|
Home
Thinking of taking up this hobby?
|
WINDSOCK. THE NEWSLETTER OF READING & DISTRICT MODEL AIRCRAFT CLUB November 2005.
THE ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING of the Reading and District Model Aircraft Club will be held at 20.00hrs on Tuesday December 6th, 2005, at St. Barnabas Hall, Emmer Green, Reading. All members are requested to attend, as there are some very important
issues to be addressed, which could involve the future conduct and running of
the Club. Please arrive early, as the meeting must start on time! EDITOR’S
CHAT
Greetings Members.
I hope you have had a reasonable flying year, despite the high winds we
have been suffering. Some of my favourites, like the Cocklebarrow Vintage
meetings have been pretty well blown-out and to fly at all has been adventurous,
to say the least! Now,
how about you? This “Windsock” is now my fourth since volunteering and being
ex-RAF, where you are told on day one, never volunteer for anything, it has
actually been fun. My writings have brought forth some nice comments, for which
I am grateful. Don’t forget, I am here for your input and contributions, as I
am sure that many of you have plenty to say about our flying, kits, engines or
meetings. Spread the word in your newsletter, so please feel free to drop me a
line or give me a ring. An
important point is, before I went on holiday, I sent the committee my report on
the grass cutting issue with the Oracle Park Services, together with my views on
lone flying, as I happen to think that we actually may be safer in many ways
than other clubs. Some other members also gave their views regarding flying and
therefore gave the committee something to get their teeth into. These items are
reported later in this news- letter, my important point being, let me know your
thoughts on the running of the club. Write to the committee by all means and
copy me so that I can report on a forum of club items. This is YOUR newsletter,
so spread the word through it. I
seem to have hit on the right print size, as, now using glasses myself for
reading and modelling, I know the importance of being able to read easily. The
only quiet rumble there might be does concern the fact that ‘I’ do not send
this work out electronically. There is a very good reason for this, in that I
took the job on with the understanding that
I only produce a news-sheet, you know, one of those things that your hard
working Postman brings to you. It helps to maintain his job and can then be read
anywhere! However,
we now have a “Sponsor” in our very own “HOBBY STORES”, in that they
have offered to pay all Windsock postal charges. This
will be a great help to all our members, for as you know, the Club needs to keep
its cost’s down, as you never know what will happen next. It’s
on its way, so, Happy Christmas to you and yours. Remember it’s time to start
leaving all those little adverts and messages in “where did I put that?”
places around the house. READING HOBBY
STORES
384, Oxford Road, Reading.
Well known to most of us and now the
only model shop in Reading, where previously we have had five. Paul Norris is
the Manager and was originally very much a Model Boat man. He has now very
definitely grown out of that and indulges in full size sailing in such hairy
places as Weymouth Harbour, where he actually prays for wind!. Still modelling,
however and, living near to Kingsclere, flies both slope, thermal and electric
gliders.
His right hand man is Tim Roper, son of our well known member Bob and is
very much into model car racing. He has obviously been listening to Dad and is a
fair old hand at Radio Control, its problems, and, how to solve them. Will
Champion is the latest staff member and is a hot shot with the R/C aircraft
side, being a respected flyer with the Western Display team and a very nice chap
to talk to, as of course, they all are at number 381. They
are sticking to their guns, as per the last “Windsock” and are offering to
match the price of anything advertised in the magazines. They certainly cannot
be much fairer than that, can they?
Also, by dealing with Hobby Stores, you can save all those postal charges
as well! So,
before you pick up the phone or dash up the Motorway, remember to support your
local Model-shops. We need them
now! INCIDENT
SHEET
I have no wish to become an expert
on these, but I recently had a note on the subject from our Secretary, Andrew,
who is also our Safety Officer. It is a reminder to all members that, in the
case of a crash, thump, bump, etc, or any noticeable incident, such as dealings
with the public, at our flying field, an Incident Report must be submitted to
him as soon as possible. He states that the form does not have to be used as
such and a comprehensive statement of the facts will do. The form was developed
as a reminder of the type of information that should be submitted, rather than
the only way. A
further point he raises is that we tend to assume that a person who has an
‘A’ Certificate needs no assistance. Perhaps, after a lay off from flying,
such person should be offered assistance until such time that they have shown,
in a satisfactory manner, that they are back up the ‘A’ standard, but,
without actually going through the test. I think it makes sense and is on the
line of full size pilot requirements.
Don’t forget – whatever your experience,
you can always ask for help! MOBILE
TELEPHONES AND FIRST AID COVER
On my travels, I have noted that
some other Clubs are now requiring users of mobile phones, NOT to use them
anywhere near the Pits OR flying areas. Even standing outside your car in the
car park is frowned upon with some. Proven or not, they do not wish to take any
chances at all with the control of their models. Think about it!
Very few of us have a First Aid Kit with us at
the flying field. If we have one at all, it will probably be in the car, so
surely this is this where the mobile phone should be, preferably switched off!
As my dear wife points out, having a First Aid Kit handy is a very sensible
thing nowadays, twirling 9 x 6
propeller or not! Whilst on this subject, please do not forget to use your
restraint and ensure that it is adjusted properly!
All of the model flying Safety Codes and
Guidelines are in the B.M.F.A. handbook, which as a member of this Club, you are
entitled to have. It contains some very interesting and sensible reading and its
study is recommended to all flyers.
If you have not got a Members Handbook, give them a ring on
Tel:-0116-2440028 and ask them to send you one, just have your membership number
handy! INDOOR
FLYING Well it’s one way to get out of
the wind and fly your model, but, having said that, I am not so sure that this
completely right, as the title of the O.F.M.A.C. club * (should you know it)
seems to suggests otherwise! All events are held at the Castle Leisure Centre in
Wallingford, and as a reminder, the remaining dates for this year are the 27th
November and the 18th December.
The December meeting is often a bit of a party
and, if you still wonder if Reindeer really fly, this is your chance to find
out.
2006 dates are the 15th January, 19th
February and the 19th March. Billed as a ‘Funfly’ for all’, it
is actually for free-flight, rubber, Co2 and electric models only. However, even
died in the wool R/C flyers will find this fascinating and interesting and you
are most welcome to visit, but watch out, it can be catching!
As an aside, whilst there is no R/C at these
events, a certain person is working on a possible R/C venue and is bus-ting to
tell you when, soon!
* Old Farts M.A.C. BELTED
AND SPURED, or for us, BOLTED AND SCREWED A lot of people have a problem with
this issue, but should you have ever had trouble getting hold of socket head cap
screws, stainless steel metric bolts or something with a funny thread that you
must have for your engine or model, help is near at hand.
Many firms have gone out of business, as is
well known, leaving, it seems, only one proper supplier in the local area of the
above ironware that us aeromodeller’s need.
And where is this place, you ask? Well, it is
none other than right opposite our own Winter H.Q. at St, Barnabas Hall, in
Emmer Green.
It is known as Caversham Supplies, at 61, Grove
Road, Emmer Green, Reading, RG4 8LJ. Telephone:
0118 – 9462217.
Run by the very helpful, Richard Griffiths, he
will be most pleased to help you and, although he points out that most of his
product are bulked, the proportions are reasonable and may well available as
specials. To give an example, a box of 200, 30 mm, M3, Cap Screws may cost £13.90,
but, divided four ways with your mates, you each end up with 50 screws for £3.
48, which, when you think of what you get in the usual plastic bag method, cant
be bad!
Zink plate, black steel, chrome, stainless or
what have you, all are available, and Richard even has an Email at-
cavershamsupplies@unit151.fsnet.co.uk
Talk to him and as they say, you saw it first
in “Windsock”. Mention our
name! COMMITTEE
MEETING on the 21ST OCTOBER, 2005 Here are the brief details of the
above meeting. Club and Flying Field Rules.
The feedback from members regarding the new
rule prohibiting lone power flying was considered. Many issues were discussed,
including personal and public safety, possible incidents, including theft and
the possible loss of the Dreadnaught site. Although a revised rule was proposed,
this was narrowly defeated. However, due to this, the sensitive nature of the
issue and the absence of three Committee members, it was decided to put the
revision to the membership at the Annual General Meeting. Until the AGM, the
rule prohibiting lone flying stands. Grass Cutting
Brian Smith has informed the Committee that he
intends to retire and that from November, 2005, he will no longer be able to mow
the strip. An outline agreement has now been agreed with the contractors already
cutting grass in the Thames Valley Business Park to undertake this work. The
committee expressed thanks to the members who had offered to help with this
task, but decided that with the professional arrangements, club members need not
be inconvenienced and the existing mowers could be sold. Club
Officers and Committee Members
The present Committee are all prepared to stand
for election again at the AGM. However, under the terms of the
Clubs constitution, Andrew Stretton has volunteered to step down as Secretary.
As he was unable to attend the meeting, it was hoped that he will be able to
stand for re-election.
Members are reminded that should the Clubs subscription/membership fee be
un-paid by the 31st December, 2005, such persons are prohibited from
using the Club flying site. Should fee’s remain unpaid by the 31st
January, 2006, the person concerned shall be deemed to have left the Club. The
full joining fee would be payable should the said ex-member wish to rejoin. 75TH Anniversary Celebrations
It was felt that some event should be organised
to celebrate this and promote the Club. The actual venue and date is to be
investigated at the next Committee meeting. Next
Committee Meeting
The first Committee meeting of 2006 will be
held on the 12th January, 2006 at a venue yet to be decided, when the
further programme of events for 2006 will be considered. Input and suggestions
are invited from all members. What do you want? Christmas Party
This will be held at St. Barnabas Hall on
Tuesday 15th December, 2005, to which all Club members are invited.
The catering will be organised by Linda Bishop, there will be very good raffle
prizes and the presentation of awards to the winners of the Clubs competition
will be made. Charity
This years donation of £50.00 will be made to
the Thames Valley and Chiltern Air Ambulance Trust. Safety
The practice of standing very close to the
strip whilst landing should be discouraged Web Site
A
note should be placed on the web reminding members to be extra careful in the
pits when members of the public are in the vicinity. It was recommended to
E-mail Windsock to members who would like to receive it electronically, to save
on cost and the work of posting it to every member. YULE
TIDE MESSAGE FROM MARTIN DANCE - CHAIRMAN. Well,
whatever the winter has in store for us we can look back on this summer with a
good deal of pleasure. I think we enjoyed one of the best autumns in terms of
flyable weather for a long time. Our end of season floatplane event was blessed
with a particularly good day for the time of year. Many flyers turned up to make
the most of this late bonus fine day. Our annual pilot of the year competition
was eventually completed, but with many rearrangements of the programme, Ron
being the eventual winner. This year the committee decided that our rulebook was
over due an overhaul; Pontius Pilate wrote the original in Latin so no one could
understand the rules! But seriously our rules pre dated the BMFA code and many
of our rules simply duplicated those of the BMFA code. So at least the rulebook
will be a more streamlined affair. By and large that has been the case except
for two rules. Our rule about dead airspace proved to be particularly difficult
to define in an unambiguous way but we eventually managed to arrive a sensible
and workable rule. The other rule that outlaws lone flying has proved altogether
more controversial so much so that the committee was tied over the rule as it
now stands and a proposed amendment. As a result this rule and amendment will be
brought before the membership at the AGM. So can I urge you to attend in order
that we can make a rule that has the weight of a democratic decision behind it? Life
is about change. For many years we have enjoyed the services of Brian Smith who
has carefully tended our flying strip heli-pad and pits. Brian’s reward for
his efforts has been free club membership, which has seriously undervalued his
contribution to the club and to your enjoyment of our sport. Brian has decided
to hang up his mower at the end of November and enjoy a well-earned retirement.
On behalf of all the members I wish him a long and happy retirement and a very
big thank you for all his efforts over the last 18 or so years. As a result of
Brian’s decision the committee looked at a number of options aimed at
maintaining the strip to a high standard. After much debate it was decided that
doing the mowing ‘in house’ by whatever means left much to be desired. So
using a contractor to mow the grass to our specification seemed the best option.
From next year the company that carries out the grounds maintenance for Thames
Valley Park will be tending our flying site. This will have an effect upon
subscriptions, but that would have been the case whatever scheme we used to get
the grass mown. The
flying training scene has enjoyed a good year, with a number of members gaining
‘A’ certificates. Again a big thank you to Dave Gray for shouldering the
lion’s share of the instructing task this year, and of course thanks are due
to all those who have helped with the training effort this year. Now
we are back at the Club house for our Tuesday meetings, can I ask you to try and
attend, if for no better reason than it’s nice to see a range of faces to have
a natter with, and have a decent
audience on those occasions when an event such as a guest speaker are arranged.
Check the web-site to keep up to date with our goings on WWW.RDMAC,org.uk With
that in mind, thanks to Paul Joslyn for maintaining the web-site. It is rumoured
there will be some new features in the not too distant future! That’s
about it remember the AGM, the first Tuesday in December and the Xmas
festivities and raffle on the third Tuesday. Have a great Xmas and get building
for 2006. ARTICLE
BY ANDREW STRETTON, SECRETARY AND SAFETY OFFICER
When
I was asked by Tony to write something for the club newsletter I had to decide
on a topic. This proved more
troublesome than I expected as various topics came to mind, but I could not
decide which might appeal most to members.
It needed to be both interesting and not too ‘heavy’.
So for some time I sat on the fence and didn’t write anything.
When the stance became uncomfortable, as those of you who have ever tried
to sit astride a fence can testify, I thought of putting pen to paper.
However, even that didn’t really work as I started a draft literally
with pen and paper whilst travelling on a train to the North.
The problem was that track condition was poor, the train vibrated (one of
the new Virgin Voyagers) and therefore my already barely legible writing became
truly illegible. So here is the
electronically produced version of the ramblings of a model flyer who wishes to
see the continuance of the hobby for many generations to come. Over
the years I have had numerous discussions with people at our flying site and
elsewhere on the subject of safety and flying field rules.
Most conversations start off along the lines ‘I do this for pleasure I
don’t want all these rules because they restrict what I can do’. Society expects there to be some controls over most things.
If I was an anthropologist, or should that be a philosopher, no doubt I
could explain the theory of ‘society’, but I am not.
However, what I do know from my own experiences, are that people like
rules: yes they do! How often do
you hear people calling for things to be regulated or saying ‘it shouldn’t
be allowed?’ But people only like
rules that will stop others doing something, not them.
If they are involved in an accident, the circumstances leading to it
should have been regulated. In
model flying we have the same thing. We
hear of flying sites being lost due to noise, uncontrolled flying etc.
So we, like all good clubs or flying groups, have rules.
None of them are particularly onerous (a matter of personal opinion
perhaps), but they are there to ensure the continued enjoyment of our sport.
No club committee sets out to be more restrictive than is absolutely
necessary. But a committee does
need to be able to show it acts responsibly both for the safety of its members
and others who can be affected by the activities of the club.
One way it does that is through the club rules.
Think about it from the point of view of an outsider looking in.
They see models whizzing around the sky, sometimes closer to them than
they might like. They may initially
think this is an ‘unsafe’ activity. If
they approach the club, how can you convince them it is safe.
If your only reply could be ‘oh its alright the people flying them know
what they are doing’ you could be in difficulty. If however, you are able to say that the club has a set of
rules, which includes only allowing pilots who have reached a certain standard
to fly unsupervised. You can also say that there are guidelines produced by the
British Model Flying Association which help clubs and individuals comply with
official Air Navigation Order’s which are endorsed by the Civil Aviation
Authority. These are the factors used as the basis for the club rule’s and the
person asking is then receiving reassurance.
So in the end rules = reassurance to others. Obviously we have to adapt the BMFA guidelines to our own
site otherwise strict adherence could mean that a number of sites currently used
would have to cease to be used. Dare
I mention the phrase ‘risk assessment’! That in fact is essentially what is
done when drawing up rules. We
have a particularly vulnerable site in that the public cross it at will.
We may not like this, but we cannot stop them.
We can of course politely ask them to move on if they stop in positions
detrimental to safe flying. In the
majority of cases they are quite happy to do so when the reasons are explained
and it is suggested to them where they can watch in safety. We have been
discussing with our landlords ways of reducing the problem of cyclists and
walkers crossing the end of the strip. This
seems to have become worse since the steps from the road were converted into a
ramp. One solution is to have a
barrier at the bottom of the ramp that forces anyone coming down it to turn left
or right. We have to be mindful of
the fact that concentrating on flying our model may mean we are not as aware as
we should be of others in the vicinity. The public has no duty to keep out of our way, but we each
have a duty under the ANO not to endanger the public.
We have to consider the best way to ensure we do not endanger the public.
We must be able to show we have taken reasonable steps to comply with
this requirement. Hence the current
debate about lone flying. Contrary
to belief the debate is not so much about self- inflicted harm, but the risk to
the public and the potential loss of the flying site.
None of those, outside the committee, that I have spoken to have
mentioned public safety. This is slightly disturbing in view of the requirements
of the ANO. We
need also to be sure that we can demonstrate to our landlords that we operate
safely and take incidents seriously. We
have told our landlords that we have an accident recording system and that our
rules require mishaps to be reported. Sadly,
only a small proportion of our members seems to understand this and the reasons
for reporting incidents. Please, remember every crash however minor should be
investigated to establish its cause. There
is another very important reason for collecting incident data: it can help to
establish if there is a problem with a particular area of the flying field, or
it may be that there is a trend in failure modes.
The debate about the structural integrity of some ARTFs can only be
resolved through actual data. No one in industry is interested in hearsay, speculation or
opinion unless the latter is based on evidence. I
participate in the sport for fun, and wish the sport to continue without further
regulation from outside regulatory authorities.
I am all too aware professionally of the balance that has to be found
between regulation for safety and freedom to do as people wish.
Whilst perceptions of risk are difficult to define, any fatality is high
profile in our sport since it is not usually the modeller who dies but someone
else. So let us make sure that we
all fly safely. You may be assured
that the committee debates any rule changes at length and tries to accommodate
everyone’s wishes without imposing unnecessary restrictions.
Debate is healthy and any feedback welcome.
We too do not wish our sport to disappear under red tape.
It is true that if we can demonstrate that self –regulation works then
legislation will not be invoked. Hopefully
model flying is not in the sights of the Eurocrats for an EU Directive on the
subject would probably require all models to be dayglo orange and various other
outlandish ideas. I
have recently been pondering the thought of some form of voluntary re-testing
for people who have been away from flying for some time.
The BMFA system is a ‘for life’ certificate, though there are some
very specific circumstances where the status can be changed.
These tend to be negative rather than positive.
The
present system means that you can have a lay off for a few years but then come
back to the sport and immediately resume your old status.
My thoughts were along the lines of asking that the person confirm their
ability by going through a process that would follow the A test routine, but
without there being any certificate at the end.
Equally, should the person not reach the expected standard, there would
be no question of removing their A cert, but they would be asked to fly with
supervision until they reached the required standard. There
are several ways of implementing such a system.
The first would be that it is purely voluntary with the offer being
advertised to all members. Beyond
that there are all sorts of permutations possible.
I would not advocate any kind of requirement or rules relating to this as
it would be difficult to manage and could be counter-productive. I would be interested in any comments on this, both in for
and against. We
are still trying to find the club an alternative site and Tony Roberts and Dick
Tiller have been trying hard to negotiate a site, but in the crowded South this
is very difficult. Remember the
reward is still on offer for identifying a site that leads to successful
negotiation for the club to fly there. Just
pass the details to me or direct to Tony and we can take it from there.
Reward is payable on successful completion of negotiations. In
the meantime please fly safely at the only site the club has, otherwise there
will be no site. Thank
you for your patience in reading this dissertation. EUROPEAN
DIRECTIVES
No, I am not getting involved with
politics, but we should all be aware that things are a changing and the EU
Assembly are working hard at making all their members, of which there are now
many, toe the line. Lots of little things are cropping up, which may well change
how we go about our hobby. Here are just a few of the latest.
Lead
Free Solder Under
the heading of ‘use of hazardous
substances’, only lead free solder can be sold and used commercially from the
1st July, 2006. As you all probably use normal leaded solder, if you
are not going to use it for making things for sale, stock up now, as these may
not be available for much longer! Noise
A call for the revision of a Directive,
relating to noise emissions in the environment, by equipment for use outdoors.
Bit airy-fairy this one, but, watch it. Use an effective silencer! P.T.W.V’s A
proposal for the encouragement of the enhanced use of P.T.W.V’.s in the Urban
Environment, which could, reduce congestion and pollution, save on road
maintenance, etc, etc, and recognises that ( the cruncher) generally, at least
four of these can park in the space of one motor vehicle. Well, I have two of
them now, so must be in fashion for a change. Well, what is it?
It seems that a P.T.W.V. is a “Powered Two Wheeled Vehicle”. In
Euro-speak, this is none other than a “MOTORCYCLE”. Wow! THE
END
Well that’s your lot for now, as I
ride off into the blue of town on my Scooter, to try and find a parking space.
Remember that, if you try to hard, the whole darn thing may end up
mattering far too much! Best
of luck with shopping and the presents and have a Great Christmas.
Tony
Roberts Editor
– WINDSOCK 12,
The Ridgeway, Caversham, Reading, RG4 8NX. Email
– JuRb839@aol.com
|
|