From: Alan Hieger

Date: Mon, Apr 11, 2016 at 12:13 AM

Subject: VCB Weekly Stunt Nag 4-11-16

Today is Monday, and like the Great Cosmic Wheel, the usual topics go round and round.  Let's do it again.

Official VCB Club Business

Angelfest

We remain in a holding pattern waiting for the environmental assessment to be published.  Watch this space.

Bylaws

No progress this week.  I intend to continue the investigation into what our historical bylaws are in the near future, but honestly, this remains a low priority item.  Correct me if I'm wrong, but nobody seems particularly interested.

Human Resources Inventory

Based on last week's call for volunteers capable of  filling skill positions at future VCB contest events, our only (publicly identified) certified CD is Terry Thorkildsen, who as a sometime FF kind of guy is also competent with a stopwatch.  Paul Westcott has expressed an interest in becoming a CD, but appears unaware of the process required to do so.  Terry, maybe you could help walk Paul through the application and test.

The only people willing to cop to being stunt judges are Stan Kitzes and myself (who also being a sometime FF kind of guy can also make reciprocating motions with my thumb), which will limit us to a single-circle contest at best.  There was zero response to my offer (which remains open) to conduct a judging clinic, so prospects for improving the situation appear, for the time being, dim.

As for the Carrier, Speed, Racing, Combat, and Scale fraternities, I have heard squat.

Folks, I'm back up on the soapbox again.  We have already deeded the Palmer Memorial over to the KOTRC, turned the May meet into a fun fly, and currently carry only the Hi Johnson Memorial in October (which may be displaced by Angelfest) on our contest calendar.  If we are not going to step it up as a group, we need to accept that we are unwilling to put out the effort to be anything other than a social club and turn the Johnson over to the Knights to prevent it from going out of existence.  If so, it would only be polite to not drop this on them at the last minute.

Discuss.

Please.

Okay, off the soapbox now.

Bob Palmer Memorial

Just a reminder, this year's Palmer Memorial will be run by the KOTRC at the Whittier Narrows flying site in El Monte on April 23-24.  Let's put on the club shirts and make a good showing in Bob's memory.  According to Ron Duly, the circles and pits have received a fresh coat of paint, and must therefore look "mahvelouss."  No word on the actual asphalt conditions.  I'll let you know after the Palmer.

May Fun-Fly/Swap Meet

Definitely on for Saturday, May 21.  Nothing else to say.

Field Activity

Same old, same old.  No weekday activity reported, probably due to inclement weather and imminent tax season.  Same guys flying the same stuff on Sunday.  My spies tell me that flying conditions were beautiful until the winds came up around 1 pm. The southern circle sported Stan Kitzes with his Profile Cardinal, Steve Schiff with his Chipmunk (the tail reattached after last week's automotive incident), Jim Lueken with his OTS Viking (He reports the Magnum .46 GP is finally breaking in.), and Gene (Smith?) flying a second-hand Easy Does It (or EZ Duz It?), an OTS design with a unique vertical fin shape that looks peculiar to the modern eye. On the northern circle, Alon Yehzkelof was giving his venerable Tehila/Super Shameless a workout under the watchful eye of Perry Ohal.  Perry wasn't flying, but had an airplane with him which is something of a mystery.  Scuttlebutt has it that the ship is a one-off from the workshop of prodigal son Steve Sobel, currently orbiting somewhere around the aphelion of Neptune.  The mystery ship, recently repaired after a rampaging bush reached out and snatched it from the air, is purportedly powered by an O.S. LA .46.  Earth to Steve: might you possibly fill in some details? 

Unofficial/Fun Stuff

Playmate of the Week

Thanks to the efforts of Jim Lueken, we have one more week before we are reduced to dredging my photo archives for "entertainment."

I know, it doesn't look like it could do a complete pattern, or even burn much of your 8-minute working time, at least without thermal help.  According to Jim, this pretty ship is a 1939 Scientific Fleetwing, and he's hoping to inspire us to employ tissue trim to beautify our transparent-finished birds.  Unlike last week's Viking, Jim claims (since I have no means of independent verification) to have built this one himself.  The 30-inch span old timer sports an anachronistic plastic prop and wheels which might either have clear plastic hubs or be the fabled silk-spoked Fulton Hungerford wheels: the picture isn't clear enough for these eyes. In outline, the Fleetwing appears to be identical to the Ritz Tractor, right down to the wingspan.  Same v-dihedral elliptical wing, same sheet balsa twin rudders, same motor stick.  The built-up surfaces of the two ships differ significantly, with the Ritz having the sparless structure framed by the substantial sheet balsa leading and trailing edges which was the defining characteristic of the classic Ritz wing, and with the stab lacking the diagonal members seen above.  The other major difference between the Ritz and the Fleetwing was that the Ritz wing mounted on a pair of y-shaped cabane struts, unlike the pylon of the Fleetwing above.  Speaking with Jim on the phone last night, he indicated that the original Fleetwing design called for such cabanes, but that he found them too unsightly.  Alas, the "improvement" renders this particular rendition not legal for OT Rubber Stick competition, but it sure is pretty!  By the way, the Ritz Tractor is still available as a kit from Easy Built Models, if you go in for this kind of thing like I do.  Actually, like I did.  I have to dredge out my plan for the Ritz I built in 1999 and compare it to Jim's bird.  I think an RC electric-powered version (Horrors!) would make for a neat early-morning park flyer.

Next week: a more easily stuntable design, for sure.

Wanna Go Flying?

I have it on good authority that at least three different pilots intend to be at the Basin on Wednesday.  Why not show up yourself and find out who?

Broken Promise Encore

The much-awaited mini article on "miracle" covering repair will have to wait at least one more week.  Why?  Because I'm such slime.  That's why.

Burn Dup, Fess Up

I still have no idea who this man of mystery might be.  There has been no response to last week's plaintive query.  I suspect that many of you think the line item was an April Fool's joke.  I assure that this is not the case.  A subscription goes out to his (Burn sounds like a male name, to me anyway.) e-mail address every week, and is successfully delivered.  Burn, please check in with me and reveal your true identity.  I can promise not to reveal it if you so desire, but I need closure.

TTFN

Until next week: see you at the field?