July - The Dayton Wingmasters

President - Paul Stimmel
Vice President - Romey Schwieterman
Treasurer - Bob Bush
Newsletter - Jon Cross
Secretary - Jerry Harsch
Safety - Don Kuhns
January
July
20112011
Issue 7
1 - Vol 36
Summertime Flying
Yup, the blazing temps are here once again and although it makes for a great break from all the rain we
had during the spring, it’s important to remember to always keep cool and hydrated while out at the field.
Always remember to bring plenty of cool water and use sunscreen as needed. Remember to avoid using
darker colored clothes while out at the field as they will only make you feel unconfortable more quickly.
Remember to wear flight hats. I know most of us already do, but it’s important to
remember to use sunscreen on the parts of your neck your hat doesn’t cover. The
AMA store has a really nice coverall hat (Item 8427ST) I’ve been looking at that
makes neck sunburn all but impossible. Some of you may have noticed I
don’t fly without my shades or my hat (yes, even if it’s cloudy, the hat is
on).
Those of you with E-Z Ups -- Depending on the brand of your shelter,
there may be attachments such as side shades of screen wraps available. These additions can make these already invaluable field accessories even more useful. It may be
worth it to take a look to improve the field value of your shelter.
Reminder of Field Closure
A reminder to all that the field will be closed the weekend of July 8th. The field will be closed starting
at noon on Friday and will remain closed to all flying activities until Sunday evening. Any volunteers
who can assist with cleanup of the inevitable mess the field will be in at the conclusion of this event will
be greatly appreciated. It is extremely discouraging to think of the giant mess that one day of hedonistic
debauchery creates and undermines all the work the club spends throughout the year to keep our field
beautiful. Remember to bring gloves.
This Month’s Schedule
http://www.wingmasters.org/schedule
july 2011
1
2
3
4
4 5
4th of July
Fun Fly
12PM - dark
6 7
7
6
8
9 10 11 12 13
13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27
27 28 29 30 31
Instructor
Night
5:00PM - dusk
Instructor
Night
5:00PM - dusk
Instructor
Night
5:00PM - dusk
Club Meeting
@Field shelter
7:30PM
Club, non-flying event
Club, Flying event
Non-Club event
Instructor
Night
5:00PM - dusk
Hobbies for Hospice
Development is rolling on what is shaping up to be an excellent
event at the end of August. Three local hobby clubs will be cosponsoring an event to raise money for Hospice of Dayton. For
all those who have had a loved one who has gone through
the Hospice system and seen the level of care they provide to
those living out their lives in dignity, this event is an opportunity
to help Hospice continue to do their fine work.
The CD for the event is Joe Saylor. Joe requests that you coordinate any volunteer efforts with him as he has a tracking
sheet for the days needs, and flying events.
The event will be hosted by three local hobby clubs:
•
•
•
•
Miami Valley Garden Railroad Society - (MVGRS) - A
“Garden Scale” model railroading club, the president of
which is Wingmasters member Jerry Humston. “Garden
Scale” model railroads are one of the largest widely available hobby railroad formats with a typical rail guage of
3 inches.
Miami Vally Model Yacht Club - (MVMYC) - The local
Yacht club that is based on the lake to the south of the
flying field. Typically using fiberglass constructed yachts
such as the Star 45 with a beam of roughly a meter, the
MVMYC holds sailing regattas from time to time using 2
channel radio systems. The MVMYC Commodore is Wingmasters member Mark Camden.
Dayton Wingmasters (I’m gonna skip our description and just fill space here to see who calls me on doing it)
Flight demonstrations and static demos of a wide variety of flying machines will be participating in the days
events. The exact schedule of events and participants has yet to be determined, but we are trying to get in
a variety of excellent pilots to put on a great show for the attendees.
We ask that if you are a “hot pilot” or know of a “hot pilot” that you work with Joe to see if you/they can make
it to the show. Bring your models out for display, we are working to make this a well publicized event in both
Model Aviation as well as the local media outlets.
In addition, the MVGRS will have a garden scale train layout setup on site and will be available to chat about
their hobby. The MVMYC will be conducting several yacht races and will also have some of their models available
for display. The event promises to be something for everyone.
All proceeds for the event will go to benefit Hospice of Dayton. Dayton Wingmasters will be cooking lunch foods
for donations. If you have a contact that might be willing to donate any of the items below (or get a great deal
on the pricing), please contact Joe so that we can be sure that we’ll have all the items we’ll need to make this a
great event.
Donations List (partial - Joe has the complete list)
- Desserts to be sold off
- Food Items: Burgers, Hot dogs
- Bread Items: Hamburger and Hot dog buns
- Side Items: Potato salad, cole slaw, beans, potato chips, etc
- Flatware, plates, napkins, cups
- Condiments: Ketchup, mustard, relish, etc
Shelters/tarps and tables/chairs for eating area.
This project is a work in progress, so stay tuned for future developments. We will need everyone’s
help to really broadcast this event and make it a success.
The Other Side of the Fence
Several months ago I was chatting with one of my co-workers and we somehow got onto the subject of
Segways - those two-wheeled mobility devices that were introduced several years ago. This got me thinking after I got back to my office... “Hey, what about a FLYING Segway?”
The reality is that, not only are there a variety of “personal flying platforms”out there, but some of them
have been around in one shape or another since the early 50’s. Even though their individual level of success covers a wide range from the spectacular to the insanely dangerous, I certainly hope this segment
of aviation receives renewed interest and continued serious development in the years to come.
The W.A.S.P. (Williams Aerial Surveillance Platform) and X-Jet
In my biased opinion, I think one of the coolest options in the mix is the W.A.S.P. (and the later X-Jet). Not
only is it one of the oldest options in the group, it’s intuitive design makes it extremely user friendly.
I’m pretty confident though, that given the technology of the time, developing the electronics and gyro stabilization for this jet powered vehicle was anything but “simple”. On the
outside however, the X-Jet itself appears very clean in appearance. The pilot stands
on a pivoting “control table” which in conjunction with gyro stabilzation provides the
guidance for must have been an exciting “white-knuckle ride”. Speeds of up to 60
MPH and flight durations approaching 30 minutes were reported at altitudes from
just above the treetops to nearing 10,000 feet. The Army eventually discontinued the
program in favor of traditional rotary aircraft.
Suprisingly one of the three X-Jet prototypes exists not 10 miles from here - it is housed
at the Air Force Museum in the National Aviation Hall of Fame. This fascinating device
certainly would have been noisy, dangerous and a maintenance-hogging hangar
queen, but it would have definitely provided some very interesting, unobstructed
views for it’s pilot. The machine shown at right is the one that is on display in Seattle.
GEN H-4
The GEN H-4 is a personal “strap-on” helicopter that is available in kit form from AceCraft USA for the low price of $30,000.
However, even though this is a cheap version of a personal
helicopter, I personally would opt for an enclosed “traditional” mini heli like the Robinson R22. That big eggbeater on
top would be pretty dangerous if you were to loose control
on the ground. This design is actually an improvement over
the earlier (and horribly dangerous looking) De Lackner Aerocycle which was similar to the GEN H-4 but had the rotors
mounted between the pilot and the ground!!!
Hiller Flying Platform
Developed by the U.S. Army in the early 1950’s, the VZ-1 Pawnee, was an
early attempt at developing a V/STOL flying platform. The prototype Pawnee shown at right flew using what was termed ‘kinesthetic control’ which
was similar to the system employed on the W.A.S.P mentioned above.
“Second and third versions, each with a larger, deeper rotor duct were also
built. The third was so large that kinesthetic control was ineffective and it had a
seat and conventional helicopter controls. These designs flew well enough, but
the army judged them to be too small, slow and of limited usefulness and practicality for combat service.” (Jim Winchester “The World’s Worst Aircraft”, 2005).
The Other Side of the Fence
HUMMINGBIRD
A recent design that is quite similar in external appearance to the Hiller Flying Platform
is the Hummingbird. Apparently available in kit form, the components for such a device would be relatively cheap. I’m not completely sure how this vehicle is controlled,
whether by ‘kinesthetic control’ or by some kind of fly-by-wire, but being in kit form, I’m
inclined to believe the former. The shrouded fan would certainly limit the performance
on the device however, and anything more than a sustained hover and slow forward
flight would probably be a great accomplishment.
One wonders how much maintenance would be required to keep such a machine
in the air and what kind of regulations and insurance coverage would be needed to
cover it.
SOLOTREK XFV / SPRINGTAIL EFV
First flown in December 2001, theSolotrek XFV (Exo-Skeletal Flying Vehicle) was developed by Milennium Jet, a private company that later became Trek Aerospace. Although the concept appeared to work well and flew with
the control of a ground tether, a flight mishap ended the contract. Although no one was hurt, the aircraft was
unable to meet delivery deadlines.
After Milennium Jet reorganized in 2003 as Trek Aerospace, the concept was refined and the end result was the
Springtail EFV shown below. This version of the vehicle would have to be considered a success, as it was able to
complete it’s DARPA contract requirements in 2005. As a current DOD project, not much information is available,
but is pretty obvious that flying this would be noisy, but also REALLY COOL.
The Other Side of the Fence
NASA’s PUFFIN
One of the other recent developments in personal aircraft is
the “Puffin”, a project concept
that is currently in development
by NASA. The single occupant
stands (while vertical)/and lies
(while level) and would have
a very interesting view while in
flight. The tail surfaces spread
out and the vehicle rests on
wheels and pads at the end of
the control “wings” while in the
vertical position.
One wonders about visibility in
this unique little aircraft. It certainly would be a fascinating
view while taking off vertically,
but visibility would most certainly be limited while flying along in the “level” configuration. It would seem to be very difficult to spot aircraft and obstacles that are
above the line of travel. Perhaps electronics and simplified radar systems may be
able to make up for this loss.
As the Puffin rises vertically from the ground, the tail surfaces come together and
assume dly lock for the duration of flight. After this takeoff, the vehicle would have
to transition to level, forward flight which will most certainly be a technical obstacle
to overcome. One interesting challenge will be how to maximize the comfort of
the pilot while still providing easy usage of the flight controls. The ability to integrate
the human element into the complex axis transition from vertical to horizontal would need to be overcome
before this aircraft could be made operational.
The Puffin is shown in level flight.
(CG rendering). This would have
to be a very exciting flight and
the feeling of “flying like a bird”
would be very appealing to
some. However, the close proximity of the blades and the relatively small frame might some
feel claustrophobic or wary of
possible blade throws.
Another CG rendering of the
Puffin in flight. One wonders
how much maintenance it
would take to keep this tiny
craft and the complex systems it
contains airworthy. Regardless,
it is a fascinating design study
and whether or not it makes it
to production is yet to be seen.
“RocketMan” - Yves Rossy
In May 2011, Yves Rossy, also known as “The Rocket Man” flew across the Grand Canyon after finally getting clearance
from the FAA. The FAA initially refused permission for the flight as his “flight-system/aircraft” didn’t have the required
flight testing time, he went on and successfully demonstrated his unique flying wing over the high desert. But that’s not
all this former Swiss fighter and airline pilot has been up to. Since 2006, this daredevil who is the first person to achieve
sustained human flight using a jet-powered wing strapped to his back, has continued to advance this method of flight.
His first flight lasted nearly six minutes, and when he crossed the English Channel in 2008, he achieved a maximum
speed of 186 MPH during the nearly 10 minute flight it took to cross the waterway. An unsucessful flight in 2009 to cross
the Strait of Gibraltar and become the first to fly between two continents using a jetpack ended in failure and ditching in the sea. Unhurt, Rossy continued to develop his wing and in 2010 was able to perfom 2 aerial loops during one
of his flights.
Typically Rossy launches from a light carrier aircraft and recovers with the use of a parachute. Maybe in the
future a version will be developed that will allow a ground-based takeoff, but that will remain to be seen.
Although this type of flight is not going to be for everyone, the benefits to modern aviation
are clear. Mounted under the wing are specially modified R/C jet turbine engines.
As Yves continues to develop his flying wing, the unique partnership he
has with his turbine vendors will continue to drive ever increasi n g power and reliability levels in R/C turbine
powerplants.
FAA Update
Speaking of the FAA, it now looks though the NPRM that was to be issued by the FAA will now be delayed until nearly
December. It’s not clear why the push back in delivery, but it does seem that there has been a great deal of lobbying and interest paid to this issue from a variety of sources. Hopefully the folks at the FAA will rationally consider the
impact of these proposals on our hobby and work to minimize the negative impact to future aviation technology that
oppressive and unecessary legislation would create.
Wingmaster Wear
To order Wingmaster Wear:
The following club clothing articles are currently available. Items are available
for pick up or can be delivered at a club meeting.
contact:
Paul Stimmel at:
937.361-7696 or
pstimmel@ameritech.net
Sweatshirts
Sweatshirt - White - $15
3XL / 2XL / XL / LG
Sweatshirt - Blue - $15
3XL / 2XL / LG
Sweatshirt - Grey - $15
XL
Hats
T-Shirts
Tee Shirt - Grey - $10
2XL / XL / LG
Golf Shirt - White - $20
2XL / XL
Golf Shirt - Red - $20
2XL / XL
Other Items
Please contact us if you would be interested in getting Wingmasters patches for use
on hats or jackets. Based on price and interest level several sizes will be explored.
We would also like to know if there is any interest in getting club label pins made up.
There are a variety of designs that are pre-made and even getting a custom made pin
is a fairly easy thing to do.
Photo Request
I’m always looking for club event photos. I can use
either prints or digital .JPG’s (preferred minimum of
at least 300x300 pixels)
White / Blue $10
White / Red $10