168 MODEL AVIATION
DURING THE PAST few months I have received several complaints regarding the manner
in which clubs have dealt with members. These complaints involve sanctions taken against
members and in a couple of cases expulsion of members.
In some cases the complaints are that the club officers have not followed their club’s
bylaws in expelling members or other action the officers have taken.
Several years ago clubs were advised to review their bylaws and consider updating that
document. Sample bylaws were available and distributed to club officers. Clubs were asked
to send copies of their bylaws in with their annual charter renewal.
Members of the Executive Council and I reviewed random samplings of the submitted
bylaws and most of those I received were very well done and covered the important issues.
The bylaws help protect both the club officers and the club. When club officers choose to
ignore their own club’s bylaws, they put themselves at risk. Letting personal issues get in the
way of proper club business is a road that can lead to problems.
I am addressing this because although there have been very few problems of this nature
in the past, there has been a sudden increase in complaints. I feel compelled to mention this
in hopes of heading off future problems.
On a lighter note, there has been a steady increase of interest in float flying in the last few
years. A group of the Barons RC Flyers in Spokane fly every Monday morning at Clear Lake
and the Tri-City RC Modelers fly on the river every other Friday. Many others don’t wait for
an event, but enjoy this type of flying on a regular basis.
I have received requests for information about float flying and several years ago did an
article on the basics of float flying: Notes on Floats. If you would like a copy of this, send
me a note and I will E-mail a copy to you.
Until next time. Happy landings. Bruce.
District XI
Bruce Nelson, District XI Vice President; [email protected]
Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington
model airplane also met an untimely
demise on its maiden flight. It crashed and
was damaged beyond repair (it was
‘rekitted’ as RC fliers like to put it).
“Tony’s third airplane, however, not
only got off the ground, wending its way
gracefully through the sky, but managed to
land with a bit more dignity as it came
down safely. Tony’s airplanes have been
landing safely—at least most of the time—
ever since.
“So, just what is radio-control flying? It
is the flying of a model airplane by an
individual (the RC flier) who remains
earthbound, controlling the airplane’s
movements with the use of a remotecontrol
device. It involves several
components including RC flier, airplane,
and radio transmitter.
“How is this done? According to Tony,
‘the model airplane has a radio receiver
built onto it that connects to servos that
move the control surfaces on the aircraft.
The RC flier, on the ground below, uses a
remote-control device to send signals to
the aircraft to tell it what to do.’
“For Tony, RC flying is a year-round
hobby. He spends the winter months
building and repairing model airplanes,
and the rest of the year flying them. RC
flying is considered a sport as well as a
hobby, as there are numerous flying
competitions throughout the year.
“As vice president of the Somerset
Signal Senders of Somerset County, New
Jersey, Tony also participates in various
noncompetitive RC flying-related events
such as a recent outing at the Cradle of
Aviation Museum on Long Island, and
gives RC flying demonstrations and
training at day camps, schools, and on the
Somerset Signal Senders’ home field—a
1,500 x 900-foot field maintained by
Somerset County.
“Tony isn’t the only one involved in
RC flying. Tony’s home club, the
Somerset Signal Senders, has
approximately 45 members. Meanwhile, in
the tri-state area, Tony estimates there are
upwards of 6,000 RC fliers, and perhaps as
many as 250,000 in this country.
“How large are the model airplanes
used in RC flying? Says Tony, ‘The most
recent kit I built has a 72-inch wingspan. It
is made of balsa wood and foam. It weighs
roughly 16 pounds and it can fly at speeds
of up to 150 miles per hour.’
“Finally, I asked Tony, ‘What is it
about RC flying that attracts you to it?’
“‘First of all,’ he replied, ‘there’s the
exhilaration of seeing the scale model
airplane up in the air, as you direct it on its
journey through the skies. Flying the
airplanes is in turns exhilarating, fun,
relaxing, and frustrating. It’s a chance to
hang out with hobbyist friends and with
family.
“‘It’s really neat that my family has
been involved in the hobby—first my
father, now my wife Connie, and my
children. My kids have all been involved
in RC flying. One of my daughters,
Rebecca, and my son Alex are
accomplished RC fliers.’
“He continued, ‘plus, there’s more to
RC flying than just steering the airplane
when it’s in the air. There’s the ordering of
kits and airplane parts, the building and
repairing of aircraft, and the planning of
events. There’s sharing the joy of RC
flying with kids (from day camps and
schools) as well as adults, and providing
training in RC flying.
“‘Most of the time though, what I enjoy
most is going to the field and punching
holes in the sky (which is what we call
flying the airplanes), watching the planes
do loops, circles, and rolls just for the fun
of it!’”
Bruce Nelson
Vice President
807 E. Vicksburg St.,
Spokane WA 99208
Fax: (509) 467-1852
Cell: (509) 863-7096
nelsondxi@aol,com
Associate Vice
Presidents
Rick Allison, Issaquah WA;
[email protected]
Darrell Anderson, Great Falls
MT; [email protected]
Al Culver, Wilder ID;
[email protected]
Jerry Holcomb, Vancouver WA;
[email protected]
Reeves Lippincott, Wasilla AK;
[email protected]
Gene LaFond, Wenatchee WA;
[email protected]
Mike Mosbrooker, Oak Harbor
WA; [email protected]
Claude Tanner, Boise ID;
[email protected]
Frequency Coordinator
Phil Tallman, Medical Lake WA;
(509) 299-5102;
[email protected]
District RC Coordinator
W.T. (Bill) Smith, Seattle WA;
[email protected]
Web site:
www.yosemiteflash.com/
xiama.htm
District XI Volunteers
Flying Site Assistance continued from page 156
... what I enjoy most is
going to the field and
punching holes
in the sky ...
Edition: Model Aviation - 2007/08
Page Numbers: 168