SCRC Meeting Notices
Monthly meeting are generally held the first Tuesday of each month with exceptions caused by holidays, etc. During the summer months, the meetings are held at the club's flying site. All other meetings are held at the Central Pa. Institute of Science & Technology, (formerly known as the Centre County VoTech School) in Pleasant Gap. The meetings start promptly at 7:00 p.m.

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Newsletter for the February 2006 Meeting

Meeting - Tuesday, February 7th, 2006 at 7:00 PM

At the Central Pa. Institute of Science & Technology

(formerly known as the Centre County Vo-Tech School; Click for map)

Room 129 is the most probable meeting location.

Check the sign in the Lobby for possible room changes!

Minutes from the January Meeting

-The January Meeting-

January 10, 2006

1.  Minutes – Minutes from December were approved.

2.  Treasurer’s Report – George Gurney presented the treasurers report. The report was approved.

3.   Old Business – Winter banquet will be held this Saturday Jan 14th at the Elks Club. Anyone who plans to go must call Al Jones by Thursday.

George made the motion that we end our lease with the existing field in early March.

Fly Site Acquisition – Jim Rhodes reported on the flying sites. Jim reviewed the two sites visited. The Yeagley field, which is 2200ft x 100ft and oriented from east to west. There are no FAA restrictions for us to use the field. Mr. Yeagley is very much in favor of our club using his field for flying. He is in favor of us using the field on a trial basis. If members would like to try using the field, we are free to do so. The tree line, church and houses are an issue with the far end of the runway.

(Webmaster’s update note:  After careful consideration, Mr. Yeagley has concluded the activity created by having the Club fly at his property would not be acceptable.  As a result, he has asked that his property be removed as a candidate for the Club flying field.)

Garbrick site – 3000ft x 250 ft. east to west orientation. Mr. Garbrick is very favorable to having us fly at the field. We could use any part of the field we would like. No FAA restrictions. Noise in regards to the neighbors is not an issue. The field is ready to go.

Jim submitted a recommendation for the club.

a. Abandon the present site early spring.

b. With Mr. Garbrick’s approval, store the club shed and frequency board at the Garbrick site or at another site.

c. Fly as guest at both sites on a trial basis.                                         i. SCRC would plan times for group flying.                                        ii. Individual members fly as they choose.                                     iii. Evaluate suitability of both sites.  iv. Verify that there are no noise issues.

d.  Mow and roll Yeagley site.

e.   Provide site owner insurance for both sites.

f.  Continue search for a permanent flying site such as the American Legion site or the Haugh tract.

Questions or comments, please contact Jim Rhodes by e-mail at jar1@psu.edu or by phone 814-238-3203.

A motion was made to vote on the issue next month after everyone has had a chance to see both fields. The motion was approved.

Al presented the AMA safety code about insurance at either field.

 Al Jones asked if you need a name tag to contact him.

4.  New Business – George Mock proposed a Float fly at Sayers Dam and making it an official fun fly. The idea was open for discussion. A motion was made to have a float fly this summer, open to all members. Motion approved. George Mock will investigate.

AJ Jaffe reported that his father was named in the AMA magazine. His scale NOTAR helicopter was shown on the cover!

5. Program – Will Coder’s talk on applying iron on coverings was again delayed because of the meeting length. Sorry, Will.

 6. Announcements – George Mock presented a new tape for electric flyers for hinges. George has a bunch of tape that he will sell for $2 a roll. Tower Hobbies sells for $4+.

7. Show and Tell –

Al Niessner showed a servo tester used to set limits and line up your center. The second presentation was on a thrust meter that Al constructed using a mail scale.

Al Niessner’s thrust meter.

George Mock presented his SoarStar with a new outrunner brushless motor. George says it goes nearly straight up!  A man whose name I didn’t catch showed us a new Saito 300 four stroke opposed twin engine. It’s big! And it’s a beautiful piece of machinery! He plans to put it in a giant scale Ercoupe of around 100 inch wingspan. That should look and sound real!

8. 50/50 Drawing – AJ Jaffe Split 25 dollars with the club.

Slope Soaring in Lancaster County

  My son, Mike lives in Lancaster County. He belongs to an R/C club there, and has access to a great slope soaring site near the town of Columbia. I went down there the day after Christmas, and we went slope soaring. Mike has a Zagi flying wing glider which really performs well as a slope soarer. He flew it for a while, then he left me fly it. Wow! That’s fun!  To slope soar you need a hill with the wind blowing straight into it. The wind hits the hill, and is deflected upward. Toss your glider into the rising air and up it goes! Flight pattern is usually a figure eight style, with all turns made away from the hill, into the lift. The neatest thing about it is that you can fly as long as the wind blows, or until you get tired, or too cold, as we did that day!  To land, you fly behind yourself, then turn 180 degrees and land into the wind on top of the hill.  At this site, you do not want to lose your plane down over the hill.  Looking down the hill, or more accurately, the cliff, you see huge rocks, then some very tall trees, then railroad tracks, then the Susquehanna River! Nowhere to land! Flying there keeps you on your toes!

  You don’t need a cliff to slope soar. Sometimes gently sloping farm land will work well with conventional thermal type gliders.  For steep, windy sites you need a glider with shorter, stiffer wings with big ailerons.

   If we look around, I bet we can find some sites in this area to slope soar. My other son, Mark, and a friend of his have been flying at a site near Blue Course Drive, just west of State College. I need to build a glider and try that site out!

SCRC Winter Banquet

We  had our Winter Banquet on January 14, 2006 at the Elks Club. About fifty of us were there, in spite of a nasty snowstorm. The food was great and plentiful. I gave out a few “Crash and Burn” awards for guys who were victims of hard luck or stupidity in 2005, then Will and Diana Coder handed out some excellent prizes to club members and their wives. I got some nice tools, a calendar, and an Inland Sport plane kit – sweet! Our thanks go out to all who made this event a great success. Your efforts are greatly appreciated!

Sam Stitzer  814‑364‑9530  samstitz@yahoo.com

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