Monthly Newsletter of the Victoria Radio Control Flyers AMA Charter #4185 Number 11 November 2016 Issue Volume 1 Send comments and articles to Steve Zimmerman, Editor sbzimmerman@suddenlink.net Monthly meetings are held the 4 th Tuesday of each month (except in December) at Bayside Seafood Restaurant located at 4202 North Navarro St., Victoria, TX 77901. Optional dinner at 6:00 pm and meeting at 7:00 pm. Billy C. LoPinto has always been fascinated by airplanes. Sitting in his special built building that houses 45 airworthy model aircraft, Billy recalled his childhood decision to forgo cap guns for model airplanes. By the time he was 13 years old, his plastic airplane models adorned his bedroom ceiling. A lifetime association with model aviation had just begun. During the early 1970 s, Billy flew Control Line models. He was so absorbed in flight that he was once late to a rock concert, much to the dismay of his wife. This tardiness was due to his first time success in recovery from inverted flight before crashing. This accomplishment was not shared by everyone in the LoPinto household. Billy was not deterred. He worked with his father-in-law to establish a flying field on Long Island, NY and joined his first flying club named L.I.F.T.S. In November of 1976 Billy came to Victoria. Flying a 3 channel Piper Tri Pacer with non-reversing servos, he joined a small number of local pilots at the old Aloe Field site. After several years of crosswinds and encroaching building additions next to the old runway, the decision was made to construct a new RC field on Gin Road in the Telferner area. This was the Victoria Radio Control Flyers site for several years until the use agreement ended with the land owner. For two years, VRCF did not have a local field but did have use of a site near the Port Lavaca airport. Meanwhile, Billy kept busy with his restaurant and concrete construction businesses. His involvement in new home construction put him in frequent contact with another local subcontractor 1
Dennis Leita s Midway Grass Farm. Largely due to this association, Billy was instrumental in obtaining the present site on Hiller Rd. Billy had the honor of being the first to fly off the new runway. Billy s rich history in model aviation and membership in Victoria Radio Control Flyers earns him the admiration of his fellow fliers. In addition to his 45 assembled aircraft, Billy has 8 new planes that are still in the box. And yes, he has planes to sell! Call Billy at (361) 571-3226. 2
President s View from the Cockpit Well, here it is, another month has gone by. The weather is getting cooler. The rain is a welcome from the heat, but there have been some good flying days. Things are winding down for the year and I have been thinking about what I want to do next year. I have wrestled with this decision for quite some time and finally decided I will not take the office of President next year. I plan to do more travelling and do not feel like I could dedicate enough time to the office to be a good officer. I will continue to support the club in any capacity that I can in the future, though. Happy Landings. I don't have much else to add, but I hope to see you all at the meeting next week and discuss any issues or business we need to talk about. Remember this month is election of officers for 2017, so be thinking of your nominations. Well, that's enough of my ramblings for now. See you at the field or the meeting. Rick B. 3
November 22, 2016 7:00 PM Bayside Seafood Restaurant CALL TO ORDER AGENDA APPROVAL OF 9-27-16 MINUTES (previously e-mailed) SECRETARY S REPORT- Jeff Gregurek TREASURER S REPORT- Chris Mott FIELD MAINTENANCE Jimmy Casal SAFETY REPORT- Rick Grace OLD BUSINESS NEW BUSINESS Election of officers TECH TIME DOOR PRIZE DRAWING ADJOURN 4
Start: 7:00 PM October 25, 2016 Minutes Victoria Radio Control Flyers Meeting Minutes Attendance: Rick Borden, Jimmy Casal, Rick Grace, Jeff Gregurek, Ed Huff, Johnny Longoria, Chris Mott, Bill Simon, Steve Zimmerman. Minutes from last meeting: The minutes from last month s meeting were included in the monthly newsletter; there were no additions or corrections. A motion was made to accept the minutes as is and it passed. Financials: Chris has provided a brief summary of current bank account balance and paid 2016 membership dues. Field Maintenance: The field is looking good. Safety: Rick Grace says we should all pay better attention to the safety lines, he has noticed some are approaching or flying over the lines. Old Business: Crosswind Runway: Rick B. brought up this topic, there was no real discussion on what to do or not do. A motion was made to table this topic until the January meeting, the motion was seconded and passed. Float Flying at Brackenridge Park: Steve Z. asked for an update on this and Rick B. stated he has not yet been able to talk with Park management and therefore has no updated information. New Business: Election of Club Officers: New officers will be elected in November. Donation of Lawn Mower to Club: Rick G. offered to donate his old zero turn mower to the Club, the mower does need some repair and the Club would have to fund these repairs. An estimate for the 5
materials to do the repairs is 300 to 600 dollars, all labor will be donated by Jeff G. Bill S. and others. In addition Jeff G. and Bill S. plus others offered to donate money to fund the repair materials. Jeff offered 100 dollars and Bill said he would match that amount. Tech Talk; Rick G. talked about the newest edition of the Aura 8 gyro. This new version has the ability to dial in expo which should provide a better flying experience. Door Prizes: Ed Huff won a bottle of blue lock tight. End: Approximately 8:00 PM 2016 Flying Events November Future Events 11/5/2016 -- Texas City, TX (C) TCRCC OPEN FUN FLY & SWAP MEET. Site: 7500 Humble Camp Rd. Mike Samano CD PH: 281-827-7148 Email: samano21@yahoo.com. Visit: tcrcc.org. Sanction #16/161. $20 landing fee, includes lunch - no fee for swap meet. First class facility with 2 grass runways, AC club house, restrooms and large shaded areas. If it fly's - bring it on out! Sponsor: TEXAS CITY RC CLUB December There are no South Texas events Scheduled at this time. 2017 Flying Events January 1/21/2017-1/22/2017 -- San Juan, TX (C) FUN FLY & TAILGATE SWAP MEET. Site: Steward Road. Richard Ware CD PH: 937.423.0236 Email: warerv@aol.com. Sanction #17/125. Location; Take expressway 83 to San Juan and exit on Steward Rd. Go South for 2.5 miles and you will see a steel gate on the east side of the road. This gate is the entrance, if you go over the levee, you have gone too far. All aircrafts are welcome. Landing fee $15 includes lunch ticket. Sponsor: TEJAS RC ASSOCIATION February 6
2/18/2017 -- Dayton, TX (C) JETERO ANNUAL FUN FLY. Site: Jetero Club. Larry Rogers CD PH: 713.503.1191 Email: larry5926@gmail.com. Visit: jetero.com. Sanction #17/60. 9am-5pm. Lunch provided for pilots. Sponsor: JETERO RC CLUB INC AMA Chartered Club #1218 Jetero RC hosts annual event in Houston TX RC planes take flight in Dayton By David Taylor, dtaylor@hcnonline.com Nearly 70 radio-controlled planes took flight Friday and Saturday at the annual Jetero Southeast Texas Warbird Rally in Dayton and it couldn t have happened on a better weekend for the flyboys. The event has rapidly become one of the premiere events in the Gulf Coast area for RC enthusiasts and it s easy to see why. We had great weather and few crashes, said Contest Director Michael Jackson. Jackson, who started the event in 2012, has also been the director all four years and has watched his baby grow. Throughout the year, we go out to other events and promote ours here and I think that s what has helped us to grow, he said Non Flying Event November 2016 thru January 2017 There are no South Texas events scheduled at this time. February 2017 2/17/2017-2/18/2017 -- San Antonio, TX (E) TRI-CITY FLYERS SWAP MEET. Site: 9400 Municipal Pkwy. Rusty Koehler CD PH: 210.654.3313 Email: rusty@destinationsa.com. Visit: tricityflyers.com. Location; Garden Ridge Community Center. Contact Rusty for table registration form. Admission; $5/day. Tables; $10/day. TABLE RESERVATIONS RECOMMENDED! Open 4pm - 9pm Friday and 7
9am - 2pm Saturday. Raffle, auction, food & drinks. Visit website for more info. Sponsor: TRI CITY FLYERS Mowing List Please note that your mowing duties are effective for the weekend of flying starting with the dates below: November 18 thru Nov 25 December 2 thru Dec 9 December 16 thru Dec 23 John Gill Rick Grace Jeff Gregurek Mowing Duties If you can t take care of your obligation, find a substitute to fill in for you!! Mowing should include the Runway, Pilot stations, Pit area, and the Parking Lot Weed Eating as necessary DO Not mow the tall grass or Buffer Zone (Club lawnmowers do not mow high enough) If there is a problem with the equipment, Let Rick Grace or Jimmy Casal know immediately Please leave the Mower used FULL of gas Remember: **Future Mowing List will be restarted with any new members added to the top of the list** Keeping our Lines straight just makes our field and Club look better!!! If you have a problem mowing straight lines, stay away from the edges. 8
The Latest from...... This year the AMA is participating in #Giving Tuesday on November 29 to help us hit our 2016 goal of raising $200,000. What is #Giving Tuesday? It s a global day of giving fueled by the power of social media and collaboration. Celebrated on the Tuesday following Thanksgiving (in the U.S.) and the widely recognized shopping events Black Friday and Cyber Monday, #Giving Tuesday kicks off the charitable season, when many focus on their holiday and end-of-year giving. Why should you give? Because model flying is what you love, and we love to help you fly. AMA s team stands up for members everyday by providing membership services, working with the FAA and in DC, engaging youth and building educational programs using model aviation, building partnerships to enhance the hobby, and much more. 9 departments 9 hours 1 hour of standing Please help us take a seat. Our goal is to raise $2,500 for the AMA Foundation. That s $278 per hour. Once each team hits their goal they can take a seat, or be left standing for the entire hour. We will be posting live on our social media pages and engaging our members all day. This is your chance to meet AMA staff members and give back. Join in the fun and make a tax-deductible donation! 9
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