March 2005 153
OUR TRACK RECORD in this district
has been pretty good when it comes to
modeling safety. In fact, quite often clubs
in District II are on the leading edge when
it comes to addressing safety concerns.
Probably the best-known effort is that
of 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
ones quite similar can be found not only at
hundreds of model fields in the United
States, but also at fields in dozens of other
countries.
The hot topic lately has been fail-safe
capabilities in radio-controlled models.
Since last fall, a few big bird events—
including Joe Nall for 2005—have
mandated that all models flown at their
event have an onboard fail-safe that will
default to a low-throttle setting if
activated.
I received an E-mail from Syd Clement
who told me that four RC clubs in southern
New Jersey have now made it mandatory
that all models that exceed certain size and
weight specifications flown at their club
fields have low-throttle fail-safes.
It used to be that the only radios with a
fail-safe feature were the higher priced
PCM units. That’s no longer true. At least
one company manufactures a FM PPM
receiver with a programmable fail-safe and
there is at least one low-cost device
(roughly $20) sold that can be plugged into
most any FM receiver to give it a fail-safe
capability.
I’ve been asked if AMA has any
intention of implementing some type of
fail-safe rule. Personally, I’m not a big fan
of AMA creating any mandate here. I think
this is something that should be left up to
the individual, our clubs, and those who
are running organized events.
I certainly advocate the use of lowthrottle,
fail-safe-capable radios. A model
that defaults to a low throttle setting in the
event of a radio problem certainly reduces
the possible consequences associated with
an out-of-control model. If I can’t get the
problem squared away and I’m going to
lose my model, I’d just as soon have it go
in relatively close to the field, where
generally there’s more open land as
opposed to it flying off to who knows
where.
Give it some thought. If you’d like
some more information, let me know and
I’ll put you in touch Syd who I’m sure
would be happy to fill you in on what
they’re doing in his area.
District II members get around! Frank
Mendicino is a member of the Electric
Powered Aeromodelers (EPA) from Scotia,
New York. When not flying model
airplanes, Frank spends his time flying C-
130s to the South Pole.
Frank is stationed at Schenectady
Airport with the Air National Guard and
during the winter months he escapes our
winters and goes to the summer weather of
the South Pole.
On a recent trip, he took with him a
copy of the EPA club logo shown in the
picture below.
Shot by Frank Mendicino, this picture
shows one of Frank’s fellow Guard
members holding a picture of the EPA
club logo. The sign in the background
reads “Geographic South Pole.”
How can the weather in this district
change so fast? Anyone who actually made
it to the Northeast Electric Aircraft
Technology (NEAT) Fair this year was
treated to cold temperatures, downpours,
floods, evacuations, spending time in
shelters, and eventually cancellation of the
event.
Tom Hunt and his crew from Silent
Electric Flyers of Long Island (SEFLI) did
a great job making the best of a bad
situation. Because of their efforts,
everyone got away with minimal loses, and
made it home in one piece, albeit a little
damper!
The week before NEAT, I was at the
annual Rhinebeck Jamboree. The weather
was absolutely perfect and it resulted in a
huge turnout of participants.
This is one of the premier events, not
only in District II, but also in the entire
country. A walk up and down the flightline
tells you why. Modelers come to this event
every year with some impeccable model
aircraft.
Bob Frey, from Vestal, New York, a
member of the Aeroguidance Society,
flew this incredibly detailed Curtiss 1912
Model D Headless Pusher several times
during the Jamboree. A picture doesn’t
do this model justice!
This was the 38th annual Jamboree
sponsored by the Mid-Hudson RC Society.
The event is limited to any size Scale
model that is a replica of a full-scale
aircraft built and flown prior to 1940.
Held at the Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome
in Rhinebeck, New York, an added
attraction is the full-scale airshow held
during the afternoon featuring several rare
and unique early-era airplanes.
This is a view down the Rhinebeck
Jamboree flightline.
This issue of Model Aviation should arrive
shortly before the annual Westchester
Radio Aeromodelers (WRAM) Show in
White Plains, New York, February 25-27,
2005. I’ll be there all three days and
spending much of my time in the AMA
booth. If you’re going to the show stop by
and say hello.
As usual, we will hold the annual
District II meeting there. It is tentatively
scheduled for 4 p.m. on Saturday. Exact
times for all of the many meetings and
seminars will be listed in the program
handed out at the entrance to the show.
Don Koranda, AMA’s new Executive
Director, will be there. Why not take a few
minutes to sit in on the meeting and meet
him?
See you next time.
District II Report
New Jersey/ New York/
Europe
Dave
Mathewson
Vice President
7271 State Fair Blvd.,
Baldwinsville NY 13027
Tel.: (315) 727-4275
Fax: (315) 635-1039
E-mail:
[email protected]
District II Web page: www.amadistrictii.org
Note: For a listing of regional AMA officials, please
consult the above District II Web site or a previous
issue of this publication.
Edition: Model Aviation - 2005/03
Page Numbers: 153