SCRC Night Flight Activity
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| The Best Yet 2001/2002 | ||
It all started the night of Friday December 31st, 1999, New Year's eve. The club has had a standing challenge to see who could get the first flight of each new year! In the past several years, this distinction has been held by the club Treasurer George Gurney. You know, some people just can't sleep once the sun comes up!
However, this year, things took a drastic change. Club members Jeff Favuzza, Harry Anderson, and Brad Fisher decided that George had held the first flight of the New Year distinction too long. They initiated night flying on a very cold and inhospitable night.
The photo evidence and their story follows.
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| Here is the beginning of the record making flights. Jeff's Telemaster is setting on the runway ready for takeoff. The flight started with takeoff at 11:58 on December 31st, 1999 and ended with the landing at 12:03 on January 1st, 2000. Note the location of reflective strips on the airplane, each wing tip, the top of the rudder, and the landing gear. |
As the new year approached, George Gurney felt that there would be a challenge to his first flight of the year record. The day before new year's eve, George went to the field, made a flight, and posted a note on the frequency board listing his flight as the last flight of 1999, a possible new category. Other club members made later pre New Year's eve flights. However, all this was for naught.
The night flying team of Jeff Favuzza, Harry Anderson, and Brad Fisher came to the flying field late on new year's day prepared to set some new year's day records. Besides all the normal field equipment needed for their airplanes, Harry's Champ and Jeff's Telemaster, they brought reflective tape for use in highlighting critical identification spots on their airplanes and a one million candlepower spotlight for illuminating the reflective tape.
When all was ready, they illuminated the flying field with car headlights and used the one million candlepower spotlight on the planes. The patches of reflective tape were applied to the planes. It really showed up well (see the photos)! Jeff had the last flight of 1999, and the first flight of 2000. His Telemaster was actually in the air as the millennium turned, having taken off at 11:58PM and landing at 12:03AM! Harry Anderson flew his Champ after Jeff's flight. Brad Fisher took the photos shown on this page. They helped verify the fact that "dedicated" modelers did make the effort to set a new SCRC Club record.
Perhaps this will be the start of a new level of activity at the flying field. Will you be part of the next night flying activity?
As I sat comfortably in the Ballroom at the Elk's Country Club awaiting the arrival of the New Year, 2001, I looked out the window and pondered the impossible: "Would anyone attempt the first flight of the year 2001 on such a night!!!". It was indeed extremely cold and quite windy. Not to worry, no one would be out on such a raw winter night. I was sure there was no possible reason to consider going to the field with my camera in case anyone would attempt to capture the first flight of the New Year at midnight this night as was done last year.
Well, Foolish me, the same brave souls that set the record last year, the night flying team of Jeff Favuzza, Harry Anderson, and Brad Fisher, were out again this year! Here are their first hand reports.
Brad Fisher:
It was very cold and extremely windy, as a result, I chickened out and did not fly my Soarstar.
I thought a park flyer would be perfect for night flying since you can stay in so close, but they
don't fly well in 25mph crosswinds. The one technical change was Jeff's use of a propane blow torch to heat the head of the engines which worked
quite well.
Jeff Favuzza:
Harry Anderson had the first/last flight of the year. He took off at 11:58pm and landed at 12:05am. I flew from 12:14am to 12:18am. Brad Fisher was present, but did not fly. Harry and I arrived at the field about 11:00pm. The temp was 19F and the wind was 15-20 mph. As we were unloading our aircraft there was a gust that was probably greater than 30 mph. This almost ended the night before it got started, and to make it even more fun it was snowing!! This night was the absolute limit of what Harry or I would be willing to try to fly in.
Good work guys, keep up the tradition!!!
Again this New Year's eve, the intrepid night flying team of Harry Anderson, Jeff Favuzza, and Brad Fisher set out to make the first flight of the new year. By now, this is getting to be expected after their exploits of facing the elements the past 2 years to get the first flight of the season. The mild weather on New Years Eve led me to believe that their flights would surely take place again this year. Indeed, I had plans to go to the field to watch their attempted flights. However, about 6:00 or 7:00 pm that evening, when Joanne and I arrived back in State College from our trip to San Diego, it was raining. As a result, it appeared that the flight attempts would be cancelled. After all, it was a good decision which was borne out by the fact that nobody tried to fly on New Year's Day because of the rain. However, while I went home and did not check the weather again, the rain did stop and the flights were made as planned.
Harry Anderson had the first official flight of the New Year, 2003. He took of at 11:55 pm and landed at 12:03. Jeff also made a flight after Harry but since Jeff had not paid his club dues, his flight was not allowed as the second flight of the year!!! The team reported that the conditions were ideal for flying, mild temperature and no wind.
Jeff reported that the rain restarted sometime after 2:00 am and as I am sure all of you noted, it continued all or at least most of New Year's Day. Next year, I will continue to monitor the weather up until midnight so I don't miss another First Flight of the Year.
Congratulations Harry and your support team
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Last Updated 2/20/1999
