President’s Corner

We are in need of volunteers to help with the field maintenance, currently scheduled for Sept 3rd and 4th. In the past (and currently), this task was/is spearheaded by John Casilio and a small team he recruited among SEFSD members. However, John has already moved his family out of state, and soon, he will be moving as well. We all like to fly on a smooth runway, but that doesn’t happen by itself. John will be sending out a separate email blast asking for volunteers again. Thank you to all of those who turned out to help last time, and we look forward to a similar response. Going forward, we’ll be looking for someone who can fill John’s shoes, and coordinate and execute field maintenance.

Hello SEFSD,

It has been yet another great month at the field! Don’t Spill the Beans was a blast. It was a very interesting challenge, and getting to use the concepts of physics while attempting not to spill your beans made for a difficult—yet very fun—event. I personally recovered 19 out of 20 beans. To all of you who got 20, great job! It was tough. These types of events seem to bring the community together in a great way!

The T-28 racing was also a lot of fun. We had a pretty rough midair between two T-28s, which left John to finish the race by himself. That’s the first time I’ve seen that happen! Additionally, the Electroglide was great as usual. It’s nice to have some consistency in our events each month, and I know all of our members really appreciate what the club does to provide everyone with a great time at the field.

As we gear up for racing next year, I am excited to see the new planes coming into the racing lineup. I’ve already recommended the A-1 Skyraider 800mm to a few people, and I am really enjoying flying mine. If you don’t have one, you should definitely look into getting one. It’s a lot of fun to fly around, especially for those of us who love scale aircraft!

I also want to take a moment to thank Frank Sutton. The photos he takes are just amazing and give our members a chance to look back on all the great times we’ve had at the field. Frank takes some of the best RC airplane photos I’ve ever seen, and it’s especially nice that he goes the extra step to put together the memories video at the end of the year. Thanks, Frank!

This coming weekend, we have the Talent Show. This is always a fun one. The idea is that you get to demonstrate your piloting skills in front of everyone at the club. Love your scale warbird? Show us your scale flight. Have a showstopping 3D performance in mind? Go for it! The sky is the limit. I’ve attended the Talent Show before, and it’s right up there with Propchella in terms of how much fun it is.

Overall, this month has been great, and I am really looking forward to September. I’ll see you all this weekend!

Panos

Hey Flyers!

We had a great turn out for Tacos on the 4^th of July, I hope you were able to make it if desired.

I have been out with some medical issue over the last several weeks. I would like thank you to those that reached out to check on me.

I’m not sure how often I will be out between now and Labor Day as treatment continues. On that note, There are generally one or two persons bringing their broken planes to me on weekends – hoping I will get them back in the air. Generally I don’t mind too much when asked to help. Over the next several months, when I do make it out with a plane or two, I would ask that you let me fly my plane – and take your repair requests to someone else – or figure out the fix yourself.

I lot of you like to talk to others as soon as they get to the field, kind of like your weekly update. Please save your questions and discussions away from persons as they are assembling their planes. LET THEM CONCENTRATE ON THE TASK AT HAND! Two more wood/carbon planes went into the air this month without a wing latch engaged. Luckily, they weren’t destroyed – but the potential was there.

  We all started out in this hobby at some point. We have all made mistakes at some point. We have a couple of people that will not comply to our basic rules as much as we hope common sense will prevail. Like I said to Alan last week – Before putting a plane in the air, take a look at who is flying and how they are doing. If you see that they aren’t flying the pattern, are strafing the fenceline, or are being outright dangerous – YOU CAN MAKE A DECISION to stay on the ground until that person lands. If you see him flying opposite pattern and take off anyway – is he really the only one at fault for the midair crash? Does he deserve the dozen or so F-BOMBS screamed in his face? If he takes off after you are already in the air and is flying like a knucklehead, you have the option to land immediately and let him do his nonsense without risking your aircraft – then finish your flight after he is done. People see me doing just that with larger planes quite often when I know the person in question would happily destroy an eight thousand dollar plane with their aero scout and have no remorse… Also, standing at gate 3 screaming at someone flying from gate 6 to “FLY THE PATTERN!” May not get the desired result. Land your plane, and walk over to calmly explain it to him. Remember how long it took you to learn how to use the rudder while taking off? Were you screamed at every day?

I always say how happy I am to be in a club with Low Drama. This past month has been a low point – even though I spent most of it hospitalized.

I have been speaking with several of you about becoming officers of the club for 2027. Due to term limits and life circumstances we will be needing 4 or 5 new members to fill Board Of Directors positions. We need new blood and new ideas. I would like to have the 2027 BOD identified by September 30^th to comfortably move ahead without angst. If there are more than 5 interested, we traditionally vote on Veterans Day in November.

Being on the BOD will take maybe 2 hours of your time Monthly, and give you a chance to share your vision of what you want from our club. If you are interested, Reach out to Quan and he can send you a zoom link for the next meeting- on August 5^th at 6:30 PM, and you can get a first hand look at what occurs. While the meetings are hosted in someone’s home each month, we understand that people are busy, and there is always a Zoom link for those that would like to dial in remotely.

I’m not sure if I will make it out this weekend, so hope everyone has fun at the “Don’t Spill The Beans” contest on Saturday the 25^th – starting at 1000, Followed by the Monthly club meeting at the field, and Hotdogs. Mark may need a bit of help with the hot dogs – if Lisa stays home with me.

Brad

Hello SEFSD, 

June ended on a high note and July has been great so far! Let’s start off on a really positive note. Those of you who have wanted to race, your time is almost here! Recently the board decided to add three new models to the pylon racing for next year. Well, you may say “I have a T-28. Do I have to buy a new plane?!” No, the T-28 will still be allowed for racing! However, there are three new options (that you can actually get your hands on). They are Skynetic models: the A1 Skyraider, the Tempest, and the Corsair. And before you ask, yes, they are all in the same class as the T-28, ranging from 750mm-800mm with the same 3s power system (so no new batteries needed for those of you who already have or had an 800mm T-28!). I enjoyed the demonstration flights of the A1 and the Tempest at the field, so I decided to go with the A1. Overall, I’m excited that everyone who wants to race now has the opportunity to do so, and even better, we now have four awesome options to choose from! 

Propchella–where do I even begin?! This event was amazing. Huge thanks to Jim Bonnardel for putting this together. All of the different parts of this event were so much fun and I felt it brought our community together more than any other event we’ve ever had! Plus, the pizza was just the cherry on top! Good job to all those pilots that did a solo performance! John, Davis, and Brad, I had a great time flying with you guys for the “3D All Up” portion!

I also want to mention the heat. This summer has been hotter than usual for San Diego and even more humid! Please remember to wear sunscreen, a hat, and bring plenty of water! I can’t emphasize this enough–staying protected and hydrated is essential!

Let’s talk about the runway. The condition of the runway is brought to my attention almost every time I come to our field. Please know that we are actively working to smooth out the surface and are experimenting with new ways to create a stronger and more durable runway. I am confident that the extra time and effort will be well worth it! 

This coming weekend we have “Don’t Spill The Beans” to look forward to. This is a fun event and there are cash prizes for those who don’t spill their beans. I look forward to seeing you all there. As usual, I’ll be there selling 50/50 raffle tickets. Thank you to everyone who continues to support the raffle and help make our annual banquet even better! 

I look forward to seeing all of you very soon! Let’s finish July on a high note and make August another fantastic month at the field!

Panos 

Finally we have our new club sign installed. Thanks to John, Brad, Jim, Jovi, Panos, Alex, Scott, and Larry for helping to print it, deliver it, and install it. The following week, John organized a pit area maintenance day. Thanks to all who contributed. And thanks to Frank for taking great photos of all the happenings for those who couldn’t make it. June will be the last month I can’t attend the club meeting. I’m just getting married that Saturday

Hi SEFSD Members, 

And just like that… It’s summer! Wow! Time has gone by fast, hasn’t it? June was fun. We had the usual T-28 racing and Electroglide which were great as always. We also had the UCSD design, build, fly event. If you have not come to this event before, you should! It is for their Capstone design course. The students from UCSD do a great job of turning various materials and balsa wood into flying airplanes. I will say, there are quite a few maydays. As always, let’s thank Frank Sutton for capturing those so that they can be in the memories 2026 video.

I also want to talk to all our new and returning members, especially those who are coming back to the hobby after some time away. Welcome! It’s wonderful to see more people joining the hobby and talking with our long-time members. It’s always nice when we can grow our club and I am thankful that we’ve seen this happening as we get further into summer.

In addition, I am happy to report that I have not heard any safety-related complaints! Good job, guys! We are getting safer all the time! That being said, let me touch on Temporary Flight Restrictions (TFRs). This past Tuesday, I had to tell people to stop flying because of the TFR in place. There were quite a few questions as to what type of aircraft this applies to and why there wasn’t an advanced notice. To answer the first part of this, it does apply to your RC Planes and that is why the field needed to be red locked. The answer to the second part of this question is that the TFR popped up earlier that same day, so our club had no advanced warning. In the future, if you want to be 99% certain you can fly, check the TFRs at tfr.faa.gov. This will help ensure that (1) you don’t come to the flying field when it’s closed and that (2) you do not put our club in any danger. Please use the website and check regularly (it’s important!).

Let’s talk about Propchella! Yay! I’ve said this once and I’ll say it again: I think this is going to be the best event of the year. If you can make it, I highly recommend you come out. Jim Bonnardel has put a lot of work into making this happen, and it is going to be a blast! You get to choose a song and fly to it. How much better does it get? In addition, we will have group flying opportunities like the T-28 race to music. So be there!

As many of you already know, our Board of Directors has chosen to take the funds that would have been used for hot dogs this month and roll it over to the 4th of July (Yes, it will be catered!). The 4th of July is fun but that comes with a couple of reminders. Remember, on the 4th, it is super important that we close the gate behind us. This is so (1) we don’t have an invasion of non-members and (2) so we can enjoy the day without other people setting up their party and leaving trash in the pit area. We will have a great time and I can’t wait to see you there!

As we go into July, remember these three things: sunscreen, a hat, and extra water. Never leave the house without them (and if you do, go home and get them). It is getting hot and in past years there have been people who don’t bring enough water and it becomes a problem. Be proactive by staying on top of the weather, and always bringing extra water to the field even if you don’t think you will need it. 

I’m confident that July is going to be a ton of fun,

Panos 

Our new sign is printed, and soon, our board of directors will be putting it up to give our club entrance a fresh new look! The sign will have some of our rules posted at the bottom. I want to put a spotlight on the one that will say “Commercial Use Not Authorized.” This means bringing out five company pelican cases loaded with equipment and a company crew is not allowed! You can fly as a hobbyist only here at SEFSD. The new sign with posted rules should give all members more confidence in approaching and talking to unauthorized commercial users at the club.

Hi All! 

Happy almost end of May! It has been a great month with fun events such as T-28 racing and Electroglide. As we head into the summer, I want to remind everybody to make sure that they have plenty of water as our club members can sometimes face some dehydration during these months!

I also want to mention the big traffic jam and overflow into SEFSD that happened a few weeks back. I understand that it may have been frustrating for some members to have people from the truck show come into the field. However, Please understand that the club is actively working to reduce the effect large events have on SEFSD.

Second, a safety note. Last weekend I witnessed a member who was frustrated as he came in for landing and someone stepped right into the middle of the runway to pick up their plane. If you are going to pick up a plane, act like you’re crossing a highway. WHY??? Because it makes sure you (1) Don’t get smacked by an airplane and (2) Keeps other members happy.

Looking forward, we will have “pit carpets maintenance day” coming up soon. If you are able, please come out and volunteer. The board is leading an effort to staple and flatten as much of the carpet as we can to make your walking time in the pits a little smoother. As always, if you are throwing out a rug or carpet, please bring it to the field as we can always use new carpet (yes, there are some people that have remarked “there’s carpet there?”). There is carpet, but there are multiple layers of dirt, so you cannot see it. Please come out for the maintenance day and keep an eye out for further details regarding the date, time, and what you should bring with you. Special thanks to John for leading the project and helping get volunteers!

In addition to this, we are planning for field maintenance around June so that we can smooth out the runway for everybody! The board always aims to keep the runway looking great, so please allow the time needed for the field to properly be finished and dry. The last thing we want is to see footprints all over the surface that is dry. When the field is wet or under maintenance, please stay off. 

This coming weekend is Altitude Quest! Yay! What is Altitude Quest? You’re given a height and you must fly as close to that height as possible. It is going to be a lot of fun, and it provides a fun challenge for all of our members.

Additionally, the 4th of July is going to be a blast! The board has coordinated BBQ for all of our members. Remember, on the 4th, it is super important that we close the gate behind us. This is so (1) we don’t have an invasion of non-members and (2) so we can enjoy the day without other people setting up their party and leaving trash in the pit area. Keep the gate closed, and we will have a wonderful time. I hope to see you all there! 

Let’s have a fun summer, 

Panos

Currently the city empties our trash cans on a weekly basis. They will come early if Dennis specifically makes a call – like after our meeting days when there is always some extra trash. The purpose of the trash cans at the field is for general trash like soda cans, water bottles, paper towels, and pizza boxes. Generally small stuff that will fit in the can. If it wont fit in the can, take it with you. Recently there have been several modelers that bring a new plane ( still in the box ) to the field, assemble it, and leave the box and piles of styrofoam by the fence… Your MOM doesn’t work here. At other times, someone crashes a plane, strips out the electronics and leaves the rest in a jumbled mess by the fence. Your MOM would probably slap you. The general result is that Dennis gets to spend an hour or two picking up your trash after it has blown around our field/parking area. There are 3 giant dumpsters near the boat ramp. If you can’t take your trash with you for disposal at home, please dispose of it in one of the public dumpsters instead of leaving it on site.

There have been more instances of people flying 3d directly over the runway and another person doing an unannounced low/high speed pass – tearing through the middle. Please use situational awareness!

 There are some people known for their complete inability to fly the pattern ( Any pattern ), or people known for their total unpredictibility. I simply don’t fly when they are in the air. If you do – that is YOUR choice. Why are you mad at them when you knew the risk?

Again, several people stepping onto the runway unannounced, without even looking to see if it’s clear. There were 3 almost “HEAD SHOTS” that I personally witnessed, and I only fly 2 days a week. I wonder what happens on the weekdays..

If you need to cross the runway to collect a plane or go out into the field, go to the gate nearest your aircraft, or intended crossing point before announcing and stepping out. Again, there is no reason to step onto the field at gate 5 and casually saunter down to gate 2 ( on the runway the entire time ) to recover your plane. Situational awareness and common sense both need more thoughtful exercise at our field.

There has been a group, or several groups of people entering our site on weekday afternoons and posting strange activities on social media. For now the pics/videos are taken in the rotorplex area, but its only a matter of time until someong is drag racing on the main runway or having bonfires with our tables. We need to ensure the gate is locked when the last member leaves. If there is a car or two at the rotor plex area after 1 PM and you’re leaving, close the gate and lock it.They would likely appreciate not having random cars pull up next to them while they are alone. If they don’t appreciate it – they are likely not members.

  This months Fun Fly event and meeting at the field will be held on Saturday, 25 April. The event will be “BOMB DROP”  which will start at 10:00 AM, with the Club meeting and lunch to follow. We will use the traditional nut and streamer that we have used for several years for this club competition to win DHW gift certificates. Jim B will have additional challenging games for those equipped with the servo operated device drop mechanisms.

I hope to see you there!

Brad

Good Morning Team,

Even though it seems as if we skipped it already, Welcome to SPRING! There is a chance for rain in the 10 day forecast, but once that happens, we will likely remain dry for several months. If we do get rain, please ensure you stay off of the runway until it is cleared by Dennis, or a qualified board member. Footprints/tracks left in the clay now could remain until November.

Following the rains in January, we had a few guests join us from the Chula Vista club, as their runway was washed out. One I remember in particular was a gentleman named Oswaldo. He had a few ducted fans with him and we chatted several times throughout the day as we were flying. On Facebook the next day he mentioned that while he enjoyed flying at our club, We had too many rules for him…

I am constantly asked by members to define what the RULES are for this and that, and in the end, there aren’t as many rules as some people think.

That started me thinking about what we actually have for “RULES”, what we have for “BEST PRACTICES”, and what we should share as “COMMON SENSE”.

As far as actual rules go, the rules at our field primarily coincide with the AMA Safety rules, FAA rules, and the rules of Mission Bay Park, such as: Do not operate under the influence of alcohol or drugs – Do not fly directly over unprotected people, moving vehicles, or occupied structures – No Flying in the Pit areas, or over the parking lot. – Maintain a minimum of 25 ft. distance from persons, pets, and/or wildlife. – Always yield right of way to all human carrying aircraft by reducing your models altitude to a maximum of 50 ft. – Maintain line of sight (visual contact) of your aircraft at all times – Spectators shall remain behind the designated safety line ( Fence line ). – Pilots should loudly announce take offs, landings, and emergency situations – FPV pilots must comply with AMA requirement to have a spotter with visual line of site – UAS Flight altitude is limited to 200 feet in our area – Each aircraft should be identified by the pilots FAA registration number, and Current AMA Member number – stay within our clubs FRIA boundaries as identified by signage at each flight station.

For best practices, we should: Determine what pattern others are flying to allow into the wind lift offs and landings. If you are not sure, ask. – Loudly announce our intentions to cross the runway, and when clear of it – Loudly announce your intentions if conducting a low altitude or high speed pass, which should be conducted at the far edge of the runway, not centerline. – If you are hovering ( without forward motion) in this area, YOU need to keep an eye out for planes in the pattern that are approaching. -Never taxi a model in the pit area. –

Finally, for common sense items, Please use the porta potty for its intended use. If it’s too far away, please park closer to it. Relieving yourself in the pit area will lead to expulsion from the club. – Keep the runway clear before and after your flight. If you set your plane on the runway – call “take off” and go, don’t let it sit. After you land, taxi it to you ( along the fence line) or walk to the gate nearest the plane, call “ON THE RUNWAY” and collect it. Leaving it sit while you are having a conversation in the pit area is not a good idea. – Don’t go to full throttle in the gate. Seems like a no-brainer, but people still do it and blow sand into everyone else’s vehicle. Finally, I know that tensions tend to rise after planes collide in the air. To avoid angry words, please give it some cooling off time before approaching the other pilot. We are mostly under a “gentlemen’s handshake” kind of agreement at the field. However, if you are openly flying without regard to others, you may be asked to replace an aircraft.

I’m sure that I have missed some things. If you would like to add some ideas, please do so at the end of the meeting at the field on the 28^th.

  This months Fun Fly at 10:00AM on the 28^th will be the LIMBO. How Low Can You Go??!!

Jim also plans to do another Mini Bomb Drop event before the monthly meeting and PIZZA for lunch. See you there!!

Brad

Team,

I like to state, on several occasions, how grateful I am that we have a relatively low amount of drama in our club – based on the number of active members. This is usually the case, but not always.

In the last 3 weeks , board members have been drawn into silly, petty squabbles. Some of them will be discussed today.

Every month I am reminding Members to use their “ Man Voice” to announce take offs, Landings, Crossing the field, or any unusual activity the deserves heightened awareness. Most people chuckle and move on smartly. Some people take it as a chance to purposely yank my chain, and use their “lost little girl” voice, whisper their intentions to themselves, or purposefully say nothing at all. These actions go directly against safety and good order at the field. Situational awareness is one key safety item that we cannot afford to ignore. This last month we had 2 members in their 60’s nearly come to blows when one was calling continuous touch and goes ( to himself ) from Gate two while the other was landing ( no confirmation that the landing was announced) at Gate 5. When their craft nearly hit each other, there were loud angry voices, and fist balling. Do you really want to jo to jail for being a knucklehead? As our youngest BOD member mentioned at the field that morning “ if two people are flying – and know they can’t hear each other – why not fly from the same gate?

In December, I had a member make me blush with the severity of vulgar words he was directing at me ( 23year Navy veteran here ) after he failed to announce that he was crossing the field while I was on a high speed pass over the weed line. He kept screaming “ How Dare you fly over my head!! ”.  If you don’t announce your intentions – You are more at fault than the other guy.

  Another thing that gets to me is the number of times people will step onto the fields – Announced or not – without one single look to see if anyones aircraft is approaching. Several people avoided propeller/motor shots to the head this quarter when a pilot aborted and yanked the plane away. Again you HAVE to call out and LOOK before stepping on the field, from any direction – situational awareness is the key.

I recently had a discussion with John Weaver, Owner of Discount hobby Warehouse. He continues to support out club every month by discounting the gift certificates we use for prizes at our fun fly events, allowing to put more value into our winning members hands. He also discounted the raffle prizes we dispensed at our banquet in January. If you have a chance, please thank him with a handshake when you can. He stated one thing that reduces his happiness, is when members purchase planes and supplies for a few dollars less on discount websites, then people expect him to provide warranty service for items purchased elsewhere, or expects his paid employees to provide hours of their time troubleshooting their wonky “ discount” setups.  Johns Discount Hobby Warehouse is pretty much the only game in town with live persons supporting the plane/heli hobby market. If you want him to keep his doors open to your immediate needs, you have to bring business through his door. It doesn’t take much. Most items you need can be ordered through his shop – possibly saving you a separate shipping charge if it comes from  I stop by on a weekly basis to purchase supplies/repair tools/or the latest thing to get a bad look out of Lisa…

As we close out February out monthly meeting at the field and fun fly event.

This months event will be the “Spot Landing Challenge”, beginning around 10:00 AM – to be followed by our hot dog lunch.

Fly Safe- and Loudly!

Brad

Hey Fliers,

Welcome to 2026!

Our annual banquet went off without a hitch on Saturday the 17^th. The food was amazing, as were the prizes received by Members and Guests. Thank you to Brian Glensky for selecting and transporting the member prizes, and Lisa for selecting and bringing the guest prizes. The winners were very happy.

Thanks to our Vice President, Jovi Murek, for being our MC for the event. He made it a lot of fun – and didn’t get mad when I picked on him. Thanks Frank and Jim for taking time to make the outstanding video presentations!!  A few people missed out because they procrastinated in the purchasing of tickets. We needed to give final attendance numbers to the venue on the 9^th, and I had 4 or 5 folks still asking for tickets during the following week. As Frank Sutton starts posting the amazing pictures on Face Book, hopefully you will make a mental note to buy your tickets early next year.

We have changed the locks at the gate and on the bathroom to reflect the new 4 digit code for 2026. The combination is printed on the back of your 2026 membership card. Please renew if you intend to fly at our site. There are no “ Guest privileges “ for returning members. You will be asked to leave if you cannot produce a current membership card. If your AMA is about to expire, our renewal system will not allow you to renew unless you have an AMA membership that is valid for at least the next 90 days. Please wear/display your 2026 card any time you are flying.

A few notes about recent events at the field:

The flying surface is in great shape at the moment due to the rain received in December and January. There’s one, maybe two rainy days remaining before we go into dry months. This is the time we really need to think about what we want the runway to be like for the rest of the year. Some of you simply cannot stand to lose a day of flying without having fits. If it rains on Tuesday, and the sun is out on Wednesday, that doesn’t mean the runway can support flight operations on Wednesday… We have a clay surface with a light coating of sand. The clay can take 2-4 days to firm up after a storm. Foot prints left now in the mud could potentially remain in the surface until August. People argue that their light plane won’t make any marks, but when its stuck in the mud – they need to walk their entire 200 lbs. out to retrieve it. We attempt to put the red lock on when the surface is wet, but if you make it in and the runway is soft – please don’t fly.

Again with the issue of LOUDLY calling your intentions at the field. Whether you intend to take off, land, cross the runway, or do a low pass – you need to let others know. Pitch your voice so it can be heard at least 2 gates away. If you can’t be LOUD – ask someone to call out for you. Whispering to yourself simply doesn’t get it done. If you are crossing the runway, YOU need to treat it like you are crossing a highway. LOOK BOTH WAYS before stepping out. Last week I heard someone quietly say “ On the runway ” and immediately step in front of a 90mm jet that was on final. The jet pilot had called his landing, but the walking person hadn’t heard it… That was nearly a 90mm head shot.

As you land and plan your path to taxi your plane back to the gate, always plan to taxi out of the center to a position near the fence – then continue towards you. DON’T taxi down the center line as others behind you in the pattern may be landing and assumed you had cleared the way. We had a new member finish his first ever flight and end up underneath one of Marks composite jets as it landed. There was a fair amount of damage to both.

If you saw my Email note last week, I mentioned that there have been a few complaints that members are relieving themselves in the pit area next to their vehicles – instead of using the porta potty. I have spoken with one, and will talk with another that was identified. Please do not follow their example. If the facility is too far away for you to walk – please start flying from gates 5 or 6 so you are closer. In this situation, there will be a verbal discussion, followed by an official letter of reprimand by the BOD, then if the pattern persists – membership will be revoked.

  The first club meeting at the field/fun fly event for 2026 will be this Saturday, the 24^th. The event will be POKER FLY, which will start at 10AM. Come down for some fun, Club Information, And Hot Dogs cooked by Mark!

Stay Safe,

Brad

Hey Team!

We finally have received enough rain to smooth the runway out.

For the most part, people have stayed off of the runway while it was wet, but we have pics/video of two people that Ubered to the site, Flew a UMX A-10, then stomped through the mud to get it when it inevitably got stuck on the far side of the runway. Then they Ubered away…

Please do not follow their example…

We do what we can to keep the runway flyable – and six inch deep mud footprints make it impossible. When the red lock is at the gate, Please stay out of the site.

Sadly, I must enforce this rule on the entire site, including the rotor plex area. The last few times we allowed the Drone flyers to come in while the runway was muddy – they left the gate open when they departed, and the runway was subsequently trashed.

A few things happen at the end of the year.

• SEFSD Membership is not pro-rated, meaning that ALL memberships (with one exception) will expire on December 31^st. Looking at our member list, nearly half of us have our AMA expiring within 90 days. Our renewal system will not allow members to renew unless their AMA membership is valid for at least the first 3 months of 2026. Now is the time to renew your AMA if you need to. The renewal tab on the website will go live on December 1^st, with 2026 dues remaining the same for primary members – and a reduced price for family.
• We usually shut down the membership page on Nov 1^st each year to allow our treasurer to reconcile our books, and allow Quan and Steve to set the web site renewals up for the next year. We allow visitors ( WITH AMA) to use our site without a valid membership card for the months of November and December, with the expectation of joing the club when new memberships become available in December. This year, one person snuck in and joined before Quan could inactivate the button. We will reach out to you, or you can contact me – we will count your paid dues towards 2026.
• Electroglide has ended for the year, but T-28 Racing continues December 13th at 10:00 AM. Make that 9:45 AM for “Mr. Fashionably Late”

We are set to welcome our Board of Directors for 2026, who will assume duties on Jan first.

Brian Glensky, our 2025 Secretary is stepping away from the BOD ( But not the Club ) Please thank him for his service when you see him next.

In an unusual set of events, we had another member step up for a BOD position after I mentioned that Brian’s seat had been filled. Never one to say no to someone that wants to step up and participate, Jim Bonnardel volunteered to step away from the BOD to allow entry of the new Member at large. Please thank Jim for his efforts as well. Jim has also offered to assist Jovi with Fun Fly competition games and events. THANKS JIM!

   SO, Officially – our BOD for 2026 will be:

                 Chairman: Brad Bender

                 President: Quan Nguyen

                 Vice President: Jovi Murek

                 Treasurer: Steve Manganelli

                 Safety Officer: Steve Neu

                 Secretary: John Casillio

                 Editor:  Steve Belknap

                 Member at Large 1: Phil Barlow

                 Member at Large 2: Artie Means

                 Member at Large 3: Panos Kaperonis

Please thank these folks for stepping up to guide the club in 2026!

Flyers will be coming from Quan and Steve advertising our end of year banquet, but I’ll share some info now.

Our Banquet will be held at the 94^th Aerosquadron ON Jan 17th, with the same type of table served meals as offered last year. The cost for members/guests will remain the same at 60 dollars per person, and there will be 100 seats available. Like last year, we will initially limit guests to 2 per member – to allow paid members a fair crack at attendance. If you feel you need more than 2 guests – have that conversation with Quan. We will again have some great raffle prizes for the attendees and the guests.

The main reason I am mentioning this now: Banquet ticket sales will also be available for purchase on the website beginning December first. All 2025 members are eligible to purchase tickets. If you were not a member in 2025, the banquet will not be available to you.

In closing,

I hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving, Stays SAFE, And Stays off of the wet runway!

Brad

We are already approaching the end of the year, as well as my first term as president. With Thanksgiving approaching, I reflect on the many good things that happen at SEFSD. Firstly, we have the strong support of the City of San Diego, and the AMA. Both groups continue to give us constructive feedback and support to ensure our club follows environmental and safety/legal guidelines so that we continue to fly here for many years to come. Secondly, I want to give thanks to the unsung members that support the club behind the scenes. Peter Kalenak hardly ever flies, but devotes substantial time and energy to printing and mailing our badges out, and looking for ways to improve our process. Thank you Peter. For our T-28 prizes, while our club pays for them, Steve Neu’s company, Neutronics, gives us a substantial 50% discount on them. I want to recognize Steve Belknap’s contributions to newsletter and website. It’s a lot of work, and there are a lot of behind-the-scenes things that have to happen to get the newsletter and website published. It’s like the social glue that keeps our club together when we’re not at the field. I also want to thank Frank Sutton and Jim Bonnardel for contributing to the club’s Facebook page. Their quick responses makes our page more “Engaged” and therefore Facebook sends our page more traffic.

Hey modelers,

I hope everybody had a great month! It’s finally starting to cool off and we’ve even had a little bit of unexpected rain.
As we get towards the end of the year, we will shut down the “membership renewal tab on the web site effective November 1st to allow us to close out our fiscal year and prepare the system for 2026. Memberships/renewals for 2026 will go live the first week of December. People coming to our club with current AMA insurance are welcome to fly for the month of November without a membership requirement. We do, however, require them to join as soon as renewals are available in December. So one free month for them!
As a reminder to all, we do not prorate memberships. All 2025 memberships will expire on December 31, 2025.
As we talk about new memberships, it’s also time to pick the image that will be on our members IDs for 2026. If you have one or two amazing Aircraft related pictures that you would like to throw in the hat as a potential badge picture, please send them to me at bradley.bender@cox.net , and I will forward them to board member John Casilio to pick the final winner. Please only pick two (at most) for your submission. I know some of you have thousands of pictures ( FRANK ), just pick your 2 favorites that will crop to fit the badge in a portrait orientation.
As we hit the end of October, I only had one club member interested in joining the Board of Directors for next year. Our current secretary, Brian Glensky, will be departing the Board of Directors at the end of December. Current Member At Large – John Casilio – will move to the open position of Secretary. Panos Kaperonis will take Johns position as a Member at Large and start sharing his thoughts and ideas with the Board. This change will go into effect on January 1st.  When you see Brian, Please thank him for his service to the club!
This month’s fun fly event, and members meeting at the field will be held on October 25th and begins at 10:00AM. The event will be “WARBIRD DAY” and can include any aircraft that were used in battle. No Extras or Eratix allowed. Jovi will name the games and prizes will be awarded.
Stay safe and have a great month!

Brad

We are approaching the end of the year, but your board of directors is still hard at work keeping our membership happy, and our club growing. During October, we get a few prospective members ask if they have to join for 2025 in order to fly the rest of the year. Pilots who wish to use our field must pay to join/renew up until October 31st. After that, they may fly as a guest in November, and until the 2026 registration system is online, which will be around the first week of December. We have looked various times into changing the system to allow prorated memberships, but determined that the potential members gained is not worth the effort, and it would put an undue burden on the board, and our membership coordinator, Peter, who would have to mail out dozens of badges each month.

I hope everybody had a great September! It was nice to see a little bit of rain over the last couple of days, as it smoothed the runway down a bit just in time for jet day.
Other than having another Scorpion HV ESC let the magic smoke out, almost burning down ANOTHER 40% Airplane – and having a midair the same day which destroyed my favorite 60 inch plane, my month was fairly quiet.
I would therefore like to talk about a couple of things that I’ve seen or heard of over this past month.
I am again going to mention how important it is to communicate LOUDLY to others your takeoffs, your landings, and your intentions to cross the runway in either/any direction. This is for everyones safety, including yours. The other pilots are all looking up at their aircraft, and just can’t determine what you’re doing unless you tell them. You must pitch your voice to be heard farther away than 5 feet away – so other people know to be on the lookout for you or your aircraft. If you absolutely cannot pitch your voice to be heard three or four gates away, you can ask another Flier to help you announce your intentions – or invest in a whistle or something like that which will let you notify other pilots that something is going on. Just quietly stating that you’re going to get on the runway to the person standing next to you is not good enough. Also, if you need to recover an aircraft that cannot taxi to you, please walk to the pilots gate that is closest to your aircraft, Announce your intentions, then quickly back to that gate to reduce the time you are actually on the runway. Not to mention names (SKIPPER) casually strolled down the middle of the runway from gate six to gate three – and back, while others were low on battery and trying to get down safely.
I have also seen some plane pilots swing extremely wide on their turn to final approach. They are actually passing over the tables at the Roto Plex and passing directly over the Porta potty before coming back over the runway again. I have had people in the Roto Plex area approach me with safety concerns. If you feel you need to swing wide coming from the base to final leg, you should push your downwind further out over the field before starting your turn to base.  Recently people have been doing high speed runs between the center of the runway and the fence. Sometimes they stray over the fence. Try to keep all controlled flight between the far edge of the runway and the field area. The air space directly over the runway itself should be reserved for taking off and landing, not for high-speed passes. This practice also causes issue when someone is attempting to take off or land and another person tears through 5 feet off the ground on a high speed pass. Finally, I want to touch base on shooting continuous touch and goes while others are attempting to take off and land. I love it when people practice their landings. However, if you hear someone call their takeoffs or landings, please leave the runway to them, and go around and touch on your next pass, when the runway is clear again. There were some extremely close calls this month as people were already rolling towards lift off and another person came over their plane to conduct a touch and go right in front of them… Please plan your approaches.
As I mentioned at the beginning, this month’s fun fly event will be “Jet Day” on 27th September. Between 10 AM and approximately 11:15 AM, the main runway will be reserved for Electric ducted fan jets only. Bring down your favorite jet(s) and have some fun! As usual, there will be several Gift Certificates to Discount Hobby Warehouse (DHW) for prizes which can be awarded by following the Fun Fly instructions to be given by Jovi. If you have a chance, please thank John Weaver, the owner of DHW, for giving us a great discount on the gift certificates, which lets us purchase more Fun Fly prizes every year.
A personal injury may affect our hot dog lunch, but we are looking at other options.

Every active member is empowered to act as a safety observer. If you see someone being unsafe, please say something in a proper tone. It may be possible that they were unaware and would appreciate the guidance.
Please give them the benefit of the doubt – and do not approach in an angry manner. We all are there to enjoy our hobby.
Please fly safe, and respect others!
Brad

This month, our club was featured on the AMA website and social media as AMA Club of the Month. One reason why we were identified is because of all the great photos that Frank Sutton has been taking, and Steve Belknap has been posting on the gallery. We specifically received compliments from the AMA on how resourceful our Facebook page and website is. I want to thank people who work hard behind the scenes to make our club successful. Sometimes we only truly realize their impact on days where they are unable to help. Mark Davis, who has loyally served our club members hotdogs for many years, had a sudden back sprain this week and had to go to the ER. While he has valiantly tried to make it this Saturday, it was decided it’s best to allow him a few weeks to recover, and other members will bring drinks and pizza this Saturday, Sept 27th.

Hey Fliers,

 We have some warm days coming as we finish up August. I hope everyone stays safe and hydrated as temps at the beach go above eighty degrees. I hear quite a few members mention the fact that they leave their planes in their vehicles between flying days, to save time and effort of unloading and reloading their gear. This can bite you in several ways. Think of your planes in the same manner you would think of leaving a pet in the car.

On sunny days inside temps can quickly get above 150 degrees if the vehicle is in direct sunlight. This can cause foam airplanes to change their shapes and wood airplanes can have undesirable tensioning/loosening of their heat activated covering film. Glues stored inside a hot vehicle can cure in the bottle, and batteries can puff from just sitting in the heat.

I also feel the pain of unloading everything after the weekend, and reloading Friday night for the next outing – but it’s something you should keep in mind.

My main focus this month will be to stir some interest in members to take a turn or two on the clubs Board of Directors. In September I will be actively be looking for nominations to replace a member or two that will be moving on at the end of the current term. Right now I feel the club is in a good place with the majority of members stating that they feel ours is the best club in the county, and I appreciate that feedback. Every month I hear ideas from members on what they feel is a direction or action the club should take in the future. The best way to affect change in any organization is to get involved in the overall management and have the ability to bring new ideas to the board for vote – that can bring the changes you would like to see. Some of us have been on the BOD for quite a while, and enjoy doing it. I openly will say the not all of my personal proposals have been approved – but I do feel that they have been heard and the decision to approve or disapprove was based on the idea’s merits vs detractors. Like I said, I’m happy with where the club is at this moment in time, as it aligns with my vision. BUT… I would like to see other peoples ideas and visions put into effect – to see where they can take us in the future.  I hear people respond that they don’t have the time to be involved, but there is no major commitment required. We have one monthly BOD meeting that generally last between one and two hours, then maybe a few words spoken at the monthly meeting at the field. The BOD meetings are held at a members home for those who like to attend in person, and there is a virtual attendance option for those who would rather log in from home.

Our next meeting will be Wednesday, September 10^th at 6:30 PM. If you would like to attend in person or remotely, let a BOD member know and we will get it set up. Sort of a preview if you will. We will be looking for interested people to actually speak up in September and October, and have the 2026 BOD named in early November.

Some bits in closing:  The field is very dry, Fliers should have an extinguisher with them and readily available. If you need to walk out into the field, keep an eye out for animal burrows – they have been digging to escape the heat, I nearly twisted my knee.  Bring fluids for yourself and your guests, and shade/hats/sunscreen is your friend!

Augusts Fun Fly event on the 23^rd will be : Foamy Frenzy!  Plan to fly your foam planes ( only ) between 10:00 AM and 12:00 PM for a chance of gift certificates to Discount Hobby Warehouse.

Our monthly members meeting will follow the Fun Fly, and we will finish up with a hot dog lunch, and then open flying for the remainder of the day.

Stay Safe!

Brad

Greetings from the Vice President!

Dear SEFSD Members,

I hope this message finds you all well! I wanted to take a moment to address you as your vice president, and I must first apologize for my absence in contributing to the newsletter lately. Unfortunately, that notorious four-letter word—work—has kept me quite occupied these past few months.

A huge thank you to John Casillo for his outstanding efforts on the runway! Also, let’s not forget about the fantastic team that stepped up to help John, including George Harper, Panos, Andrew Kaperonis, and Davis. Your hard work has truly transformed our field, providing us with a beautiful runway to enjoy. When you see John and his dedicated crew, please take a moment to express your gratitude!

Now, let’s shift gears to some fun highlights from our recent events. We kicked off with a lively Limbo contest, and I would like to congratulate John Casillo for his winning performance! Following that was our always-exciting Altitude Quest event, where George Harper impressively hit his mark by just one foot, and I came in a little behind at second place, missing my mark by three feet. Most recently, we hosted the Dead Stick Landing event, which had a fantastic turnout of 24 pilots! Although it was a unique challenge, watching everyone participate was a blast. I even got roped into flying Jim Bonnardel’s Aeroscout during the competition, much to the crowd’s amusement! I must admit, my stomach was in knots, but I’m glad it brought smiles to many, including our dear friend Cory.

As for the results of the Dead Stick competition, John Casillo took first place, followed closely by Cory in second, Jim Bonnardel in third, young Davis in fourth, and our very own George Sullivan rounding out the top five in fifth place. Congratulations to all!

Looking ahead, our monthly Electroglide continues to be a fun and exciting event, and I’d love to see more pilots join and participate. Our next event in August will feature “Foamy Frenzy” alongside our monthly meeting and a delightful hotdog feast! Yes, I hear Panos’ father is keen to enjoy a hotdog or two at this gathering!

Thank you all for being such an incredible community. I look forward to seeing you at our upcoming events!

Best regards,

Jovi

Vice President, SEFSD 

Hey SEFSD,

I hope everyone had a great July!

Our Taco Day at the field on Independence Day was great. There was an amazing lunch provided by the club for those that flew, and the families that joined us. It was a great day for flying, and some members stayed past sunset and had a front row seat to Sea Worlds annual mega fireworks show. I hope you were able to attend.

Moving in to August, the board is always looking at a remedial solution for our ongoing runway problems. Since I hear the question often, I will state here again that the city will never allow us to pave our runway or the parking lot. The entire site is a reclaimed area that cannot be developed. We are arranging a water truck and roller to recompress the loose clay and sand, which will hopefully get us to the end of the dry season. John C is going to attempt a test patch with an approved substance to determine if there is value.

Dennis has strategically placed traffic cones in the parking lot in an attempt to slow people down as they arrive and leave the site. It’s somewhat effective, but some people treat it like it’s a drifting area. Please people – 5 MPH in the entire off pavement area, in AND out.

For those that haven’t noticed, I have had 3 in flight battery fires in the last 90 days on larger ( 12S ) aircraft. 2 of them were landed quickly enough to get the batteries out before the plane was entirely consumed, one was a 40% aircraft that was a total loss.

All of them were using the SMC High voltage batteries.  I attributed the first failure to using cold batteries, but the second led me to think it was the batteries – so I stopped charging any batteries above 4.2 volts. The fire last week used 10 month old batteries that were charged to 4.2, but had previously been charged to 4.35 V – so I am throwing out any packs that were ever charged to the HV standard. Use at your own risk!

The holes in the tables are for people to place their umbrella poles. As it gets warmer, I have received numerous complaints of the holes being filled with candy/chip wrappers, and broken bits of airplanes. Please help a fella out and don’t put trash in the holes.

This months club meeting and fun fly will be held on Saturday, July 26^th. The event will be the Dead Stick Challenge, which will begin at 10:00 AM. There will be prizes as usual.

Hope to see you there!

Brad