THE FLYER F L I G H T F O R A L L Prince George s Radio Control Club, Inc. AMA Club #334 March 2016 The next PGRC membership meeting will be held at the club house, Tuesday 15 March 2016 at 7:00 PM. PGRC FIELD OPEN FOR FLYING On February 9, the FAA announced that they were modifying the rules for model aircraft operations in the DC SFRA, thereby allowing PGRC and other clubs in the area to re-open for flying. An extract from the FAA announcement follows: As of 12:01 a.m. EST, Wednesday, February 10, the operating procedures will allow model aircraft, commercial and public users to operate in the outer ring of the Special Flight Rules Area (SFRA) under specific conditions. The SFRA rule still prohibits unmanned aircraft operations within 15 miles of Washington, D.C. in the Flight Restricted Zone without specific FAA authorization. Under the new procedures, hobbyists and recreational unmanned aircraft operators can fly aircraft that weigh less than 55 lbs. (including any attachments such as a camera) in the area between 15 and 30 miles of Washington, D.C. if the aircraft are registered and marked, and they follow specific operating conditions. The operating conditions require them to fly 400 feet or lower above the ground, stay in the operator's line of sight, only fly in clear conditions, and avoid other aircraft. This was welcome news, indeed, to all of us. The following is an e-mail exchange between Dave Deacon s and Brian Throop of the FAA, who was instrumental in orchestrating the agreement of the various government entities responsible for security in the national capital region to re-open the flying fields: THE FLYER is published to provide information of interest to the members and friends of PGRC. Any opinions expressed are those of the Editor (and anyone else who submits material fit for publishing), and not necessarily those of the Board. PGRC BOARD OF DIRECTORS Dave Deacon (President) (443) 822-5805 Charlie Gettier (VP, Newsletter) (410) 757-3195 Steve Baker (Treasurer) (301) 352-4580 Alan Goodman (Secretary, Concessions) (301) 509-8589 Tim Williams (Field Marshal) (301) 249-6495 Roland Jackson (Safety Officer) (443) 623-3304 Rodger Binger (301) 261-7976 Bob Gensler (410) 268-0157 Mark Kikta (410) 867-9630 Alwin Alleyne (301) 324-7177 Rick Moreland (301) 261-7366 PGRC DUES SCHEDULE Initial Assessment $100 (New First-Time Members) Annual Dues (General) $75 Annual Dues (Junior) $10 Annual Dues (Family) $85 Annual dues for current members are considered late if paid after the January general membership meeting. An additional $25 late fee will be assessed. New members joining after July 31 pay half the annual dues for the remainder of the year. Dues can be paid at the meetings, or can be mailed to: Steve Baker 12215 Malin Lane Bowie, MD 20715 Be sure to include your address, phone number, and AMA Number on the check. You must be an active AMA member to fly at the field. DIRECTIONS TO PGRC FIELD (South of Bowie, MD) Take US Rt. 301 south approx. 3 miles south of Rt. 214. Turn east on Swanson Rd. and follow the signs. Address: 17230 Swanson Rd, Upper Marlboro, MD 20774 RUNWAY COORDINATES 38 51 03 N 76 41 59 W PGRC S WEB SITE Visit with PGRC on the Internet: http://www.pgrcclub.com/ 1
Hello Brian. My name is Dave Deacon and I m president of PGRC (Prince Georges Radio Control) in Upper Marlboro Md. I just wanted to extend a letter of thanks for all the hard work you ve done to help get our club, as well as all of the affected clubs, back in business. As this process has transpired I ve been hearing bits and pieces of the progress. As you ve been working through this I ve refrained from contacting you as well as sheltering your email address from our members (I ll continue this). I m sure the last thing you needed was a flood of emails from disgruntled modelers. I ve also made it point at recent club meetings to make it known that the FAA has been our ally and not our foe as many were thinking. I don t know anything about the inner workings of the FAA or how things like this get resolved, but from what I ve been told you played a major part of making all of this happen. Our club has been operating since 1964 without incident and it would be heartbreaking if we had to shut down permanently. The bottom line is I just wanted to thank you on behalf of our 160 members for all of your efforts to make it possible for us all to continue doing what we love: model aviation. Hey Dave. Thanks for the kind words. A lot of good people worked hard to make this happen, and the outcome was in doubt at times. But it was absolutely the right thing to do. Flying in any form should be fun! Our office is always available in the future if you need assistance. Brian FEBRUARY MEMBERSHIP MEETING There was none. The meeting was cancelled due to the sloppy condition of the access road. We hope to see everyone at the March meeting. GATE LOCK CHANGE. As in the past, we will change the gate lock after the March membership meeting. Keys to the new lock will be available for $4 at the meeting. Board members will also carry a supply of keys with them throughout the year, so that members not able to attend the meeting may purchase one at the field. Keys may be purchased only by soloqualified members who have paid their 2016 PGRC dues and have a 2016 AMA card. PGRC WEBSITE. Webmaster Byron Jones reminds everyone that he is happy to post member information and photos (e.g., latest projects, etc.) on the website. Just e-mail the information to him at PGRC512@aol.com. FOR SALE. New P 51 ARF with new Saito 100. Never flown. $350. Rimfire electric motors: 160 - $90; 120 - $75. E-Flight 60 motors (2) $50 each New ESCs and batteries also available 2.4 Futaba 7 channel transmitter w/ 4 receivers, never used. $150. 2.4 Futaba 4 channel w/ 4 receivers. $100. 2.4 Tactic 6 channel w/ 9 receivers. $100. Futaba S3004 servos, new, 8 each, $65. Futaba S3151 servos, new, 4 each, $32. Hitec HS625 servos, new, 9 each, $90. Hitec HS 645 servos, new, 2 each, $20. Hitec HS 77h servos, new, 6 each, $60. Hitec HS 485 servos, 10 each, $100. This is just a partial inventory of airplanes, motors, and parts for sale by John Creamer. Contact him at jecajc@comcast.net RULES FOR FPV AND MULTI-ROTOR FLYING AT PGRC FIELD In light of the recent re-opening of our field to RC flying, coupled with the fact that rogue multi-rotor (a.k.a. drone) activity was the root cause of the FAA registration mandate and the shut-down of DC-area clubs from late December to early February, we are reiterating our rules for FPV and multi-rotor flying at PGRC Field. In this post-shutdown era, the Board (and our general membership) will have little patience with transgressors of these rules. These rules are posted at the pavilion. 2
PGRC Rules for First Person View, Failsafe, Stabilization, and Autopilot Systems 1. Follow all posted AMA and PGRC safety rules. 2. All flights must be within visual line of sight (VLOS) 3. All First Person View (FPV) flights require a spotter who is a soloed AMA pilot. 4. Pilots with an FPV and/or autopilot-equipped model (where the autopilot technology can include stabilization, geo-referencing, and/or fail-safe capabilities) must be capable of flying the model under conventional RC (i.e., must be a soloed pilot) before engaging in FPV or autopilot flight. 5. Novice FPV pilots must use a buddy-box system with a spotter/instructor until they qualify for solo FPV flight. 6. During an FPV flight, the FPV spotter must be prepared to acquire the transmitter/control from the FPV pilot and assume conventional radio control of the model aircraft at any time safe operation of the flight is in question. 7. If an FPV or autopilot flight experiences a safety issue that does not appear to be a brief glitch, the pilot must abandon FPV or autopilot mode and continue the flight under conventional RC. 8. Before the initial flight of an FPV or autopilot model aircraft, and/or after any changes or repairs to essential flight systems, the FPV model aircraft must complete a test flight under conventional RC. 9. Model aircraft flown FPV or autopilot are limited to a weight (including fuel, batteries, and onboard FPV equipment) of 15lbs. and a speed of 70mph. 10. Pilots must be able to instantaneously deactivate programmed flight of autopilot systems at any time during flight and resume manual radio control of the model aircraft. PGRC Rules for Multi-Rotor and Helicopter Flying Unless otherwise stated below, references to multi-rotor models apply equally to helicopter models. 1. Multi-rotor models may not be flown out over the field beyond the runway in the regular flying area when fixed-wing model aircraft are being flown. 2. When pilots of both fixed-wing and multirotor models are present at the field, they are urged to coordinate with one another for flight time for their particular model. In instances where flying time for each type of model cannot be negotiated (e.g., when the field is crowded and there are many of each type of model present), the first 15 minutes of each hour will be designated for multi-rotor flying, and the remainder of the hour designated for fixed-wing flying. 3. Small multi-rotor and electric helicopter models (weighing less than 3 pounds) may also be flown, with hovering-type maneuvers only, immediately in front of the pilot and at low altitudes (less than 100 feet AGL), in the areas at the north and south ends of the field behind the flight line and forward of the no taxi signs. It is the pilot s responsibility to ensure that there are no persons in the immediate area who could be endangered during the flight. Larger models (e.g., 60-size helicopters) may not be flown in these areas. Provisions for Rule 3 will normally not apply during scheduled Club events, except as allowed by the Contest Director (CD). 4. Absolutely no flying is allowed over the pit area, pavilion, or the parking areas when there are others present at the field. 5. Multi-rotor flights beyond the constraints designated in Rules 1 3 above may be conducted (e.g., for photography or video collection) only if agreed upon by the other pilots present. 3
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PGRC Events Schedule for 2016 Tentative as of March 2016 Date Event Contest / Event Director March 19 Spring Clean-Up Day N/A April 16 PGRC Swap Shop Alan Goodman (301) 509-8589 April 30, 1 May Pylon race (424, 426 classes) Steve Baker (301) 352-4580 May 7 Open House Fly-In Charlie Gettier (410) 757-3195 May 14 IMAC Basic-Only Dave Deacon (443) 822-5805 June 4 Bowie Fest Byron Smith (301) 390-8712 June 4, 5 CAPI IMAC I Dave Deacon (443) 822-5805 July 23, 24 CAPI IMAC II Dave Deacon (443) 822-5805 August 13 Electric Fly-In Harold Thompson promod17525@yahoo.com August 27, 28 Big Bird / War Bird Fly-In Rick Moreland (301) 261-7366 October 8 Family Picnic Harold Thompson promod17525@yahoo.com SPRING CLEAN-UP DAY. Our 2016 Spring Clean-Up Day will be held on Saturday 19 March, starting at 8:00 am. This is PGRC s annual kick-off of the new flying season. We re looking for all our able-bodied members to come out and help. This year s tasks include: Club house internal and yard cleanup: sweep, mop, vacuum, dust, organize, cut the grass, rake/blow leaves from the back yard Clear the access road hill of leaves Service mowers and tractor Replace wind socks Fill divots / holes in the outfield Replace fallen fence posts Pick up trash along Swanson Rd Remember to bring your work gloves, leaf rakes, blowers, shovels, and other implements of mindless manual labor. Note that there will be absolutely NO FLYING, regardless of the weather, until the work is done. As in the past, a lunch of hot dogs and sodas will be provided. Photos (right) from previous years Clean-Up Days courtesy of the PGRC Web site. 5
PGRC, Inc. c/o Charlie Gettier 190 Old River Rd. Arnold, MD 21012