WINDINGBROOK R/C FLYING CLUB 2010 NEWSLETTER
***PLEASE LOOK IN THIS ENVELOPE FOR YOUR YEAR STICKER***
PRESIDENT′S COMMENTS:
I would like to thank the members of the Advisory Board, Club Officers and Club Members for making my seventh year as your Club President so enjoyable. Thank you for your continued support and cooperation.
I believe this year we will be flying out of the North Flying Field, (opposite our parking lot). You must fly out of the designated active flying field. If there is a need for a change I will make it and it will be posted on our web site, under ″FIELD CONDITIONS″. An email will also be sent out by all valid email addresses and I will post a sign at the old field indicating the change. Please do not take it upon yourself to fly at another field without authorization from me.
I would like to thank Mo Balboni for refurbishing the frequency pin box, replacing all backings on the club field signs and the construction of our flight stations.
I am also in need of seven club members that would be willing to serve on the Advisory Board from 2011 through 2012. If you are interested please contact me. If more than seven club members volunteer we will have elections.
FIELD PROBLEMS:
The owner has told me to remind all members not to walk on the grass after a very heavy rainfall, if you are leaving indentations in the sod. This happens mainly in the early spring when the grass is extremely wet. The indentation will cause problems for the farmer.
The owner has complained to me that we are flying over his workers on the field. This must stop immediately. Our present club rule (Rule #7), clearly states that flying will cease when any Winding Brook worker is on the flying field, pit area or adjacent fields. Please do not jeopardize the use of these fields or the safety of these workers by disobeying club rules.
I also received concerns from club members regarding two of our club rules. The first, questioned the number of planes that can be flown from our flying field at one time. (Rule #21) clearly addresses this issue and in part states that no more than four (4) planes are in the sky at one time. Simply stated, if you see fewer than four (4) planes in the sky you can fly.
The second complaint concerned the lack of a specific flight line at our fields. As many of you know at each club field we have a special area designated for the starting of glow engines. This area is sometimes dangerously close, depending on who is putting out the wind sock, to the active runway. This specific complaint states that some flyers are flying over the people in the glow starting area since there are no designated flight stations and some flyers tend to wander as they fly. Rule #3 states in part, that there be a flight line established by a club officer. Therefore, to rectify this problem I am having four flight stations constructed. These will be very simple, light and portable and will not harm the grass. They can easily be stored at the field and will be marked FLYING STATION 1, 2, 3 and 4. These can be placed a safe distance apart so pilots will have a uniform location to stand at and fly. I am asking the first person at the field to place these out with the wind sock and pin box.
On a personal note we are all at the field to enjoy ourselves and have a good time. I realize there are different styles of flying, (3D, IMAC, Warbird, Sport etc.) where a combination of two or more of these styles might lead to a disaster, certainly no fun for anyone. Personally, if I saw three flyers flying a particular style of flying, (with the fourth flying station open) and my flying style was different than theirs, in the spirit of cooperation I would let them finish before I flew. Please remember while flying to keep all flyers informed of your flight intentions by calling each maneuver. You must have a spotter and fly in a specific pattern, left or right hand direction, determined by the direction of the prevailing wind.
CLUB PICNIC:
This year our club picnic will be Saturday August 28, 2010 with Sunday August 29, 2010 as the rain date. Please feel free to bring your favorite dish to share with other club members. Also, please bring a bag of ice with you. Thanks to our Event Coordinator Joan Liska, our set up people Ron Liska, Steve Swahn our cooks Mo Balboni, Ray Morin, Paul DeJohn and John Digiovanni and a host of other individuals who work so hard to make this a success. Please check your emails and our club website for more information as this date approaches.
FINANCIAL STATUS:
Our balance as of 12/31/2009 was XXX.XX compared with XX.XX for 12/31/2008. A complete treasury report was submitted, in detail by Mo Balboni to the Advisory Board in January of 2010.
CLUB WEBSITE:
Greg Zepka, our multitasking Webmaster has done the impossible, at least for me, and set-up a simple to use club membership renewal process on our web site. You can now renew your club membership for one (1) or two (2) year(s) by answering a few quick questions and your PayPal account. It is so easy even a cave man can do it! Thanks Greg for making our life so much easier.
CLUB FIELD:
I remain dedicated to finding our own club field. I have a realtor searching all land opportunities in the Meadows to keep me informed of any possibilities. I would like to thank Jim Cyr and his family for doing such a great job on the membership renewal process. Please keep him informed of any changes to your contact information.
LOCK CODE:
Areas that we have permission to use and in some instances pay for are being used by individuals who are not club members. Any damages that occur of course are blamed on the club. To help prevent such instances I am installing combination locks, with the explicit consent of the land owner to protect our interests. The combination in all instances, until further notice, is XX. Please do not share this information with anyone. Also after opening the lock please twist the rollers, many leave it on the combination and any person can read the information from the set rollers. I have also been given a key to the main gates and all locked gates in the Meadows. Please contact me if there is a need to access any of these areas.
CLUB BADGE:
You are requiring by club rules and the land owner to wear your club ID badge when using our club fields in the Meadows. This alerts the owner and Town Constable that you have a right to be there. There are now three constables patrolling the Meadows area. The fine for trespassing in Rocky Hill is $75.00. Wear your badge or you will be fined! If there are any emergencies at the field please use the 911 emergency number or 860.258.7640 the non emergency Police number. The latter number will connect you with the Police department for information and assistance. If you lose your club badge please contact Jim Cyr at 860.664.0859 or email at warhawk@snet.net. The replacement cost for the badge is $10.95 which will include a new date sticker and mailing.
John Perez
President of WRCFC.