Electric Flight Basics

Transcription

1 Safety is YOUR Job!! Ocean County Modelers, Inc. By-Lines & Fly-Lines P.O. Box 569, Lakehurst, NJ March 2014 Electric Flight Basics by Doug Lindauer LIPO Battery Tutorial, Part III Balancing and Chargers: Now is a good time to talk about balancing a battery. When a battery is composed of several cells in series, it s probable that each cell may charge at a slightly different rate. Overall, you could wind up with what seems to be a fully charged battery but that could be because one cell is overcharged and another is undercharged. Every time you fly your plane the difference could wind up being greater and greater. That s a bad situation! One cell will wind up being below a safe level of discharge at the end of the flight and another will be above a safe level of charge when it s charged up. That s why we have balancing taps on LIPOs. The balancing tap has one wire going to the negative lead of the battery. Then it has another lead for every + side of every cell. So a 3S battery will have four wires going into it. The balancing tap enables a balancing charger to see exactly how much voltage is on each cell. The charger can then drain off excess charge from the one, or ones, that have too much charge, letting the one with less voltage catch up. Some small planes come with a 3S battery and a small charger that attaches to the balancing tap. These batteries are usually 1C charge rate batteries and the charger is usually set to charge it at the 1C amperage, i.e. the one hour rate. The ones I ve seen have alligator clips that allow you to connect the charger to your car battery or some other 12V source. You can t change the charge rate or charge different types of batteries. They re designed for only one type of battery. But they re cheap, so manufacturers can include them for free. Better chargers can allow you to charge different types of batteries, e.g. NIMHs, LiFes, NICADs, and Lead Acid (i.e. car type batteries). These chargers can also offer discharge and storage charge options. A good charger will also allow you to automatically run a battery through a series of charge/discharge cycles. This is often recommended for new batteries to condition them. A good charger will also allow you to set the charge rate to higher amperages. With a good charger you ll have 2 connections to charge and balance your battery. There is the power connection which actually delivers the charging current and there will be the balance tap connection. The most expensive chargers usually don t come with an AC powered power supply. Apparently they think you ll be connecting it to your car battery! I guess this used to See LIPO, page 2

2 Page 2 Club Officers PRESIDENT Edward Hollema Ehhol@aol.com VICE PRESIDENT Anthony Riccio ARiccio1@yahoo.com TREASURER Joseph Acquisto Jwa1956@aol.com SECRETARY William Martin OCM-AMA-Contact@comcast.net SAFETY OFFICER Harry Jenkin JJHarryjr@verizon.net NEWSLETTER EDITOR Sue Fevola ocmrc@yahoo.com PROPERTY MANAGER Jam Rabii Rabii@dls.rutgers.edu CLOTHING APPAREL Paul Meier pamei7@aol.com WEBSITE ADMINISTRATORS Jacob Hoehler jdhoehler@gmail.com Asst. Salvatore Piu spiurc@comcast.net Asst. Steve Lew salew@comcast.net LIPO, from page 1 Ocean County Modelers Inc. be the normal thing. Most people nowadays will be connecting the charger to a power supply that runs off 110V AC, i.e. wall current. These power supplies will put out 12Volts DC or possibly 24Volts DC for higher powered chargers. But there are a good number of chargers with built-in power supplies. For example, my first charger was a Bantam BC6 and could either be plugged in to the wall or connected to a 12Volt DC source (like a car battery). It can only charge at a maximum of 5 Amps but it can charge multiple types of batteries. Charge or Balance: You can certainly charge a battery without balancing it. The better chargers allow you to select which mode you ll use. Charging without balancing will always be faster. When the charger is balancing the battery it s fussing around with stopping, checking, draining the high cells, checking again, starting again, and on and on. With a difficult battery it can double or triple the charge time! Really. Personally unless I m in a big hurry, I always balance. You ll get the most flight time that way. It s OK to just charge but you do have to make sure you balance it on a routine basis. I wouldn t want to fly a battery if it hasn t been balanced for 3 or more flights. Stand Alone Balancers: One last thing about balancing: you can buy stand-alone balancers which don t charge. They re usually pretty cheap. But you have to be careful with them. I let one of them try to balance a troublesome battery overnight. It kept draining the charge in an attempt to balance all cells until it ran the battery down below the safe discharge point and damaged the battery! Safe Discharge Point: This is a good point to mention the safe discharge level. I m told that if you let the voltage gets below 3.0 Volts/cell then the battery is in trouble. And if it gets below 2.7 Volts/ cell then it will be damaged. My own preference is to try to get the plane back on the ground with 3.5 to 3.8 Volts/cell. [Reprinted with permission from Johnson City Radio Controllers, Johnson City, TN; July 2012]

3 Ocean County Modelers Inc. Page 3 Minutes of OCM Meeting on February 26, 2014 T he meeting was called to order by President Ed Hollema at 7:05pm after the Pledge of Allegiance. There were approximately 40 members present including the five officers. Standing Reports: Secretary Bill Martin read the full text of January s minutes to the group. The minutes were accepted as written, after the normal motion, second, and vote process. Treasurer Joe Acquisto presented the Treasurer s Report. Since the previous meeting there were normal expenses of $ and revenues of $ The Treasurer s report was accepted as written, after the normal motion, second, and vote process. Joe announced that Paul Meier has withdrawn from chairing the Electric Fun Fly Committee due to health reasons. Paul has agreed to continue to be the event s CD (Contest Director), so the new chair does not need to fulfill that requirement. The Field Committee report was given by Co-chairs Ron Syanovitz and Tony Riccio. The field condition is pretty much the same with the normal divots, but the road will probably need some gravel this season. Tony reported that Jim Mitchell has been keeping the road plowed and doing some grading. Lou Capurso inquired about the plan for field maintenance this year and Ed Hollema advised that the plan is to fill the holes, reseed, and roll the field in April. Jam Rabii reported that he is continuing to work on getting us some technical support from the Rutgers Agricultural Department. Safety Officer Harry Jenkin reported that he had not been at the field, but that there have been no reported incidents. He reminded everyone to be sure to check their planes out thoroughly and tighten everything up before their first flights. Old Business: Bill Martin reported that as of the close of the meeting there are 123 total members, including five junior memberships. Ed Hollema then began a discussion on the idea of waiving the fees for non-affiliated Junior Members. There are currently no members in this category. Fees are $30.00 per year (plus $25.00 new member fee). Members under this policy must still be AMA Junior Members, which extends until they are 18 years old. Ed pointed out that this is a good opportunity to bring new kids into the hobby at no real cost to the club. There was a short discussion with questions, but no opposing opinions. Ed stated that we will update the bylaws and present them at the next meeting for final approval. see Minutes, page 4

4 Page 4 Ocean County Modelers Inc. Minutes, from page 3 New Business: The club has been giving two $ scholarships to the Jackson High School Scholarship program annually. The funds have already been approved by the membership in the 2014 budget. Joe Acquisto pointed out that the club has been gaining favorable attention for this program as well as the thanks of the recipients. There were some members questioning whether we should reduce the amount. Gil Schwalb reminded everyone that we fly at a premier site, rent free and that we should not consider changing our commitment. There were some questions about the mechanics of the process and Jam Rabii stated that past recipients have been going on to study aviation. He also stated that in the past the club has always allowed the JHS Guidance Department to select the winners, so that the club would not have the burden of reviewing all the requests and making the final decision. A motion to accept by Chris Segui, seconded by Danny Ditursi, was approved by the membership in an overwhelming majority. Ed Hollema discussed the committee structure for He pointed out that the club has too many members for the same eight to ten people to have to constantly be involved in running events. Committees discussed included the Club Picnic, Electric Fun Fly, Member Events, Holiday Party, Site Retention & Acquisition, 3D Event, Safety, and Training. Key comments/ highlights below David Sopronyi mentioned that he spoke with 3D Hobbies at the WRAM Show and that they were excited about our 3D Event. Joe Acquisto said that he experienced the same enthusiasm from a number of vendors at the WRAM show that he spoke with. He pointed out that we need to get an earlier start on our events to get coverage in the magazines. Lou Capurso pointed out that Flying Giants web site < will let us post our event and give us great exposure in the key crowd we want to attract. Danny Distursi reminded everyone that we have to get moving to get events sanctioned, as it can take up to three months. Sponsors only want to donate to sanctioned events. Lee Morey stated that we also have to be careful to prioritize our solicitation for donations. Sponsors opportunities are not unlimited, so we need to be sure that we don t use them all up before the big event. All committee chairs are reminded that sponsorship requests must be reviewed with Ed before submission. He will insure that all events are properly covered. The next topic was a recent from JCRCC President Robert Garozzo dated February 7 th. Ed read the full text which had three major points. First, a proposal for the clubs to each offer the opposing club members a 50% discount on membership dues for people who want to fly at both fields. Second, he proposed a joint event this summer where members would fly at one field on Saturday and the other field on Sunday. Third, he invited interested OCM members on a joint trip to the Cradle of Aviation Museum on Long Island. There was a lot of discussion about the merits of the various proposals and the pros/cons of the JCRCC field. There was a strong feeling that the proposed member discounts held no real benefit for OCM members as there is limited interest in flying there. Bert McNomee, as a member of both clubs, pointed out that this is not an issue of the JCRCC club being in trouble and he talked about how See Minutes, page 5

5 Ocean County Modelers Inc. Page 5 Minutes, from page 4 much he enjoyed flying at that field. After some additional discussion, the consensus opinion was that the first proposal was not an attractive option to the membership, but that we should pursue joint events with JCRCC. Ed will relay the club s position and continue discussions. Chris Segui brought up meeting attendance and how we could attract more members. Joe Acquisto pointed out that the club used to have giveaways and tried other things, but that we always see the same faces. Ed Hollema suggested that we might hold some meetings at the field over the summer as a way to increase turn out. Additional ideas will be discussed at the next officer meeting. Member Activities: The Safety Review this month focused on electric planes. Ed asked Lee Morey to recount the events at the New Year s Day Chili Fly-in that led to a broken prop and torn jacket. Mike Cook added that the critical moment involved reversing a throttle servo, but the real safety issue was working on an armed aircraft on the maintenance table. Ed stated that as we get into bigger electric planes it is critical that the aircraft be restrained in the flight stand the same as the fuel aircraft. If you are working on an armed plane on a maintenance table, then the prop should be removed. Joe Lamantia was a presenter for this month s education segment. He went into a great discussion on multi-rotor aircraft with three different aircraft for demonstration. Joe pointed out that multi-rotor aircraft are pushing the biggest growth in the RC hobby ever. The key to these aircraft are the flight control boards and the surprisingly small number of moving parts. Joe reviewed the various components, flight characteristics, and safety issues. It was an excellent presentation. Models of the Month: Mike Cook showed off his new HobbyKing super scale de Havilland DHC-2Beaver ARF. The aircraft features 1800mm wingspan (71 ) and was priced at only $ He has outfitted it with 4S 4000 mah power and a 13-8 prop. He pointed out that the setup process hasn t been flawless, but that he was pleased with the product overall. Much to everyone s surprise Horace Hagen couldn t pass up a new FW-190 he saw at the WRAM show. This version is 800mm (31½ ) and set him back only $ The latest creation from the workshop of Hob Davis is a Front Yard Canard with a minimustang motor. The Aircraft is scratch-built from plans and weighs in at 1 1/2oz. New member Todd Erickson was introduced and selected the winning ticket for the night s 50/50 drawing for $44.00 ($88.00 total). Ed Hollema held the winning ticket and graciously donated his winnings to the club. The meeting was adjourned at 8:50pm. Respectfully submitted by Bill Martin

6 Page 6 Ocean County Modelers Inc. Horace Hagen showed his FMS FW-190, wingspan 800mm, size 10 electric motor and a 4 channel receiver. It weighs 16oz. Hob Davis showed his Front Yard Canard with a wingspan of 19, a mini-mustang brushed motor, a one-cell Lipo battery a 5/3 prop and an AR6400 Brick with 2 servos. It weighs a mere 1 1/2 ounces. The plans were from Tim Bailiff and featured in Model Airplane News, Sep Michael Cook showed a Hobby King DH2 Beaver ARF. It has a 71 wingspan, is outfitted with a Turnigy kv motor and a 13-8 prop.

7 Ocean County Modelers Inc. Page 7 Member of Monmouth Model Airplane Club passes away by Dick Sarpolus submitted by Horace Hagen W e have lost one of the founding members of our Club. Bob Peru passed away recently (February 6, 2014), at 85 years of age. When our Club was first organized, around 1964, Bob was the owner of Hobby Headquarters in Red Bank. As the local hobby shop, Hobby Headquarters was the go-to place for all of us R/C model airplane enthusiasts. Bob was the guy with the answers, the guy with the information that we needed, and his shop was the place to get our equipment and supplies. Our first meetings to set up a Club were held at his shop. Bob s experience, advice, and help were instrumental in the start and initial operation of our Club. He got us started, and our Club is still going strong, these fifty years later. Bob spent a lifetime involved with aviation, both modeling and full scale. He operated his retail hobby shop at several locations in this area, and over the years expanded into hobby distribution, airplane kit manufacturing, and mail order and internet operations, always keeping up with the changes in the hobby s technology. He was also active in full scale aviation, owning several aircraft, being an instructor, and flying as a pilot for a local airline. He took our sons and me up in his Tri-Pacer and Bonanza, and when flying back and forth to DC on business trips I would see him in the front seat of the Beech or Piper from my passenger seat in the rear. He was not only an airplane guy, he also had a good sized fishing boat for some time. And he did auto work as another hobby; I remember him banging on the sheet metal of a small sports car, fixing it up for his daughter. Bob got into total wood airplane kit production, making and modifying a lot of machine equipment to process the balsa logs he would import from South America. I spent time in his shop, picking up the freshly cut and trimmed balsa I used in my airplane building. Later he also had plastic vacuum forming equipment and was an early ARF airplane manufacturer. As the sources of our modeling supplies began to go overseas, he became an importer of hobby supplies and products, getting the stuff we modelers needed and wanted. As electric power took over from our glow and gas engines, he moved to handle the new electric supplies. I collaborated with Bob on a number of airplane projects over the years and always enjoyed working with him, and the big breakfasts in the nearby diner. He helped along our airplane hobby. He was one of the good guys. I will miss him. Dick Sarpolus rsarpolus2@comcast.net [Editor s note: Bob was a veteran of the Korean War. He was a pilot, aircraft owner, ground school instructor, safety inspector, and a Captain for Monmouth Airlines.]

8 Page 8 Ocean County Modelers Inc. Do you remember... Hobbyists get OK to use Legler site by Lois A. Kaplan, staff writer for the Ocean County Observer submitted by Carl Parducci ACKSON The Township Committee has J voted to allow use of a portion of the Legler landfill site off Lakehurst Avenue, north of Route 571, for five years rent-free to a model airplane club. Ocean County Modelers use of part of the property has been approved by the state Department of Environmental Protection and the New Jersey Pinelands Commission. The club s lease is automatically renewable for a second five-year period, unless the township notified the club otherwise within 60 days of the initial lease s expiration. Environmental problems at the 135-acre property date back to the 1970s, when about 20 of its acres were used as a dump. Its cleanup was completed in The club, which formerly met at Lakehurst Naval base and on county property near Patriots Park in Jackson, will operate from one small section of the Legler property but will overfly the major portion of the fenced-in site. The organization, which includes some Jackson residents among its 100 members, encourages young and old to learn to create, from detailed plans, wood and fiberglass models of airplanes of many kinds. The model airplanes are flown radiocontrolled by club members. Some have wingspans of 4 to 7 feet and weigh an average of 4 to 12 pounds. They are powered by gasoline-operated engines and fly in oval patterns at 50 to 70 mph. According to club member, Charles Wiskow of Jackson, the club has pledged itself, in appreciation of its lease, to donate an annual $500 scholarship to a graduating senior at Jackson Memorial High School who plans to study aeronautics. He added that members observe strict noise and safety regulations, and that the organization carries sufficient insurance to cover any contingencies. [Editor s note: After the opening of Jackson Liberty High School, club members voted to award a $500 scholarship to a graduating senior at that high school, as well.] This article is undated. Do any of the club members remember just when the OCM club began using the Legler property? Contact the editor: Sue Fevola at OCMRC@yahoo.com] Welcome to our new member Todd Erickson

9 Ocean County Modelers Inc. Page 9 JACKSON HOBBY SHOP Full Line Hobby Shop The Parts & Service Specialists Winter is a great time to build that plane you want to fly this Spring! STORE HOURS Tuesday thru Thursday: 10am-6pm Friday: 10am - 7pm Saturday: 10am - 5pm Sunday & Monday - Closed Show your OCM club card for 10% discount. (See store personnel for details.) We carry Lionel trains for the kid in you L.G.B. G GAUGE INDOOR OUTDOOR TRAINS JACKSON HOBBY SHOP 2275 W. COUNTY LINE RD (RT 526), JACKSON (IN BENNETTS MILL PLAZA) Credit cards accepted Established 1969

10 Safety First and Last, and everything in between Lots of nasty things can happen when your mind is not totally concentrating on just what you are doing; runaway electric props, not controlling your plane in designated flight areas, fuel spills, not notifying others when getting ready to takeoff or land, not giving priority for a dead-stick event. Can you think of any others? Always go over all your procedures to be sure you are SAFE! Flying is fun, but safety is an important part of flying! Ocean County Modelers Inc. P.O. Box 569 Lakehurst, NJ Next OCM Meeting Wednesday March 26th 7:00pm Manchester Municipal Building