Daily Archives: July 21, 2023

14 posts

Chairman’s Corner for July – August 2023

President's Corner

Hello members. July is turning into a hot month and with the Dog days of August coming, it’s going to be even hotter. I strongly suggest that you bring water out to the field so you can stay nice and hydrated. I would like to say that the Rotor Plex and Heli field got a great make over last month and I want to thank those of you who came out and gave a hand in the clean-up. Right now, all the gates are back up with a new course. We also made a boundary around the Rotor Plex. All the cones were painted including the gates and red paint was applied for the Heli limits and boundaries so they now know that they can’t fly over the Sea World Dr. The fabulous crew that helped were Andy Laberg, Brad Alix, Larry Kosta, Dennis Laberg, Mike Skube (Our only drone pilot who showed up), Joel Joldergold, Tom Fleming and Jim Bonnardel. Here is what was done, Mike and Brad set-up the drone coarse, Dennis cleaned out the area around the gates, Larry help paint (and I would not ask him to paint your airplane, unless you like runs..Lol) as did Jim. Andy, Brad, Mike, Joel and Tom all cleaned up around the pits and removed all the weeks. Dennis went back and further cleaned up the weeds. Tom brought a wheel barrow and removed all the weeds and moved them off to the side. Thank you so much guys for coming out and getting this section of the field looking nice again. And since the time we redid the field, I have seen a few more drone pilots flying. That is perfect! Photos of the crew are below the article. Have to also thank Lisa for providing us with a great meal afterwards!

Raffle, wow was that fun and how about the food that was prepared by Smoken Joe’s! We had such a great turn out of members who showed up and were having a great day. The raffle was also a huge success that for our banquet. I was able to generate extra cash for some great prizes this coming January 12, 2024. Our big winner was Dennis Laberge for winning the Spectrum iX14 radio! Way to go Dennis and congratulations. Winning the Freewing Vulcan High Performance 70mm EDF sport Jet was Ward Shelley, congratulation Ward. With the next prize, donated by Hitec was the RDx2 Pro High Power Dual Port AC/DC Charger with a bonus gift of a Hitec’s, 50th anniversary GOLD emblem, yes, it is made from Gold, that went to Kevin Shaw. Winning the ePower X6+ AC/DC Synchronous Balance Charger and Discharger was Michael Gunter. And yes, there was Larry Kosta, saying before the raffle was drawn, that he was going to win a prize as well, and he did. Congratulations to all the winners of the raffle. I want to thank everyone who participated in the Raffle, you all made it a great success. Thank You Members!
I have just one more item to talk about and that is kindness. We are a club that is kind to all members and our guests who come out to watch us fly our planes. I appreciate everyone of you who helps members when they get in trouble with flying. We are here to help and guide them to make them better pilots even if that means reminding of them of a few rules. We do not need to put anyone down and we don’t yell at them for their misfortunes when flying. There is no room for that in our club. I would like to thank those who are calling out their intension, take-off, low-fly-byes, and Landing, please keep it up. Remember to stay in the pattern when flying and not to change. Also, when practicing pattern flying for the T-28 races, do it when no one is flying, and don’t do it when the sky has airplanes flying, you could cause a midair. You don’t want to buy someone a new airplane. Thank You.
As a last note. I have 17 spots available for a tour of Collins Aerospace in Chula Vista on Wednesday August 23, 2023. If you are interested in seeing what Collins Aerospace does for aviation, it is quite impressive. Collins has a Customer Care Center in which we have on display the products we make, including the Inlet for a 787 GE engine and a Thrust Reverser alone with many other items. This Saturday, at our club meeting, I will explain more in detail and if you are interested in joining, I will have a sign-up sheet for you to sign in with.
Happy Flying and see you all out at the Field!
Jovi, Chairman of the Board

President’s Corner for July – August 2023

President's Corner

Hey Fliers!

I guess this heat is what we get for complaining that it was still cold and cloudy in June!! Remember, during the heatwave, bring a portable shade device, Sunscreen, and plenty of liquids to the field with you. As stated before, it’s not fair to others to arrive without and then ask others for water. They may give you theirs – then have to pack their stuff and go home.

             As Jovi mentioned, we ended a successful fundraising raffle on July First. Dennis won the Grand prize -the iX14 radio, and Jovi procured additional funds to put towards more raffle prizes at the end of year Banquet which will be held on Jan 12th. A Win for Dennis, and a Win for the club!!

             I am continuing raising money with the 50/50 being held in conjunction with the 3 monthly events. I have reached my initial cash goal which will allow me to offset ticket prices for every member as they purchase their Banquet ticket, and now I am raising funds for a “special” raffle prize. Each 50/50 day there is a member walking away with CASH and a grin! You have to play to win!

             Our plans to wet and roll the field are contingent on the schedule of the water truck operator. She is doing a lot of work around the county and cannot get to our tiny slice of heaven for a few weeks. Quan is investigating other sources, but the heat wave is making it difficult.

              We are keeping our ears open for notification that our FRIA request has been processed by the FAA. There are already online sites selling transponders for 40-90 bucks depending on your planned usage, but they will not be required at a site recognized as a FRIA. I would recommend not buying anything until we hear of the official ruling which is due on September 15th.

              There are quite a few new members in the last few months, and we find ourselves repeating some of the safety requirements – so I’m  going to state some of them here for all.  Please LOUDLY announce your take offs, intention to land, and any time you are going to step on or cross the field. LOUDLY folks means that people 2-3 gates away should hear you. If your plane is on the field and unable to taxi back, please walk in the pits to the gate closest to your plane, then call “On The Field!” and step out to retrieve it – immediately walking back to the closest gate. Lately I have seen people step out at gate one and walk down the centerline to gate 4 to retrieve their plane – then take a slow stroll all the way back while others are crashing in the weeds with dead batteries. Please respect the common sense pattern we promote at the field. Take off and land into the wind. Upwind passes should be between the centerline of the runway to approximately 30 feet into the weed area. Downwind passes should be 50-100 feet out over the weeds. Back and forth continuous passes over the weed line at full throttle is hazardous to everyone and increase the chance of a mid-air. Figure eights over the runway are extremely discouraged as downright dangerous. Don’t fly within 50 feet of people or animals in the field. At no time should you fly over the fence, pit area, or parking lot. If you have lost control of your plane and it is in an unsafe orientation YOU must call out to let others know of the danger.

We close out July with our meeting and Fun Fly event on the 22nd. The event is another club favorite – Spot Landing. Straight down counts – but you get 3 chances to earn points so don’t do the lawn dart thing on the first try…There may be some interesting changes this month so come prepared for a great time, to be followed by a hot dog lunch.

Have a GREAT August!

Brad

The Gallaudet Seaplane Project, Pt. 2

Builds & Reviews

by Allan Flowers

Early CAD models, Etc.

There are multiblade propellers available in the size needed (e-Calc) but the hub would need drilled out for a nearly 2” diameter mechanical system. Therefore the propellers and hub would have to be hand fabricated. Not having the ability to NC mill the unit, it would have to be made largely of laser cut wood and aluminum sheet. The thing would have to hold together at up to 7000rpm without flying apart – so accurate balancing and mechanical strength were critical.


The early CAD designs were eventually married to the available components from McMasters-Car and B&B Manufacturing (maker of sprockets and belts).


The idea was to make and test the drive system before embarking on the rest of a two year’s long build.

Eventually an APC propeller was selected (22x10E) and two were purchased. These were fixed in a mold where resin collars could be cast around them. This element was cut off and finished. In the meantime, my laser cut metal and wood parts had arrived and the hub unit was assembled.

Using a crude wood test fixture, I determined the inter shaft distance between the sprocket centers. Later I was informed about a website calculator which verified my empirical test results to within .05mm.

As the hub was being created and balanced, it was necessary to design and build the forward fuselage portion, to complete the drive system. This would enable a test of the drive unit – a critical step to determine its feasibility. The system would have to produce sufficient thrust and not fly apart.

The hub unit needed to act as a fan to bring cooling air past the motor which, being located rather far back in the airplane, could be prone to overheating. The final part is designed as a centrifugal pump and should keep the motor fairly cool.


As the CAD design progressed, other components were being finalized for fabrication. One item was the nosecone which was a challenging part to make. Ultimately a 3D printed part was made by Thomas White, a prominent scale modeler on the East coast who has large scale 3D printing capability.


The fuselage was built around the aluminum tube upon which the propeller would run. The forward part was completed and the tube, motor and drive system installed for testing. I needed a “test sled” to hold everything and allow thrust measurements to be made.



The laser cutting included the floats and rear fuselage parts so I moved ahead with those things while finishing the front fuse. Used extensively throughout was a .01” resin composite sheet (brand name – Fliteskin). This is a waterproof, very strong sheet material assembled with expanding Gorilla Glue. It is light enough and nearly bulletproof. I tried to economize on the wood structure but the weights are still a bit more than desired.

 



One necessary study involved how to transport a finished RC airplane in my little car. After making a rough model of its interior, I could digitally maneuver the plane model into the “car”.

Allan

What’s it?

General Interest

by Steve Manganelli

Last month’s Peak Charge contained a story about my SDSU Design-Build-Fly students giving a presentation at the American Instituted of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) conference held in San Diego in June. Getting there a little early to watch their presentation provided time to check out the exhibits in the central exhibit hall.  The Company holding the stage immediately before the  students chose to unveil the “aircraft” pictured here, at the show. Steve Neu then mentioned, “I’m familiar with that Company, they buy lots of our motors! ” They are not compelled to tell him what they do with them, but….who knows?  A man carrying aircraft will need a lot of hobby size motors to fly, just saying. So when you call “Uber-Fly” and this shows up to take you to the airport, remember where you saw it first! “

Electroglide Report for July 2023

Electroglide Contest Results

 We had a good turnout of pilots for this month’s Electroglide, eleven flying in the Radian class and two pilots flying in the open class. The weather could have been better; the winds were blowing at 8 mph. from the west with a mostly sunny 71 degree day.

 First launch looked great with all eleven aircraft climbing up and still avoiding one another. However the lift was tricky to find, Scott Vance and Jeff Struthers, both flying Radians, managed to find it off towards the club’s North West boundary. Scott had the long flight at 5:17 minutes. Jeff was second at 5:06 minutes and Bob Anson, (Radian), was third at 3:38. Corey Nellis, (Radian), made a 30-point landing. Dennis LaBerge, (Radian), and Daric Knight, (open Class), picked up 20-point landings.  

 Second launch had us all looking for that lift in the spot where Scott and Jeff found it before. The wind may have increased because the lift was no longer in the same spot. Scott was able to find something and it gave him the long flight again at 4:31 minutes. Dennis LaBerge was close behind at 4:28 with a 10-point landing and Bob Anson was third at 3:15 with a 20-point landing. Both Neil Zhu,(Open Class), and Daric had 30-point landings and Corey picked up a 20-point landing.

 Third launch had some pilots finding better lift. Scott had a time of 5:17 aloft with a 20-point landing. Bob was second at 4:34 with a 30-point landing and Corey was third at 4:00 minutes. Carl Cox,(Radian), had a 30-point landing and Bruce Driver, (Radian), had a 20-point landing.

 Fourth and final launch had us all dealing with some stronger winds with little lift. Extra points via target landings were harder now as well. Scott again had the long flight at 3:43 minutes. Bob came in second at 3:06 and Corey was third at 2:45 with a 20-point landing. Dennis, Neil and Stephen Treger, (Radian), all had 30-point landings. Deric picked up a 10-point landing.

 Like I mentioned above, landing in the target circles today was difficult due to the increasing winds. The fact that pilots were landing in the small 30-point bull’s eye circle is impressive. Sometimes just making our field was hard and as a result, there were a few “off field” landings.

 Winners for the day:

Open Class: 

First Place               Neil Zhu            131          points

Second Place           Daric Knight      108          points

 

Radian Class:

First Place               Corey Nellis        145         points

Second Place           Scott Vance        135         points

Third Place              Dennis LaBerge   133         points

 

Thanks to all the pilots for coming out to another fun club event. Next Electroglide is scheduled for August 19th.  10:00 first launch.

See you there,

Jeff Struthers

 

T28 Racing Report for July 2023

T28 Contest Results
9 pilots with their T28 racing planes were present for the July edition of our long running T28 racing series. Weather was clear and warm with light wind down the runway—nearly a perfect day. One of our long time regulars was missing –Alex is headed up north to attend SJSU to study to become a professional pilot. Let’s hope he can come down visit us when he gets breaks in his schedule.
 
The three qualifying rounds were flown without any accidents or crashes. The results were totaled and the matchups for the finals set. The finals races were as follows:
 
Bronze
1) Steve M
2) Cory
3) Larry K
 
Silver
1)Fredrick
2)Fritz
3)George H
 
Gold
1) Steve N
2) Otto
3) Brad B
 
It is somewhat notable that our club treasurer (Steve M) collected the award for the most cuts. We had the usual pilot and helpers raffle with various electric goodies being given away. 
 
The next T28 race is on the schedule for August 12th starting at 10AM.
 
Steve Neu

BOD Minutes for July 2023

Meeting Minutes

7/12/2023

SEFSD Board of Directors Meeting Minutes

Quorum at 6:40 PM, meeting convened.

In-person participants: Jovi, Steve N., Brad, Steve M., Quan, Larry
Online participants: Nick, Eric, Carl
Not present: Steve B.

Meeting held Steve N.’s home.

GENERAL DISCUSSIONS:

Brad: Field maintenance coming due.
Should we lock in catering for the banquet with last year’s service?
50/50 raffle is becoming a major success that benefits the banquet.
FRIA request is being looked at by FAA and AMA currently.

Jovi: Rotoplex cleaned with the assistance of many members!
The Rotoplex boundaries repaired and gates repainted.
Submitted Rotoplex cleanup receipts.
July 4th club raffle and celebration was a great success.
Dennis LaBerge won the July 4 IX14 Spektrum radio raffle grand prize.
Congrats Dennis!!

Steve N.: No serious safety issues lately.

Steve M.: Bank account remains adequately funded.
Membership 301 at currently.

Steve B.: Not present.

Larry K.: Concerned about flights over the pits.

Nick: No reason anyone should have to be yelled at if a mistake is made.

Eric: It looks like it’s time to wet and roll the field.
Time to be concerned about proper hydration, skin protection and fire suppression.

Carl: Nothing new.

Quan: Shared version 1.0 of windsock post sign via email.
Revisions by the BOD are welcome.

ITEMS REQUIRING A VOTE:

No items required a vote.

ITEMS OF CONTINUING INTEREST:

Safety issues are everybody’s concern. If you see something then say something. Be kind and be civil.

Field condition remains good, though unlikely lately, but please stay off the field when it’s rain soaked.
Park Master Plan to continue being addressed. We are discussing how best to preserve this site into the future.
Droneplex maintenance to spruce up area remains forefront of mind.

WEEKEND FIELD EVENTS for August:

T28 racing at 10:00 AM Saturday 8/12/23
Electroglide at 10:00 AM Saturday 8/19/2023
Otay Float Fly from 8:00 AM to 12:00 PM Wednesday 8/23/2023
Triple Threat at 10:00 AM Saturday 8/26/2023

Organized field events will now include 50/50 raffles to help fund club banquets and other events. The organized events include Electroglide, T-28 racing, Bomb Drop, Don’t Spill the Beans, etc.

BANQUET EVENT DATE: FRIDAY JANUARY 12, 2024

Next BOD meeting 8/9/2023 @ 6:30 PM.

Meeting adjourned at 8:05 PM.

Eric Shapiro
SEFSD Secretary 2023