Warringah
Radio Control
Society Incorporated (Incorporated under the Association Incorporation Act 1984) Newsletter - October 2006 |
| Warringah
Radio Control
Society Incorporated (Incorporated under the Association Incorporation Act 1984) Newsletter - October 2006 |
David Pound's small scale Spitfire coming in for another pass at May Scale Day photo John
Giffard
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The next meeting will be held on Tuesday, 10th October 2006 at Tennis Cove, Eastern Valley Way, starting at 7.30 pm. The next meeting after that will be on Tuesday, 14th November 2006 |
  WRCS
CHRISTMAS PARTY by ticket only!!! at 4 pm on SATURDAY 9th December (dinner served at 6pm,bring along your ticket to hand it in!!) We again are catered for by McGoo’s Spit Roast with lots of yummy food. Adults
$22;
Face painting and Christmas stockings for the kids Lucky Door prizes for those attending donated by Col Taylor Models Raffle tickets are $5 each, Prizes are: First: World Model
CAP 232-46R Castrol .46 size ARF kit (donated by Model Aero Products) PLUS
Thunder Tiger .46 Pro engine (donated by Kelletts Hobbies)
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  HELICOPTER
DAY - AUGUST 2006
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Competition Directors - Mark Rickard; Chris Hebbard and Kerry Smith |
 As previously advised, the first aid kits are now fully upgraded and operational. Industrial standard safety glasses are being placed into the "BUSH KIT" for you to wear to avoid eye injury while looking for downed models. We are looking for expressions of interest
from Members who may wish to do either a limited or a full first aid course.
YES!! It's that time of the year again!!
The snakes are coming out of hibernation and active in the bush, so if
you do go searching for downed models please be careful.
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by Jonathan Rabinovitz
This statement was driven home to me recently
after a somewhat unsuccessful outing at the flying field.
A few days before this, I had enjoyed a wonderful morning’s flying. It was a really beautiful day in late August and was one of those occasions when freakishly, everything went right from start to finish. To begin with there were only three other fliers at the field with no frequency clashes, the weather could not have been better and all my gear worked perfectly. This combination of factors allowed me to enjoy four successive 12 - 15 minute flights on my garishly covered flying plumber’s drain-pipe, aka, Dura-bat, sporting an OS MAX 46 FS. I know a lot of the boys think it only flies because it has an engine upfront – don’t knock it until you have tried it, it’s a great knock-about aerobatic trainer! I had not flown for a couple of months and I really enjoyed the morning. So much so, that I returned to the field on an equally stunning day the following Tuesday. As before, there were only a couple of other fliers, being our CFI with a student, and another of the club’s treasures, Cecil Ashley. I went about my business and soon had the Dura-bat fired up (yes George, after conducting a range and other pre-flight checks!). With the other fellas tinkering with their models I prepared to taxi onto the runway and completed the pre-flight T-I-S-C check drummed into me by the late and great pilot (he captained a 747 for many years) and modeller, Charlie Peake (Trims, Instruments, Switches, Controls) and off I went. Now, having been an active member of WRCS for 12 years I pride myself on having lost only one plane, and what a plane it was…a beautiful PT-19 semi-scale ARF that dropped a wing on take-off and re-constituted itself back into kit form through a series of cart-wheels and other highly impressive gymnastic manoeuvres. George actually witnessed this and when I returned with the splinters he had that ‘well if you are not going to use the rudder, this is what happens’ look on his face. He is right of course and I am now a much more rudder-aware flier as a result of his influence. Anyway I digress…back to the Dura-bat which on its first flight of the day, tracked nicely down the runway from the car-park with its throttle fully open. The Dura-bat’s ground handling is so stable and she tracks so straight on take-off that I tend to gather as much groundspeed as possible by delaying rotation and then ascend in quite a steep climb. This I did and it really was a nice looking take-off and it had just exceeded the height of the ridge tree-tops and was completing its first right hand bank, when the engine died on me. It has been a long time since I have had a dead-stick so soon after a take-off and before reaching a safe height. I might have been able to save her if not for my delayed realisation that the engine had actually cut out and before you could say the word ‘rudder’, she had lost too much height and disappeared into the trees at a roughly 11-o’clock south-westerly aspect. You know that sinking feeling after the thud along with the hope that the CFI was not watching. Fortunately he was, and George gave me very accurate crash site co-ordinates and I gingerly trundled out. Gingerly because I have a pathological fear of SNAKES! Furthermore, a couple of weeks ago, I completed my Senior First Aid Recertification and there was quite some discussion about snake bites which had already put the wind up me. In fact I had already made the decision not to enter the bush on the basis that my life is worth a lot more than any model, thinking ‘good luck to whoever finds it’ and was about to walk away when kindly Cecil Ashley came trundling up and offered to help with my search. Cecil scoffed at my snake-phobia chortling that he had spent many hours over the years searching for his and other flier’s planes and had never had a close encounter with a dangerous snake. Without further ado, Cecil disappeared into the under-growth, leaving me standing on the border. I was really taken back by Cecil’s generosity and listening to him thrashing around the bush allayed some of my anxiety and after a few minutes of very close scrutiny I found an opening in the under-growth and ventured in. While Cecil continued to walk up and down, I found a rocky mound which I clambered onto and scanned the area without moving, in the hope that Cecil would spot the wreckage. Alas, after about 25 minutes, we met up and Cecil informed me that he had to leave to attend a medical appointment. This he did, and I spent the next 20 minutes standing on the same mound hoping for I don’t know what! I should point out that in my younger days I spent two ‘glorious’ years of my life in the South African Defence Force. Let’s just say I was not a happy camper! I know that many of you might be thinking what a sook…and you are right, when it comes to snakes. Come to think of it, I am not crazy about spiders, scorpions, sharks, box-jelly fish or any of the other dangerous denizens that our glorious continent has spawned. Upon the realisation that I could not spend the rest of my life perched on a rocky mound somewhere in NSW, I ventured down and to my relief saw that I was pretty close to the track that extends behind the ridge. Throwing caution to the wind I made a dash for it and once on the track it only took half-a dozen steps further west, to discover the Dura-bat comfortably perched in a tree. Amazingly, there was absolutely no damage apart from one of the wing retaining dowels having snapped. The model obviously stall-dived into the trees, miraculously missed everything and came to rest on its side in between a v-shaped branch. I retrieved her easily and trundled back, the long way, to the field. The point of this story is to pay tribute first and foremost to Cecil Ashley as a long-standing WRCS member who clearly embodies qualities that set an example to us all. Equally, over the years I have witnessed many occasions where someone has gone down only to see a troop of other members follow him into the bush to help find what’s left of the plane. And when you think about it, this propensity amongst club members to render assistance to each other, be it advice on a stubborn engine, scratching around a tool-box for a spare part or a bit of fuel-tubing or indeed standing by when a new flier takes those first few solo steps, really encapsulates the spirit that generally pervades our club. Thanks again Cecil for reminding me about something important, it's people like you that make me proud to be a member of WRCS. Safe flying…..
Jonathan |
 The acquisition of bulk methanol was left to Doug Radford this time round, and it was distributed very promptly to those who prefer their "private mix". A job really well done Doug! For the past month and a half we have been amused (or is that bemused) by the antics and bombing missions of our magpies with the electrics flyers worst affected. A variety of methods have been employed to combat them, everything from hiding behind the transmitter to trying to skewer them with the aerial. Wearing different types of hats doesn't seem to matter, so far the magpies are winning. And those barbequing have noticed that the magpies and the currawongs are getting more daring ... they are actually taking sausages from the hotplate while the plate is still red hot!! We've seen this previously from the local kookaburras (as well as the goannas), but never before from the magpies and currawongs. |
CONGRATULATIONS to HARALD "Harry" HUBMANN on achieving his GOLD WINGS |
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Dave Pound's Spitfires 
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Your Committee was elected to run the business of the Club, not to be Policemen or Peacekeepers (or to act as mobile "complaints boxes"). They also pay their fees to fly and enjoy this great hobby, but more and more of their time is spent dealing with complaints and having little time left to fly and to deal with serious issues which would be of long-term benefit to the Members, so PLEASE:
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19 SEPTEMBER '06 VERSION The September meeting approved this re-formatting unanimously. The re-formatted Rules (which will be identified as the 19 September 2006 Version) will be displayed in the Sheds together with diagrams defining the different areas to help members identify the different areas or zones as to where the engines or motors can be started. This latest version of the Rules is on the Website for all members to access. It was also resolved unanimously that the Rules are to be held by the Secretary. Any amendments suggested or clarification required by the Members should be proposed in writing by notifying the Secretary. |
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CHARLES THOMAS PHILIPPE ULMHe was extremely good at organising, for example, the flights with Kingsford Smith.  Born
18 October 1898 in Melbourne, Victoria, Ulm was an air travel adventurer.
He backed several early Australian aircraft companies, halved the record
to fly all the way around Australia with Kingsford Smith in June 1927 and
(also with Smithy) co-piloted the first flight from California, U.S.A.
to Australia across the Pacific Ocean in 1928 in the "Southern Cross".
A little known fact is that Ulm wasn't actually licensed to fly a plane at the time of the crossing of the Pacific Ocean in 1928 to be met by 25,000 cheering fans at Brisbane's Eagle Farm Airport. The flight begun in Oakland, California, with the first stage of 3,840 km to Hawaii. This stage took 27 hours and 27 minutes and was uneventful. Stage two was to Fiji, some 5,020 km away. Just about straight away they ran into a storm which Smithy fought to the point of exhaustion before handing the controls to the yet unlicenced Ulm. With luck, they reached Suva some 33 hours later, and then on to Brisbane and the realisation that trans-Pacific commercial flight was possible. After being feted in Sydney, Smithy and Ulm carried on to England and then across the Atlantic and America to Oakland and the first around-the-world flight. hery were both awarded the Air Force Cross. for this achievement.  Later
that year they made the first trans-Tasman flight, from Sydney to Christchurch,
New Zealand and in December they formed Australian National Airways Ltd,
which went into liquidation in February 1933.
In April 1929, Smithy, Charles Ulm and two others disappeared whilst flying Southern Cross over the Kimberley. They were saved this time, but only after a harrowing 10 days and close to starvation. The only provisions they had were coffee and brandy. One search aircraft, the "Kookaburra", which had disappeared was later found with the bodies of Keith Anderson and H. Hitchcock. The two men had died of thirst. (See the article of the "Kookaburra" on our Website as earlier published in this Mag) In 1934 Ulm flew the first official mail between Australia and New Zealand and between Australia and New Guinea. On 3 December the same year, investigating the possibilities of regular airmail flights across the Pacific, he set out from California with two companions in his new twin-engine aircraft aptly named "Faith in Australia" but vanished without trace somewhere near the Hawaiian Islands. |
 VH-EAG
“Southern Preservation” is in fact the militarised version of Lockheed’s
famous range of Constellation aircraft which revolutionised air transport
during the late 1940’s and 1950’s. It is similar to the Super Constellations
used by Qantas during this period as their main long range passenger aircraft
and pioneered their around-the-world service. This service was the first
such trans global service in world airline history.
“Connie” (as it is affectionately known), was built as a C-121C for the United States Air Force, serial number 54-0157, c/n 4176, and was delivered on the 6 October 1955 when it was allocated to the 1608th Military Air Transport Wing based at Charleston, South Carolina. On the 25 July 1962 it was transferred to the Mississippi Air National Guard and on the 14th of February 1967 it moved on to West Virginia Air National Guard, where it served for the next five years. Connie’s last active duty was with the Pennsylvania Air National Guard from mid 1972 until its relegation to storage at Davis Monthan Air Base at Tucson, Arizona in June 1977.  This
aircraft was identified by HARS as a possible restoration project in 1991
after a thorough survey was taken of the airframe. the survey indicated
that the airframe was very sound despite its lamentable condition.
Considered obsolete and of no further use, storage maintenance ceased in 1981 and as a result was designated of scrap value only. In addition most of the engine accessories and instruments had been cannibalised. Failure to re-seal the aircraft after an inspection permitted access to legions of birds to nest and foul the interior over many years. This in turn discouraged the scrap metal merchants from bidding on the aircraft due to the infestation of guano and the subsequent imperfections that it would cause in the smelting of the aluminium. In November 1991, HARS started what was to become a major project when 54-0157 was placed in its care for restoration and delivery to Australia. Relying solely on volunteer labour and aiming at a high standard of restoration and serviceability, the project was to take five years.The restoration work commenced in May, 1992 at Pima Air & Space Museum and in September, 1994 the Super Constellation took to the air after nearly eighteen years on the ground. Another solid year of work was required to prepare the aircraft for the Pacific crossing and in late 1995 final flight training was undertaken. On the 3rd of February 1996 the Super Constellation VH-EAG arrived in Sydney after an incident free crossing of 39.5 hours flying time. Stops on the delivery flight to Australia were made at Oakland, Honolulu, Pago Pago and Nadi.The major difficulty in the restoration process was the need for the volunteers to continually travel to Tucson to carry out the restoration work, this was time consuming and costly. However the assistance given by organisations and the countless individuals in the US and Australia eased the volunteers’ burden and made the restoration process a rewarding experience. Brief statistics on this project were: * 16,000 man hours were expended on the project (all volunteered) * Some $800,000 in cash was raised, and approximately $1.2M was raised in sponsorship services * 47 team trips were mounted, each averaging 14 days; 38 hours of crew training was accomplished before the delivery flight Lockheed Super Constellation
VH-EAG Fact Sheet
(This article is referenced from the HARS Website : http://www.hars.com.au/index.html ) |
 The
question often posed in discussion between people is what would happen
if the engine fell off! Obviously each case depends on its own circumstances,
but most probably nothing will happen, other than you will make an unscheduled
landing. For example, back in October 2004 a Boeing 747-200F Cargo Plane
had a problem with it's #1 engine.
They landed to have it checked out, only
to find out it had fallen off! The pilots did not even know it was gone,
just was not working. AND LOOK!!! The plane landed just fine! Understand
that this is a Cargo Plane ... so you are unlikely to ever fly on an aircraft
like this, but it does show just how safe they are...
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 After
months of silence, Mike Minty finally made contact just to inform us that
he has had very little to do with modelling for months but is otherwise
well. He's spent some time in the Lakes District (UK) and has spent some
time at the Cotswold Gliding Club (the real stuff). He did dust off his
Zagi but he has nothing to report about models.
He found some sexy modern fibreglass gliders with very interesting wing plan forms like this Duo Discus and he rather liked their mobile control tower too. Mike does report that it makes a change to see some good press. The Cumberland News had a half page article the other day on Nigel Hawes and Brian Collins who have just become the first to fly an electric powered model plane across the Channel on 8 July. They built a semi-scale Tucano and did the 21 miles from Dover to Sangatte in 63 minutes (having driven 400 miles from Carlisle to get to the beach). They hand launched from the beach and then leapt into a hot water bottle with a big outboard motor on the back (particularly difficult for Brian who is in a wheel chair). They chased it all the way but had to blind land it behind the dunes at the other side. |
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See
Lynette Austen at the field most Saturdays or send cheque (made out to
WRCS) and a stamped self address envelope to:
As
reported in earlier issues of the Mag, David Pound has 2 Spitfires which
are entered in Scale Days, one classifies for the Large Scale military
(pictured left) and one for the Small Scale military class (pictured below).