Dispatches From The Aerodrome… February 2008Page 1
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Dispatches From The Aerodrome… February 2008Page 1
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February Meeting
The next club meeting will be held on Thursday, February 14th, 2008 at 7:00p.m., in the banquet room of Soulman's Bar-B-Que, 691 E. Interstate 30, Rockwall, TX 75087.
Minutes of the January Meeting
The January meeting of the club’s general membership was held on January 10th, 2008 at 7:00 p.m. at Soulman's Bar-B-Que, 691 E. Interstate 30, Rockwall, TX75087. President Larry Wells called the meeting to order at 7:04 p.m. There were 28 members and several guests in attendance.
Notes of the December 2007 meeting:The minutes of the December 2007 meeting were read and accepted as posted.
Treasurer’s Report: Income for the month totaled $1860.00, the bulk of which was received for 2008 membership dues. The income also included one initiation fee and a contribution, made by Georgia Stowe, in memory of Bill Presley. A motion was made, by Michael Hoye, to apply the $50.00 donation toward establishing the Bill Presley Youth Project. The motion carried with a second from Bill Vassallo. The only expenses posted were for the December and January Port-O-Pot rental ($153.60). The account balance as of the meeting was $3,711.22, of which $1,500.00 has been set aside for a runway replacement reserve and $50.00 for the Bill Presley Youth Project. This leaves a net balance of $2,161.22. There was also discussion to increase the runway replacement reserve by $1,500.00, for a total reserve of $3,000.00. No motion had been made to do so as of the conclusion of the January meeting.
A motion was made, by Robert Short, to accept the Treasurer’s Report as presented by John Barnett. A second to the motion, by Mike Troje, allowed the motion to carry.
There were two new members accepted into our club. The first member voted in was James Martin, sponsored by Roy Allen. The other inductee was Don Martin, who was sponsored by Bill Lenk. Please take the time to find them at the field and give them a warm welcome into our group!
Safety Committee Report:No report made. I would like to thank both Bill Lenk and Bill Vassallo for accepting Larry’s invitation to act as our Safety Officers. Bill Lenk has been appointed as the weekday safety officer with Bill Vassallo keeping an eye on the weekend flyers.
Field Marshal Report: No report made. A discussion was held after the meeting to discuss necessary runway and field improvements. See the Notable Items/Events section below for more information. Larry Wells is also seeking a brave soul to volunteer to coordinate the maintenance and repair needs at the field. Oddly enough, this position has a title. Probably merely coincidental, but I recall Larry asking if anyone would be willing to be the Field Marshal, which would involve... I’m sure you get the picture. Contact Larry if you are interested!
Flying Proficiency Committee:No report made.
Old Business: No old business to discuss.
New Business:Berl Driskill made a motion to rescind the previous motion that cancelled all club Instructors’ “instructor status”. The motion also allowed for the reinstatement of all prior Instructors to “instructor status” in the club. A second to the motion was made by John Gillis. The motion passed with a vote of 23“for” and 4 “against”. The club instructors are listed on the 2008 Club Officers and Administrators section below. Please let me know if I have omitted anyone.
One of our Safety Officers has taken it upon himself to head the drive to update our transmitter frequency list. When you have a spare moment, please e-mail Bill Vassallo at with ALL frequencies on which you may be operating (Spread Spectrum included.). THANKS!
Program: A special thanks goes out to Larry Wells and Michael Hoye for the impromptu and very informative history on the formation of our club!
The program for the March meeting is entitled “Show and Tell”. Bring your best or most unusual projects to show your fellow flying buddies.
Thank you to Max Cohen and family at HobbyTown USA for donating a $20.00 gift certificate that was given away in a drawing at the meeting. The lucky recipient was David Hoye.
The meeting was adjourned at 7:54 p.m.
President’s Message
Welcome to all returning members and all new members to the 2008 Rockwall Radio Controlled Sport Flyers. We had an excellent first meeting with 30 attendees. Hope to see all of you at the February 14th meeting. We have a special program by Plano RC on the Spread Spectrum radios and the new electronic ignition gas engines. Lou and Fred always bring samples of the displays for us to play with.
On behalf of the club, I would like to thank all of last year’s officers for their service and dedication to furthering the interests of the club.
Special thanks to Max Cohen of HobbyTown USA for providing the door prize (a $20 gift card) and for distributing $5 off on $25 purchases coupons.
A number of members met with Nick Nichols after the meeting to discuss possible methods of runway restoration. A number of ideas were offered, and Nick and his committee will be evaluating them, and investigating price and feasibility of some of them, to bring to the club next meeting.
One safety issue was reported at the January meeting, that of electric flyers “buzzing around too close to other pilots” during flights. This is certainly a safety issue, but to me is more of a common courtesy issue. When pilots are concentrating on their own planes out across the runway, frequently practicing to improve their flying skills, it can be very disconcerting to have any plane(s) constantly crossing their field of view not very far in front of them. If this problem cannot be solved between the flyers involved, it will lead to increasingly restrictive rules of flight, which I don’t believe is in the best interest of the club. If any of the pilots involved will email me their comments and suggestions, I will be glad to summarize them and report at the next meeting (with total confidentiality for anyone commenting).
On another note, I recently heard from Paul Reid, who was a generous contributor to the original purchase of the Petromat for the runway. He, and Mike Miller, were awarded life memberships for their contributions. It turns out that Paul actually contributed the amount that Mike was credited. Paul tells me that Mike is out of the picture and would like to award Mike’s life membership to another deserving member of the club. If this seems acceptable to the membership, I would like to nominate Lionel Barnett. If you take a person’s age and add it to length of club membership, I believe Lionel would have the highest total. Please let me know your feelings, and other nominees, on all this before the meeting.
Since January 15th has passed, the gate combination has changed, and we are now able to accept new applications. I understand from the Treasurer that we now have 10 membership slots open, with 1 application received.
Until next meeting, happy flying and smooth landings.
Notable Items/Events
Bill Presley Youth Project:The Bill Presley Youth Project has been established, beginning with a $50.00 contribution from Georgia Stowe. In order to really get this project off the ground, we need ideas and volunteers that are not only willing, but EXCITED about bringing youth into our wonderful hobby! Youth projects not only require time, they generally tend to also involve a fair amount of $$. We may also want to consider allocating funds for this specific purpose. Suggestion: If the membership approves, a contribution matching the initial donation could be made by the club. Discussion on this topic will ensue at the next meeting.
Runway Repairs/Replacement: The “Runway Repair Committee” was established during our last meeting. Nick Nichols, Mike Troje and Joe Stephens volunteered and were appointed as the members of the committee. The committee and several other RSF members met to discuss the current condition of the airfield, with special emphasis on the runway. There are many looming field improvements that need to be addressed due to the effects of Mother Nature and Father Time. The runway, being the largest and most financially taxing repair/replacement heads the list of field maintenance. Many well thought out ideas regarding processes that could be used to repair/replace the existing runway were discussed. The most pressing need is to lift the existing runway material and find a more durable method of supporting our runway. This method will not only need to yield a solid, flat runway, it must also be able to weather the cracking we experience during dry weather and the subsequent erosion that occurs. If you can be of assistance in any way, your expertise or willingness to volunteer come time to put the plan in action will be greatly appreciated!
On a Personal Note: I was asked to share a former member’s recent experience with you. It reflects the attitude NOT to have when visitors come to our airfield…
Roughly two weeks ago, on a Saturday morning, a former RSF member chose to visit our airfield with his son. Expecting the usual warm reception he was accustomed to receiving from RSF members, he was shocked when no one made an effort to welcome him to the facility. It appeared that most of the pilots were engrossed in their own activities, so he decided to approach several flyers and introduce himself. He was greeted with a rather cold and uncaring attitude by the persons whom he encountered.
It is very disheartening to think that we have members that are that callous to visitors at our field. The community allows us to operate. Without good relations with our neighbors and the local community, we won’t have a place to enjoy our hobby. Please keep that in mind next time someone new shows up at the field. I don’t know about the rest of you, but the people at the field are just as important as my involvement in the sport. We all need to take part in making spectators, visiting pilots, and even our fellow aviators feel welcome.
I would be more than happy to publish pictures of anyone’s projects in the newsletter. I am going to try to remember my digital camera when I make trips to the airfield. However, should I forget, you may feel free to e-mail me pictures and information regarding any model aviation projects you have that you want to share with the club! We don’t need to limit this section to “models”. If you know of any upcoming activities that may interest your flying buddies, or you have recently been involved in a project or activity that left you with a good impression, we can publish those items here also. Please keep in mind that I am attempting to distribute the newsletter within a week of our monthly meetings. If you would like something included, I’ll need to have it several days in advance so I have time to incorporate it into the newsletter.
Dispatches From The Aerodrome… February 2008Page 1
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