============================== November 2003 =================================

The November club meeting will be at the Jack-in-the Box in Moscow at 7pm on Tuesday, November 4 (contact club president Dave Walker for information or to add items to the agenda (208) 882-9180).

• Update on flying field conversations with Moscow Parks and Recreation.
• Bring any new or interesting planes, engines or radio components, or tip/techniques that you’d like to share.

Palouse Ridge Runners member K Tarbet died after a heart attack the day after our last meeting. The funeral was held the following Saturday. Our condolences go out to his loved ones.

There has been positive feedback from Moscow Parks and Recreation Department on building a flying field at the new park south of Moscow on Palouse River Road. A suggestion was made to use the area designated for the flying field for parking. Dave and Joe Bolden investigated an area for parking east of the flying field site that would accommodate parking that should be more than adequate.

An email from the Parks and Rec director was very supportive of the flying field. He is very excited about the centennial of flight and is planning to have a ground breaking on December 17, one hundred years after the Wright brothers first flight at Kitty Hawk.

The tree at the west end of the flying field location will stay. Dave will suggest that the runway be oriented at an angle to make the flight path miss the tree to the south.

Reminder: AMA membership is required to fly at Sawyer Field. This is necessary to provide AMA insurance coverage.

The annual Puyallup model show is scheduled for January 31 through February 1. There is an opportunity to have a club booth. There is no charge, but it would have to be manned 9am-5pm Sataurday and 9am-4pm Sunday.

While the Palouse Ridge Runners is a name with lots of history dating back to the 1960s, the name causes confusion. Many people think we are a running club! Maybe it’s time for a new name that better describes what we are. This could improve our recruiting of new members.

Suggestions included Palouse Aeromodelers, Palouse AeroSquadron, Palouse Model Flying Club, Palouse Model Aviators, Palouse Lomschevoc Society, Palouse Cloud Dancers, Palouse Spruce Squadron, Palouse Sky Sailors, Palouse R/C Flyers, Palouse Miniature Aircraft Society, Society of Palouse Aircraft Modelers, and Palouse Ridge Runners Model Squadron.

Joe Bolden discussed the Palouse Science Discovery Center sponsored by Schweitzer Engineering on November 15. Joe Bolden is taking an r/c model and will be helping kids build AMA Delta Dart rubber powered planes. The event will be held at the Exhibit Hall, 2371 NE Hopkins Court in Pullman.

If you are interested in helping out, contact Joe Bolden.

Dave Walker showed us how to repair a crashed plane. He brought the top wing of an ACE 4-40 biplane that was damaged in a landing accident. Six inches of one tip of the top wing was shattered.

The first step is to collect ALL the parts – these can often be reassembled to restore the original structure or can be used as a pattern to make new parts. Dave suggests waiting a suitable period before beginning a restoration project to let the emotions of the moment subside.

Evaluate the damage. Remove covering as necessary to reveal hidden damage. Make replacement parts from plans or use broken parts as patterns. Templates can be made from light card stock such as a manila folder.

Fit the new components into the structure. Broken spars should be repaired by splicing in new material using angled joints with a 10:1 ratio of length to thickness. To ensure a good fit, stack the parts and cut both pieces at the same time.

Assemble the parts over the plan or similar layout to ensure that the structure will be straight and without warps. Make sure everything fits without pushing components out of alignment before glueing.

Take a sample of the original covering to the hobby shop. Getting the right color to match the rest of the plane will be much easier.

To aid in future repairs, make outlines of parts that are not show on the plans while you build.

Before the first test flight of the repaired plane range check the radio, check controls for proper direction of movement, and check linkages, hinges and control surfaces for integrity.

Happy Flying!

Interesting Model Aviation Web Sites

http://www.foamfly.com/customer/home.php FoamFly.com – electric modeling supplies and plans for foamy planes.

http://www.motocalc.com/data.htm MotoCalc.com – electric model calculator. Determine the components needed to fly that next electric powered plane. A free evaluation version is available (good for 30 days).

http://www.razormotors.com/htm/catalog/index.htm RazorMotors.com – small brushless motors at a good price. There’s even a no hassle 50% exchange on damaged motors!

Go to the PRR web site and click on the "events" link for more information.