pilot interaction is the norm, not just for events.
That’s how I know it works. It should be that way at your field too.
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Ar o u n d t h e We b !
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Growing the use of Drones in Agriculture:
http://www.forbes.com/sites/rakeshsharma/2013/11/26/growing-the-use-ofdrones-in-agriculture/
·
Drones proposed to deliver packages for Amazon:
http://money.cnn.com/2013/12/01/technology/amazon-dronedelivery/index.html?hpt=hp_t2
·
Drones used to help a quadriplegic “get out of the house”:
http://www.ted.com/talks/henry_evans_and_chad_jenkins_meet_the_robot
s_for_humanity.html
The Red Bull Flugtag
http://www.cnn.com/video/data/2.0/video/us/2013/09/22/natpkg-red-bullflugtag.cnn.html?hpt=hp_c4
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S p a r k s To ys f o r To t s F l y I n
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Crosswinds
Please support our local RC Shops …
t h e y a r e v i t a l t o o u r h o b b y.
Many special thanks to Randy Ritch of Randy’s Hobbies
for his continued support of SPARKS
8190 Barker-Cypress Rd. # 300
Cypress, TX. 77433
Woody Lee
281-855-9154
Www.rc-hobbies.com
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