 |
Flying High With Electric Power!
The Ampeer ON-LINE!
Fly the Future - Fly Electric! |
Site Table of Contents
| President: | Vice-President: | Secretary/Treasurer: |
| Ken Myers | Richard Utkan | |
| 1911 Bradshaw Ct. | 240 Cabinet | |
| Walled Lake, MI 48390 | Milford, MI 48381 | |
| (248) 669-8124 | (248) 685-1705 | |
 | ||
| Board of Directors: | Board of Directors: | Ampeer Editor |
| Jim McNeely | Jeff Hauser | Ken Myers |
| 4733 Crows Nest Ct. | 18200 Rosetta | 1911 Bradshaw Ct. |
| Brighton, MI 48116 | Eastpointe, MI 48021 | Walled Lake, MI 48390 |
| (810) 220-2297 | (810) 772-2499 | (248) 669-8124 |
| Mailed Ampeer subscriptions are $10 a year US & Canada and $17 a year world wide. FREE on-line! | ||
| The Next Meeting: Date: Sunday, May 6 Place: Camp Dearborn, Milford, MI Time: 10:00 a.m. | ||
|
Saturday, June 9th, 11 a.m. -2 p.m. Free flying Free hotdogs & soda Oakland Yard , 5328 Highland Rd., Waterford, MI 48327 (248.673.0100) Eat a hot dog, then watch a hot dog maneuver his R/C airplane. Can it get any better? Come be a part of the pylon racing and the full contact "hot" dog fights. We will be flying in our 72,000 square foot dome as well as outside on our soccer field. There will be open flying along with some special events. Get into the action as a spectator or a daring pilot. Oakland Yard allows the following types of models:
Model Aviation Summer ‘01 Oakland Yard has again made time available in our 72,000 square foot dome for individuals interested in model aviation. Models range from delicate rubber powered airplanes to full contact radio controlled Zagis. Zagi combat has become the ultimate spectator sport. Get into the action as a spectator or a daring pilot. Oakland Yard allows the following types of models: 1) Free flight: C02, electric, rubber, hand launch 2) Radio Control (No combustion engines) - All R/C pilots must be members of the AMA. Membership can be obtained by calling (1-800-IFLYAMA). The cost is cheap for such an opportunity!
Dates and Times Sunday, May 13th, 7:00 p.m. -10:00 p.m. Sunday, May 27th, 7:00 p.m. -10:00 p.m. Saturday, June 9th, 11:00 a.m. -2:00 p.m. "Hot Doggin’Fun Fly" Free! Sunday, July 2 2nd, 7:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m. Sunday, August 12th, 7:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m. Sunday, September 9th, 7:00 p.m. -10:00 p.m. Sunday, October 7th, 7:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m. Sunday, October 21st, 7:00 p.m.- 10:00 p.m. Winter flying club will again continue on Saturday evenings. See you in November!
Upcoming Efliowa 2001 Saturday, September 8 and
Last year we had 45 registered pilots and 150 aircraft. This year promises to be even bigger and better. Several vendors have verbally committed to attend. Hope to see you there!
M.I.S.S. Information Over the past few years there has been a close tie between the EFO and M.I.S.S.
(Michigan International Soaring Society). With this in mind, I am recommending that EFO members, who are not already
M.I.S.S. members, consider joining this "soaring" club. They have a large interest in electric planes, not just soarers.
Our EFO club meeting in May, will be a joint venture between the EFO and M.I.S.S. See this details in this issue for time and
place.
Meetings and Activities:
Where Does the Club Fly:
How and When Do I become a Member of M.I.S.S.
More Events: The River Valley Flyers remote control aviation club would like to invite you and
Keith Shaw participate in our June 9 & 10th electric fun fly and swap meet. This electric meet is the largest
electric meet in Wisconsin. This will be our fourth year of putting on this electric event. Each year this event keeps growing more
informative, more vendors, bigger, and better. Last year we had over 50 registered electric pilots and four vendors and this year
we expect a 25 percent improvement over this. We are also looking for vendors and high profile electric pilots to be feature pilots
at our electric meet.
Rich Ida and Chuck Benner put on another great event for the third straight year.
Great field with only enough rules as necessary and a lot of relaxed flying. Windy Saturday but there were still planes flying most
of the day. Sunday was perfect flying weather with lots of flying. If you wasn't there you missed a great time.
The RVF was a blast for my first electric only event. It was especially nice to see so
many different airplanes actually fly! I now have several "must-haves" for my own kit back log, and a brand-new
Cavazos Twister on the bench. As luck would have it, Greg Kamysz pulled in next to us and setup shop, and I had the opportunity
to pick his brain for 2 days. If you haven't seen him fly the Voster Modellbau Me-163, it's a real treat! (Imagine a VERY small
red bullet) The Dymond booth was almost always busy, and Helmut put on quite a show with a number of his airplanes.
Another BIG thanks to Rick and Chuck this year. It (River Valley E-fly) just gets
bigger and better every year. (kinda like Chuck The River Valley Electric Meet IV will be held June 9 & 10, 2001. The club field is
located 14 MI South of Stevens Point WI. on I-39, then exit 143 West 8 MI. on Cty W. located North between 130th St. and Co.
F. $10.00 one day, $15.00 two days, includes pilots raffle. Food on site. Camping on site, Porta Potties on site, no water or
electricity available. Campers and vendors may arrive on Friday June 8th after 5 PM for setting up campsites. 50 pilots last year.
Many vendors will be present. If you are a vendor of products relating to electric R/C airplanes and wish to participate at no fees
for vending please contact us. Make hotel reservations early because of state soccer ball championships being held in Wisconsin
Rapids. Stevens Point usually gets booked up also! Additional info will be posted to this web site soon. Club web site
www.rvf-rc.org or from Rich Ida inspector@tznet.com
or Charles Benner cjbenner@tznet.com
Charles Benner
The Boeing Phantom flyers R/C club have set a date of Saturday, June 23,
2001 for an electric fun fly event. Tom Ramsey will be the CD. The event will be held at the club field a few miles north of
St. Charles, MO off of Hi-way 94.
Thanks,
The Voltaires of Central NY will again present their all electric Fun Fly, July 21
& 22, 2001. This has been an annual event for many years and has become a summer institution in the Northeast. The
emphasis is on Fun Flying with a few competitive events thrown in for good measure. There will be door prizes, event prizes and
lunch provided for the pilots both days. The Fun Fly is held at Grenadier's field about 15 miles North of Syracuse. The site has a
Club House, paved runway, electricity and room for camping. There is no running water however there are Men's and Lady's
privies on site. Being close to Syracuse there are a wealth of accommodations available. Maps and detailed directions will be
provided upon request.
Canadian Electric R/C Scale Championships July 27-29 at Fairfield R/C Club in
Chilliwack, British Columbia. For more information see www.canadianelectricflight.com or
Contact Doug Burt <flyinace@direct.ca>
August 11 at the WMAA field just north of Columbus, Ohio. It will be a fun fly type
event, similar to the one that Azarr has put on in the past.
The ORIGINAL Fort Wayne Electri-Fly 2001 will
be held on August 11th. It will run from 8:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. Join us for our 4th year in a row at one of the area's
best flying fields. Wide open areas, with wonderfully manicured grounds. General flying will be the order of the day, with a few
fun events for those interested. Food and drink available, with a light lunch menu available. Camping available on site, with
electric hookup. Contact Pat Mattes at: pat-ingrid-mattes@juno.com for more
info.
October 26-28, Phoenix, AZ, Schnepf Farms, Queen Creek, Arizona (45
min. southeast of Phoenix Int’l Airport)
For more information, entry forms, rules, contact information and schedules visit:
www.f5jelectric.com/ or Dave Wenzlick dave@techlite.net
Toledo 2001 Unbelievable! If you wanted to get near any booth with goods that supported electric
flight, you had to wait, wait, wait. While there were few really new goods, especially if you have Internet access or current
magazines, it is always interesting to talk with the vendors. I’m sure there will be lots of coverage in the general modeling press.
April EFO Meeting
At the April EFO meeting, Richard Utkan showed off his completed Puddle Master,
completed from the ACE kit that had been started by Ken Myers. Richard is using a Graupner Speed 600 8.4v direct drive with
a Grish 8x6 three-bladed prop. We tested the amp draw and found it to be quite reasonable with a 7-cell pack. PS Always
make sure everything is held in place firmly before doing motor testing! ;-)
Upcoming St. Louis E-fly
Tom Ramsey sent along word that he’ll be CD-ing a meet in St. Louis on June
23, 2001. The starting time will be 9:30 AM. It will be at the Boeing of St. Louis Phantom Flyers' field off North
Hi-way 94 in St. Charles, MO (a northwwest suburb of St. Louis) in the middle of the Missouri river flood plain. It will be a
completely fun-flying event. No competitions at all. AMA cards will be required. There will be no landing fees. The CD will be
myself and my co-CD will be Brad Young. We have a 400 ft. paved runway and a grass strip along side of the paved strip. If
anyone wants further details they may call me at (314) 731-2144. Updates will be posted on E-zone magazine. Just click on:
DISCUSSIONS----EVENTS----ELECTRIC FUNFLY IN ST. LOUIS.
Rib Weights
I am in the process of building a SIG LT-25 powered by an Astro Flight 25G and would like to pass on some information. I was weighing the ribs and was surprised at the variance in weights of the ribs. The ribs varied in weight from 2.3 to 5.2 grams. I positioned the heavier ribs inboard and the lighter outboard. Builders should pay attention to insure that wing panels not only weigh the same but have the same moments of inertia. I have been please with the overall quality of the SIG kit. Thanks for the reminder Ken. I’ve done this for years, but lots of new folks will find it very helpful. KM Skimmer Plane Rating
Dear Mr. Ken Myers, My Name is Nikolaus Combs. I started flying electric airplanes when I was about 8
years old. I am currently 14 years old and still going. I built a 'Skimmer' but modified it. I cut about 1.25" x 23"
rectangle out of the back of each wing and filled the spaces with two ailerons (powered with 1 FMA micro servo each, mounted
in the wing). Flies very well in high wind.
Aircraft Name: Skimmer
Receiver: Airtronics Servos: 4 Hitec Micro servos (HS81) Can get them lots of places I'd like to save my 5 stars for my next plane, the Shrike (an electric conversion) that went very well.
Thanks for that excellent rating report. If anyone would like to contact Nikolaus, please email me, and I’ll forward it to him. KM Barter Page Back Up
Hi Ken: Just a line to let you know that I have the Barter page back up and working on my
site. I was unaware that it wasn't working right, and nobody let me know. It's back now, and I hope that people will take
advantage of it.
X250 and Picture
Ken, After reading your article and many positive comments on the SR Batteries X-250, I
went out and purchased one. I made only a few modifications to the plane, installing nylon wing hold-down bolts & 2 HS55
aileron servos versus one HS60.
(My reply was that I thought that the speed control was not coming full on and to check by running the motor with and without the speed control. If there is a huge difference, the transmitter needs to be “tweaked” to match the speed controller. If it is a Hitec, the trim does interact with the speed controller. KM) Thanks and keep up the great work on The Future is Electric. Here is a picture of my X250.  B-25
 Attached a couple of inflight pictures I took of the latest scale model flying in
Albuquerque, a B-25 from JR Models. It's an all-fiberglass ARF from the Czech Republic. It was finished and test flown
(picture taken on test flight) by our local electric Guru, Gary Kyle. Gary said this ARF is not new, it's been out there for several
years.
 For Sale Astro Flight 112 and More
Due to ill health I have a short list of items for sale, starting with an Astro Flight 112
charger.
What’s Missing in Reviews and Reports
My reason for writing is your lead article in the current April Ampeer. This
is the one on the Hobbico Speed Pilot ARF. Tom Hunt and I have been trying for a long time to get some standards together for
reporting on electric powered aircraft. If people like yourself and Keith try so hard to publish articles on the sizing of motors to
particular aircraft, then you need all the parameters that make that job possible.
Once Again a Sad Report This has not been a good spring for EFO members. Unfortunately it is my sad duty
to report that our very active and wonderful member, Mike Holroyde has lost his wife, Sharon, to her long battle with cancer.
Mike our deepest and most sincere thoughts are with you.
U-2 Revisited
In a previous issue depicting the first flights of my U-2 EDF plane, I mentioned that
using 11 cells with a Plettenberg 200-20-6 motor probably was the cause of the motor sounding like a cement mixer following just
two flights. It would take "major abdominal surgery" to find out for sure. Well folks, it turns out that the motor and fan were
fine, but all mounting screws nuts and bolds had come loose! A couple screws were clinging to the motor's magnet. Moral:
When you have a system turning more than 30,000 rpm use generous amounts of Locktite on all mounting hardware. And use
new stuff - my Locktite was "liberated" from my aerosppace industry employer 32 years ago.
B-17
 According to my file data (which is way behind) it's been quite a while since I wrote
you about my B-17 project, but it is finally about done. I have been wrestling with a weight problem all along. After giving up on
retracts (too heavy, but was forced to put in Robart 661 oleo struts for some shock action) and wanting to get as much power as
possible, I finally settled on RC2400 batteries. I had second thoughts about this, as I would rather have used some lighter
hydrides, but needed the heavier batteries to get proper balance point. Attached is a picture, and here are the final plane specs:
Upcoming May EFO Meeting REMEMBER: the EFO meeting is a flying meeting to be held with the M.I.S.S. folks on Sunday, May 6 at Camp Dearborn in Milford. Camp Dearborn is on GM Rd, just west of Milford Rd. Tell them you are flying with M.I.S.S. We’ll have a FREE field lunch for you, so bring your latest and greatest to fly. Don’t forget your AMA card. Friends with AMA cards welcome to fly. To Reach Ken Myers, you can land mail to the address at the top of the page. My E-mail
address is:
KMyersEFO@aol.com
|
