We are already over a month into 2006 and only a few weeks left until the clocks change. No doubt you will all have new projects ready to see the light of day, especially those who had a really understanding visit from Father Christmas!

Before we move on to topics of 2006 a few words about the year just ended:

Those of us who attended the Christmas Dinner at the Royal Oak on December 10th had a very enjoyable evening. It was a pleasure to see Gordon Saville honoured with the presentation of an engraved silver wine coaster as a memento of his unique service to the Club;
We are sorry to lose Jim Andrews from the Club. He has decided not to renew his membership but will still be available as an area Chief Examiner. Jim was, of course, our Club Chairman for the past few years and has a vast knowledge of many aspects of aero modelling.

Membership

I am pleased to report a very healthy rate of membership renewals and we already have a number of new members signing up. We welcome the following new members:

John Chambers of Malvern,
Jed Carpenter, Carl's young son,
Jody Hoare of Ross-on-Wye,
Geoff Marfell of Weston-under -Penyard,
Tony Orton and his son Jack of Ross-on-Wye, and
William Underhill of Hereford, a Junior Member.
For those of you who have agreed to be included, enclosed with the mailed version of this newsletter is a list of members and their telephone numbers as agreed at the last AGM. From now on I will list telephone numbers for new members (who agree to take part) in forthcoming (mailed) newsletters. We will not list members under 18 years of age.
It is probable that we will issue a new, updated list around the middle of the year.

Frequency Usage

The results of the audit of frequencies is displayed in the clubhouse.

Training

We have continued with training sessions over the winter months and a few brave souls have soldiered onwards. Congratulations to Carl Williams who has just gained his BMFA "A" Fixed Wing certificate. For the time being there will be no training sessions mid-week but they will continue on Saturday afternoons, from 1.30pm.
The committee has decided that our Uno-Wot needs to be replaced after many hours of good service. John Warner has kindly agreed to build another Uno-Wot. He built the current one so we know he is good at it. We also decided not to levy a training fee but we ask trainees to consider contributing, say, some fuel from time to time.
The committee feels it appropriate to encourage trainees to own and operate their own models as soon as possible in their learning phase. Thus, we will seek to use the Uno-Wot for basic training and, as soon as a student is capable of flying without an instructor's finger on the button at all times, we will expect him or her to start using their own model and to then go on to prepare for the "A" test.
The Club Instructors are indicated on the membership list. Do contact any of them if you wish to get some training outside the usual sessions (For logistical reasons this would normally have to be with your own model).

The Field

The sheep have now departed and probably will not be back for some weeks. We can put away the electric fence for a while. Please remember that the gate-way area can still get quite muddy so proceed with care! If in doubt, do not drive on to the field but park carefully outside the gate, clear of the garage area.
From time to time some off-road motor cycles are using the field behind us at the north east corner. They are there with the permission of the farmer. If you encounter any problems please let me, or any committee member, know immediately. It is hoped that their noise will not be attributed to us!
Grass cutting of the strip will re-commence as soon as conditions allow.

Events in 2006

No social events have yet been organised so there is no diary of events as yet.
Some dates for your diary are:

The Annual Steam Rally on the field on the weekend of July 15th/16th;
A proposed musical event being organised, probably with a '50s and '60s theme, on the field during the weekend of 11th to 13th August; Your committee has serious concerns about the potential adverse impact of this event on our normal flying activities and on our Show and we have raised these concerns with the owners of the field and with the organisers;
Our annual Large Model Show during the weekend of 2nd and 3rd September.
The Club's Annual General Meeting on Thursday 16th November at the Royal Oak.
If anyone has any ideas about social activities please let me know.

For Sale

George Fulford (Tel.01989 563397) has the following for sale:

Flyboy 3ch Airframe suit .15- .19 engines. Ł20
Tempo2 Airframe suits .25 engine. Ł30
Record 3 wheel bandsaw. Hardly used. Ł70
Tyme Machine Dust extractor. Ł150.
As usual, no club warranty on any items for sale.

That is it for now. Best regards, Bernard Morris.

HMAC Newsletter No 2006/1 February 2006

HMAC Newsletter No 2006/1
February 2006