Balsa Dust. Prez Sez. NEXT MEETING DATE: Thursday, April 9, 2009 LOCATION: East Bloomfield Town Hall TIME: 7:30 p.m.

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1 An Official Publication of Genesee Valley Aero Modelers, Ltd. Editor: April 2009 Glenn Crocker 21 Highview Trail Pittsford, NY Balsa Dust NEXT MEETING DATE: Thursday, April 9, 2009 LOCATION: East Bloomfield Town Hall TIME: 7:30 p.m. Prez Sez This month s Prez Sez is the first time I am using Microsoft s Word My wife and daughter both use 2007 at work and school. They both asked me to upgrade our home computer with the new version so that they could work on documents they have created at work or school on our home computer. You don t realize how accustomed you become to things until they change. Speaking of change I recently went to the Hobby Shop to look at purchasing a new radio. I wanted to get a radio to serve as a backup to my JR 6 channel with 6 model memory. I ve got all 6 memories filled! I thought that if I could purchase a new radio (72 Mhz) with 10 model memory I would have a backup and could continue to use the same receivers and flight packs in my existing aircraft and have room for new airplanes with the added memory locations in the new radio. Turns out they don t make JR radios in 72 Mhz any more. Turns out everyone has gone to making Spektrum 2.4Ghz radios. Actually I did find a couple of manufacturer s that still do make 72 Mhz radios, in fact Hitec has a radio that can be made to transmit on any 72 Mhz channel just by changing a switch setting. Seems like it was only a year ago that a couple of our members bought 2.4 Ghz radios. I am busy making preparations for the flying season. I am in the process of repairing a couple of old aircraft and trying to get at least one new airplane finished. Soon mowing season will slow down my progress toward that end. At the next meeting will be our traditional display of these years new projects. Don t worry if your project isn t complete yet, bring it to show. Unfortunately I will not be able to make the next meeting but maybe I can ask our Staff Photographer to take a few pictures for me so that I can see everyone s new airplane. Hope we are done with the snow. See you at the field! Jim Balsa Dust* - A collection of refuse possibly containing turkey droppings, and other bits and pieces, possibly retrogressive to your alleged mind.

2 G V A M Balsa Dust April 2009 At The Field by Glenn Crocker Get your planes checked out for the upcoming season. It really will arrive!! On the days that have been above freezing there have been a few hardy souls at the field with their electrics and mudders. There have also been a few crazy people at the field when it has been at the freezing point. We had a Pizza King sighting at the field. He thought he saw the delivery truck heading our direction. The driveway is still quite soft so you may want to check it before you use it. It is good to see familiar faces and airplanes again. I don t know what I did wrong but all I got to look at this winter was Charlie s smiling face when we got together for coffee!! We plan to do more rolling this year and will keep the lumps and bumps out of the field. Ned has broken the code on keeping his plane out of his favorite tree this year. He feels his chain saw resting next to the truck will intimidate the tree. I understand he has been practicing on trees in his back lot so he will be in good shape. The calendar is filling up this year with interesting events. Olean is being combined with the District II fun fly this year and will more than likely bring a larger variety of models than in past years. If you have a chance, stop by and check it out. As Jim noted in the Prez Sez, bring your projects to the April meeting so we can see what you are building or have built for the 2009 season. The trees are waking up so be careful if you fly. They may reach right out and snatch your plane out of the air. Calendar of Events 6/20, 21 Warbird Rally. Sky Rovers Phelps N.Y. 718, 19 District2 Fun Fly & STARS Rally 7/25, 26 Air Show. All A/C except Turbines. Sky Rovers. Phelps N.Y. 8/9 G.V.A.M. Family picnic. Rain date 8/16 8/22, 23 Macedon Field Fun- Fly 8/28, 29, 30 Northeast Heli Jamboree Dues are Due This is a reminder that it is that time of year again. Dues are due. If we don t have your dues by April 1 st we will have Uncle Guido come down from Utica and pay you a visit!! Seniors: $45.00 Juniors: $1.00 (19 yrs or younger) Full time Collage students fly free. You can pay your dues at the club meetings or mail it to me at the editor s address shown on the first page. From the Fuel Fool The Omega portion of the fuel order has arrived. The Cool power should be in by the time you read this. The GVAM fuel fool is going into hibernation until next winter

3 G V A M Balsa Dust April 2009 Mowing List Date Volunteer Date Volunteer 5/6 Glenn Crocker 8/1 John Miller 5/9 John Miller 8/5 Tom Brown 5/13 Tom Brown 8/8 Max Wright 5/16 Max Wright 8/12 Lou Eltscher 5/20 Lou Eltscher 8/15 Jim McBride 5/23 Jim McBride 8/19 Don Allan 5/27 Ned Holmes 8/22 Mark Woodruff 5/30 Mark Woodruff 8/26 Ned Holmes 8/29 Joe Ficcaglia 6/3 Tex Mantel 6/6 Joe Ficcaglia 9/2 Tex Mantel 6/10 Glenn Crocker 9/5 Bill Kegel 6/13 Bill Kegel 9/9 Glenn Crocker 6/17 Glenn Crocker 9/12 John Miller 6/20 John Miller 9/16 Tom Brown 6/24 Tom Brown 9/19 Max Wright 6/27 Max Wright 9/23 Lou Eltscher 9/26 Jim McBride 7/1 Lou Eltscher 9/30 Don Allan 7/4 Jim McBride 7/8 Don Allan 10/3 Mark Woodruff 7/11 Mark Woodruff 7/15 Ned Holmes 7/18 Joe Ficcaglia 7/22 Tex Mantel 7/25 Bill Kegel 7/29 Glenn Crocker - 3 -

4 G V A M Balsa Dust April 2009 Olean 2007 (I think) taking off John preparing for a flight. John made the engine (diesel) for this plane. The motley crew at the GVAM picnic. Unknown person helping unknown person with his plane. I thought it was Mark Woodruff but there was not enough white showing on his head. John contemplating his diesel biplane Max and Jim taking a breather - 4 -

5 Ned Holmes getting the Pink Lady ready to duke it out with his tree. Jim Sommers at Canadice Lake. This weather is coming back this year. Nick is getting ready for a flight. He has finally worked the bugs out of his plane. I believe this is Phil from RCCR getting ready for a flight. Mr. Chaos with his Kaos. It flies great (and fast) but he has a little trouble with low inverted passes Trevor getting prepared for a flight. You have to enjoy pain to fly scale.

6 Choosing the Right Glow Plug From O.S. Engines Several factors influence the use of the correct glow plug for your engine. Here are some guidelines: Engine Type Standard engines (engines with a 1-piece head) are most common. Standard plugs are easily available, inexpensive, and fit almost all standard engines. Standard plugs are installed with a washer, which creates a compression seal with the head. Turbo. Many new O.S. engines, which feature a special 2-piece turbo head. The biggest benefit of turbo plugs is superior performance. Unlike standard plugs, turbo plugs (identified by a P in the description) feature a tapered seat that matches perfectly with the head. That creates a superior compression seal and with it, maximum efficiency and power. Turbo plugs are the choice for racers, who want, and need, top performance. A word of caution: you should never install a turbo plug in a standard engine or vice versa. Doing so risks doing serious (and expensive) damage. Displacement Small displacement engines need a hotter plug than larger displacement because larger engines have more mass and retain heat better. Nitro Content Use of higher nitro fuels will require a colder plug than lower nitro fuels. Temperature The hotter the day, the colder the plugs need to be. Additional Things to Know: Hot plugs promote better idling and acceleration. If your engine runs rough or accelerates sluggishly, a hotter plug will help. Cold plugs produce more power and may improve performance if your engine runs hot. The downside is rougher idling and more difficulty in tuning. Fuel-air mix not only affects how your engine performs; it can also have an impact on how long your plug lasts. If you run rich, it means that you re using more fuel than necessary for top performance. Modelers are often advised to run rich during engine break-in, because it helps cool the engine. However, running too rich can also cause an engine to bog down or quit entirely. In addition, it also means that the glow element is being exposed to more contaminants than necessary, which shortens plug life. Running lean means that you re using less fuel. Leaning in an engine has a positive effect on performance. However, care is needed here, because over-leaning an engine can harm it, by raising operating temperatures, and burn up a plug before it s time. [Tech Editor s Note: More than the plug might be lost, excessive leaning can ruin an engine!] Do not over lean! Final Thoughts Choosing the right glow plug not only improves performance, but can also extend the life of your engine and the glow plug itself. With the guidelines above and the tips below, you re well on your way to achieving both. Buy quality plugs. You re protecting your investment. Store plugs where it s dry. Moisture can ruin them. Use the right glow plug. Follow the guidelines above. Follow the proper break-in procedures. Tune your engine carefully. Running too lean will make your engine blow plugs more often. Proper tuning helps extend plug life. Never touch the filament of a glow plug. Doing so can break the filament and ruin a plug. Don t over tighten your plug. Tighten it until it s just snug. Be sure to shim your engine correctly. A plug that s too close to the piston can cause pre-detonation, which will quickly damage a glow plug. Use only a glow starter or 1.5V battery to heat your plug. Otherwise, your plug may burn out ahead of it s time. Don t be afraid to ask for help. Experienced modelers have already been there, done that. Their

7 \ experience can save you time and money; and most are glad to help. Glow plugs get very hot, enough to glow the filament red or white hot, and removing a glow plug while power is applied can cause burning if appropriate care is not taken. Tech Editor s Note: Removing the plug while it s still being heated strikes me as nearly impossible, since any attachment to the plug, that would be doing the heating, must be removed so that you can have access to remove the plug. The only other way to heat the plug is from the combustion in the engine, so if you are handling the engine, it s generally a good thing to have stopped it running while you fool with it. Special caution must be taken while near fuel sources. Some connectors for glow plugs can short circuit and damage batteries, or cause them to explode. Batteries may get hot during the use of a glow plug. This especially applies to homemade or nonstandard connectors. Tech Editor s Note: One source of material that can ruin glow plugs is detritus left in the engine during/after manufacture. Before you run any new engine, it s a good idea to flush, at least the combustion volume, to eliminate as much stuff as you can. Flush it with fuel or methyl alcohol, never water. The best way to flush is to remove the head and the back plate and flood the engine with the flushing fluid. If you are uncomfortable removing the engine parts, then take the glow plug out, move the piston down so that the top of the piston is below the exhaust port and run the flushing liquid down the plug hole and out the exhaust. If you catch the flushing fluid on a white paper towel, you should be able to see anything that the flush eliminated. Lite Ply Replacement My favorite material is doorskins to use in place of Lite Ply. You can purchase these at your local building supply company for around 5 bucks. The sheets are 36-inches wide by 80- inches high and about 1/8-inch thick. I have used this in place of Lite Ply in fuselage sides, hatches, landing gear mounts, servo mounts, etc., and have never had a failure. Plywood on the cheap Also along those lines, cabinet makers have birch- and oak-faced ply pieces in different sizes 1/4-inches thick, that they will sell to you for a reasonable price. I use these for firewalls, gear mounts in bigger airplanes, and you can double them up to make firewalls for gas engines. Hardwood For spars, I use 1/4 x 8 feet poplar or maple. One board can be carefully cut in a table saw with a fine blade (be safe when you use power tools). You can cut these in 1/4 x 3/8, 1/4 x 1/2, etc. and make enough sticks to last for years! all from the First State R/C Club, Willmington, Delaware Barney s modified fuel pump needed to be monitored closely I think yer tank is full Tips & Tricks Wires Get a hold of a junk VCR and take it apart. Quite often there are a lot of wire harnesses in it. While the wire is other colors, as well as black and red, it is high quality and works very well for RC hookups.

8 G.V.A.M. Newsletter c/o Glenn Crocker, Editor 21 Highview Trail Pittsford, NY 14534

What You Need at the Flying Field

What You Need at the Flying Field The following items are considered necessary for the R/C pilot to have available in the field. Several of the items are needed right away and others might be needed at