Hear Ye!

April, 2004
No. 443

THE PRESIDENT'S CORNER
by Russ O'Brien

Trivia

At the Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC, the Wright 1903 Flyer is hung
from the ceiling at an altitude higher than it ever flew.

Bus Trip

A bus trip to Udvar-Hazy Center at Dulles Field, west of Washington, DC, on
May 2, is sponsored by the Delaware Valley Federation of Model Airplane
Clubs, Bucks County. Udvar-Hazy is the expanded Air & Space Museum built to
exhibit all the aircraft that would not fit in the original museum in
central Washington, DC.

The huge building has the airfoil shape of a wing. The museum opened
December 15, 2003, and exhibits are gradually being installed. Some VFSS
members have already visited the new museum. Numerous web sites are
accessible which describe various aspects of the building design,
construction progress, airplanes on display, airplane types, and the total
to be on display. Many of those eventually to be on display are still
undergoing reassembly or restoration. Not all airplanes are of American
origin. Valuable examples of airplanes are still being retrieved from
lakes, jungles, remote mountain ranges, and glacier fields. Advances in
sonar, ground penetrating radar, acoustic reflection analysis, infrared
imaging, robotic cameras and global positioning satellites have made
locating, relocating, and identifying lost objects easier. A few large
bomber type airplanes were too big to display with wings attached at the
original Air & Space Museum. At Udvar-Hazy Museum, there is enough space.

Trip cost is $28, payable to Delaware Valley Federation of Model Airplane
Clubs or D.V.F.M.A.C. Send check to
Tom Haake
174 Holly Hill Rd.
Richboro, PA 18954-1949
Phone: 215-322-1449
Email: TomH1449@voicenet.com
Please include your phone number and email address for instant
communications in case of unforeseen change of plans.

47-seat bus leaves Neshaminy Mall commuter parking lot at 8 AM on Sunday,
May 2. Round trip will involve 6.5 hrs. travel time.

Bus will pick up passengers at the Plymouth Meeting Mall near the movie
complex. Departing 7:00 AM to 7:15 AM, when all aboard.

(Saves 50 miles of driving for VFSS members)

Widener College Load Lifter Airplane Competition

VFSS has agreed to assist Widener College with its preparation and testing
of a load lifting model airplane with specification as follows: wingspan 10
feet, powered by a 0.61 size glow engine (O.S. or Super Tigre brand).

Competition will be held at Dayton, Ohio, in April. Last year a 12-pound
model won by lifting 20 pounds and flying around a course marked by traffic
cones. Flight altitude is typically under 10 feet.

Field Problems

(1) Horseshoe impressions left by recreational horseback riders have been
seen on the flying field. We are looking into where they come from and some
means of keeping them off the smooth rolled flying field.

(2) Paint ball shooters have been using the VFSS bulletin board as a
target, leaving the paint ball mess behind. A check of the sport was made
at a supply store. The paint balls are a gelatin shell with FDA food dyed
vegetable oil inside, which is biodegradable and removable with dishwasher
detergent/water. Dog owners have found that big dogs will eat their ammo
supply. The guns that fire the 0.68-inch diameter spheres typically can be
pressurized up to 700 PSI and are priced up to $569. Muzzle velocity is 280
ft/sec. Single shot and up to 30-shot repeaters are available. State
regulation #6304, paragraph G, "Air Rifles", states rules regarding their
use. Target competitions and mock army battles are held in rural wooded
areas. Battles require that protective facemasks be worn.

A prominent sign will be placed at the Bulletin Board, warning the paint
ball shooters of the possible legal consequences of willfully defacing
Federally controlled National Historical Park System property.

Sound Control

Some large airplanes with powerful engines have passed the sound test but
produce considerable noise when flying. These planes typically have two
exhaust pipes directing exhaust straight downward. In the typical test
configuration, it is possible that some of the noise produced is being
muffled and dispersed by being projected into grass and is not being
measured by the sound meters. Some experiments will be conducted wherein
planes will be mounted on an open test rack at two to three feet above
ground. Results will be compared to readings obtained with the planes
resting on the ground.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

VFSS GOES BACK TO SCHOOL
BY JOE WEIZER

In 1996, Joe Weizer's niece, Ricky Plasko, guidance counselor at J.
Hopkinson Elementary School, invited VFSS to conduct a class on Aviation and
building a rubber power airplane. We were to show how an airplane flies and
instruct the students on building techniques.

I enlisted Walter Pierzchala and Charlie Swope. Together we conducted three
classes, five days a week, and then we had the students fly their completed
airplanes in the schoolyard. The excitement and joy of seeing their own
creations fly was overwhelming. We then invited the class to come to Valley
Forge to fly an RC trainer airplane with the aid of an instructor and a
buddy box. After 3 years at J. Hopkinson School, we moved to the J. Hampton
Moore Elementary School, where we have been teaching three to five classes
per year.

Our club, VFSS, pays all of the supplies for the Delta Dart Training
Program. So far we have instructed over 1000 fifth and sixth grade students.

A great vote of thanks goes forth to Walter Pierzchala, Charlie Swope, Nate
Marks, and Joe Yalove for their time and effort in making this program a
success.

Student response has been tremendous. Their appreciation has been expressed
in their letters and remarks like, "This is the best thing that has happened
to me."

~~~~~~~~~~~

Editor's Notes:

Joe Weizer, Joe Yalove, Charlie Swope, and Walter Pierzchala have been going
to elementary schools in Philadelphia to teach the children how to build and
fly rubber band-powered delta wing models. These are available through AMA,
and our guys have used 160 of them this winter season.

Students folded their thank-you notes into paper airplanes as a tribute to
their VFSS teachers. One student even decorated her message, both inside
and out, with airplane themes.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

THANK YOU LETTERS

~~~~~~~~~~~~

February 20, 2004

Dear Mr. Joe2, Mr. Walter and the V.F.F.S.

Thank you for coming to our class and teaching us how to build and fly our
own airplanes. I can't wait to go to Valley Forge and fly airplanes again.
It was cool, fun, and exciting. It was a the coolest thing I did in my
entire life!! Well, thanks again for coming. I have [had] tons of fun. Thank
you for supplying the stuff.

Sincerely,
Dara Fleurentin

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Feb. 20, 2004

Dear Mr. Joe2, Mr. Walter and the V.F.F.S.

Thank you for coming to 212 and for teaching us how to fly an airplane.
Thank you for volunteering with the talent and patience to teach us how to
make one. I think it was really fun and exciting to fly the airplanes. I
can't wait to go to Valley Forge in the spring.

Sincerely,
Sharon Mok

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Feb. 20, 2004

Dear Mr. Joe2, Mr. Walter and the V.F.F.S.,

Thank you for coming to our school. You guys realy [sic] had the courage to
come to our school to teach us how to fly a plane and how to make a plane.
You guys had the patience to fix my plane and others. You had lots of talent
too. I was so excited when you said "We are going outiside to fly the
planes." I got so excited I was going to run outside without my plane. I
just can't went into [wait until] we go to Valley Forge.

Thank you,
Tyler Smith

~~~~~~~~~~~~

The School District of Philadelphia
Northeast Regional Office
J. Hampton Moore Elementary School
6900 Summerdale Avenue
Philadelphia, PA 19111
Fax (215) 728-5692 Phone (215) 728-5011

Dr. Harris Lewin Mrs. Colleen M. Wisler
Northeast Regional Principal
Superintendent

March 15, 2004

Valley Forge Signal Seekers
c/o Mr. Joe Weizer
1621 Surrrey Lane
Havertown PA 10983

Dear Mr. Weizer:

We would like to take this opportunity to thank you and the Signal Seekers
Organization for bringing your Aviation Program to our school.

The instructions you give the students regarding aeronautics really
encompasses math, physics, structural engineering, and design. They are
afforded a "hands on" chance to experience the discipline and structure of
building and flying both manually powered and radio controlled airplanes.
This is an experience like no other these children have ever seen.

We must also acknowledge your patience and that of your fellow Teachers with
the children. You all seem to enjoy the program as much as the children do.
You are all obviously very skilled at your craft. The planes you have built
are stunning. The flying exhibitions you have given have been remarkable
and - fascinating.

Overall, we cannot thank you enough for the time, effort and expense you
have put into this program and our children. We hope the relationship will
be a long one which produces many new "flyers".

Very truly yours,

Colleen M. Wisler, Ricki M. Plaskow,
Principal Counselor

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

HINTS & TIPS FROM THE
AMA NATIONAL NEWSLETTER

Securing batteries

Use dental floss to secure the airborne battery to switch plug connection in
your model. The battery pack should be secured in the model so it doesn't
move around a lot, but it also should be wrapped in some kind of shock and
vibration absorbing material. Take care to properly secure the battery, make
sure the plug to the switch harness is tight, and to route the wires so they
don't snag or get pulled during installation or flight stresses.

A second line of security is a good idea to make sure the plug doesn't come
apart. Here comes the dental floss to tie the battery and switch plugs
together. It's thin enough to slip between individual wires in the plugs and
wrap around each end of the plugs a couple of times, each time slipping the
floss between the individual wires. Finish the tie job with a square knot.
Low cost and very little added weight.

from By-Lines and Fly-Lines
Ocean County Modelers, Inc.
Salvatore Piu, editor
Lakehurst NJ

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

HAPPY LANDINGS

A flight attendant on a Northwest flight announced: "Please take care when
opening the overhead compartments because, after a landing like that, sure
as heck everything has shifted."

A flight attendant's comment on a less than perfect landing: "We ask you to
please remain seated as Captain Kangaroo bounces us to the terminal."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

FIELD MARSHAL UPDATE

Chief Field Marshal
Nathan Marks

Field Marshals
Tris Colket
Dennis DiBonaventura
Mike Estock
Gerry Keenan
Art Rothstein
Larry Scaggs
Ed Snead
Robert Sudermann

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

CLUB CALENDAR

Saturday, March 27th -
Hamburg, PA, Field House R/C Swap Meet. 8:00 AM - 3:00 PM. Vendor set-up:
7:00 AM

Tuesday, April 6th -
BOG Meeting at the church meeting room, 7:00 PM

Tuesday, April 13th -
General Membership Meeting at the church, 8:00 PM.

Sunday, May 2nd -
Bus trip to Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center. See The President's Corner for
details.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

MEMBERS' ADS

~~~~~~

FOR SALE
Balsa USA Stick 40 Plus kit, never out of the box
best offer by 4/12/04
proceeds donated to VFSS
STILESR70@juno.com or 610-688-6219

~~~~~

FOR SALE
Red Kadet Senior, 88" wingspan, flown once.
Avistar 40, flown once.
Hobbico 60, 71" wingspan; trainer; hangar dings.
All include radio & charger.
Willing to sell or trade.
Call Eugene Dudley, 610-356-5307.

Feedback or comments to: Marilyn Ayres , HearYe editor
Michael Myers, Webmaster

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