September Fun Fly - Snatch and Grab!
Mark your calendars for the last outdoor Fun Fly of the season on Sunday, September 19 [NOTE: This is the day before the out-of-sequence club meeting]. As a season-ending outdoor spice-up, we will have an extra nice award* for the winner: a Tower Hobbies Digital LCD Mini-Tachometer! (Yes, Dave West won a nice award at the August Fun Fly, the infamous red EASY button.)
There will be a brick wall out in the field, to which will be attached 5 helium balloons. The balloons will be lined up perpendicular to the Flight Line. You win 3 points if you snag, fly, and SAFELY land with a balloon in tow. You win 2 points if you crash through or into the brick wall, survive, and SAFELY land. And you win 1 point if you bust or cut loose a balloon. Finally, if you land off the field, you lose your points for that round. Judges' decisions are final.
To keep things moving, we will have two planes flying at one time. Flight times will be three minutes max, or as voted on at the Pilots' Meeting. We will use thread to secure the balloons, to lessen chances of "winding up" your prop or control surfaces. We're asking pilots to attack the row of balloons from a more-or-less 90-degree (perpendicular) angle. The angle ain't critical, but we want to avoid planes attacking the balloons and ending up in our laps. As always, safety is critical, so if your plane is in trouble and headed towards spectators you have to DUMP IT before it gets too close to anyone.
Ron Hilger has some great ideas for prizes. Tom Volpe will be getting the beverages. Many thanks to Mike M for his help. Stan will Bar-B-Q hot dogs and Eye-Tallion sausages. We still need two volunteers for judging and someone to bring a semi-portable barbeque. Please call me at home or email frenchstan@att.net.
If it is too windy for balloon-busting we will have an alternate event. Let's see how many pilots we can get out to the field for this one. Any size plane can win!
Questions or comments, give me a yell.
-- Stan Warden
* Other prizes at your Prize Table include a gallon of fuel, two rolls of Monokote, several shower heads, a Deluxe Heat Gun, a Custom Sealing Iron, two Tower Hobbies 48" Uproar .32 to .40 size airplane kits, and a House Of Balsa 49" 2x4 Sailplane Kit. Or, if you want, you can roll the dice for a Spectrum DX6i Transmitter in the GAMBLER OPTION!
Illness Among Club Members
George Theo Kidney Transplant
After 9 years on dialysis George Theo has had a kidney transplant. He was hospitalized for five days and is now at home and in great spirits. George is really grateful for the friendships he has with the entire club and would love to hear from anyone.
The club has offered whatever help we can provide to George and his family.
Club President Mert Mischnick Hospitalized
According to Ruth, Mert's wife, Mert is in Northwest Community Hospital in Arlington Heights. He is very weak and has been running a fever of 103 degrees. Tylenol temporarily reduced the fever, but it has risen to 103 again. The staff are running a battery of tests and hope to find out more soon.
Due to his condition we need to let Mert rest. Please, no visits. The club has sent flowers and offered whatever help we can provide to Ruth and Mert.
Please keep George and Mert and their families in your thoughts and prayers.
It is with deep sorrow that we report the passing of Paul Hurley's father Jerry on Monday, 16 Aug. He went peacefully at his own home. Services are Saturday, 21 Aug, 10:30 AM at the First Christian Church in Elgin, 1125 Summit Steet.
Barnstormers Whip the Propmasters at the Interclub Fun Fly!
In our annual interclub rivalry, the Barnstormers won the spot landing competition. This year, the Barnstormers were hosts, and the Propmasters of Naperville devised the challenge. At the Pratts-Wayne field, the 3 inch tall, "short" grass makes every landing a quick stop. The trick was to make the first wheel touch as close as possible to the spot target, after flying a circuit above the field for a random time.
The time started after the first lap of the short grass, and the duration was determined by the roll of a single die, times 15 seconds. Minimum time, 15 seconds; maximum time, 1 1/2 minutes. At the expiration of the elapsed time, the starter blew a horn, and the pilot had to idle a wet engine, or shut off an electric motor, then make a "dead stick" spot landing. The distance to the spot was measured by a pair of judges (one from each club). The five closest spots from each club were tallied and the lowest accumulated total was the winner. Propmasters total: 89 feet. Barnstormers total: 77 feet! Barnstormers Win!
We had 16 pilots from each club sign up to fly. The high gusty wind made the dead stick landings as much a matter of luck as a test of skill. Several of the "first string" Barnstormers were disqualified when they called out that they were throttling up to avoid a crash landing in the weeds when the wind made their final approach unusually hazardous. Safety first, save the plane for another day! Several planes were wiped out during the pre-competition set-up flights. The wind was a real hazard, but it was a hazard for everyone, and you just took a chance when your name came up.
Super lunch for everyone. Bratwurst, Italian sausage, hot dogs, pork and beans, soda, and all kinds of chips. It was delicious, and I promise I will not mention it to my doctor!
A warm thanks to Scott and Jessi Stampfli for handling the food (with a big assist from Deb Howe).
Good food, good fun, good friends. A winning combination whether you win, lose or draw...but it sure is nice to win!
President Mert Mischnick
May Pilot's Fun Fly was Canceled
The May 30 Pilot's Fun Fly was canceled due to a TFR. Look for information on a rescheduled event to be announced soon.
It is with deep sorrow that we remember the passing of our friend and fellow Barnstomer, Juan Larios. He was a quiet, yet active participant in many of our activities, and was a helping hand to everyone who needed a spotter, a plane locator, a helper, or just an ear to listen.
RC Hobby and Track Closed
We regret to announce that RC Hobby and Track on Touhy in Elk Grove Village is no longer in business. Brian had some problems that could not be resolved so he closed the doors. His firm will be missed.
Pratts-Wayne Lost Airplane Returned to Owner
The model found at Pratts-Wayne has been returned to its owner.
Keep in mind that AMA rules call for your name and AMA number on ALL models flown outside of an enclosure.
Swap 'Til You Drop 2010 Was a Great Success!
Well, at this point I have no idea what we made at the show, but I can tell you that with all the problems that hit us with this swap we should all be very proud to have made it a successful event. Some of the venders were unhappy with the room; some unhappy about the parking; but most of them were very happy at the amount of sales and our club's helpfulness in loading, unloading, and general help. Even those that had complaints about the little stuff were happy with their sales and asked if they could be contacted for next year's show.
So my feelings are we should be proud of ourselves as a club that we pulled this off!
No one person could have done this. In the last week I sent out an email that said I have been working on this swap since before Christmas, and now we need to see how much the club is willing to chip in and help to make this swap sink or swim. Well, in my opinion we really did a GREAT JOB. We swam (okay, with the rain, literally).
So Thank You to all of our club members that came out and helped. A special thanks to Jeff and Lynda Peca for coming over one night and working at creating all the writing for our huge signs. And to Stan for all his hard work with the mailings, and to Mike and Keith for doing a great job with the raffle and the entire kitchen staff and doors people as well as all the guys who took a turn in the other building on restroom duty, all the loaders and unloaders, and everyone that helped with everything. Thank you.
I will keep everyone posted as I know more. If anyone has swap receipts please give Bob a call and let him know for what and how much. That way we can have more accurate numbers.
Thank you all, for all your hard work.
John and Debbie Howe