MCRCC News Letter
April 2000
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Supporting Model Aviation and the Community Since 1970
An Academy of Model Aeronautics Chartered Club (#294)
P.O. Box 484, Bloomington, Indiana 47402President: Mark Sexton 812-825-4343| Vice President: Bruce Hoffman 812-876-6219
Secretary/ Treasurer: Brent Hoover 812-824-7256| News Letter Editor: Brian Elliot 765-342-7236
Website Manager: Lou Magyar 812-876-8076
Meetings (monthly): 2nd Wednesday at 7:00 p.m., in the Cook Bldg.Just North of Otis Elevator Co. on Curry Pike, Bloomington, IN
Flying Site: 1 mile East of SR 37 on Wylie Road, Bloomington, IN
Websites:
http://geocities.datacellar.net/CapeCanaveral/Hangar/9018
http://clubs.yahoo.com/clubs/monroecountyrcclub
Shortcut:
GENERAL:March Meeting...
There were 16 people in attendance at the March meeting.
The main topic of discussion was an update of the club by-laws. Some suggested changes were proposed and the details will be finalized at the April meeting. You will receive an updated copy of the club by-laws later in April or May.
Frequency numbers and flags may be required on all transmitter antennas so you might as well get it done now. It's good common sense to have them on display anyway. We don't want anybody to loose a plane from interference from another transmitter. You must have the frequency pin for your channel before you turn on any transmitter but mistakes can happen. If everybody has their frequency displayed on their transmitter, a quick look along the flight line might prevent a mishap.
Batteries...
Check your batteries before every flight! If there is ANY doubt, charge them! 15 or 20 minutes on the old field charger is a small price to pay compared to the price of a new plane. It's a good idea to chart your batteries from time to time just to see where they dump. As batteries age they tend to discharge at a gradual rate to a point where they drop like a rock. When that dump point starts to creep back into your normal flying time, you can loose a plane in an instant. The battery will still charge up to it's normal voltage but will have no capacity. It may look fine on the volt meter but drop from it's normal voltage to "off the scale" in just a few minutes. You can chart your batteries by charging them completely, then connect the pack to a load (expanded scale volt meter for receiver batteries or power on for transmitter batteries) and write down the time. Go back every 5 minutes & write down the voltage. As you do this for an hour or more, a pattern will develop. The voltage may go from 100% to 70% in 25 minutes but in the next 5 minutes, it may go from 70% to 20%! Batteries that have been sitting idle for some time may also have a reduced capacity. After storage, discharge that pack, recharge it, & chart it. It could have a cell that has gone bad over the Winter. Just because you don't have a $150.00 Acucycle Plus doesn't mean you can't safely maintain your battery packs.
Field Damage...
A utility company has been working on Wylie Road for several weeks. They have been parking some of their equipment in our parking area at the field and making a muddy, rutted mess out of it. An investigation is underway to determine who the company is & if they owe us some landscaping repair. Stay tuned for later developments.
Nebo Season...
The flying season at Nebo Memorial Field in Martinsville never closes but during the warmer months, several Monroe County R/C Club members can be found there on Thursday evenings, trying their luck. It's not a giant scale field & the wind currents around the trees can be a little tricky at times but it's a nice clean place to fly with friends, when there's not a funeral in progress. The Monroe County R/C Club Field is normally mowed on Thursday evenings so that gives us an excuse to fly Nebo one night a week. Ask someone who's been there about Nebo Thursdays.
Miscellaneous Info...An event calendar can be accessed from the clubs Website. Please follow the link on the main page to get there. Anyone can use this Calendar and make a posting to a message board. The only requirement is that you join the Yahoo Groups and become a registered user. Its FREE and no personal information need be provided if you do not want it made public.
The message board is a GREAT place to post items you have for sale and make some general announcements.
There is also a photo album section there. Anyone can post a photo of what ever subject (model airplane club related please) they want! We have made several albums for you to add your photo... or you can make your own!
Please try to keep photos limited to 50k or less. We have only 5 meg of space available to post photos and it'll go fast. If you have pictures that you would like to post, please e-mail them to Lou and he'll get them posted on the main website.
If anyone would like to buy a Club shirt or hat please drop Bruce a line. The shirts sell for $21.50 and the hats are $9.00.
General Interest: The MCRCC Web Page is now in service... The site address is:www.geocities.com/CapeCanaveral/Hangar/9018.
There is also a simpler URL to remember. Try:
http://club.gs/mcrcc for an easier connection to remember
and better still.... Try: Fly.To/MCRCC
For those of you that have internet capabilities you may view the MCRCC News Letter at any of these URL's.
The Calendar can be accessed at:http://clubs.yahoo.com/clubs/monroecountyrcclub
If you have e-mail you may send your address to Brian at belliott@surf-ici.com
If you have anything that might be of interest to the club please contact Lou Magyar at 812-876-8076 or you may drop him a line at lmagyar@hepn.com
FOR SALE ITEMS:none this month
UP COMING EVENTS:
Don't forget to mark your calendar for these upcoming events.
April 7,8,9 : Toledo Weak Signals R/C Expo
April 12 : Monthly Club Meeting
May 6 & 7 : Brazil IMAC Contest
May 27 & 28 : Champaign (Rantoul) IMAC Contest
June 3 : R/C Fly-in 9:00 a.m. Tracee Field (Atterbury)
June 16-18 : Autogyro Flyin, Tillsonburg, Canada
July 13-16 : Muncie Nationals for IMAC
July 23 : Atterbury R/C Air Show 2:00 p.m.
July 29 & 30 : Brazil IMAC Contest
Aug. 5?: Club Fun Fly (Club Field)
Aug. 20? : Nothin but Cubs Fly-In (Club Field)
Sept. 9 & 10 : Atterbury Giant Scale Fly-In
Sept. 29 - Oct. 1: WW I Dawn Patrol Rendezvous (Wright Patterson A.F.B.)
Oct. 7 ?: Monroe County Airport Awareness Day (Monroe County Airport)
Oct. 8 ?: Monroe County R/C Club Air Show (Club Field)
Oct. 14 : Hoosier Hills Airshow Team Demo in Martinsville - 2:00 p.m. at McDaniel Field
