In this issue:

Rusty And Dan, Chairman's Greetings, Competitions/ Events, Safety Issues, Field Issues

Our good friend, Rusty Cameron, passed away peacefully at home on Thursday February 8th.

Rusty became well  known as the builder and 'redesigner' of our Midknight aeroplanes - and many will continue to fly at our field in testimony to him.

Rustyburgers achieved great fame at our fly-ins over the years. We won't forget them either!

Most of all, we will remember the warmth of this man, his helpfulness at the field and in the shop, his ability to listen to people's problems of all kinds, and to respond with help and understanding. You could be sure he would produce a quick, light-hearted response when he was being 'wound up' by his mates. He wasn't slow to say what he meant, but always responded in a positive and optimistic way to everyone.

We are all the better off for having known Rusty, for what he gave us of himself. This was reflected in the huge gathering, representing the wide range of people and organisations he involved himself in during his lifetime, at the Humanist Service at Paisley Crematorium.

The club lost another stalwart last November with the death, after a short illness, of Dan Murphy. Dan was a regular contributor to discussions and activities around the field, and is sadly missed around the club.

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It’s the new flying season and I trust you have all had a very happy building time and that you’ve produced lots of new model gear for the new season. I have been working in the shed with a couple of scratch builds but had wee technical issues (C of G) towards final stages. The wee shockie for fun has not really progressed to the flying stage and was noted to have suffered some hanger rash (tut tut).

The field looks fantastic and the new start-up boxes are being well used
Do you remember this at our fun fly. What a great fun weekend. Watch for details of the next one.

Not sure about the two shady characters here though.

On a more serious note:

Parking
Once again I need to remind you that when the funding was provided for the access road its purpose was to improve access to the strip, particularly for the disabled. To that end the stop-off point adjacent to the strip is for unloading purposes only, except for disabled drivers. When you have unloaded your vehicle, please position it in the car-park. That is the hard area across the bridge from the hut, not on the grass areas adjacent to the hut. There is restricted parking space on the hard surface at the hut, but this must be used in such a way that access to the strip or other use is not affected.

If we all follow this guidance everyone will benefit from the improved access. Much more importantly we will NOT need to introduce an embarrassing by-law and you won’t have the committee moaning at you or the embarrassment that it may cause. Please help us not to make more rules.

Dogs
We’ve had an approach again from the farmer, our landlord, regarding his concern about dogs on the site not under proper control. This has been an issue in the past and we had hoped that all members would respond so that we do not endanger our tenancy of the field which everyone is enjoying and which we have expended considerable resources of different kinds to improve. We intend to continue these improvements but these plans could be jeopardised by irresponsible actions perhaps by only one member. With that in mind, the committee has to make it clear that dogs on the site, that is from the entry gate at the roadside onwards throughout the flying field, must be kept on a lead at all times.

Membership Renewal
If you’ve not renewed, why not? We have an exciting year ahead and if we need to restrict numbers then if you have not renewed of course you will be treated as a new member. Gavin says he will turn a blind eye to the late renewals if you’re finding things hard, so at least speak to him. He won’t give you a loan (well if you do you’re better than us—we can’t squeeze a penny out of him) but he can make an arrangement under special circumstances to avoid the new join penalty. If you don’t want to rejoin then let me know why not. I wouldn’t like to think this effort that your fellow club members have been carrying out displeases. All joking apart we have a constant stream of people expressing a desire to join our club and we want you to regain your place before anyone else.

See you at the field even for a coffee on the not so good days.

Ken

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A clubman series is to run throughout the season, hopefully including some mid-week events, so watch this space.

Dates so far: May 20th, June 17yh, July 15th, Sept. 9th and October 7th

The schedule for these events is:

Our Fun-fly weekend will be held on Saturday 18 and Sunday 19 August. The actual format is under construction so watch out for details of this, not-to-be-missed, event.

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Safety Issues

Pits
A reminder: the general pits area is divided into an assembly area, starting box and pilots’ stance. For safety reasons engine starting and running, or taxiing of models is not permitted in the assembly area. This should be confined to the starting box, including the start-up tables, and should conducted in a safe manner taking into account the proximity of other flyers and their models.

There is a serious issue with Electric models: We must not arm electric models other than in the start-up area. And never be tempted as you walk past an electric model to touch the prop. The kickback from an electric motor is frightening and can cause serious injury so admire from a distance only please.

Speak to your safety officer or other committee members for clarification if required.

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Field Issues

Pilot Stances
The centrally positioned pilot stance has been replaced by two stances towards either end of the runway which are paved and equipped with barriers for the protection of active flyers. The main purpose is safety but pilots should find it easier to perform accurate landings.

Start-up Tables
These will be moved, very soon, to a position more central to the pilot stances. Again safety is at the forefront, but convenience of flyers will also be improved. There is a debate about whether they should be positioned parallel or slightly angled to each other. If you have a point to make, get in there quick, either to the nearest committee member or via our excellent web-site forum.

The Strip
The grass is growing again and each cut improves the condition of the runway. However our resident moles are once again at work trying to defeat our efforts, so it’s likely you will see Bruce and Alan’s favourite toys—the mole traps—in position. Be aware of them when taking off and landing, and try not to disturb them.

The Heavy Gang

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