The Official Newsletter of the Dusters RC Club

Dusters NewsDusters NewsDusters NewsDusters News April 2010

Inside:Inside:Inside:Inside: Meeting NotesMeeting NotesMeeting NotesMeeting Notes Area EventsArea EventsArea EventsArea Events Field ActivitiesField ActivitiesField ActivitiesField Activities

April already and things get-ting underway art Duster field. I have my new internet pro-vider in place and will be using

jaypenninger@gmail.com as my new e mail address. Please keeps those cards. Letters, photo-graphs and pictures coming in for routine publication in this news-letter. OK, seriously, even a joke or two would do. I found I do remember how to fly, and have thoroughly enjoyed my excursions to the field. I even managed to take my planes home in one piece. That reminds me of my early days in this hobby. The one who went home in one piece had to buy cokes for everybody else, as he had something to celebrate. _jay

Bob Hoover trying to hide behind his Extra 330s. A 140 CC twin cylinder opposed gas engine powers this masterpiece .

Sergei Dennenbaum, display-ing his latest version of a stock Sig Kougar. This one looks like it could have been taken right off of the box cover. The Kougar, a Claude McCullough design and first kitted by Sig in 1975, is pow-ered with an OS .50. Perform-ance is outstanding .

Gary Worthington with the newest plane in his hangar, a Top Flite Cessna 182. An outstanding build and realistic flyer.

Kevin Kennedy treats us to some more pattern airplane his-tory with his latest, an Ed Kaz-mirski Taurus . By most accounts, the Taurus design first flew in 1961, was a magazine article in January 1963 and was kitted by Top Flite in 1965. Kevin’s version replaces the original reed radio with a digital proportional system and the original Veco.45 with an OS.55 at about twice the power. Sig Koverall and a dope fin-ish round out this marvelous Flyer.

Meeting Notes

The March meeting of the Dusters RC Club was called to order by the Honorable Vice President, Bob Hoover at 7PM, in the home/basement/workshop/hobbyshop of Don Steig-man, to whom we all owe a big thanks. There were 13 members present, none of which could be classified as new members or guests. Minutes were read, reviewed and amended to read that there is no driving on the adjacent fields..period. There was no treasurers report read. There was no official safety officers report read, however in the interests of member safety, it is to be noted that there is a squeegee on site, and the mat areas under and around the tables has been cleaned. Field Marshal Bale reports that no fertil-izer has been applied yet, but the field has been seeded and thatched. We do have some clumps on the field. Motion was made and passed to buy the fertilizer needed for the field. The field tractor broke down again and Don managed to repair. The club feels that our present tractor is coming up on replacement as the drive belt and the throttle linkage are in mar-ginal conditions. The new lease was signed, and we have seen a 50% increase in lease expense….which the club still considers a bargain in today's environ-ment. Club members are reminded and directed to use the toilets on site, and not the areas around them. NEW BUSINESS Bill reports that the little carpet mats are still being left on the field after use. Members are reminded that they must be returned to the Quonset when you are finished with them. Chris reported on active gopher/vole ac-tivity at the south end of the field.

Chris also reported on activities he has seen at other clubs to promote interest at the meetings. One suggestion that piqued members inter-est was to run a simple, unusual event prior to meetings at the field, such as removing the wings from your airplane and engaging in a taxiing race. Members are encouraged to come up with similar ideas for presentation to the membership at future meetings. Members are also encouraged to bring pro-jects, either under construction or finished, to the meetings to share with club members. Those do-ing so will have an extra red ticket to the fuel drawing, increasing your chances to win . Chris also commented on the superior con-ditions he finds at our field in comparison to oth-ers in the area that he has visited. It is easy to overlook the fact, that we have indeed, built and maintain one of the finest flying fields in Western Oregon. Thanks Chris, for re-minding us. Members are reminded that meeting nights take place on the 4th Monday of every month. Apparently, some folks were caught off guard by the seemingly early meeting date in March. The April meeting will be the last held in-doors this spring and will take place in the Nelson Financial Services conference room in Woodburn The evening’s luck folks: Red Ticket (Fuel) winner was Noel Proctor. Blue Ticket (Gift Cert) winner was Earl Cox

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Safety Reminders for the New Season by AMA Staff

AMA would like everyone to have a safe flying year with no accidents. Here are some items that might help in that regard.

The first is the use of Li-Poly batteries in our models. If you are flying electric airplanes with Li-Poly batteries, it is highly recommended that a fire extinguisher be kept in your car. Fire caused by Li-Poly batteries can happen through a shortage, improper charging, or crash damage. Standard house-hold extinguishers (Class A, B, C or a combination of these) will not put out a lithium fire. Rather, it can increase the blaze. Class D extinguishers (metal/sand) are the only type capable of putting out flammable metal.

If a class D fire extinguisher cannot be obtained for your vehicle or flying site, at the least, keep buckets of sand ready and available should a fire start. (The sand must be dry because water reacts with lithium fires to make them worse.)

Second, remember to cycle the batteries in transmitters and airplanes to ensure they are up to par. Airplanes can go down because either the transmitter or the flight pack batteries have failed. If you should by chance get your airplane to respond long enough to land, do not taxi back toward the pits. Get it down and kill the engine. A running airplane with dying batteries is little more than a loaded gun waiting to go off and injure someone.

Most folks have a winter project that is now ready for a test flight. New airplanes mean new ad-ditions to the transmitter. Remember to always check to ensure it is the correct one for the airplane. Always look to see that the control surfaces are moving in the correct direction when you are ready to taxi out. Also, as a new project, make sure it has been finished with your name and address or AMA number.

Lightning produced by electrical storms can travel amazing distances. If you are flying and should see lightning in the distance, just think of that radio antenna as a lightning rod. Lightning has been known to come 10-20 miles across the sky and strike a person just standing there—and that is without a 3-foot lightning rod in his or her hand.

Engine failure on takeoff is a common occurrence. Every time, when you taxi out, always think, “What am I going to do if the engine quits?” Remember that the best way to land is into the wind and with the wings level. If that means a walk out in the weeds a couple of hundred yards to get your air-plane in one piece, that’s much better than taking a broom or shovel out to the middle of the runway to scoop up the pieces.

Lastly, it is strongly recommended that members do not fly alone. In a hobby where things can go out of control with the slightest of error, potential dangers are not far behind. It’s helpful to have an extra set of eyes to watch for any interferences or problems the pilot may not be able to see while fol-lowing his or her model. Better to be overly prepared then under prepared. At the very least, you have a buddy to talk to and show off for! Q

Workers in McMinnville are getting ready to place the 747

atop the new motel/water park building at the Evergreen Avia-tion Museum building, just ad-jacent to the Spruce Goose and

Space Museum buildings.

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Gary and Wally arguing about which en-gine is rich or lean, which pulls or pushes.

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Kevin Kennedy’s Taurus taxiing to the runway .

The photographer missed the before pic-ture of Earl Cox’s 4 engined cub

thing,...you will have to settle for the af-ter .

Mike Ripley preparing for a hi- start take off with his little electric

jet .

Jay Penninger and Grandson Drew Thrasher, on the sticks

Drew Thrasher with a .25 powered Freedom 20, built by his grand-

mother Tawnya Penninger 20 years ago . Her family still flies it.

Cyanoacrylates by Vince Ziegenbien [Internet Article] Tech Editor’s Note: It turns out that there is a downside to the use of cyanoacrylate glues. Inhaling the fumes given off when the material polymerizes can sensitize someone. This can lead to an allergic or allergic-like reaction, resem-bling severe asthma, in which the lungs may even shut down. The specific allergic reaction to cyanoacrylate fumes may be what’s called, anaphylactic shock, which is a dire situation. Cyanoacrylate should never again be used by someone who has already had an allergic reac-tion to it; the result can be fatal. A positive ventilation system, dispersing the vapors away from yourself or anyone else, is vital in preventing any harm.

Cyanoacrylate glues are reactive monomers that chemically link (polymerize) when pressed into a thin film. The very thin layer of water moisture present on most surfaces acts as an alkali, or weak base, which is the catalyst that results in bonding. However, the pres-ence of detectable amounts of water usually degrades the performance of cyanoacrylate glues.

The thinner variety of cyanoacrylate glues have a water-thin viscosity that wicks deep into joints by capillary action and cures in a matter of seconds. Sur-faces to be bonded must be tight fitting and should be held together while you apply the cyanoacrylate glue around the edges of the seam. At the moment cyanoacrylates cure, they give off a vapor that can irri-tate the nose and eyes, so be prepared. Thin cyanoacry-late’s work well on balsa because they penetrate into the wood and form more than just a surface bond.

Tech Editor’s Note: If cyanoacrylate fumes are allowed to mix with the atmosphere and be diluted, all negative effects cease. The point at which you become allergic to the fumes is highly individual and can happen without any warning. Best is to always ventilate!

The thicker form of cyanoacrylate glue has a higher viscosity for loose fitting joints in which the ad-hesives must bridge gaps. Normally the thicker cyanoacrylate is applied to one surface and then the parts are held tightly together for approximately 5 to 15 seconds. For large surface areas, including those with close-fitting joints such as lamination, this grade of cyanoacrylate glue should be used. To prevent prema-ture curing, don’t spread the glue into a thin film layer. Lay down a serpentine bead about 1-inch separations on one surface, then assemble the parts letting the pressure spread the cyanoacrylate out.

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The Cure Accelerator is a catalyst that works by allowing cyanoacrylates to quickly cure in thick layers. When a light mist of the accelerator is sprayed on the surface to be bonded, it dries almost instantly, but re-mains active for several minutes. Apply accelerator to the opposite surface, and the glue will set within a few seconds after the parts are held together.

To allow for more time for the parts to be posi-tioned correctly, wait to spray the accelerator around the glue joints after joining. This will instantly hold the part in place while the rest of the cyanoacrylate cures normally. A bead of medium cyanoacrylate can be placed over a joint for reinforcement when sprayed with accelerator. When parts meet at right angles, lay a bead along both sides of the joint to form fillets that will buttress the joint when cured with the accelerator.

The thick variety of cyanoacrylate glue is the best for most plastics, including GE’s Lexan. It is also the best choice for plastic model assembly. When used with the accelerator, it works better than nearly any putty for modifying or filling voids. It can be carved with a knife or razor blade and sanded and feathered to form a finish indistinguishable from plastic.

The thick cyanoacrylate bonds fiberglass, hard-wood, metal, and rubber better than any other hobby adhesive. For gluing to the inside of the cloth-textured surfaces of fiberglass, scrape the area to be bonded with a razor blade or coarse sandpaper before using the cyanoacrylate.

With all cyanoacrylate glues, the closer the parts fit together, the stronger the bond. Always hold the bonding surfaces together as tightly as possible. Any rough spots on the mating surfaces should be smoothed out. Although cyanoacrylates will hold ob-jects together with considerable strength in seconds, the full strength of the bond is not reached for several hours. Allow for this before subjecting parts to maxi-mum stress. Also, cyanoacrylates are generally a little less brittle and have higher strength when they are al-low to cure on their own.

Heat and moisture will decrease the shelf life of cyanoacrylate glues. Unopened bottles can be stored in a freezer or refrigerator, but allow them to reach room temperature before using. Keep your bottle in a cool place that won’t be exposed to direct sunlight and store away from bottles of accelerators. Q

2010 Dusters Officer Roster

President: Terry Criswell Secrtry/Newsltr: Jay Penninger 503-378-0473 trcjsc@aol.com 503-472-4067 jaypenninger@gmail.com

Vice President: Bob Hoover Safety Officer: Dan Lurvey 503-393-2446 Treas/Membrshp: Dale Nelson Field Maintenance: Bill Bale 503-981-0710 dale.nelson@raymondjames.com Webmaster: Terry Criswell

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