Yearly Archives: 2021

159 posts

Chairman’s Corner for December 2021

President's Corner
SEFSD Members and Friends,
As 2021 comes to an end, so does my time as Chairman of the Board of Directors for SEFSD. I plan to continue being a presence on the weekends, and still offer assistance to all as needed. As I pass the Torch to Jovi Murek, please thank him and the other BOD members for stepping up when you can.
I would like to thank each of you for your friendship and open camaraderie over the last several years as that is what makes our club the best in Southern California. I encourage all to get involved with events to your liking, and always encourage members to sit on the BOD periodically to help guide the club in positive directions. This will keep our club growing dynamically, and increase everyone’s enjoyment. I am always proud to be a member when I see your friendly and helpful attitudes as you welcome people with dreams and a new plane as they arrive on site!
There are still several seats available for the yearly Banquet currently scheduled for 15 Jan at the Edgewater Grill. I highly encourage those that can attend to ensure you make this one!! Even though the cost of everything has gone WAAAYY up this year, The BOD agreed to absorb the increased Banquet costs to give you an amazing event with great dinner selections and LOTS of really great raffle prizes (for both the guys and the ladies). All while maintaining the same out of pocket cost-per-seat to members as in previous years. This value may not be available in the future as costs continue to rise – so strike while the iron is hot!! I really hope to see you there. [See below for banquet information]
Along with 2022 comes the requirement to renew your club membership – again without an increase in dues. ANOTHER BARGAIN!! Please remember that we do not pro-rate membership and all 2021 badges are considered expired on January first. Renewal is easy on the web site: www.sefsd.org as well as the purchase of your banquet tickets. Our membership coordinator, George Sullivan plans to be at the field this weekend (and possibly next weekend) with the new badges for members that have renewed their membership this month. Expect any badges not claimed by the 9th to be mailed to you. As a reminder, please wear/display on your person your current membership cards while utilizing our site. Your new cards will feature an amazing image selected by Eric Shapiro, and will have the 2022 combination to the locks at the gate and on the porta-potty, which will change effective 15 Jan.
As some of you know, I had a serious medical condition arise late November and have been away from the club since. I would like to put out a heart felt “ THANK YOU!” to all of the members that sent cards, texts, mails, and thoughts to me and my family. We appreciate it so much that words are hard to find. I am 2 weeks out of heart bypass surgery, at home, and getting better every day. I actually had my Physical Therapist (terrorist) tell be to slow down today as I am up to walking 3 hours a day and she thinks I am pushing myself too hard. While a month or two off of work is never a bad thing, I am still limited to lifting less than 5 pounds for the next couple of weeks so cant fly or even work on any airplanes. I do plan to come out for a few hours this weekend though. Randy offered to put on his “ driving Mr. Bradley “ hat and drive me to and from the site.
On an interesting note, just as all of this hit me I found and purchased a used plane I have been trying to locate for a few years, and of course – now I can’t drive…. If anyone has plans to travel to ( or halfway to ) the Phoenix area in the next 5 weeks and would be willing to accept some gas money to bring a plane back with you – I would greatly appreciate it!! It will be airframe only with a 96” fuselage.
While this will be my last submission as a Member of the BOD, I do plan to slip Steve, our Editor, an article from time to time. So should you!! I see some great machines every weekend and would enjoy knowing more.
Again, Thank you all, and I hope you have a great 2022!
Brad Bender

President’s Corner for Dec 2021

President's Corner

Merry Christmas SEFSD Members and family!  I can just remember when it was summer time, flying our airplanes all day long and it was great, then as quick as flipping a switch, here we are in December.  We have had an interesting year with the pandemic and I was happy how we all took the right steps to keep all safe!  Thank You Members!

“It is Christmas in the heart that puts Christmas in the AIR”

My Wish, For You

Is that this life becomes

All that you want it to,

Your Dreams Stay Big,

And your worriers stay small,

You Never Need To Carry More Than You Can Hold,

And while you’re out there

Getting Where You’re Getting To,

I HOPE YOU KNOW SOMEBODY LOVES YOU,

And wants the same thing too

Yeah, this is my wish.

Club membership is now open alone with our banquet tickets which are going fast.  We also have a great line-up of prizes that will be given away at the January 15, 2022, Banquet.   I look forward to seeing as many of you on the upcoming event. 

From MotionRC we have the following aircraft:

  • XK X520 VTOL 520mm (20.4”)
  • Flightline Hawker Sea Fury 1200mm (47”)
  • Freewing Avanti S 80mm EDG Ultimate Sport Jet
  • Frewing Vulcan High Performance 70mm EDF Sport Jet

From Tower Hobbies, (Horizon Hobby) we have the following aircraft:

  • MXS V2 Green PNP, 1100mm
  • Twin Otter 1.2m PHP, Includes Floats
  • ASW-17 EP Glider PNP 2500mm
  • Timber X 1.2m PNP
  • Night Radian 2.0 PNP

We are also going to have a bunch of smaller items:

  • iCharger X12
  • assortment of batteries
  • Related items.

And not to forget our spouses, I hear Lisa, Brad’s wife for those who don’t know, has fantastic prizes (lotions, etc.) from Victor’s Secret. This will be a fun event with great food and beverages.  So 2021 members get your tickets SOON!

We have had a situation in which a past member was flying out at the field without AMA or SEFSD membership. His last membership date was 2018…. The way this was found out and he has been flying at our field this year and all thought he was a member.  The way I found this out was, unlike the rest of us, calling out our intentions in “Taking-off, Low fly by and Landings”, he failed to do so, and he was asked many times to call out his intentions.  I approached the pilot and I noticed he was not wearing a badge. We are all required to wear our badges at the field, and I would like to invite any member to approach a pilot who may not be wearing a badge and ask to see the SEFSD badge or AMA.  You as a club member have every right to ask if the pilot is a member.   It is most important that everyone who flies in our field, must have AMA and be a member of SEFSD.  If you come across a situation with a pilot, I ask that you bring this to the attention of any BOD member so we can act accordingly.  We cannot have pilots flying at the field who are not members.  This can and will cause us to lose the field.   Even at the Rotorplex everyone must be a member to fly at the South Shores Park on Mission Bay.

This past year was a blast being your club president.  It was fun holding meetings, planning the events, giving out the prizes, talking with a lot of you and getting to know you even more.  This of course will not stop as being the Chairman of the Board, replacing Brad Bender who we all can say did one hell of a fantastic job in keeping our club safety and interest first and foremost.  Thank You Brad!   Steve Manganelli will be our President for the coming year.  Filling his position as Vice- Pres, will be our former Treasure, Quan Nguyen.  Taking Quan’s position for Treasurer is Dave Youssefi.  Replacing Eric Shapiro as Secretary is Ken Dresser.  Remaining as Safety Officer is Steve Neu.  Also remaining as Editor is Steve Belknap.

Special thanks to the Member at Large, Carl Cox (Chef Carl), Jeff Struthers (holding our Glider events, including marking the circle and the center line) and now joining the Member at large is Larry Kosta.   Also deserving Thanks are the following members:  Dennis LaBerge with all his efforts in taking care of the field and helping out a lot of new comers to the hobby.  Mark Davis and Fritz Logan with they help in providing the lunches we have at our meetings.  Jim Bonnardel will be our Contest Director for our Fun-Fly for 2022.  And we have Frank Sutton to thank for all the great pictures he has and will be taking!

 “It is Christmas in the heart that puts Christmas in the AIR”

Maybe that’s why it’s Christmas every day in this hobby!

Merry Christmas to all our members and to their family’s!

Treasurer’s Report for December 2021

General Interest
We closed 2021 with 341 members, which is on par with pre-pandemic levels. I’m grateful for your support, and your membership allows us to do great things, not just for the club, but for the community. First off, we only have a few seats left for the holiday party on January 15th at Edgewater Grill (near the old Harbor House restaurant), so don’t delay in securing your tickets.

I was able to visit Carl last weekend at Balboa Nursing and Rehab in Hillcrest. As you can see, he’s doing great!

On December 2nd, I went to the St. Paul’s Motor Mingle to drop off 40 blankets that SEFSD purchased for a great deal (thanks to Lisa, Brad’s wife). These blankets will go to seniors in their PACE program, an all-inclusive medical program for the elderly. St. Paul’s Senior Services is very grateful for the club’s support, and it’s the 2nd year that the club has helped with blankets.

Lastly, in case you don’t know yet, I’m stepping down as Treasurer in 2022, to assume a much easier role as Vice President, especially since Jim Bonnardel has formally agreed to help run the contests that the VP normally has to do. I’ll be helping incoming Treasurer, David Youssefi, to provide as much (or little) support as he needs to ensure a smooth transition. Thank you for entrusting me all these years to handle the club’s finances.

-Quan
SEFSD Treasurer 2021

My First and Only Out-Of-Sight Flight

Builds & Reviews

By Steve Manganelli

The term OOS or “Out Of Sight” is a Free Flight Model Aviation term referring to a model catching a thermal that carries it up and out of sight, generally never to be seen again.  I can’t imagine the melancholy feeling of watching the product of your hard work disappear before your eyes. On one hand, you have validation of your model building skills; on the other, sadness at the loss  of your creation. I’ve heard stories of models turning up in a cornfield some miles downwind of the field years later or what not, but that is nothing like my OOS experience!

For my story, turn the clock back to about 1971/2, before I could afford the luxury of Radio Control. As a geeky 11/12 year old, with friends of similar ilk, if it flew, floated or ran, we had to play with it…or destroy it. My friend Jeff and I had a motto : “cure it or kill it”. All of our experimental unguided air vehicles either had to fly successfully or be demolished in some spectacular fashion.

One day, a foam wind-up rubber band powered airplane with a span of maybe a foot and a half had reached that point of no return.  It was doggy as a rubber powered model and by then I was experienced with balsa, dope and tissue and knew how to do better.  This foamy was called “Major Roscoe Hawks Amazing Flying Machine” (MRHAFM).  Actually I remembered the name a little differently but with the miracle of Google I actually found one under vintage toys, circa 1971 and no, I didn’t buy it so I could relive the soon to be described stupidity!

MRHAFM  has roughly the proportions of a high wing Cessna. Clearly if a rubber motor was enough to fly it, a Cox .049 should be oh so much better! At least we had enough sense to chop off most of the nose and epoxy on a scrap of 1/8 plywood for a firewall; surely it would need some up thrust so we did that too! Next, we bolted on a cantankerous Cox “Golden Bee” 049, the kind with the larger gas tank for a 6 or 7 minute run.  In control line models, this particular engine never did more than couple laps before it quit, but for MRHAFM, we figured 10 or 15 seconds would be more than long enough to pile drive this wannabe ice chest into the ground in some spectacular fashion! In retrospect, the fuel pickup of the engine was probably on the bottom instead of the outside as needed for control line, but no matter. A final check out of the flying machine suggested it might still be a little nose heavy (ya think?) so a couple of cox glow plug wrenches were taped to the tail. Perfect, off to the nearest vacant lot we went.  No need to ride our bikes to one of our control line fields (aka the nearest school field), no landing was expected on this flight!

The tank was fully fueled, the engine started and the needle valve was peaked to screaming pitch. MRHAFM was released gingerly into the wind. A steep climb ensued as the unreinforced foam wing bowed to foretell anticipated disaster, but instead she arched over on her back, we figured heading for a glorious “figure 9”. Our anticipation of a full power, straight in crash was quickly dashed.  Instead, the 100 foot loop was completed missing the bushes by mere inches and another giant loop was begun, still tracking straight into the wind! This time, the bottom of the loop was maybe 20 feet off the ground and another loop started. By the third loop, Jeff and I looked at each other in unstated disbelief : “why is this thing still running?” . But run she did. Successive loops gaining more and more altitude and for some reason, continuing to track straight into the wind. She climbed higher and higher until after about 3 minutes or so, we lost both sight and sound of her; MRHAFM was gone, out of sight!

Our ecstasy quickly turned into consternation as the thought of what will happen when she ran out of gas began to go through our heads. Unlike a lightweight well-trimmed free flight model which will lazily glide down to a soft landing when it’s OOS thermal lost it’s hold on it, we knew MRHAFM would come down like a rock when our now best-engine-ever ran out of fuel. A car windshield or hood? Someone’s roof? Our chosen event venue was a vacant lot in the middle of a populated area. When last seen it was more or less over a cemetery, but we decided not to chase after it to find out where it came down, instead left the scene smartly with mischievous grins on our faces and in at least my case, a grand model airplane story to remember and recount nearly 50 years later.

T28 Racing Report for December 2021

T28 Contest Results
Last T28 race of 2021!
We closed out the 2021 racing year with some of the tightest racing ever—4 plane heats with nearly all the planes within 25 feet of each other for the entire race. On a whim I took my backup T28 with me when I headed out to the field. As it turned out that it was fortuitous as in the second round Alex and I had an epic midair—both planes came down in in parts. Alex managed to do a rapid repair with duct tape and CA to put his busted fuselage back together along with a servo and other parts borrowed from my crashed plane and got it ready for the next round. I had it easier as I just picked up my second T28 and flew it.
Click the Pic above for the entire album of Racing Pics
After the dust settled the order for the silver and gold cup races was set as follows:
Silver:
Alex
Quan
Logan
Bob Stinson
Gold:
Otto
Steve M
Bob Simon
Steve Neu

The finals had 4 plane heats. 
The Silver cup was a good battle with the lead being swapped several times. Quan came across the finish line first, Alex second and Logan third—but wait! The initial order did not have the pylon cuts included—after they got factored in the ranking was reversed with Logan in first, Alex second and Quan in third—with a race leading 6 cuts counted. 

Bob Simon, Otto, SteveM and myself were in the gold cup race with every lap being contested—The finish was Otto, Steve Manganelli and me and then Bob Simon—after the cuts were counted Otto and Steve M slipped positions. After the cuts getting factored in the finish order was as Steve N, Bob Simon, Steve M and Otto. 

We will continue our T28 racing series in the new year on the same monthly schedule. All pilots should get a number to help identify their plane—you can pick your favorite number by emailing me—I keep the list and will tell you if the number is available or not. Numbers up to 99 can be picked but all the numbers below 20 are already taken.

Discount Hobbies got a good sized batch of FMS T28s in stock. The new ones come with some upgrades including a stabilization system—the sale price has increased but what hasn’t. If you are new to T28 racing go back and read up on the SEFSD web site on the rules and suggested modifications and setup tips. 

Go fast and turn left!
Steve Neu

SEFSD BOD Meeting Minutes for November 2021

Meeting Minutes

11/9/2021

Quorum at 7:10 PM, meeting convened.

In person participants: Brad, Jovi, Steve N., Steve M., Quan, Eric
Online participants: Steve B., Carl, Jeff, Kenny
Visiting member online: Dave Yousefi
Not present: N/A

Meeting held at Brad’s home.

Brad: Discussion about banquet prizes.
Spent time preparing future board members with details about club operations.

Steve M.: Steve will be our 2022 Club President.

Steve N.: Steve will remain in the Safety Officer position.

Steve B.: Steve will continue as Editor for the next year.

Carl:  Carl will return as Member at Large.

Jovi: Jovi will replace Brad as Club Chairman.
The January banquet still on schedule, but we continue to monitor Covid-19.
Jovi is helping acquire prizes for the banquet.

Quan: Quan will become Vice President for 2022.
341 members as of 11/9/2021.
Bank balance sufficient and financials available to club members.
Banquet reservations made.
Membership and banquet ticket will be automated.
Membership and banquet ticket applications will be online and live at the first part of December.

Eric: Eric will be stepping down as Club Secretary.
Has new referrals for the DG project.
The project will be revisited during weather related work slowdown.

Kenny: Kenny will replace Eric as Club Secretary.

 

Upcoming events:

T-28 racing demo on Saturday, 10:00 AM on 11/13/2021 @ Weedwackers.

Motion made and seconded to retain current trailer storage agreement at $600/year.
Motion made and seconded to maintain membership dues at $50/year.
Motion made and seconded to spend up to $300 for donated blankets to the elderly.

Next BOD meeting date 1/12/2022.

Meeting adjourned at 8:17 PM.

Eric Shapiro
SEFSD Secretary 2021
P.S. – I’d like to thank the club for letting me be a member of the board for the last 3 years.  It has been a privilege.

Chairman’s Corner for Nov – Dec 2021

President's Corner

I hope everyone enjoys a great thanksgiving this year with family and Friends!

Starting off for November, I would like to post the results of nominations/election for SEFSD Board of Directors to take us into 2022.

We did have a few nominees, but since they were unchallenged, we did not actually require a vote, just an acceptance.

Next year I will be vacating the Chairman position, and Eric Shapiro will be exiting as Secretary. Here is the BOD for 2022:

Chairman – Jovi Murek

President – Steve Manganelli

Vice President – Quan Nguyen

Treasurer – Dave Youssefi

Secretary – Ken Dresser

Safety Officer – Steve Neu

Editor – Steve Belknap

Member at large – Carl Cox

Member at large – Jeff Struthers

Member at large – Larry Kosta

Please say “THANK YOU!” to these folks for stepping up to guide the club next year. I encourage every member to take a year or more on the BOD to find out what is involved in keeping the wheels on with a club as large as ours.

“Thank you!”  also goes to the people who do a lot of work behind the scenes, without actually being on the BOD:

Dennis LaBerge

Mark Davis

Fritz Logan

Nico

Jim Bonnardel

Frank Sutton

As the year ends, we have finalized our plans for the SEFSD End of year banquet.  THANKS QUAN! It sounds like you have planned another GREAT event!  The event will be held at the Edgewater Grill in Seaport Village on Saturday, 15 Jan.  This is high end dining, and the club picks up the majority of the tab. Tickets will be $20.00 per dining patrons. Part of your contribution will go towards your meal, and the rest is applied to the raffle prizes. As before, there will be aircraft related prizes, and a selection of prizes for the ladies. Mostly lotions, cremes, and scents from Victoria Secrets. Their main dining room is a bit smaller than our previous venue, so the first 100 purchased tickets will be in the main hall, with the last 30 patrons being seated on the heated patio – get your ticket early!

Banquet ticket sales, as well as membership renewals for 2022 will commence the first week of December via the website ( SEFSD.ORG ) and will be announced via E-mail blast to members. As the close-out banquet for 2021, only 2021 members are eligible to attend. If you receive club mailings, but were not an actual member during 2021, you will not be able to attend. However… each year we have a member or two “ forget ” to renew membership who would still like to attend. Even though membership has officially closed for 2021 – and the link is currently disabled, Members can contact Quan at his mail posted on the site and can pay dues for 2021 for a couple more weeks.

As I mentioned, club membership renewals will open the first week of December, Dues will remain at $50.00 for the primary member, then $10.00 for additional members in the same household. Have you renewed your AMA? The system checks with AMA to ensure you are up to date before proceeding to payment. No, we do not pro-rate memberships – all 2021 memberships expire on Dec 31, 2021. As before, we will post dates to pick up your new badges at the field at the end of December/early Jan. The lock on the gate and porta loo will change to the 2022 combination on 15 Jan, and the new code will be on the back of your new membership cards. Eric Shapiro has provided the picture for the new membership badges.

Some club members attended the Veterans day fly in at the WEEDWACKERS Veterans day fly in on 13 November. It was a fun time, with around 75 attendees demonstration various aspects of electric, nitro, and gasoline flight. They had a fine raffle, and an inexpensive lunch to round the day out. Some of our clubs’ T-28 pylon racers put on race demonstrations for around 45 minutes. Maybe we will have some new racers next year?  If you live in east county, you should check them, out!

There will be no more meetings at the field for the remainder of the year as normal dates conflict with Holiday weekends. However, Steve is still hosting the T-28 series in December – on the 11th.  Jeff expects to Kick off the 2022 Electroglide on 15 Jan.

As I close out for November, I would like to thank all of the members for keeping the club drama free this year! You, and your participation in club events are what make our club fun for everyone.

Brad

President’s Corner for Nov – Dec 2021

President's Corner

When the leaves start falling and the shelves are stocked with pumpkin items at Trader Joe’s, that’s when you know that Thanksgiving is right around the corner! Unlike other holidays that are more gift-focused, Thanksgiving is centered on giving thanks for what we have and the special people in our lives. It’s a time to catch up with loved ones, sit around the table and share one of the most delicious meals of the year. Who doesn’t love endless stuffing and slices of pie.

No matter the distance between you and your loved ones this Thanksgiving, remember to share how much you care about them.  So, before you get to carving the turkey or passing the gravy, send a card or text message to those that you are grateful for from my list. I am sharing greetings that are perfect for friends, coworkers and even for families that won’t be seeing each other this year due to the pandemic. However you spend Thanksgiving, be sure to show your gratitude with those you are most grateful for having in your life!

Thanksgiving Wishes for Friends –

  • Thanksgiving is a time of reflection for all our blessings. Your friendship counts for so much. Have a joyous Thanksgiving.
  • Friend, wishing you Thanksgiving moments that are as sweet as pumpkin pie.
  • Sending good wishes to you this Thanksgiving: Good food that fills your table, good health as you work hard and good times with family and friends. May you have all the best airplanes in life. Happy Thanksgiving!
  • Wishing you hope, joy, peace, good health, favor and love on this Thanksgiving Day! Your friendship is indeed a great blessing to me.
  • My friend, Happy Thanksgiving to you! May all your hard work bring color to your life and take you to the highest peak of success.
  • November is the time to be thankful, a time to remember and to embrace those who enrich our lives. I’m thankful for a lot of things, but I’m most thankful for you!
  • Happy Thanksgiving. To my awesome friend, I send warm wishes your way and hope you and your family have a fantastic Thanksgiving Day!
  • Happy Thanksgiving. Thinking of you on this special day and hoping your Thanksgiving is as wonderful as you are.
  • Happy Thanksgiving! Out of everything I am so very thankful for this Thanksgiving season, our friendship is at the top of the list.
  • I hope your Thanksgiving table is full of your favorite food and surrounded by your favorite people.
  • May your Thanksgiving be full of peace, love and joy.
  • Don’t bother counting calories today, just your blessings. Wishing you a very Happy Thanksgiving!
  • May your Thanksgiving Day be full of excitement… except for a couple of hours in there when you want to work on your planes.
  • This Friendsgiving, let’s enjoy the laughter of friends, mouth-watering aromas and cheer that we’ll remember for years to come.
  • Here’s a wish for a happy, joyous and fun-filled Thanksgiving to all SEFSD Club Members.

Thanksgiving Poem –

Take a turkey, stuff it fat,
Some of this and some of that.
Get some turnips, peel them well.
Cook a big squash in its shell.
Now potatoes, big and white,
Mash till they are soft and light.
Cranberries, so tart and sweet,
With the turkey we must eat.
Pickles-yes-and then, oh my!
For a dessert a pumpkin pie,
Golden brown and spicy sweet.
What a fine Thanksgiving treat!

                                        Happy Thanksgiving to all SEFSD Members!

 

Bomb Drop Squadron Style –

The last Fun-Fly turned out to be a very interesting event in which the game was changed to Squadron Style of flying.  We had three squadrons, “Electronic Attack”, “Fighter Squadron Composite” and “Unmanned Patrol”.  Each squadron had 4 pilots. The Electronic Attack had the following pilots, Frite, Dave, Tom and Quan.   Fighter Squadron Composite had these following pilots: Roy, Paul, Ty and Jim.  Unmanned Patrol had Richard, Eric, George and Brad.

Electronic Attack took off, all four planes in the air.  It was fun to watch the first group get in the air.  Frite was the first to drop his bomb. He was close to the circles but was on the center line.  Dave dropped his at the East of the circles.  Tom was unable to get his smaller plane off the ground with the bomb.  Quan was very far to the west end of the field; he was way out there!  Winner of the Electronic Attack was Frite.

Next squadron was Fighter Squadron Composite.  In this squadron, Roy was first and his bomb drop was right on the center line close to the circles; good for best.  Paul was next and he dropped his bomb north of the circles in the weeds.  Ty was next and he too was north of the circles and in the weeds.  Jim’s drop was about a foot away from Roy.

Last squadron was the Unmanned Patrol.  Richard was in the air and he was making a number of passes and just could not get the bomb off his plane.  Then I heard and I even said “do a kamikaze style” just jokily and then I hear it.  Richard flew his plane in the ground and was the closest one to the circles.  Next was Eric, he too was north of the circles and in the weeds.  George at least hit the runway but was too far from the circles.  Then comes Brad. H flies his plane, drops his bomb and it lands in the 50-point ring (second circle)! Actually, he was the only one to hit the circles.

The winner of this first round, from Electronic Attack, was Frite. Fighter Squadron Composite had two winners, Roy and Jim.   Unmanned Patrol winners were kamikaze pilot Richard and Brad. Those five pilots took to the skies for the deciding round. Roy came in fifth place ($10.00) and Jim came in fourth place ($20.00).  Both pilots were outside the circles.  Inside the circles was third place Brad ($30.00), second place Frite ($40.00) and first place Richard. Richard had a second plane to fly and with it he dropped his bomb closest to the center circle and became top pilot of Bomb Drop Squadron Style ($50.00).

Thank You all for participating in Bomb Drop Squadron Style.

Last minute notes.  Membership renewal is coming up starting in December. So, make sure you also have renewed your AMA membership prior to renewing your SEFSD membership. Membership for SEFSD remains at $50.00 for the year, so please renew.   Mark your calendar for January 15, 2022 for our annual banquet.  We are going to have a lot of goodies to be given away on the 15th for both our flyers and our beloved wives who support our hobby!

T28 Race Report from Weedwackers Field for November 2021

T28 Contest Results
We were asked by the Weedwackers to run a demo race at their Veterans Day fly in at their field in Santee. Flying at the Weedwackers club on a nice smooth paved runway was a treat for those of us used to our Mission Bay dirt patch. We had seven veteran T28 pilots show up to represent SEFSD with batteries charged. We only had a limited time window to fly which limited up to flying 3 preliminary rounds and no finals. The hope is to get some interest going within their club which might lead to bit of fun with a cross town rivalry.
We had two flight groups in each round. Randy had a little bad luck in the first heat of the  first round–he found a pole near the far pylon which turned his T28 1 piece wing in to a  two piece wing putting him out of action—but as it turned out Quan who arrived late was able to fill the open slot in the flight order for the rest of the rounds without interruption .
The rest of the rounds had less drama with only one minor equipment failure when Otto’s motor quit running at the start of the third round. With no finals racing we decided to save the awards for the December race—so we will reconvene for the year end T28 race on December 11th at 10am. Bring charged batteries and be ready to battle for bragging rights and some electric flight goodies in the raffle!
It looks like the long awaited shipment of the 800mm FMS T28 might be close to arriving in country—The Horizon web site now allows you to actually order the planes. A fresh crop of planes would be great!
Steve Neu

Pics and Report from the Weedwacker’s Veteran’s Day Fly-In & T28 Pylon Races

General Interest

Click for the album

Reports from Frank Sutton:
 I can tell you we certainly had a very fun time with the one exception of Randy’s T-28 crash into one of many fences out past the runway.  It was quite challenging I think for the SEFSD Pilots to be flying in a much smaller flight zone and with so many obstacles to crash into if flown too far out or too low (as Randy unfortunately discovered on the first lap of the first T-28 Race!).  I didn’t get a shot of the crash, by the way, but I did get a shot after the crash.  Their runway was outstanding though, and the covered pit area was crowded but nice.
     Brad won a beautiful trophy for the Judges Choice Award, and Alex won an airplane from the raffle.  The T-28 Races were closely watched by all the Weedwacker Pilots, and the close racing action had the crowd cheering!  They were also cheering for Super-Otto flying through the air with its improved thrust!  WOW – I’ve never seen it fly so well before, Otto has definitely made some great improvements!  SEFSD can be very proud, our Pilots put on one heck of a good show for the Weedwackers and everyone had a fun time too!
Quote from IFLYAMA:  SEFSD Pilots attended the Weedwackers Aerosquadron’s Veterans’ Day Fly-In on 13NOV2021; what a FUN time for all! SEFSD Pilots demonstrated T-28 Pylon Races and Otto flew his “Super-Otto” for the Weedwackers Pilots and Families to enjoy – and they were enthusiastically cheering loudly! We’re hopeful that we may someday enjoy some racing competitions between our two clubs! The Weedwackers hosted an outstanding event, excellent lunch, a salute to all the Veterans, and they helped raise some $$ for the Marines’ Toys for Tots in the process! Thank you, Weedwackers Aerosquadron of Lakeside, CA!

Chairman’s Corner for Oct – Nov 2021

President's Corner

Things are finally cooling off and recent rain has left the field in fine condition. It’s still pretty dry in the outlying area though, so please continue being diligent with fire safety. We continue to request the city keep our are safe by restricting access to non-members when the gate is closed. The city did respond by placing the railroad ties, but there are still determined people that move the boulders to access the field. There continues to be damage to the parking lot and people dumping trash on site. Our part in this is to lock the gate when there are no members on site. Please – if you are the last one out, Lock the gate behind you.

I have seen some distressingly unsafe things this past month that I would like to touch upon. With the nature of our hobby, we need to be extremely aware of what is happening around us. There were a couple more incidents of planes having an abrupt landing in the pit area or parking lot this month. While I generally get on the pilot for not warning others, I understand that they are busy trying to save their aircraft. If you see it, whether it’s your aircraft or not – please loudly warn others. Also, I continue to see people walking onto the runway without actually looking both ways to ensure it is clear. While some do call out that they intend to cross, they do not always call out loudly enough to be heard at all of the gates.  We HAVE to look and be safe! I had someone step out 10 feet in front of a 30 lb plane that was on final – at head height. His statement afterword? You guessed it – “ Well I said I was crossing! ”  The same thing goes for preparing to take off – Just saying “Taking Off” does not mean its ok to taxi out in front of people already landing, and in one case, two jets that were landing next to each other in formation when a trainer type aircraft slowly taxied out in front of them both… If you hear another pilot call out, and they are using their inside voice instead of their MAN voice, please feel free to pass it on in a louder manner so others are aware.

For those of you that remember our past club member Bak Kahn, or “Captain Bak” as he was affectionately known, I had a chance to visit him and his family in the Portland area late September. He is staying away from the drama in downtown Portland and is doing great things. He has attempted to find a local flying site, but seems to only find grumpy clubs. I’m thinking the friendly atmosphere he enjoyed at SEFSD may have spoiled him. I’m trying to convince him to visit before Christmas.

There will be some minor changes in the make-up of the Board of Directors for 2022. Most of the Board members have agreed to stay on for another year. THANK YOU TO EACH !!!  We will say Thank You and farewell to our current Secretary, Eric Shapiro – and will possibly shift a few current members around in positions. I have had one member say he would like to join the BOD ( Thanks Larry Kosta!! ) and am still awaiting an answer from 2 others ( Dave?, Larry? ) who made previous suggestive comments about serving. I will firm the possible nominations up and determine whether there will be active competition for any position – which will require a vote.  If seats are spoken for without challenge, there will not need to be a vote.

Quan is finalizing the details for the club banquet which will be held on Jan 15th. It should be an amazing event this year, making up for the one we missed last year. Once ticket sales are announced I recommend jumping on them, seating will be limited, and even alligator tears will not get you a seat once sold out…

The club meeting and fun fly at the field will take place on Saturday the 23rd at the field starting at 10:00 AM. Jovi has an interesting twist on the Bomb Drop that I am looking forward to! Following the fun fly, we will have Hotdogs provided by Fritz and cooked by Carl.

With the holidays coming this may be the last meeting at the field this year, so come out and join us!!

Have a great month and be safe!

Brad

President’s Corner for Oct – Nov 2021

President's Corner

Aloha, club members.  My wife and I had a great time on the Islands and it’s also good to be home! But the real fun was being able to sit in the captain seat of an Airbus A330 as you can see in the picture.  Naturally after that I had my Mai Tai…….and enjoyed the flight!  We have had some interesting weather of late, all which has been great for the field.  The lightning was amazing and something we San Diegans don’t see that often…unlike back east.  Then we got a good rain storm followed by some wind. The first storm caused us to miss out on our club meeting and Fun Fly “Bomb Drop”.    However, hot dogs were served, (Thank You Mark and Carl) and they were enjoyable!

We will get back to the fun fly, but now some club news.  I am happy to say that we will be having our annual gathering on January 15, so please mark your calendar.  We will have up to 125 tickets available in the coming months.  Entrance is $20.00 per person at the Edgewater Grill which is located in Seaport Village.  This will be a fun event and we are going to make up for the lost year. 

Our field looks pretty good these days.  Thanks to Dennis for keeping the runway smooth and getting rid of any footprints that may damage the runway.  And, as always, we are looking for more chairs, so if you have any old outdoor chairs please bring them to the field. 

There are still times at the field when pilots don’t call out “takeoff”, “landing” or “low flyby”.  Please, call out your intentions (projecting your voice) so that all pilots are able to hear you.  From the west gate to the east gate, you must be heard!  Thank You!

As we approach the end of year, the club will just be holding the T-28 races to finish out the series.  As far as club meetings and Fun Fly events go, this month’s event and meeting will be the last one for the year.  It’s Thanksgiving and Christmas and I am sure a lot of members will now be able to enjoy the holidays since COVID 19 hit us.  I would also like to mention that this is the time of year that Board of Directors members are looking for new club members to join in the fun.  I would like to run for President again and I also invite any members as well who would like to be President to run.  Same goes with Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer and Safety Officer.  If you are interested in any position, please advise any BOD of interest in becoming a BOD member.

Thank you all for keeping the gate closed and locked as you leave the field.  Along with the new railroad ties that were installed, it looks like we are keeping the riffraff out.  So, thank you club members.

We may have missed last month’s Fun Fly, but we’re not going to miss out this month.  The Fun Fly for this month is “Bomb Drop – Squadron Style”.  Each squadron has five pilots and your positioning is based on how you pick your ticket.  Each ticket identifies what squadron you have chosen with a number listing your position.  If you chose number 1 you are the lead pilot and the other pilots follow in the order they have chosen.

Two squadrons will be on the runway ready to go.  The first squadron takes off, one pilot after the other.  Continue to make final approach and each pilot will try to maintain some sort of controlled distance.  When the first pilot drops his bomb, the next pilot drops his bomb and then the next and so on.  When all five pilots land the next squadron takes off.  The altitude for the bomb drop will be the height of the wind sock, no lower or you will lose points if you are below.  Each pilot will have a spotter in helping to help them with flying, staying in formation and dropping the bomb.  Each pilot must keep an eye on their aircraft and not watch where the bomb drops.  A spotter will inform you of your drop.  If a pilot does not watch his aircraft and it veers off to the pits, you could be disqualified from the event and we don’t want that.  So, keep an eye out on your aircraft at ALL times!  The pilots who comes closest to the center of the target advance on to the next round.  Once the first round is completed, we move to the round of Squadron Leader.  From this round we will determine who the true Squadron Leader is.  Gift certificates are awarded based on how close the leading pilot comes to the target; the closer the better!

My last note is that you all should be receiving or have received the AMA voting ballot for District X.  Please make sure you vote for the candidate that you like.  So far we’ve had one candidate at our field, Greg Stone, and we look forward to meeting the other candidate(s) when they make an appearance.  I do believe Mr. Stone will be down for our monthly meeting this weekend since he, like we, were rained out last month.  So please make your vote count!  Voting goes till November 12, 2021.

Thank you all and looking forward to seeing you all at the field!

Jovi
President, SEFSD 2021

October’s Event – Bomb Drop, Squadron Style

Events

An exciting variation on the popular Bomb Drop

Bomb Drop Squadron Style,
Five pilots per squadron. Each squadron bomber takes off one after another, follows the lead pilot, turns final and drop their bomb. Tally the drop and distance to the center of the target for that squadron. Closest to the target gets to advance to “Squadron Leader round”. This is the same process for the remaining squadrons. 
More information in the “President’s Corner” above. 
$150 in Prizes awarded, 1st through 5th place.
 Monthly Meeting, and Hot Dog Lunch served afterward.

Electroglide Report for October 2021

Electroglide Contest Results

The final Electroglide Contest for the year was held last Saturday, a beautiful San Diego Fall day.

With clear skies and a very light breeze, nine pilots got their gliders up on the first launch. Wind conditions were so light, the lift was hard to find.

All pilots had short flight times except Alex Sutton who found a narrow column of warm air rising just north of our runway. Alex was able to milk it out for a long flight of 9:26 minutes and pick up a 10-point landing. The second place flight was 2:53 minutes long and flown by Scott Vance, picking up a 20-point landing on return. Third longest flight was from Deric Knight at 2:38 minutes.

The large difference in the flight times between Alex and everyone else on that first launch, points to his skill as a glider pilot.

Second launch had a mix of pilots trying to find the lift where Alex had flown and others trying at the western end of our flying area, near the boat ramp parking lot. The lift was now even harder to find.  Bob Anson had the long flight at 4:30 minutes with a 20-point landing. Bob Stinson was second at 3:52 and a 30-point landing. Dennis La Berge and Deric Knight both came in third at 3:30 minutes, with Dennis picking up a 30-point landing.  I must confess to causing a mid-air collision and taking out Stephen Treger’s vertical stabilizer. He was able to land off field with no further damage. With a little CA glue, Stephen was able to compete in the fourth launch.

Third launch was again into light conditions with the longest flight generated by myself at 4:54 minutes and getting a 10-point landing. Bob Anson had the second place flight at 4:47 minutes, also with a 10-point landing. Scott Vance had the third place flight at 4:11 minutes, with a 20 point landing.

Fourth and final launch had the long flight being flown by Scott Vance at 5:00 minutes, with a 20-point landing. Second place flight was by Bob Anson at 4:37, with a 20-point landing. Third place flight was by myself at 4:02 minutes.

First place finisher for the day was Alex Sutton with 190 points, Second place goes to Scott Vance at 175 points and third place was won by Bob Stinson with 159 points.

In totaling up the monthly points for the top pilots for this year, Alex Sutton came in first place with a total of 1140 points. Scott Vance was second with 979 total points and I was third with 741 total points.

We held a prize raffle for all this year’s pilots, with three pilots winning $ 100.00 gift certificates redeemable at Discount Hobbies.

Thanks to all Electroglide pilots who competed this year, it was a lot of fun. The Electroglide will be on vacation for November and December, returning to active competition on January 15th.  First launch at 10:00.

Enjoy the holidays,

Jeff Struthers

See more of October’s Electroglide pics here.

T28 Racing Report for October 2021

T28 Contest Results
While we had a light turnout for this months T28 racing it did not mean we did not have some wingtip to wingtip drama over the race course!
The preliminary rounds were 5 laps and for the most part went without much drama aside from a few pilots cutting a pylon or two—or maybe 3? The results of the preliminary rounds was as follows with cuts factored in:
1) Brad B
2) Steve N
3) Steve M
4) Alex S
5) Otto D
6) Bob S (Tie)
6) Frank G (Tie)
The finals were as often is the case where the most excitement occurs—and this time was no different. 
The Bronze Cup was first up with Bob and Frank going head to head—Bob took an easy lead and never looked back for the entire 10 laps. It was clear that Frank needed some better batteries( later he won a new pack in the raffle). 
The Silver Cup was more crowded with  SteveM, Alex and Otto doing battle. Otto and Alex went head to head with each trying to gain the advantage—Otto crossed the finish first but did not get the medal because of a cut pylon turn.
The Gold Cup race was between Brad and SteveN. The entire race was wing tip to wing tip for 10 laps with at least one instant of a “bump and go” with no resulting damage. In the end SteveN crossed the finish slightly in front of Brad. There was some sad news that the course judges provided after the landings—SteveN had made 3 cut pylons and Brad had 6. In the end a good time was had by everyone! We had a raffle with various items for the helpers and pilots—most everyone was able to take home a prize.
The Weedwackers in Santee have invited us to run our next T28 race at their field on November 13th—the details and time are still to be worked out and we will send out a email to everyone as we know more of the details. For now we are planning on having our next race there. 
Stay safe and enjoy nice flying weather!
Steve Neu