Barnyard Buzzards Newsletter November 2008 Page 4

Buzzard Droppings December 2008

safety.

Have fun! I am sure I have taken up enough time and newsletter real estate on this topic. Just be safe.

New Business

Cooking responsibilities – Jim Wallis has done an outstanding job this year supporting all of the events. Thank you, Jim for all of your hard work! This topic generated some conversations around the need to have someone cook at the events. Maybe we need to scale back the offering of food to program events and field clean up times only.

Ron Swift sent a letter to the AMA on the topic of our club’s charitable activities. An article will be written and provided in an up coming issue of the AMA’s Model Aviation magazine. This is one way to be visible to the larger R/C community and demonstrates our commitment to our own communities in which we live. Nice going Ron – and the club.

Plan to come to our

December club meeting

and bring your family and

friends for pizza. Chet

talked about some

different options. One of those was to have

(Continued on page 5)

Text Box: Here it is - December already, what happened to summer? It is time again to think about cold weather and how it will affect us. There is a thing called Wind Chill. You say “I don’t fly in winter with the wind blowing because it is too cold” and that maybe true. However, there is a chart called Wind Chill Chart (WCC) (See page 5)--Funny how that works. The WCC tells us if it 35°F and the wind is blowing 10mph it will feel like 27° F. OK, that’s not too bad, however your fingers will get really cold in a 10 minute flight assuming no protection (gloves). I personally find it hard to fly while wearing gloves. Thin silk gloves work very well. In the past you could get them at an Army surplus store. The Air Force issued them as glove liners. Maybe there is something available at REI or ski shops. OK back to the Wind Chill Chart. Lets say it’s really cold, but a nice clear day (of course you have to go flying). Let’s say it’s 10° F with a 10 mph wind. It is going to feel like it is -4° F. When you reach back to adjust the high speed needle valve and wind from the prop is 60 MPH. This is going to be downright uncomfortable, since the WCC indicates the effective temperature is –19° F and you have about 30 minutes before frostbite sets in. When your fingers begin to thaw-out you will wish they were still frozen because they feel like you have put your fingers in a pan of hot oil. Remember to dress in layers, wear gloves, and wear a hat! A lot of body heat is lost from your head (about 60%). Also wear shoes that will keep your feet warm and dry. A lot of the time in this

Text Box: area just wearing a wind breaker and light sweater and of course a hat is all it will take to be comfortable. Probably a good idea to wear pants, too. The other day we had a crash at the field. You say, so what?... We have a lot of crashes. The weird thing about this one was how it happened. The story goes that a full scale airplane and the model visually crossed flight paths going in approximately the same direction. The full scale airplane was a long way off and for that matter, so was the model in relative terms and so visually they looked about the same size. As the airplanes crossed, the RC pilot’s eyes switched to the full scale plane and no matter what stick input he gave there was no response. Before the mistake was recognized, his plane destroyed itself when it hit the ground. I don’t know what I can say, other than to be careful and know where and what attitude your airplane is in at all times. A spotter is a good safety practice. Don’t look away from your airplane when in a maneuver, or when the airplane is flying directly away or toward you. Keep your eyes on the plane while trimming it! Sometimes it is hard to relocate the airplane. White plane and white clouds are a very bad combination.. Even a dark airplane with the trees in the background can just disappear. (like when landing from the West). Use camouflage schemes at your own risk! Remember use COMMON SENSE