Welcome to a new year in the Club and to the first newsletter of 2009. You will find a few pieces of paper (posted) with this issue.
First is the 2009 Committee list.
You will see that Colin Clark is no longer Chairman. Colin has decided that the time has come for him to spend a little more time building (and, hopefully, flying) so has stood down from any role other than as a Committee member. We all owe Colin a great debt for the many, many hours he has spent on behalf of this Club and in promoting the annual Show and we hope he will continue to enjoy his association with HMAC for a long time to come.I am very pleased that Antony Redding has taken on the Chairman's job. Antony has been a member for a good many years yet is still in the first flush of youth (well, almost!). We all wish him well.
We also welcome John Cross to the Committee. John plays a major part on the flight line of the annual Show and is also a Club examiner. That means both John and I can now take BMFA "A" tests and together we can take BMFA "B" tests - so, come on and get practising. Remember to always make prior arrangements for noise tests, airframe checks or examinations.
Club Member List
The second posted item is a list of Club members who are willing to have their telephone numbers published to other members - useful if you want to contact someone to arrange a flying session.
Members Information Request
Third is a simple form asking for:Please take a couple of minutes to fill it in and send it to me or send the information by e-mail to: bernard.morris@homecall.co.uk. This will help us keep our records up-to-date and also ease communications in future.
- Your home telephone number
- Your e-mail address (if you have one)
- Your current frequency(ies)
- Your mobile telephone number (if you have one)
Club Membership
Membership stands at 36 including four family juniors. This is much the same as last year at this time. There were three people on the waiting list and they are now being invited into membership, so the waiting list will start again from zero. More on these potential new members next time.
Flying Field
The strip was damaged over the winter. The sheep managed to demolish the fence several times and trampled the strip. It is not too bad but we are trying to get it lightly rolled. A new, more robust, electric fence has now been put up. Instructions on its use are pinned to the centre post. PLEASE MAKE SURE YOU FOLLOW THOSE INSTRUCTIONS. IF IN DOUBT CALL A COMMITTEE MEMBER.
Batteries
There is some concern with the powers-that-be about NiMH batteries in transmitters and receivers. There can be a very rapid voltage drop with these batteries when they are discharged - much more so than with NiCds and this is particularly important with 2.4GHz transmitters which are much less tolerant of low voltage than the lower frequency band sets.The recommendation is that you should beware of too frequent, fast, topping-up charges. Take the trouble to cycle them and give a slow charge every so often. This will help to give a longer, more reliable battery life. Remember also that new packs should be started with a slow charge.
Another problem can be that some older fast chargers designed for NiCds fail to detect the completion of charges with NiMH batteries and do not have a battery temperature sensor. Batteries tend to be the cheapest link in the R/c chain but are responsible for many of the problems experienced so it is worth taking good care of them.
Many people are now using 5 cell receiver battery packs with 6.0v or more capacity. Always check that your servos are rated to take this higher voltage - some are rated for 4.8v.
Indoor Flying
This form of flying is, not surprisingly, popular in winter and with summers like our last two, quite appropriate at other times of the year.Antony Redding and Ben Bates are investigating the possibility of arranging a venue for indoor flying, probably in Ross-on-Wye. If you are interested please contact one of them direct. Their contact details are on the Committee list.
Competition
Antony hopes to arrange an event this year. Details will follow in due course.
Show
Preparations are well under way for the Show on 5th and 6th September. I have some A5 flyers printed. If anyone would like some please let me know.
That's it for now. Spring is on the way and the clocks change in about a month so let us all hope for some better flying weather It must be due!
Bernard Morris