Hey Fliers!
It was sure nice to get some measurable rain last week, Finally!
A big thank you to our team – John, Dennis, Quan, Steve, and Steve for coordinating their efforts to get our ground stabilizing product to the field and applying it before the field had fully dried. By getting it manually applied, they were able to save the $800 we usually spend on a water truck to distribute it over the field. Additional thanks to John and Dennis for the numerous hours each spent on the roller smoothing it all out. Even the parking lot had some love from the roller!
Talking about rain, and field Maintenance…
When we put out that the red lock is in place, either by email blast to the club, or as a notice on the facebook page – that means the field is closed to all flight operations. We have a clay runway and if you put muddy footprints in the surface – when the footprints dry and become fossilized, they could ripping off peoples landing gear for the next 6-9 months. I have heard all of the arguments about “ My tiny plane wont leave any marks”, but when it gets stuck in the mud, and you have to walk out to retrieve it, the field takes damage. We need people to understand that they simply cannot fly while field maintenance is being conducted – to avoid stupid accidents. And we also receive official notices from the FAA called NOTAMS restricting flight from time to time. Once we had pilots jump the curb somewhere and they had planes in the air while Air Force One was visible on approach. All three of those pilots were asked to find another site to fly. In June, Jim was rolling out the field while pilots who were improperly let past the red lock were flying over his head – UNSAFE. Last Thursday, a member parked outside of the gate and walked to the runway for flights while it was still raining – both UNSAFE, and UNWISE, leaving tracks in the clay. On Saturday, members parked on the street and walked to the tables with planes thinking they were going to fly while John and Dennis were on the field doing maintenance. Two of them got GRUMPY when they were told they couldn’t fly.
Frankly, I was a bit flabbergasted. I have been asked at least 300 times since October about when the next field maintenance window was, and each time I responded that it would be done after the first rainfall to allow us to get the product into the surface of the field. On average, we have 20 days out of a 365 day year when the red lock is in place – and people completely lose their minds when the runway is muddy or we try to get maintenance done. Please give us a chance to get the runway in shape for everyone to enjoy. When we put the red lock on the gate, please understand that we have a valid reason, and DO NOT come in to the site and fly.
I had an event a few weeks ago that I believe was weather related, but ultimately my fault. I know “Sunny Southern California” is what we all enjoy. As I type this, it’s over 70 degrees in East county. The evenings can get a bit chilly though. I have been happily working out my 140” bushmaster for about 3 years, with more than 250 high energy flights on it. Normally I charge my batteries the night before planned flying, and keep them in a steel ammo can – in the insulated garage overnight where it stays about 60 degrees. I put them and my transmitter in the van before I leave the next morning for the field.
I flew the bushmaster once on Saturday morning, but there were a large number of pilots following no pattern whatsoever, so instead of risking an expensive aircraft – I packed it up and went home. This is where I caused my problem. I still had 3 pairs of charged 9800 mAh batteries in the storage can, which I left in the van overnight. Temps in my neighborhood hit a low of 35 degrees overnight. Sunday morning I assembled the plane, and knowing the batteries were cool, My first flight was relaxed and serene. After leaving the remaining batteries in the sun for an hour, I put the bushmaster up for the second flight. AANNNDD I started putting it to work. Around 3 minutes in, there was an unusual muted popping sound, and I noticed a loss of power – not complete loss, but a reduction. I immediately aimed it at the runway and set it down to immediately see flames through the windshield. Dennis had his extinguisher handy ( Mine was in the van ) and I was able to control the flames enough to get the batteries out without destroying the airframe. It will be a couple hundred dollars, and 20-25 hours to get it airworthy again.
The moral of the story “ Be very careful when aggressively using cold LiPo batteries.” If they are usually warm after a normal flight, working them when cold could push them into a thermal runaway and cost you the aircraft.
Last month I mentioned a non-member that had been showing up at the club offering to accept pay for “Flying Lessons”. After he caused a few more weeks od drama at the field, I believe he has moved on. If you see a gentleman in an out of state Mercedes van flying without a badge, please let me know. Please don’t accept his offer to train you for cash. In reality, he doesn’t fly that well and will still charge you for destroying your aircraft. With the current training aircraft available with SAFE technology, Most people can be successful if someone helps them with the initial set up of the plane, then 3 or 4 “accompanied” flights to get them started on the right foot. If you feel actual training is what you need for a few weeks, we have instructors with patience that are available by appointment (easy) to get you going.
Sadly, we recently lost a club member, who had been an active weekday flier, to a short but aggressive illness. Farol Cilluffo was a very friendly person who was always ready to help anyone that needed a hand, and with a ready smile. His Wife, Bonnie has donated the majority of Farol’s items to the club. Just as Jim did last month, I will have 5 planes and some other work bench items near the fence on the 22nd for a silent auction. I mentioned to Bonnie that I would put the funds towards next years banquet prizes – and she liked that thought as they both enjoyed the banquets together.
This months FunFly event will be held on 22 February and will be the spot landing challenge. It is always a lot of fun, and open to all active members. There will also be a 50/50 raffle, a club meeting, and a hot dog lunch by our resident chef, Mark Davis.
See you at the field!
Brad
