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Thinking of taking up this hobby? RDMAC Child and Vulnerable adult protection policy
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WINDSOCKNEWSLETTER OF THE
READING & DISTRICT MODEL AIRCRAFT CLUB
JANUARY 2006
January 2006.
This is the season of the year when Aeromodellers in the area are able to
join or rejoin the Reading and District Model Aircraft Club. During the winter,
the Club meets at St. Barnabus Hall, Grove Road, Emmer Green, Reading, on the
second and fourth Tuesday of the month. All members are welcome to attend. You
will not only be able to meet the other members, but join in the forums and
events, which can be very informative and great fun. Editor’s ChatWelcome to a great flying season.
Greetings to all Reading and District Model Aircraft Club
“Hairy Muddlers”. I hope you all have a great flying season in 2006,
with not an ‘Incident Report’ in sight! No doubt you are all busy on your latest creation for this year, as,
except for the real tough guys amongst you, the workshop seems the place to be
in the grey short days of January. For myself, I am surprised that I have several I/C powered models and a
decent clutch of Electric powered aircraft all ready to fly. I am really looking
forward to flying the electrics, although they are basically outdoor types.
Among them is my first ‘Twin’, a GWS Britain Norman Islander, a Cessna 182R
and my Tiger Moth, which was gutless on the prescribed geared 400 unit. Now
re-motored with a Typhoon 6 out-runner, it managed to sweep all my tools off the
bench when I gave it a wee test run! I live in hope for a decent flight at last. I will have to see what I can do about this ‘indoor’ R/C flying
though, as, hinted at in the last “Windsock”. Dave Belcher has managed to
hire out most of Reading’s Double Decker bus fleet and has obtained the use of
the Bus Garage for a R/C indoor flying meeting on Saturday 25th
February, 2006, the times being announced nearer the date. Get building folks. I must confess that when the proposal for ‘no lone flying’ was mooted
last year, I objected most strongly to this. I am one of your Senior Members,
(of which I was pleased to see at the AGM, are held in such high regard, thank
you) and thought that this would be restrictive to my flying, as I have the
ability to go to the field during the week. But having listened to all the
pro’s and con’s, I agree that it is a sensible decision and the rule, to
prohibit lone flying was approved at the AGM. At present, the Dreadnaught site is our only flying site. This may well remain so, unless you, the members, can come up with an
alternative. We all know that property values in the Thames Valley are against
us, but there could be an area as yet unexplored. We also know that many members
have their own ‘private’ facilities, which may well be shared to a degree,
but not to the Club as a whole, which is a shame. A recent analysis shows the following spread of members in the area – Central Reading
8.
Earley 13.
Woodley 15.
Tilehurst/Purley/Calcot 21.
Pangbourne/Streatley 6.
Winnersh/Bracknell/Basingstoke 14. Maidenhead/Slough
2.
Caversham/North Reading 20.
Outside members 3. Come on guys, have a good look in your patch, as if something cannot be found, we might as well agree to stop trying to push rocks up hill. I do have one more site to look at, but the rest is up to you. Please help! Incidentally, Bob Roper’s idea for a ‘buddy system’ for members to
team up for flying, makes a lot of sense. Look and see who is near you and avoid
turning up at the field on your own. Annual General Meeting. We must have quite a contented bunch of members in our Club, as, despite
the shenanigan, argument and politicalism over the last year, only about one
third of the membership turned up for the A.G.M. Despite this, there is still a degree of rumblings going on,
although despite many being invited to air their views through “Windsock”,
nothing has happened to date! The meeting was quite extensive and did not end until 22.50 hrs. As the
minutes currently extend to eight pages, I do not intend to print them in full,
although a copy can easily be obtained by sending an SAE to the Secretary with
your request. The salient items are referred to below. Chairman’s Report.
Martin Dance, reported that our rules dated back to the 1970’s and much
had changed, including the character of our flying site at the Dreadnought. To
bring the Club up to date, a great deal of effort has been necessary to revise
the rules, which should now help to safeguard the site and the overall safety of
the public and members. A good years flying with many successes, with very real
thanks to Dave Grey and others who have helped to, yet again, raise the standard
of flying. The Club remains healthy and the Committee have worked particularly
hard this year for the benefit of all. Treasurers Report.
Ron Prentice reported that cost increases are effecting the Club. These
include BMFA subscriptions, grass cutting, which will now be done
professionally, administration and overall costs. An increase in subscriptions
was proposed, which, after a spirited discussion was approved as follows:- Membership Fees 2006. Category
Club
BMFA
Total Full
£45
£26 £71 Junior
£10
£14
£24 Senior Citizen £16
£26
£42 Joining Fee
£50 A full copy of the accounts can be had from him, on request, with a SAE. Election of Officers
.The following were elected to form the Committee for 2006, which included a
provision in accordance with BMFA guidelines, for the welfare of children and
vulnerable adults. Club Officer Post.
Post Holder. Chairman and Welfare Officer.
Martin Dance. Secretary and Club Safety Officer.
Andrew Stretton. Treasurer and Jimminy Kricket.
Ron Perkins. Windsock Editor.
Tony Roberts. Web Master.
Paul Joslyn. Training and Field Safety Officer.
Dave Grey Committee.
Dave Belcher.
Kevin Mercer.
Jack Bishop.
Neil Viney.
Mick Mace. . Club Rules.
The revised Club Rules, previously circulated to all Club members, were carried
unanimously. Flying Field Rules.Whilst these had been circulated to all members, an
agreement on the matter of lone flying had remained unresolved. Such an
important issue needed to be resolved and at the last Committee meeting, it had
been decided to bring the matter to the AGM for further debate. It was finally considered that, due to the public safety issue,
requirements of the Air Navigation Orders, site safety and the future of the
Club, support should be given to the prohibition of lone flying. A show of hands
then showed that 25 were in favour, 7 against, with one abstention. This confirmed that the prohibition of lone model flying on the Clubs
Dreadnaught flying site was agreed and would be written into the rules. Newsletter
It was agreed by popular support, that the present practice of sending
the newsletter by post, which is partially sponsored by Reading Hobby Stores, be
continued. Charitable Donation
The decision was made to continue supporting the Thames Valley and
Chiltern Air Ambulance Trust and that a cheque should be sent to them for £50.00.
This has been done and a thank you letter has been received. Retirement of Brian Smith.
Brian Smith has provided an invaluable grass cutting service for a number
of years, but now had decided to retire. By unanimous vote, it was approved that
honorary life membership be awarded to him and that a presentation be made to
him at the Clubs Christmas Party. The Clubs 75th Anniversary
It was proposed that the occasion be celebrated in some way. Any ideas or
suggestions for such an event would be most welcome. The Local Authority is to
be is to be contacted, as they may be able to help with the arrangements. A.O.B
Due to his outstanding service to the Clubs training scheme and acting as
Field Safety Officer, Dave Grey was granted free membership to the Club for
2006. The Chairman again requested all members to attempt to find a further
flying site. Funds for such are available, as is a reward to the member who is
able to do so! A special presentation was made to our youngest member of the Club,
Jonathon Davies, for having passed his BMFA “A” Certificate at the age of
ten years. Presentations were also made as follows:-
The Enstone Cup
Kieth Lock (aka as Jock).
Concours d’elegance.
1st – Ron Perkins.
2nd – Mark Warlow.
3rd – Tony Roberts.
Pilot of the Year.
1st – Ron Perkins.
2nd – Keith Lock.
3rd – Ray Chesterman.
Thanks were expressed to Ron for organising the competitions and he has
thrown down the Gauntlet for someone to come and beat him in 2006! Get building.
Spotlight
In this issue the lamp swings onto our hard working Club Treasurer and
Membership Secretary, Ron Perkins. He not only functions as above, but runs
competitions and generally is one of our ‘Can-do’ members of repute. Over to
Ron- Tony
asked me to put together something for the news sheet. No doubt some of you will
sympathise with me as I have two projects on the go, both ARTF kits, one that I
started last August!! Time I have not. My ‘love affair’ with model aircraft started when I was attending Primary school in Maidenhead. I lived in a lane close to White Waltham airfield and used to stand and watch aircraft landing and taking off from the aerodrome whenever I could. After building many free flight and control line models as a boy I then had the opportunity to be an apprentice with one of the major British airlines. I built my first radio control aircraft after finishing my apprenticeship by which time I had also been lucky enough to have handled the controls of full scale aircraft. With the experience of ‘real’ aircraft under my belt I thought that flying radio-controlled models would be a ‘cinch’!! But, after crashing two models I thought I had better join RADMAC and get some training. I was fortunate enough to have had Eric as an instructor, he soon had me flying regularly and I have been an addict ever since - unable to leave the hobby alone! Although I was based in various locations overseas during my working life I have remained a member of RADMAC throughout this time. During postings of 3 to 5 years I usually joined a model club in that country and have held membership of model clubs in Malta, Turin in Italy, Oslo in Norway and also in Bahrain. Over the last ten years I have been based in England and this has enabled me to fly more often down at Dreadnought although the nature of my job still only gave me limited time to build. To the rescue came Jack Bishop my old pal from years gone by. He has built many of my models, some even twice!! and another source of models has been Eric’s cast offs which have all given me many hours of pleasure. During the past twelve years another hobby of mine - vintage motor cycles - has also taken up a lot of my time, so I have turned to ARTF models. Generally I have found them to be value for money with only one being a waste time but that was an early kit. RADMAC like many clubs have their highs and lows. I personally feel that our club is starting to roll as there appears to be more enthusiasm within the membership now and we are again beginning to shape up into a more organised bunch of enthusiasts. What signs are these you may ask? - I would point to regular training sessions; members gaining their A/B certificates; well attended club nights at the field in the summer. Also the club nights at the Church Hall are becoming popular again and these last two years has seen members enquiring when the next competition is re our “Pilot of the Year” series. Well that’s my contribution to Windsock. I thought that it would be a change from telling you how I stuck this and that together to build my latest creation. Now, how about you, is there any thing that you would like to see us do as a Club? Can you help the Committee achieve your aim? If you have something that you think we should be doing, contact any Committee Member or me so that we can take your ideas forward. Ron Perkins Spring Programme – St. Barnabas
Hall
As this is our 75th Anniversary year, there will be additional
events for you to take note of, during the season. We are working on the
possibility of an Anniversary Display, although the date and venue are yet to be
decided. Whilst all members will be welcome to assist, by the nature of things,
only BMFA “B” Certificate holders will be able to fly R/C at such an event.
If you have any ideas regarding the Anniversary, please let the Committee know
as soon as possible. 07/02/06 Naked
Models
No, not the warm, cuddly variety, but a chance for you to bring and show
the club your latest project, whether uncovered or not. An opportunity to examin
and admire construction and covering techniques, with what could well be a
variety of interesting models. 19/02/06 Indoor Flying – F/F only Castle Leisure Centre, Wallingford. 21/02/06 Auction of Models, Engines and Allied Equipment The club has not tried this for a long time and as other clubs are being invited to take part, so this evening could be quite interesting. Our Treasurer, Ron Perkins will be our Auctioneer, a job that he is quite good at and he assures us that ‘Reserves’ will be honoured. Sort out your “never got round to-its, spares and what have you and give it a go. 25/02/06 The
Great Bus Garage R/C Flying Meeting With
the kind permission of the Transport Manager, Dave Belcher has been able to
arrange for an R/C model flying meeting inside the Reading Corporation bus depot
from 12.30 until 17.00 hrs. Numbers may have to be limited, so contact Dave if
you wish to attend. 07/03/06. The
St. Barnabas Fly In Similar to
the BMFA Dart evening, but this time the materials will be provided for you to
build AND fly a model aircraft during the course of the meeting. Classes for all
types. All we need is for you to come and have some fun! 19/03/06 Indoor
Flying – F/F only Castle
Leisure Centre, Wallingford. 21/03/06 Electrics
for Everyone
Want to have a go at the quiet revolution?
Your chance to find how to do it, clear the air with your electric flight
problems, or help others to show what you need for success in this fast
developing field. This forum will
be let by David Lovegrove of the White Horse Club, and our own experts in this
field. Please bring your electric model, chargers etc and find out how to really
use them. 04/04/06 The
Annual Concours De Elegance Meeting Classes
for all types. Please support this event with your models, as this will be our
chance, as a club, to display our creative ability to all, which we hope, will
include invited guests for our Anniversary year. 18/04/06 Down
Memory Road Another in
the series of the popular vintage and golden old’y meetings. You are invited
to display your older models, kits, engines, plans and memorabilia to reflect,
not only the history of the club, but aeromodelling in all its varied aspects
Sort out your contributions, including photographs, to make this really an
evening to remember. 22/04/06 The
Ascot Show at Windsor Something
for everyone. 02/05/06 The
Modern Aeromodeller A complete
change for this meeting, with a display of modern model aircraft, kits and
accessories. Demonstrations of the
techniques, materials and equipment available for success in this field will be
given. 10/05/06 Summer
Season Flying Wednesday flying
and training resumes at the Dreadnaught Flying Field. Glider Flying.
A resumption of Glider Flying is intended for Thursday evenings during
the summer is planned, depending on your response to this feature. It is
intended as a fun event for non-powered models that are launched by
towline/bungee and will be held at our Reading central site. Please let me know
if you are interested in this cost effective but enjoyable form of flying. Anniversary Happenings.
A lot of contacts regarding this event have already been made. The most interesting to date, is that a model, “The Rook”, which was
built by our late president, Wilf Smallcome in 1914, has been located. It is
rubber powered and the wing tips are indeed of the actual rook’s feather
outline, which on the face of it, preceeds the Boeing 747’s new aerodynamic
features, by some 92 years. It may well be displayed during our celebrations. An application has been made to Reading Borough Council for their
assistance. For various reasons, we are aiming for a date in the June / July
period, when we might get some decent weather. Already several allied clubs and
societies are showing interest in the event, but if our plans come off, we shall
need help from all the club members, not just for the flying either! This project is developing in a very interesting way and I will keep you
all informed. Learning the Ropes! Paul Joslyn has produced a very interesting article on learning to fly, but as it is quite comprehensive, I will have to hold it over until next time, by when we should know just who our newcomers are anyhow.The Need for Helicopters.
You either love them or hate them and in one local Club there has even
been a call to ban fixed wing models (very much tongue in cheek, I think!). But
like it or not, helicopters are here to stay. Take the case of a modeller in
deepest Oxfordshire. This happy chappie, with many years of experience behind him, is trimming
his free-flight rubber powered model out in open farmland. Despite just a few
turns on the motor, the model drifts over the hedge into the next field, wherein
are a herd of cows. As our intrepid modeller is nipping over the fence, said bovine ladies
are congregating round the model to have a butchers, (sorry, that’s later). As
you well know, you should never run up to a model, but this bloke did! Arriving
at the gallop, in an attempt to prevent his pride and joy becoming the next Gold
Top, he slips on something and goes down “splat”. In the general melee that follows, said mucky bod, cows and model are all
involved in a mid-field schemozzle, which luckily is observed by a passing
postman, who could see into the field from his tall van. The outcome of all this, is, that the Air Ambulance was called, the
unconscious modeller was airlifted to the John Radcliffe Hospital in just six
minutes, where, on arrival, he was found to have four broken ribs, front and
back and a collapsed lung. He has luckily made a good recovery. No, this is not intended as another go at the lone flying issue, but
covers many aspects which are of interest to all members. It certainly enhances
why we, as a Club, support out own Thames Valley and Chiltern Air Ambulance
Trust. Remember, it is the Service you hope you will never need!
Simulators
.I recently had a go on a Simulator and found that it was very
interesting and revealing. Damn good fun, in fact. The Shock-flyer was great, but the Helicopter showed that there was much
to be learnt. As I have a lap-top already and a big birthday is coming up, would like
to stick my neck out for a simulator, but as things change, which one? I would
be grateful for any advice as to which one to go for. I know there are some
already in the club, so, any advice please. That’s your lot for now, have a great time. Tony Roberts. 12, The Ridgeway Caversham Reading RG4 8NX. Tel:– 0118 – 9477794. Email: – jurb839@aol.com
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