Radio Controlled Aircraft News
Clubhouse renovations - July 1st
After years of planning and fund raising we have finally started work on an extensive program of renovating our club house. The main purpose of the work is to have a dry, modern comfortable and dry roof over our heads.
Thanks to Denis and Terry for repairing the leak on the club house roof. (and thanks to Colin Block for the photo)
Leinster Scale Championships
Graham Dwyer, Ian Mullen, Colin Block, Bob O'Donnell and Steve Leung have sent in a bunch of great new photos, including some from the Leinster Scale Championships held in Portloais recently. I've added them all to the gallery so click on the link below to check them out.
New look SRFC Website
The SRFC website has finally got a long overdue makeover. Hope you like it. If you have any suggestions or content for the site please send them to: srfcmail@gmail.com
3DX Heli
Pictures and Videos from the radio controlled helicopter event held on the 15/16th May 2010 at Waterford Model Flying Club
SRFC Fees 2010
| Membership | Membership period Mar 2010-Feb 2011 | Per month for those joining after Mar 2010 | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Senior | € 150.00 | € 15.00 | a person over the age of 18 at time of joining or renewing |
| Family | € 12.00 | € 1.00 | 18 Yrs or under and living at same address as a Snr |
| OAP (65 Yrs+) | € 100.00 | € 10.00 | 65 Years or older |
| Junior | € 35.00 | € 3.00 | 18 Years or under |
| Associates | € 35.00 | € 3.00 | Non flying member |
Support the Club - Tim Costello - January 2010
Now that Spring is on the way it is time to review the last year and decide what we are going to do in the coming one. The 11 year Sunspot Solar Cycle is on the rise again and promises settled weather for the next 5 years. This is good news for modelers who have solar panels on their house roof, or for the few of us who have those wafer-thin panels on their model's wing. The promise of free power is nearly here with no need for on-board Lipos or engines, rendering my recent acquisition of an OS Wankel as possibly a novelty item only.
This letter is also a plea to those great modelers who continue to support the club by renewing their subscription each year but cannot get up to the field as often as they would like. Don't worry about that, it happens all of us to some degree. I think it equates to a modeler who has great plans to finish building that special scale model. It is so easy for the months to roll by while you make a first-class instrument panel for instance or you search for the correct paint colour. But the end result will surely stun the guys in the club and in turn inspire them to try their hand at scale also. One immediate way to quickly return to the club field is to buy a RTF, Ready To Fly, model. These are even more complete than the ARTF, Almost Ready To Fly, type with servos, receiver and battery already fitted. Have a look at Sussex Model Centre and pop 'RTF' into their little search box. Your return to active flying will be assured - and welcome.You are all aware of the protracted negotiations with our farmer that have concluded with us having a new field but with a higher rental cost. Once we learned how to land low over the hedges there was no problem and it really has made us all better at landings. All the more reason for us to depend as never before on keeping up our numbers, quite simply to permit us to pay the rental for the field. When you compare our modest membership fee with, say, a Pitch and Putt club or a Contract Bridge group, then we are doing well. But just look what you get in exchange. The company of the nicest bunch of guys you could hope for. Good natured, witty and generous to a fault. Above all, none of that appalling clan-group activity or yore with the isolated grouping of the famous Grumpy old Men. No, our clubmen and women today are gregarious and knowledgeable in all the arts and crafts of aeromodelling - buying, building and flying. Above all though, is the number of us with children who have discovered The Great Truth. And that is the benefit of mental and physical well-being that a young person feels at being an aeromodeller, especially in the formative teenage years. Just think of the vast amount of expertise they will pleasurably and painlessly absorb and accumulate over the years: Draughtmanship, when designing your own model, Meteorology, how TV forecasts apply to the Sugarloaf area, Woodwoking, balsa, plywood and hardwoods, Cutting, drilling, sanding, Metalworking and Soldering, Electrical and digital Electronics, both mains and low voltage, Understanding Battery selection and handling, Engine operation, both model and leading to full-size, Fuel and Glue Chemistry, Manual Dexterity when building/assembling, Hand-Eye Co-ordination when flying, The Science of Aeronautics. The battle between lift, drag, weight and thrust while keeping an eye on engine thrust, revs. and horses. The Social Graces, mixing and working with others. I think you will find very few, if any, teenage tearaways or substance-challenged rebels, aeromodelling is just too fascinating and is a great filler of idle moments. This is indeed The Great Truth. So guys and girls, why not re-join the fold. Like in the definition of the best of friends, you will be welcomed as though you never were really away.