District III — Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia
Mark Radcliff, Vice President
After a seemingly endless winter, flying season is in full swing in District III. Many new aircraft were assembled throughout the winter and repairs were made to existing aircraft. This brings me to the point of this month's column: safety.
I received an email from Dave Ruminski of the St. Clairsville Radio Control Flyers in Ohio about a glider incident at the club field. The glider was built many years ago from magazine plans and had been successfully flown for years on 72 MHz without incident. The model was recently updated with a new 2.4 GHz receiver to take advantage of the safer frequency.
On its fifth flight, the experienced pilot lost the radio link and the glider crashed into Dave's truck. No one was injured, but the damage the glider did to the truck's fender was substantial. Why did the supposedly safer 2.4 GHz radio lose its bind? No one knows for sure; however, the receiver in the airplane was not one of the more common name brands in our hobby. The club indicated that its members have had several issues with no-name receivers at the field losing their signal and the models crashing. We are all familiar with the saying "you get what you pay for." Although name-brand equipment may be slightly more expensive, it's generally better and safer in the long run.
Finally, if you are ready to maiden a new airplane, utilize a checklist. Download this handy maiden flight checklist at www.theparkpilot.org/parksolutions_checklist. A checklist will ensure that everything is attached and operating, and ensures that you are safely ready to fly your new pride and joy. Let's make flying safely our number one priority for 2015 and beyond.
I received the following report from District III Associate Vice President Randy Adams.
Cincinnati AirMasters — I.O.K. Dawn Patrol (May 23–24, 2014)
On May 23–24, 2014, the Cincinnati AirMasters RC Flying Club held its third annual I.O.K. Dawn Patrol event at the AirMasters' field in Cleves, Ohio. The weather both days was picture perfect for a number of pilots from Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana.
Field and event details:
- Location: Duke Energy property
- Runway: Well-groomed grass strip, 1,000 x 100 feet
- Facilities: Ample area for primitive camping and some limited electric hookups
Dawn Patrol activities are centered around aircraft built before World War I and up until 1920. Most of the large airplanes flown at these events are 1/4- and 1/2-scale models. Balsa USA kits with gas engines dominate the event.
Flights actually occur at dawn with many flights ending just as the sun sets. To encourage flying, pilots received a raffle ticket for every flight they made and at the end of the event a Zenoah G38 was given away to one lucky winner.
AirMasters club members would like to thank their sponsors:
- Balsa USA
- Hamilton Hobbies
- Hobby Express
For more information about AirMasters' activities, see www.airmasters.info.
Until next month: Fly safely — fly AMA.
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
