District III - 2015/06

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.
We talk a lot about safety, but we
sometimes fail to observe it. 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
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 that a
reasonably lightweight glider did to
the fender of the truck was substantial.
Why did the safer 2.4 GHz radio
loose 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.
Last, but certainly not least, 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.
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.
The field is located on Duke Energy
property with a well-groomed grass strip
that is 1,000 x 100 feet in size. There is
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, and Hobby Express.
For more information about AirMasters’
activities, see www.airmasters.info. These beautiful WW I aircraft were flown at the
Cincinnati AirMasters Dawn Patrol event.
Download your own maiden flight
checklist at www.theparkpilot.org/
parksolutions_checklist.
Until next month: Fly safely—fly
AMA.