Monthly Archives: October 2020

13 posts

Chairman’s Corner for Oct – Nov 2020

President's Corner

Well guys, it looks like the heat wave is finally broken – and we can get back to enjoying our hobby in relative comfort! Hopefully we will get rain in the next few weeks to reduce the fire danger at our site, please stay vigilant as the area is still very dry!

Over the last few weeks I have been seeing more of you returning to the field after taking a “Corona” break. While studies indicate the virus does not transmit well in outdoor environments, please continue to practice social distancing while on site to keep club members, and your family members, safe. If you recently completed an interesting Corona project, please share a few pictures and a write up with our editor Steve, at editor@sedfd.org and he will include it in the next newsletter.

I have been asked quite often whether there will be any local swap meets before the year ends, and sadly, I don’t believe so. Gatherings of any real size are still prohibited in the county. Please take a look at the for sale by members area of the website and see if there is something that tickles your fancy. If you are trying to sell items, an E-mail to Steve at editor@sedfd.orgwith a good description and a picture of your item will get it posted. You can still take a chance and bring items down on weekends, set them against the fence with a note stating the price, and who to contact. Sometimes the right person is there and both of you will come away happy!

Along the same line of things lost in 2020, we are still holding off on the monthly meetings at the field, the fun-fly events, and Electroglide. Once the health risks become less, we will attempt to get back to normal operations. It will likely be next year sometime. At this time, we cannot book venues for any indoor gatherings of more than 10 people, which also puts our yearly banquet on hold indefinitely. The only “event” that we have been holding is the FMS 800MM T-28 racing  on the second Saturday monthly. Competition had been becoming stronger as people figure out these small, quick aircraft. If you missed out on ordering one (or two) last February when we announced the race series, they are available for order this month at Horizon. Again, let’s hope a viable vaccine is developed and available as soon as it is determined safe.

I know everyone is extremely sick of all of voting ads right now, so I feel bad to say the words… As I mentioned last month, we vote for club officers in November.

Jovi  Murek has self-nominated to fill an existing empty Board of Directors position, THANKS Jovi! Our current secretary, Ken Dresser, will also not be available for most of 2021 and that means we still have need of one more person who would like to get involved with guiding the club next year. We meet in person or via ZOOM once per month for 2 to 3 hours, but handle most club business via E-mail – so your time commitment is negligible. I feel everybody’s input is valuable, and really want some new blood on the Board. Please get involved! Let myself, or another board member know if you would like to join us!

I appreciate the help we have received from numerous members in maintaining the field this year. To name a few who were there EVERY time we asked for help:  Dennis Laberge, Jim Bonnardel, Frank Gagliardi, Mark Davis, Eric Shapiro, Scott Vance, Jim Richardson, George Sullivan, and Larry Kosta. There were many more that participated at various times – THANK YOU to everyone!  Quan, our Treasurer, will be closing the books on FY20 shortly. Some of you spent personal funds in your support of the club and have not yet submitted receipts for reimbursement. Please send them to Quan or myself so we can square up and close our books.

It has been nearly a month since we backed off on the stance of passing through and closing the gate behind us each time we enter and exit. A lot of people appreciate not having to jump out of their vehicle on the way in and out of the site. In this month, I have been notified by the city 9 times that they have found the site unlocked and unattended…

Please remember that our agreement with the city includes that we will keep the site locked when members are not present to prevent unauthorized access, vehicular use, and illegal dumping. It also keeps theft down, and friendly people from doing donuts in our parking area or on the runway. The porta-potty has also been found unlocked on numerous occasions, all of the paper has been lifted a couple of times, as has our disinfectant sprayer. We are the masters of our own destiny here, so I will say again – if you are the last member leaving the site, Please close and lock the gate!  If someone has left a vehicle there, lock them in. If someone is there and you are not sure, ask them if they are a member – tell them you are locking the gate. If you don’t want to talk with them, lock the gate and let them figure it out.

Bottom line, we need to keep the site as secure as possible. I would rather not go back to the closed gate posture, but if we cannot follow the guidelines properly it is still an option.

One final note. We are all members and pay for the same rights as any other member of SEFSD. If you arrive on site and park near an available table, and you would like to have a specific member park next to you to enjoy each others company, feel free to put a chair next to your vehicle and “save” an already open spot for them to park beside to you. Please don’t park, then ask another member to move so your buddy can park next to you. There are NO “ permanently assigned ” spots at SEFSD. If you arrive and someone is where you ( usually ) park, please find another open spot. DO NOT tell another member to get out of YOUR SPOT. The parties involved are all grown up and simply need to share…

Thanks for another great month and please keep safe.

Brad

T28 Race Results – Oct 2020

T28 Contest Results
The October 12 2020 foamy T28 races  went off smoothly  with 12 pilots signing up to fly. We followed the same format as the previous race with 3 preliminary heats which set the grouping for the final races. 
The preliminary rounds saw some wing tip to wing tip flying along with some creative shorting of the course to try and catch up to the lead planes—more often than not the offenders were awarded with a cut penalty knocking them down a place for their efforts. Most of the cuts occurred in the first round with fliers getting a little more conservative in the second and third rounds to avoid costly mistakes. A couple unlucky pilots had some problems that kept them from getting to the finals—better luck next time guys!
After the preliminary rounds the numbers were totaled up and fliers were grouped for the finals into 3 groups.  The final series of races had some of the tightest contests with the Gold cup race having three very closely matched planes and pilots trading places for the lead for nearly the whole 10 laps. On the last turn of the last lap Alex decided to risk it all with an early turn trying to gain the lead—-it didn’t work as he was rewarded with a cut taking him to a third place. Even so he was smiling after such a close race.
Some suggestions to help some of the racing new comers—getting your plane setup for racing is usually quite different than for the settings for fun flying. A plane that is setup correctly will be easy to guide around the course allowing you to concentrate on racing than just maintaining control. For some hints and tips follow this link to a previous article on setting up your T28 for racing: https://www.sefsd.org/builds-reviews/fms-t28-expert-setup-for-pylon-racing/
The current schedule has a second race date on the October calendar for this Saturday the 24. We will follow the same format as last time with a pilots meeting at 10 and the first race at 10:10. Charge up your batteries!
Bronze Cup
1)Steve#14
2)Tim#23
3)Vince #88
4)David#7
Silver Cup
1)Brad#6
2)Quan#51
3)Jeff#77
Gold Cup
1)Steve#77
2)Otto#33
3)Alex#27
 

IFLYAMA, do you? And if not, why not?

General Interest

By Frank Sutton

      Unlike my Sweetheart, Joan, I have never been a fan of Facebook and do not have my own Facebook profile. I am, however, now a huge fan of the IFLYAMA Group that piggybacks on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/groups/IFLYAMA), and I think you may also become an IFLYAMA fan too if you check it out!

     As an AMA Member, I receive E-mails from the AMA all the time, and some of them refer to the IFLYAMA Website and the AMA AIR Live Internet Show normally held on every 1st and 15th of the month, hosted by Matt and Claire. If you’re unable to watch the AMA Air show live (usually about 30 minutes or so), it is recorded and posted on the IFLYAMA Website.  In early AUG2020, I watched one of the recorded episodes using the link attached to the E-mail and it was very informative. I watched and enjoyed the next one two weeks later, and noticed that Claire always asks at the end of the show, “If you’re not an IFLYAMA member, why aren’t you?” I’ve been watching every episode, sometimes when it was live, ever since.

     Each episode features a dedicated segment to the IFLYAMA group.  Matt and Claire say it is their favorite part of the show and for good reason, it is also our favorite part of the show seeing the photos and videos submitted by Pilots featured on the show!  So I was very curious about the IFLYAMA group. Years ago, Joan created a Facebook profile for Alex which Joan sometimes updates because like me, Alex also doesn’t do Facebook. With their permission, I accessed the IFLYAMA/Facebook Page via Alex’s Facebook profile and requested membership almost three months ago.  Of course, I had to give IFLYAMA my name and AMA Membership number, but I was getting there via Alex’s Facebook profile.  My membership request was quickly approved and then I was able to log on the IFLYAMA Website to see what was going on and happily discovered there really is a lot going on!

     There are over 3,000 IFLYAMA members currently, and new members are joining daily. To more easily explain what the IFLYAMA is all about, here’s a quote from the IFLYAMA homepage describing what it is all about……

 QUOTE

“Model aviation is fun! And it’s even more fun when shared! I Fly AMA is a community created to bring AMA members together to share projects, building tips and tricks, and modeling stories with likeminded modelers.

Whether you fly airplanes, helicopters, drones, prefer Free Flight, Control Line, or Radio Control, this place is for you. Because at the heart of each discipline, we all share one thing in common: a passion for flight!

Please be kind, respectful, and don’t spam. We’re all in this together!”

END QUOTE

     In the “Media” section I immediately saw photos and videos submitted by other Pilots showing what they’re flying, where they’re flying, what they’re building, and comments back and forth between the Pilot that posted the photo or video and those that saw the photo or video.  Sometimes a Pilot would ask a question or seek advice, and always other Pilots would respond and come to their assistance.  Everyone I could see was as excited about aviation as myself and Alex, and we were able to learn a few things and make some new “virtual” friends along the way and located all across the USA!  There are technical articles and information as well, and news about the FAA and how their rules and regulations are affecting our wonderful sport.

     IFLYAMA does so many things to promote model aviation too, one of them being to promote a different R/C Club each month in their Live AMA Air Internet Show. They also change the aviation photo on their main page every month by having members submit their own photos and then the one with the most “Likes” by the viewers is the photo that headlines the IFLYAMA’s homepage for the following month.  Pilots have to specifically submit a photo in the main page contest to be considered for the monthly IFLYAMA mainpage photo when the contest starts on the 15th of each month, any photos that may have already been submitted simply for sharing with other Pilots are not considered.  Once a Pilot’s contest photo is chosen, that Pilot is disqualified from submitting another contest photo for the honor of it being used as the IFLYAMA Main Page photo, but of course, the Pilot may always submit additional photos for sharing.  The homepage photo competition is fierce with many absolutely spectacular photos submitted each month; I don’t know if one of my contest photo submissions will ever be a monthly winner but I’m not giving up!  So long as the SEFSD Pilots keep flying, I’ll keep taking photos!

     You may have already guessed it; I saw an opportunity to promote Silent Electric Flyers San Diego to the more than 3,000 IFLYAMA members and have been doing so for nearly three months now.  I have submitted photos and a few videos for the IFLYAMA members to view and have received dozens of “Likes” and comments in the process.  Similarly, I “Like” and comment on other Pilots’ submissions as well, and often receive a thankful reply.  There is no doubt by now many Pilots across the USA understand how great it is to be a member of Silent Electric Flyers San Diego and know of all the fun we have flying at our beautiful Mission Bay location.  Many members respond to some of the photos by stating it just can’t get any better flying R/C with the roller coasters in the background (of some photos)!

     If you enjoy reviewing the SEFSD Website, the SEFSD photo gallery, and reading the SEFSD Peak Charge Newsletter every month, then Alex and I believe you will also enjoy the IFLYAMA community where there is always something new happening.  To join, you’ll need a Facebook profile (www.facebook.com) and if you don’t already have one (like me!), you may easily create one and provide the minimal information to protect your privacy.  Then, log on Facebook with your new profile and search for the “IFLYAMA” group and submit a membership request. It can’t get any easier than this, and we hope you will enjoy it too!  And if anyone asks, Alex and I STILL don’t do Facebook – but we definitely do IFLYAMA!

     I’ve enclosed a photo of Matt and Claire on the IFLYAMA Air Show, the IFLYAMA logo, and a screenshot photo just after posting a few 10OCT2020 T-28 Racing and Open Flying photos.  As Matt and Claire say at the conclusion of each AMA Air Live show, “See You Later, Aviators!”

V/R,

Frank “Hobie” Sutton

“Aviator” Alex Sutton

Bob’s F-16 Upgrade

Builds & Reviews

By Bob Stinson

64th Aggressor Squadron, Callie Graphics and an Eflite F-16

Those of us inclined towards scale military planes are always on the lookout for a good looking color scheme on a favorite airframe. I’m no exception. I’ve been flying Eflite’s 70mm Thunderbirds F-16 for a while now. I’d always wondered what it would look like in operational garb. Scott C. recently painted his as a 64th Aggressor Squadron adversary. When I checked the unit online, it was like Richthoven’s Flying Circus brought to the present day!
I selected a color scheme and repainted my F-16. It needed those identifying marks the real ones sported to give it that aura of authenticity. Enter Callie Graphics! if you haven’t yet discovered her company, you’re in for a treat! She is a magician in supplying dry transfers for your airplane. If she doesn’t have them in stock, she’ll make some up, but she’s hard to stump. I once asked for some “Fuerza Aerea Mexicana” markings for a 1960’s era De Haviland Vampire. Amazingly, she already had some on file.
Rattle can spray paints, some online photos for reference, Callie’s decals, and the Thunderbird is now a “Mig-23 Flogger” based at Nellis Air Force Base.

Otto’s New Sensation F3a Pattern Competition Bipe

Builds & Reviews

By Otto Dieffenbach

This is a project I started on after the first of the year. The plane is Lassi Nurila’s version of the Sensation F3a pattern competition bipe. The design originated in Germany around 2012 and has captured many titles in world competition. Last year Lassi flew his version to 5th in the World Championships. I started flying modern pattern with Bruce Brown once a week with a used 2 meter plane. I realized that I enjoyed the flying as much as classic pattern and decided to up my game. Lassi was kind enough to work with me from Finland. He layer up a fuse for me and I picked it up at LAX. I had the wing/stab cores cut by Eureka and Don did a fine job. I began actual building in mid August and maidened on the 12th of October. It flies very much like a 3D indoor foamy. Effortless knife edge and tracks beautifully.

Meeting Minutes from August & September 2020

General Interest

By Steve Manganeli

Minutes, SEFSD BOD Meeting, August 12th, 2020

Meeting called to order by COB Brad Bender @ 6:52 P.M., home of Steve Neu

Present : Brad Bender, Steve Manganelli, Steve Neu, Quan Nguyen

Via Zoom : Jeff Struthers, Ken Dresser, Eric Shapiro

Not Present : Carl Cox, Tony Blackhurst

  1. No minutes were created after our last meeting held February 11, 2020 although I and Brad had written notes from it. Manganelli agreed to take minutes for this meeting.
  2. Membership stands at 286 and our net worth is ~ $33,000. No club events and no prizes has saved us money!
  3. Field Improvement. Application of “Dust Down” via 3000 gallon water truck was approved and will be implemented after loose sand has been swept away. This was discussed in February to be accomplished in March prior to the last rain, but overcome by (Covid) events. A treatment performed in the next few weeks should last us until the rains come. Sufficient Dust Down should be in hand by next week, the sand sweep will be announced via broadcast for August 22nd at 8:30 A.M. and the water truck rental/application shortly thereafter.
  4. Altitude Limit/FAA. Brad reported that the AMA has intervened with some clubs to raise their altitude limit to 400 ft. However our limit was imparted by an FAA regional office in the Los Angeles area and we don’t have any direct contacts with them. For the foreseeable future we must abide by the 200 ft limit and have our FAA registration current and displayed on our models.
  5. Holiday Party. Our contacts at the Harbor House Restaurant informed us that they will be closed for inside/close dining until at least November so no party may be scheduled. However once opened, we could be scheduled in with only 30 days lead time, so don’t give up yet!
  6. First Post Covid Club Event : T-28 Racing! Steve Neu announced that Racing with social distancing will commence on August 22nd. We should plan on wearing masks when we are in close proximity as current practice. There are folks from the Miramar Club that want to race us and was agreed that as long as they have AMA, they were welcome but any prizes purchased at Club expense would only be available to club members. There was no mention of anything at stake for August’s race, hopefully it will low key so as to not create the appearance of a crowd.
  7. Port a Potty Rental. Quan reported we are due a credit from United Rentals of $286 for extra cleanings not actually performed (as we weren’t there to benefit from them). Eric mentioned to watch for black widow spiders when putting to lid down and was still feeling the pain from an encounter!
  8. Our Certificate of Deposit expired and is now at an interest rate of 0.25%. Other possibilities are being explored.
  9. Club Officer Succession. Brad reminded us that his term as COB is nominally over at the end of this year. Per our bylaws, the outgoing President nominally succeeds him, but after the abdication of Mr. Blackhurst, it is clear we will need some new blood. Brad asked all BOD members if they would consider another office or another term. It was also discussed that there may be a need for an alternate election methodology in the face of the Covid/Social distancing.
  10. Tony Blackhurst will be removed from the Club Bank account authorization due to his non-participation in Club activities. The new President will be a Substitute nominee.
  11. Meeting was adjourned at 7:52 P.M.

Respectfully Submitted be Steve P. Manganelli, Vice President

 – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –  – –

Minutes, SEFSD BOD Meeting, September 9th, 2020

Meeting called to order by COB Brad Bender @ 6:55 P.M., home of Steve Neu

Present : Brad Bender, Steve Manganelli, Steve Neu, Quan Nguyen

Via Zoom : Jeff Struthers, Carl Cox, Eric Shapiro

Not Present : Tony Blackhurst

  1. Field Improvement : we spent $639 for the “Dust Down” and $680 for the 2000 gallon water truck to solidify the field as authorized at the last BOD meeting. Apparently( 1) of the 5 gallon pails was shipped damaged and we received (5) no-charge replacements, so the next time it will be cheaper (won’t be done again until after the rains come). Thanks to Jim Bonnardel for driving/filling/messing with the water truck!
  2. Membership stands at 291 and our net worth is ~ $33,000. No club events and no prizes continue to save us money! We submitted a new Money Market account to raise funds from our savings.
  3. Altitude Limit/FAA. Our letter of agreement with Lindberg’s tower was received, signed by both parties, thus approved! Yeah, we get our “Blue Dot” on AMA’s master flying site map! The only new item for us is too add POC info for the tower in an unlikely event that a model departs the field heading for Lindberg in a stable manner. Look for an addendum to the large rules sign stating what to do in that unlikely event. Action to write the statement : Me!
  4. Club Officer Succession. Brad took a poll of current officers willing to serve another term : those in the affirmative include :Myself, Quan, Steve Neu and Brad.. (3) more names are needed. All were encouraged to recruit!
  5. Holiday Party. Discussion will be deferred until October’s meeting.
  6. We still have a couple of tables at the field to replace, goal is to have them done by the end of year.
  7. There will be no Electroglide this month. Principles still dissuaded by Covid implications.
  8. Next BOD meeting scheduled for October 14, 2020 although it appears to be the 7th
  9. Meeting was adjourned at 8:07 P.M.

Respectfully Submitted be Steve P. Manganelli, Vice President.

Night Flying

Uncategorized

By Kevin Shaw

For those of you lamenting the late sunrises and early dusks these days, have no fear! Just because you can’t see anything doesn’t mean you can’t chuck a plane in the air. RC flying is available 24 hours a day, with the right equipment.

Ken Dresser, Jeremy Hirst, myself, and others have gone down to the field for sunset and night flying, and it’s a BLAST! If flying line-of-sight, it’s important to have adequate LED lights on your plane. There are many options available on the market (Night Radian, Night Timber, etc.) or you can make your own. We’ve had great luck buying the Ready Made RC “Fire” LED lights, which are available in a variety of colors. Make sure to put lights of different color on top, bottom, right and left for nighttime orientation. We like to place bright lights on the bottom to light up the ground during low passes or landings.

For those of you who really like a challenge, try it FPV! RunCam sells the Night Eagle 2 Pro which has an incredible low-light sensor, allowing FPV flight with very minimal ambient light. We’ve found it works the best on a full moon with a thin cloud layer for optimal light diffusion. Place some flashlights or glow sticks on the runway so you can find it in the dark. Bringing a headlamp is key.

When you get tired of safely flying around in the dark and need something to up the stakes, there’s always Night Combat! This can be done line-of-sight or FPV, and is best with a group of people. Probably best to fly your older planes that have seen better days. No matter what happens, Night Combat always ends with a mix of laughter and regret – which is really the only way to fly RC.

Please send me an email if you’d like to fly with us. kshawmd@gmail.com

AMA Air on YouTube

General Interest
Don’t know if you’ve seen today’s AMA Air, it is posted on YouTube now and here’s the link……
  They discussed a new application coming to all AMA members from USASidekick.com, and I thought it would be useful for SEFSD because we’re so close to Lindbergh International (I didn’t quite follow everything they were saying about it). They also discussed how to become a Gold, Silver, or Bronze Leader Club and what that could do for us when it comes to dealing with the FAA being so close to Lindbergh International again and getting our 400 feet restored too!  Lots of good info on the show, thought you ‘all would be interested!