98 MODEL AVIATION
Safety Comes First Dave Gee | [email protected]
Also included in this column:
• RC and FF combined in one
flight—not on purpose
• Dave blows his chance at
poet laureate
• Strange side effects of
transmitter signals
• Don’t mix the buddy cords
Right: The Channel Islands Condors had a
model display at a full-scale air show.
Crystal Morgan, Ken O’sborne, Mike
O’sborne, and Mark Sesma greeted the
enthusiastic public.
An amazing save. A dead transmitter battery was diagnosed
and fixed while the model was airborne. This dramatic recreation
stars the actual perpetrators.
Above: The Rearwin Speedster is safe and
sound after its fly-away adventure, thanks
to the pilot’s and spotter’s quick thinking.
Nice model—well worth saving.
THE GUYS AT the Keystone Radio Control Club in Hatfield,
Pennsylvania, had quite an adventure. Richard Byrnes sent me
an E-mail about their amazing save.
According to Richard, the weather was perfect as Durell
Leister Sr. flew his beautiful Kangke USA Rearwin Speedster.
The 96-inch Golden Age model had a U.S. Engines 41cc gasser
for power.
Durell shouted that he did not have control of the airplane.
His son, Durell Leister Jr., came to his father’s aid and quickly
noticed that the transmitter’s LCD screen was blank; the
transmitter battery had gone dead. Since fail-safe had been
programmed into the radio system, the model started to
gradually circle, but it was gaining altitude with each turn into
the wind and was being blown further away from the field.
Fail-safe and a spare battery save the day
01sig4.QXD 11/24/08 12:50 PM Page 98
Durell Jr. thought there might be time to
do a transmitter quick charge using a car
battery, but club member Lee Hill asked if
anyone else had a JR radio. His thought was
to get a charged battery from another JR
transmitter and replace the dead one in
Durell Sr.’s.
While everyone was watching the
Rearwin, remaining awestruck and helpless,
Durell Sr.’s grandson, Phillip Leister, ran
over with his JR transmitter. Durell Sr. had
lost sight of his airplane and asked if
anyone still had it in sight. Lee said he did,
so Durell Sr. gave him the transmitter while
they did a quick battery swap and brought
the transmitter to life. Then the fun began.
Lee was barely able to see the model in
the distance. When he tried a turn, he was
encouraged when the aircraft responded but
stunned to see it disappear as it turned back
to the field; the nose-on aspect reduced the
Speedster’s visibility too much. Lee had
lost sight of the model for a few tense
seconds, but he kept cool until it came into
view again.
By that time, everyone could see that it
was making its way back toward them for a
safe landing. Lee flew the airplane in a low
victory pass over the runway. Durell Sr.
then took control and safely landed the
aircraft.
Richard wrote:
“The value of Fail Safe mode on our
radios cannot be over-emphasized here.
This is what gave the ground crew time to
think and react. We always charge our
batteries before a flying session, but they do
run low after a number of flights. What
does a pilot do if the transmitter
unexpectedly dies? Having an extra, fully
charged battery would be one safety
measure. And, certainly the use of the
battery from someone else’s transmitter as
in the events above was a brilliant idea.
“As compared to other radio systems,
the ease with which the JR transmitter’s
battery could be accessed was also a factor
in the favorable outcome in this story.
Remember too, that if a transmitter has an
audible warning signal when the battery is
critically low, it would be helpful to stay
tuned mentally in case that alarm goes off.
“A situation that could have destroyed a
beautiful model, and possibly placed people
or property on the ground at risk, was
averted by experience, quick thinking, and
the use of one of the many advanced
programming functions of our modern-day
radio systems.”
An even stranger thing happened after I
read this account. I was seized with an urge
to commit poetry. The fainthearted should
skip ahead.
I launched my plane into the air.
I told it “turn” with no response.
It flew away without a care.
The model just goes where it wants.
Away it flies, up with the birds.
Tried the controls and more bad words.
Might crash near and might crash far.
Through the windshield of a car?
The guys are checking, what’s the hitch?
Antenna, wires, or maybe a switch.
The radio pack was dead as disco.
They tossed me a new one: now where does
this go?
Finally coming down to land
Barely caught it, what a save.
Taxiing up to where I stand.
Better send a note to Dave.
I never said it was good poetry. How
about another great close-call story to
compensate?
Peter Bidwell, who is not only a physician
but is also a genuine Texan, wrote that not
all incidents happen at the field or at the
workshop.
“For 28 years I have been parking my
pickup in the doctor’s parking lot by
backing my long bed truck into a spot quite
near the helipad. Today, with the truck
loaded with airplanes on my way to the
field, I stopped to see a couple of patients
that I had in the hospital. No chopper on the
pad.
“After rounds I walked to the parking lot
and, to my horror, found my Super Sportster
fuselage in the middle of the parking lot in
one piece but with multiple, but repairable,
dings. The wing was still in the truck bed.
Of course: the chopper was now on the pad.
“I live in East Texas and we are no
stranger to hurricanes and tornadoes but a
flying fuselage by helicopter is new to me.
Won’t do that again.”
You think that’s an unusual situation?
Noel Cross sent in one of his own.
There had been several interference
glitches at Noel’s field. The pilots were
finally able to isolate the cause to a buddybox
setup of Hitec radios. The master
transmitter was on channel 42, and the
buddy box was a Focus 4 on channel 32. A
round DIN-to-DIN plug trainer cord
connected the two. When this system was
activated, it transmitted on both channels—a
bad situation.
Billy Tompkins, a customer-service
representative at Hitec, said that Hitec radios
need a Hitec one-way trainer cord. If a
different brand is used, it is possible to
actively transmit from both radios at once.
Noel’s friends had used a Futaba twoway
cord with their Hitec radios, and this is
a big no-no. Thanks to these guys for getting
to the bottom of this mystery and for sharing
the word with all of us.
Can the stories get any stranger? Oh,
yeah. Following is the gist of a long E-mail
chain I received from AMA Headquarters.
It’s unconfirmed but definitely worth telling.
“A pilot left his transmitter turned on at
the end of an outdoor flying session. The
radio was set in the back of a 1998 Dodge
pickup, pretty much directly over the rear
differential. After a few hours, the
transmitter had been taken indoors and
placed on the charger, he went back out to
the truck and was shocked to find the
speedometer behaving very erratically,
swinging back and forth between 0 and 100
mph. In addition, the ABS and brake
warning lights were on.
“The owner’s manual said that the
sophisticated electronics incorporated in the
ABS system might be harmed by exposure
to high frequency radio signals. A
transmitter broadcasting on 72 megahertz
can certainly be considered high frequency
in this context.
“A wiring diagram for the Dodge truck
showed that the speedometer, ABS, and
brake sensors were all tied together with one
sensor at the differential. So, an expensive
sensor replacement was ordered. The final
repair bill was $308.
“Of course, it is not absolutely certain
that the transmitter output fried the ABS
sensor, but at least it certainly seems a
striking coincidence.”
After all the oddball things I’ve seen in
this world, I have an open mind, but this one
is on the edge. Even if it is a coincidence,
though, the point is well taken.
Our radio equipment sends out energy
102 MODEL AVIATION
waves, and it can have secondary effects
beyond making our models do loops. It is
best to make sure it is turned off when not
in use.
After all those offbeat stories, perhaps I
should finish with a group that makes our
hobby look downright normal. To an
outsider, the stuff I write about here
might make us all look like a bunch of
wild disaster magnets, bouncing from one
catastrophe to another. That describes my
situation rather well, but most modelers
are stable, thoughtful people—pillars of
the community, even.
I took my long-suffering but
understanding family to the Camarillo Air
Show recently, where at least one of us
had a great time. The Channel Islands
Condors RC club presented one of the
best exhibits at the show; the fliers had a
terrific display of RC models.
The friendly pilots chatted with the
crowd and answered questions about a
wide variety of model airplanes. I saw
nice Scale models, aerobatic aircraft,
trainers, and fun-flying sport airplanes.
Those club members showed the public
that we are thoughtful, happy hobbyists
with carefully built and maintained
miniature aircraft. They did us all proud.
Not only did their work result in some
great exposure for our sport, but they
allowed me to use the whole day as a tax
write-off.
Another good deduction is the fee for my
post office box, which sometimes
contains great letters full of information
and constructive criticism, along with
grocery coupons. Readers are encouraged
to share stories and vent frustrations via
paper letters or E-mail (sent to the
address at the top of the column),
depending on your technological
preferences. MA
Sources:
Dave Gee
Box 7081
Van Nuys CA 91409
Edition: Model Aviation - 2009/01
Page Numbers: 98,100,102
Edition: Model Aviation - 2009/01
Page Numbers: 98,100,102
98 MODEL AVIATION
Safety Comes First Dave Gee | [email protected]
Also included in this column:
• RC and FF combined in one
flight—not on purpose
• Dave blows his chance at
poet laureate
• Strange side effects of
transmitter signals
• Don’t mix the buddy cords
Right: The Channel Islands Condors had a
model display at a full-scale air show.
Crystal Morgan, Ken O’sborne, Mike
O’sborne, and Mark Sesma greeted the
enthusiastic public.
An amazing save. A dead transmitter battery was diagnosed
and fixed while the model was airborne. This dramatic recreation
stars the actual perpetrators.
Above: The Rearwin Speedster is safe and
sound after its fly-away adventure, thanks
to the pilot’s and spotter’s quick thinking.
Nice model—well worth saving.
THE GUYS AT the Keystone Radio Control Club in Hatfield,
Pennsylvania, had quite an adventure. Richard Byrnes sent me
an E-mail about their amazing save.
According to Richard, the weather was perfect as Durell
Leister Sr. flew his beautiful Kangke USA Rearwin Speedster.
The 96-inch Golden Age model had a U.S. Engines 41cc gasser
for power.
Durell shouted that he did not have control of the airplane.
His son, Durell Leister Jr., came to his father’s aid and quickly
noticed that the transmitter’s LCD screen was blank; the
transmitter battery had gone dead. Since fail-safe had been
programmed into the radio system, the model started to
gradually circle, but it was gaining altitude with each turn into
the wind and was being blown further away from the field.
Fail-safe and a spare battery save the day
01sig4.QXD 11/24/08 12:50 PM Page 98
Durell Jr. thought there might be time to
do a transmitter quick charge using a car
battery, but club member Lee Hill asked if
anyone else had a JR radio. His thought was
to get a charged battery from another JR
transmitter and replace the dead one in
Durell Sr.’s.
While everyone was watching the
Rearwin, remaining awestruck and helpless,
Durell Sr.’s grandson, Phillip Leister, ran
over with his JR transmitter. Durell Sr. had
lost sight of his airplane and asked if
anyone still had it in sight. Lee said he did,
so Durell Sr. gave him the transmitter while
they did a quick battery swap and brought
the transmitter to life. Then the fun began.
Lee was barely able to see the model in
the distance. When he tried a turn, he was
encouraged when the aircraft responded but
stunned to see it disappear as it turned back
to the field; the nose-on aspect reduced the
Speedster’s visibility too much. Lee had
lost sight of the model for a few tense
seconds, but he kept cool until it came into
view again.
By that time, everyone could see that it
was making its way back toward them for a
safe landing. Lee flew the airplane in a low
victory pass over the runway. Durell Sr.
then took control and safely landed the
aircraft.
Richard wrote:
“The value of Fail Safe mode on our
radios cannot be over-emphasized here.
This is what gave the ground crew time to
think and react. We always charge our
batteries before a flying session, but they do
run low after a number of flights. What
does a pilot do if the transmitter
unexpectedly dies? Having an extra, fully
charged battery would be one safety
measure. And, certainly the use of the
battery from someone else’s transmitter as
in the events above was a brilliant idea.
“As compared to other radio systems,
the ease with which the JR transmitter’s
battery could be accessed was also a factor
in the favorable outcome in this story.
Remember too, that if a transmitter has an
audible warning signal when the battery is
critically low, it would be helpful to stay
tuned mentally in case that alarm goes off.
“A situation that could have destroyed a
beautiful model, and possibly placed people
or property on the ground at risk, was
averted by experience, quick thinking, and
the use of one of the many advanced
programming functions of our modern-day
radio systems.”
An even stranger thing happened after I
read this account. I was seized with an urge
to commit poetry. The fainthearted should
skip ahead.
I launched my plane into the air.
I told it “turn” with no response.
It flew away without a care.
The model just goes where it wants.
Away it flies, up with the birds.
Tried the controls and more bad words.
Might crash near and might crash far.
Through the windshield of a car?
The guys are checking, what’s the hitch?
Antenna, wires, or maybe a switch.
The radio pack was dead as disco.
They tossed me a new one: now where does
this go?
Finally coming down to land
Barely caught it, what a save.
Taxiing up to where I stand.
Better send a note to Dave.
I never said it was good poetry. How
about another great close-call story to
compensate?
Peter Bidwell, who is not only a physician
but is also a genuine Texan, wrote that not
all incidents happen at the field or at the
workshop.
“For 28 years I have been parking my
pickup in the doctor’s parking lot by
backing my long bed truck into a spot quite
near the helipad. Today, with the truck
loaded with airplanes on my way to the
field, I stopped to see a couple of patients
that I had in the hospital. No chopper on the
pad.
“After rounds I walked to the parking lot
and, to my horror, found my Super Sportster
fuselage in the middle of the parking lot in
one piece but with multiple, but repairable,
dings. The wing was still in the truck bed.
Of course: the chopper was now on the pad.
“I live in East Texas and we are no
stranger to hurricanes and tornadoes but a
flying fuselage by helicopter is new to me.
Won’t do that again.”
You think that’s an unusual situation?
Noel Cross sent in one of his own.
There had been several interference
glitches at Noel’s field. The pilots were
finally able to isolate the cause to a buddybox
setup of Hitec radios. The master
transmitter was on channel 42, and the
buddy box was a Focus 4 on channel 32. A
round DIN-to-DIN plug trainer cord
connected the two. When this system was
activated, it transmitted on both channels—a
bad situation.
Billy Tompkins, a customer-service
representative at Hitec, said that Hitec radios
need a Hitec one-way trainer cord. If a
different brand is used, it is possible to
actively transmit from both radios at once.
Noel’s friends had used a Futaba twoway
cord with their Hitec radios, and this is
a big no-no. Thanks to these guys for getting
to the bottom of this mystery and for sharing
the word with all of us.
Can the stories get any stranger? Oh,
yeah. Following is the gist of a long E-mail
chain I received from AMA Headquarters.
It’s unconfirmed but definitely worth telling.
“A pilot left his transmitter turned on at
the end of an outdoor flying session. The
radio was set in the back of a 1998 Dodge
pickup, pretty much directly over the rear
differential. After a few hours, the
transmitter had been taken indoors and
placed on the charger, he went back out to
the truck and was shocked to find the
speedometer behaving very erratically,
swinging back and forth between 0 and 100
mph. In addition, the ABS and brake
warning lights were on.
“The owner’s manual said that the
sophisticated electronics incorporated in the
ABS system might be harmed by exposure
to high frequency radio signals. A
transmitter broadcasting on 72 megahertz
can certainly be considered high frequency
in this context.
“A wiring diagram for the Dodge truck
showed that the speedometer, ABS, and
brake sensors were all tied together with one
sensor at the differential. So, an expensive
sensor replacement was ordered. The final
repair bill was $308.
“Of course, it is not absolutely certain
that the transmitter output fried the ABS
sensor, but at least it certainly seems a
striking coincidence.”
After all the oddball things I’ve seen in
this world, I have an open mind, but this one
is on the edge. Even if it is a coincidence,
though, the point is well taken.
Our radio equipment sends out energy
102 MODEL AVIATION
waves, and it can have secondary effects
beyond making our models do loops. It is
best to make sure it is turned off when not
in use.
After all those offbeat stories, perhaps I
should finish with a group that makes our
hobby look downright normal. To an
outsider, the stuff I write about here
might make us all look like a bunch of
wild disaster magnets, bouncing from one
catastrophe to another. That describes my
situation rather well, but most modelers
are stable, thoughtful people—pillars of
the community, even.
I took my long-suffering but
understanding family to the Camarillo Air
Show recently, where at least one of us
had a great time. The Channel Islands
Condors RC club presented one of the
best exhibits at the show; the fliers had a
terrific display of RC models.
The friendly pilots chatted with the
crowd and answered questions about a
wide variety of model airplanes. I saw
nice Scale models, aerobatic aircraft,
trainers, and fun-flying sport airplanes.
Those club members showed the public
that we are thoughtful, happy hobbyists
with carefully built and maintained
miniature aircraft. They did us all proud.
Not only did their work result in some
great exposure for our sport, but they
allowed me to use the whole day as a tax
write-off.
Another good deduction is the fee for my
post office box, which sometimes
contains great letters full of information
and constructive criticism, along with
grocery coupons. Readers are encouraged
to share stories and vent frustrations via
paper letters or E-mail (sent to the
address at the top of the column),
depending on your technological
preferences. MA
Sources:
Dave Gee
Box 7081
Van Nuys CA 91409
Edition: Model Aviation - 2009/01
Page Numbers: 98,100,102
98 MODEL AVIATION
Safety Comes First Dave Gee | [email protected]
Also included in this column:
• RC and FF combined in one
flight—not on purpose
• Dave blows his chance at
poet laureate
• Strange side effects of
transmitter signals
• Don’t mix the buddy cords
Right: The Channel Islands Condors had a
model display at a full-scale air show.
Crystal Morgan, Ken O’sborne, Mike
O’sborne, and Mark Sesma greeted the
enthusiastic public.
An amazing save. A dead transmitter battery was diagnosed
and fixed while the model was airborne. This dramatic recreation
stars the actual perpetrators.
Above: The Rearwin Speedster is safe and
sound after its fly-away adventure, thanks
to the pilot’s and spotter’s quick thinking.
Nice model—well worth saving.
THE GUYS AT the Keystone Radio Control Club in Hatfield,
Pennsylvania, had quite an adventure. Richard Byrnes sent me
an E-mail about their amazing save.
According to Richard, the weather was perfect as Durell
Leister Sr. flew his beautiful Kangke USA Rearwin Speedster.
The 96-inch Golden Age model had a U.S. Engines 41cc gasser
for power.
Durell shouted that he did not have control of the airplane.
His son, Durell Leister Jr., came to his father’s aid and quickly
noticed that the transmitter’s LCD screen was blank; the
transmitter battery had gone dead. Since fail-safe had been
programmed into the radio system, the model started to
gradually circle, but it was gaining altitude with each turn into
the wind and was being blown further away from the field.
Fail-safe and a spare battery save the day
01sig4.QXD 11/24/08 12:50 PM Page 98
Durell Jr. thought there might be time to
do a transmitter quick charge using a car
battery, but club member Lee Hill asked if
anyone else had a JR radio. His thought was
to get a charged battery from another JR
transmitter and replace the dead one in
Durell Sr.’s.
While everyone was watching the
Rearwin, remaining awestruck and helpless,
Durell Sr.’s grandson, Phillip Leister, ran
over with his JR transmitter. Durell Sr. had
lost sight of his airplane and asked if
anyone still had it in sight. Lee said he did,
so Durell Sr. gave him the transmitter while
they did a quick battery swap and brought
the transmitter to life. Then the fun began.
Lee was barely able to see the model in
the distance. When he tried a turn, he was
encouraged when the aircraft responded but
stunned to see it disappear as it turned back
to the field; the nose-on aspect reduced the
Speedster’s visibility too much. Lee had
lost sight of the model for a few tense
seconds, but he kept cool until it came into
view again.
By that time, everyone could see that it
was making its way back toward them for a
safe landing. Lee flew the airplane in a low
victory pass over the runway. Durell Sr.
then took control and safely landed the
aircraft.
Richard wrote:
“The value of Fail Safe mode on our
radios cannot be over-emphasized here.
This is what gave the ground crew time to
think and react. We always charge our
batteries before a flying session, but they do
run low after a number of flights. What
does a pilot do if the transmitter
unexpectedly dies? Having an extra, fully
charged battery would be one safety
measure. And, certainly the use of the
battery from someone else’s transmitter as
in the events above was a brilliant idea.
“As compared to other radio systems,
the ease with which the JR transmitter’s
battery could be accessed was also a factor
in the favorable outcome in this story.
Remember too, that if a transmitter has an
audible warning signal when the battery is
critically low, it would be helpful to stay
tuned mentally in case that alarm goes off.
“A situation that could have destroyed a
beautiful model, and possibly placed people
or property on the ground at risk, was
averted by experience, quick thinking, and
the use of one of the many advanced
programming functions of our modern-day
radio systems.”
An even stranger thing happened after I
read this account. I was seized with an urge
to commit poetry. The fainthearted should
skip ahead.
I launched my plane into the air.
I told it “turn” with no response.
It flew away without a care.
The model just goes where it wants.
Away it flies, up with the birds.
Tried the controls and more bad words.
Might crash near and might crash far.
Through the windshield of a car?
The guys are checking, what’s the hitch?
Antenna, wires, or maybe a switch.
The radio pack was dead as disco.
They tossed me a new one: now where does
this go?
Finally coming down to land
Barely caught it, what a save.
Taxiing up to where I stand.
Better send a note to Dave.
I never said it was good poetry. How
about another great close-call story to
compensate?
Peter Bidwell, who is not only a physician
but is also a genuine Texan, wrote that not
all incidents happen at the field or at the
workshop.
“For 28 years I have been parking my
pickup in the doctor’s parking lot by
backing my long bed truck into a spot quite
near the helipad. Today, with the truck
loaded with airplanes on my way to the
field, I stopped to see a couple of patients
that I had in the hospital. No chopper on the
pad.
“After rounds I walked to the parking lot
and, to my horror, found my Super Sportster
fuselage in the middle of the parking lot in
one piece but with multiple, but repairable,
dings. The wing was still in the truck bed.
Of course: the chopper was now on the pad.
“I live in East Texas and we are no
stranger to hurricanes and tornadoes but a
flying fuselage by helicopter is new to me.
Won’t do that again.”
You think that’s an unusual situation?
Noel Cross sent in one of his own.
There had been several interference
glitches at Noel’s field. The pilots were
finally able to isolate the cause to a buddybox
setup of Hitec radios. The master
transmitter was on channel 42, and the
buddy box was a Focus 4 on channel 32. A
round DIN-to-DIN plug trainer cord
connected the two. When this system was
activated, it transmitted on both channels—a
bad situation.
Billy Tompkins, a customer-service
representative at Hitec, said that Hitec radios
need a Hitec one-way trainer cord. If a
different brand is used, it is possible to
actively transmit from both radios at once.
Noel’s friends had used a Futaba twoway
cord with their Hitec radios, and this is
a big no-no. Thanks to these guys for getting
to the bottom of this mystery and for sharing
the word with all of us.
Can the stories get any stranger? Oh,
yeah. Following is the gist of a long E-mail
chain I received from AMA Headquarters.
It’s unconfirmed but definitely worth telling.
“A pilot left his transmitter turned on at
the end of an outdoor flying session. The
radio was set in the back of a 1998 Dodge
pickup, pretty much directly over the rear
differential. After a few hours, the
transmitter had been taken indoors and
placed on the charger, he went back out to
the truck and was shocked to find the
speedometer behaving very erratically,
swinging back and forth between 0 and 100
mph. In addition, the ABS and brake
warning lights were on.
“The owner’s manual said that the
sophisticated electronics incorporated in the
ABS system might be harmed by exposure
to high frequency radio signals. A
transmitter broadcasting on 72 megahertz
can certainly be considered high frequency
in this context.
“A wiring diagram for the Dodge truck
showed that the speedometer, ABS, and
brake sensors were all tied together with one
sensor at the differential. So, an expensive
sensor replacement was ordered. The final
repair bill was $308.
“Of course, it is not absolutely certain
that the transmitter output fried the ABS
sensor, but at least it certainly seems a
striking coincidence.”
After all the oddball things I’ve seen in
this world, I have an open mind, but this one
is on the edge. Even if it is a coincidence,
though, the point is well taken.
Our radio equipment sends out energy
102 MODEL AVIATION
waves, and it can have secondary effects
beyond making our models do loops. It is
best to make sure it is turned off when not
in use.
After all those offbeat stories, perhaps I
should finish with a group that makes our
hobby look downright normal. To an
outsider, the stuff I write about here
might make us all look like a bunch of
wild disaster magnets, bouncing from one
catastrophe to another. That describes my
situation rather well, but most modelers
are stable, thoughtful people—pillars of
the community, even.
I took my long-suffering but
understanding family to the Camarillo Air
Show recently, where at least one of us
had a great time. The Channel Islands
Condors RC club presented one of the
best exhibits at the show; the fliers had a
terrific display of RC models.
The friendly pilots chatted with the
crowd and answered questions about a
wide variety of model airplanes. I saw
nice Scale models, aerobatic aircraft,
trainers, and fun-flying sport airplanes.
Those club members showed the public
that we are thoughtful, happy hobbyists
with carefully built and maintained
miniature aircraft. They did us all proud.
Not only did their work result in some
great exposure for our sport, but they
allowed me to use the whole day as a tax
write-off.
Another good deduction is the fee for my
post office box, which sometimes
contains great letters full of information
and constructive criticism, along with
grocery coupons. Readers are encouraged
to share stories and vent frustrations via
paper letters or E-mail (sent to the
address at the top of the column),
depending on your technological
preferences. MA
Sources:
Dave Gee
Box 7081
Van Nuys CA 91409