Author: Dave Mathewson
Edition: Model Aviation - 2005/03
Page Numbers: 153

District II Report

Region

New Jersey / New York / Europe

Contact

Note

For a listing of regional AMA officials, please consult the District II web site above or a previous issue of this publication.

District safety initiatives

Our track record in this district has been strong when it comes to modeling safety. Clubs in District II are often on the leading edge addressing safety concerns. A well-known effort is by Charlie Meyer and the Meroke Radio Control Club from Long Island, New York, who designed the flight-safety bench that appeared in the August 2002 issue of Model Aviation. Today these benches, or similar designs, can be found at hundreds of model fields across the United States and in many other countries.

Fail-safe discussion

The hot topic lately has been fail-safe capabilities in radio-controlled models. Since last fall, a few large events—including Joe Nall 2005—have required that all models flown include an onboard fail-safe that defaults to a low-throttle setting if activated. Four RC clubs in southern New Jersey have also made it mandatory that models exceeding certain size and weight specifications flown at their fields have low-throttle fail-safes.

It used to be that only the higher-priced PCM radios had a fail-safe feature. That’s no longer the case. At least one company manufactures an FM/PPM receiver with a programmable fail-safe, and there is at least one low-cost device (roughly $20) that can be plugged into most FM receivers to provide fail-safe capability.

I’ve been asked whether AMA will implement a fail-safe rule. Personally, I’m not a big fan of a mandated rule from AMA. I believe this is best left to individuals, clubs, and event organizers. I do advocate the use of low-throttle, fail-safe-capable radios. A model that defaults to low throttle during a radio problem reduces the consequences of an out-of-control model. If the model is going to be lost, I’d rather have it come down relatively close to the field, where there’s usually more open land, than fly off uncontrolled.

If you’d like more information, let me know and I’ll put you in touch with Syd Clement, who can explain what they’re doing in his area.

Members and events

District II members get around. Frank Mendicino, a member of the Electric Powered Aeromodelers (EPA) from Scotia, New York, flies C-130s to the South Pole when not flying model airplanes. Frank is stationed with the Air National Guard at Schenectady Airport and often escapes winter by spending time at the South Pole. On a recent trip, he took a copy of the EPA club logo with him.

How can the weather in this district change so fast? Anyone who attended the Northeast Electric Aircraft Technology (NEAT) Fair this year experienced cold temperatures, downpours, floods, evacuations, time in shelters, and eventual cancellation of the event. Tom Hunt and his crew from Silent Electric Flyers of Long Island (SEFLI) did a great job under difficult circumstances; because of their efforts, participants got away with minimal losses and made it home safely.

The week before NEAT I attended the annual Rhinebeck Jamboree. The weather was perfect and the turnout was huge. This is one of the premier events in District II and nationwide. The 38th annual Jamboree, sponsored by the Mid-Hudson RC Society, is limited to scale models that replicate full-scale aircraft built and flown prior to 1940. Held at the Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome in Rhinebeck, New York, the event also features a full-scale afternoon airshow with several rare early-era airplanes.

Upcoming: WRAM Show and District II meeting

This issue of Model Aviation should arrive shortly before the annual Westchester Radio Aeromodellers (WRAM) Show in White Plains, New York, February 25–27, 2005. I’ll be there all three days and will spend much of my time in the AMA booth. If you’re attending, stop by and say hello.

We will hold the annual District II meeting at the show, tentatively scheduled for 4 p.m. on Saturday. Exact times for meetings and seminars will be listed in the program handed out at the entrance. Don Koranda, AMA’s new Executive Director, will be there—take a few minutes to attend the meeting and meet him.

See you next time.

Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.