Flying with Fred - Volume III, No 3

Ok, where did this cold weather come from? We’re not supposed to have frost on the pumpkins until mid-November, according to the weatherman. I must admit that one of the nice results of an early briskness is the panoply of color as one looks out in the distance, North and East of the field. Sometimes it’s worth it just to sit for a few minutes on one of the tables, and take in the view from our perch, around this time of the year. Not every club is as fortunate as we are in this regard (well, maybe you’ll have to squint a bit when looking at the Metro North Yards).
Also, with the cooler temps comes a tad more power from glow engines, thanks to denser air and the corresponding slightly richer mixes. The increased wind, however, is more of a nuisance just about now, thanks to atmospheric convection and other meteorological phenomena associated with… planetary infarction? I used to be well versed in this area, but the grey cells seemed to have dumped some info in recent years…
Some procedural items: I will start accepting 2007 membership applications beginning at the November meeting. Remember I WILL need to see your 2007 AMA card (or proof that the AMA is processing same) before you even SEE your 2007 stickers. Make every effort to renew before the end of the W.R.A.M. show, since the crush makes for late delivery of stickers, and other problems. If there are extenuating circumstances let me know. If I don’t hear from you, and you don’t renew on time, you WILL repay the $30 initiation fee in addition to the yearly dues. Don’t say you weren’t warned.
Now is also the time to think about nominations for Officers and Directors. As I’ve (ahem) mentioned in the past, it’s critical that you step up and make an intelligent choice. If you think you’re Officer or Director material, throw your hat in the ring- we’ll let you know if we agree, or if we’d prefer you to be head of Rubber Band Stretching at the far (FAR) end of the field. Seriously, though- it’s critical that we have top people “driving the bus” going forward- our current realities demand it.
Damned if I can’t seem to finish the three planes scattered around the basement for the last 3 months- and they’re ARF’s, not kits. Brandy the dog is confused at the additional clutter when she goes down for her periodic inspection tour, and lately she’s been giving me that quizzical “don’t attach the tri-plane wings to the 3-D fuselage to the park flyer’s tail feathers” look. Sometimes it’s all I can do to get at least some complicated “small steps” done, like gluing a clothespin to a new frequency label back- hooray! (boy, was THAT exhausting). I continue to look for the 36-hour day, and try to mimic my friend Dave from Maryland’s “A Little A Day” philosophy, where he works on one project a year, for maybe an hour or two an evening. Every year he manages to come up with some gorgeous work every time a see him at Rhinebeck. I, on the other hand, tried to impress him with my glued clothespins, but …
The World Of Electrics continues to expand exponentially. The latest ARF offerings from Great Planes and Hangar Nine are staggering to those of us who remember ARF’s as being little more than badly designed and overweight plastic bricks with wings. The Hangar Nine Sopwith Camel, in particular, is SWEET! The option of going either electric or glow is included, and it looks like a well-designed item, per Tech Editor Gerry Yarrish of Model Airplane News (Gerry had a prototype for everyone to goggle at when he visited the Rhinebeck Jamboree in September… drool!). Hangar Nine also has made available optional electric combos for their great line of classic WWII Warbird offerings.
The two smaller goodies from Great Planes- an SE5-A and Fokker D-VII- are what folks like me have been waiting for- built up park-flyers with great scale looks and compatible motor-ESC-battery systems. This is the other area where the manufacturers have (finally) stepped up to the plate and hit one out of the park- they are offering combos that take the guess work out of which motor, which prop, which ESC, and which batteries to use. In some cases, even including most of these components with the plane.
Of course, now that everyone finally has a handle (more or less) on lipo battery technology, and companies are offering viable lipo-specific charging systems (along with some very new and less expensive battery options on the horizon) all you have to do is pony up the Dead Presidents, connect the system together, assemble the plane, and you’re off to the races. True, you are presenting more of the Legal Tender up front, but concentrating (meditating?) on the long-term benefits of electrics tends to ease the initial pain somewhat. Besides, the Holidays are coming…
That’s it for now- still some good flying weather to be had in the next few weeks. Happy Halloween, and see you at the November meeting- until then…

… fly safely, but FLY!