Hey Flyers!
I for one, am glad that it seems to be drying out. The Red Lock, and Dennis has done a great job of damage control by keeping club members from using the field when it’s just too wet to use. Dennis diligently repaired the footprints left by the homeless people and dog walkers…
On the mention of the red lock, there are currently 3 locks assigned to our site. The city’s KEYED lock, our primary combination lock ( silver ), and our restricted access combination lock ( Red). Currently, the City has their lock out for repair. It’s quite old and needs to be able to allow access to city vehicles during emergencies. That leaves 2 locks attached at the moment. The red lock closes the chain around the gate, and the red lock closes the other end of the chain around the fence post. There has been some confusion when people saw the red lock and assumed they were locked in without looking closer.
The field is in full bloom of wild flowers with some areas above head height. There are quite a few people parking in our lot, and walking across the runway and roto plex to take pictures with the pretty “weeds”. Contrary to some beliefs, we share the outer field areas with the general population using Mission Bay Park. PLEASE don’t holler at them or threaten them in any way with your aircraft. If they are in the way when you are trying to take off, hold your flight for a few minutes until they clear out. If they are actually on the runway when someone is trying to land, ask them to clear the runway ( No Cursing). Any time there are people in the field, we must stay at least 50 feet above them, and the Multi-rotors must give them a minimum of 100 feet horizontal space. Dive bombing or racing your drone near any person or animal equals an immediate suspension of membership for the remainder of the year – or longer if the BOD determines it is warranted.
I KNOW Jovi talked about it, but I’m going to make this bold and in larger text as some people are not getting it. We have no waiver for people practicing the I/EMAC pattern to punch way over 200 feet!!! Our hard ceiling is 200 feet. SEFSD is currently in an area that is designated with a 50 foot flight ceiling, and we have a specific agreement with the FAA and ATC US Western Division that allows us to reach 200 feet.
Jovi also mentioned that he is going to pull together a group of plane flyers to clean up the roto plex areas on the 7th of May. Thank you to those who volunteer. I appreciate your help. I will say that if the roto plex guys are not interested in helping – the next time the city says it looks trashy will be the end of the race gates and it will only be maintained as a helicopter area moving forward.
Recently there has been a lot of discussions about a couple of the hobby distributers have quietly raised their prices by 2-400 dollars and are shouting “FREE Shipping!!” Don’t be fooled, understand where your dollars are going. Often your best bet is to order from our local hobby shop.
So Far we have reached over $1100.00 in the 50/50 donation pot for next years banquet. The goal is $2500.00 which will offset the dinner prices for every attendee by $25.00. Any additional collections will go towards additional raffle prizes. I will say that one member has already donated a very popular plane to the 50/50 raffle to support the club and our Banquet!!
The Monthly Meeting is this Saturday, 22 April. There will also be a Fun Fly event and a hot dog lunch. HOPE to see you all there!!
Brad
