Well, the heat wave continues…
The runway is dry and dusty, and while we had planned to wet it down and roll it out this month, none of our usual suppliers have any water trucks ready to rent. We will keep an ear open to get it done when we can. Along with the hot, dry conditions comes a few dangers. A few years back a member reported seeing a rattlesnake out in the brush. The hawks and other raptors do a pretty good job of controlling the critter population in the outlying field area, but please be careful and remain aware of your surroundings. The brush itself is very dry, sharp, and flammable. Keep your extinguishers handy if needed please!
I want to thank Jimmy Bonnardel for his fundraising efforts promoting the sales of SEFSD shirts through Custom Ink. After a fun Independence Day raffle that actually lost us a few dollars, Jim’s T-shirt sales have brought in over $600.00 towards the holiday party! The shirts are on the way and should be received soon, Thanks to those that supported! There were inquiries about more colors and women’s sizes, they may be available in the next order – keep watching for club e-mail blasts with more info.
About 2 weeks ago I received a phone call from a city administrator around 8:30 AM on a Wednesday stating that he was at the gazebo and airplanes were flying circuits over his head. He said 2 planes were out of boundaries each pass. Remember, we must stay within our boundaries – do not go past the dirt path on our side of the cement path. It is critical that people on the cement path or at the gazebo do not feel endangered. Reports like these haunt us whenever we renew our contract with the city and puts our right of entry permit at risk…
Please remember that you do not have to be on the board of directors to identify and call out a safety hazard at our field. We have 8 BOD members for a club of 400 people and if everyone waits on them, some crazy stuff can happen. Last weekend, during electro-glide – a private airplane approached over the parking lot. While BOD members were present – we were not paying attention until it was too late and the pilot saw our gliders and diverted. There were a few comments that folks were waiting for us to call it, but we were messing around with our individual gear as we don’t play the glider event – and missed it until one of the event pilots asked “ Is that a plane? ” I will take the heat as I was on site and missed it – but why are people waiting on me if they know what’s right?
On the same token, there was some discussion recently at the rotor plex concerning helicopters and multi-rotors hovering in the landing approach area for the main runway. This is not a shared flight area and MUST be open for winged aircraft to make their final approach for landing. While the majority of rotor pilots stay low and get farther out into the field (shared area), there are still some that cause a hazard to the plane guys attempting to land by being between 20-60 feet high in their approach. Sometimes it’s new people – who do not understand the rules or common practices at our site. The problem with that is when drone guys present at the time do not instruct the new guys. Why? “Because I am not on the BOD” seems to be a common answer… I am looking into making some changes to the fences over there, but if you need me to police your activities instead of you spreading common sense – not everyone will be happy with my solutions… I need the people who have been members for a while to ensure new members understand, and to keep asking to see membership badges as folks you don’t recognize show up. We still – in August – have non-members flying with members at the rotor plex.
Lastly, I want to talk about common courtesy and just being a good club member. I always appreciate that we do not have a lot of drama with our club. To keep that positive streak going, I want to ask people to keep their political beliefs to themselves and enjoy the mental freedom our hobby provides. If you hear something you do not agree with – please just move on. If you don’t like someone because of their job, or something they have done in the past – please just move on. Sometimes it is easier to just leave for the day than to say things that cannot be taken back – please move on…
This month’s event will be the LIMBO! No Micro planes allowed, but anything that uses a 3s 220 or above will be able to compete for prizes. Afterward there will be a hot dog lunch and the monthly club meeting. Come have fun!
Brad
