NEWS, May 2014 Hello Guys, it’s been a long time again, I know that you all eagerly log into your email accounts only to be disappointed that one of my fantastic newsletters just isn’t there - but not this time! I know that I usually start with the weather but it does kind of affect our hobby a tad :-) What a week we’ve just had though, my goodness if the rest of the summer is like this it’ll be lovely. The cynic in me however says it won’t, the optimist says maybe!
NWMAC members have been invited to attend the Milton Lilbourne summer fayre on Saturday 28th June to take part in a static model aircraft display. Milton Lilbourne fayre is set in the village hall recreation ground 6 acre field just 2 miles from Pewsey. All proceeds raised from the event will go to The Wiltshire Air Ambulance and The Prospect Hospice. If anyone would like to take part please contact Carol on 01672 563260 so that space can be made available and vouchers for food and drink can be arranged. All exhibitors need to be in place by 12:30pm ready for a 1pm start with an approx 5:15pm finish.
Queens Field As you’ll all be aware by now we have a portaloo, very handy that and a lot more civilised than not having one! However care must be taken BEFORE entering, and by care I mean making sure that you have loo roll with you, someone has already been caught out, I won’t mention his name though because I’m nice, so for those who would not like to make a similar error, loo paper is located in the shed which of course is always unlocked before flying commences just in case the extinguisher is required . . . !
We have been asked by the farmer to not mow the grass down the side of the track. This is so that he can claim his habitat allowance, I've no idea what a habitat allowance is mind you, But if it means we can all carry on flying down that lovely field then hey ho that’s all tickedee boo with me!
Carlton Park Event Keith Simpkins has been hard at work sorting this out and as a result this year our club is hosting the David Prosser Memorial Trophy, this will be held at Charlton Park near Malmesbury on the weekend 7-8 June 2014.
The prizes are for Scale and Vintage but ANY aircraft is welcome. Transmitter fee: £5 & overnight camping: £8 p/n.
If you would like more details and directions, ring Keith Simpkins 07906373480.
Club Safety Bob Jones has requested that members take a look at the BMFA website’s safety bulletins page; it makes for some interesting reading! I have highlighted two incidents here that are well worth a read:
SYNTHESISED TRANSMITTERS AND MOBILE TELEPHONES Following the crash of an expensive gas turbine model helicopter, the investigation into the cause revealed that the synthesised transmitter being used to control the helicopter was interfered with by a nearby mobile telephone. In this case it was a Multiplex transmitter but it is possible the same could occur with other synthesised transmitters. The transmitter manufacturer’s instructions were scrutinised and found to contain a warning that mobile telephones were not to be used within the direct vicinity of the transmitter and subsequent trials revealed that the incident was repeatable with that transmitter. The UKRCC will be carrying out further investigations to determine the extent of the problem and will be advising in the future. The BMFA already recommends that mobile telephones are not taken into the pits or flying area for other reasons but be aware that mobile telephones could interfere with synthesised transmitters.
FLIGHT BOX CATCHES FIRE During a flying session at a BMFA affiliated club site, the pilot and his helper noticed a flash or arcing inside the flight box. The starter was immediately disconnected and the 12V battery removed. After this it was noticed that the bottom of the plastic flight box was bubbling the cause of which was not immediately apparent. After 15 seconds or so, the pilot and his helper tried to remove the flight box from the pit area and as the pilot's helper bent over to pick it up, the flight box exploded in his face, throwing him some 30 feet and causing burns to his face and scalp which required specialist hospital treatment. The explosion was caused by the ignition of half a gallon of methanol based fuel which was stored inside the plastic flight box together with the 12V battery and associated circuitry. Unfortunately, the flight box was so badly damaged that inspection did not reveal the detailed cause of the ignition. However, it is highly probable that an electrical fault ignited either spilt fuel, fuel vapour, or probably both causing the plastic flight box to melt and the fuel container to ignite. Unfortunately, methanol burns with a very pale blue flame which is barely discernible in daylight resulting in the pilot and helper being unaware of the seriousness of the situation. Fortuitously, there was a source of water nearby which was used to cool the burns whilst awaiting medical assistance. Fuel fires of this nature are extremely rare but to mitigate against a re-occurrence we advise the following: 1. Fuel containers are stored externally on flight boxes away from potential sources of ignition such as electrical equipment, lighters and matches. 2. If you do store your fuel within the flight box, it should be within a separate compartment within the flight box. Drain holes should be incorporated to disperse spilt fuel and the compartment should be well ventilated to disperse fuel vapour. The design of the box should prevent fuel migrating to other compartments within the flight box in the event of a spillage. 3. Mop up any spillage immediately and dispose of the mopping up materials in a safe place. 4. Do not smoke in the vicinity of fuel. 5. If you have or suspect that you have a fire, warn your colleagues and clear the area immediately. Remember, methanol fires are not obvious in daylight so stay well back if in doubt. 6. If the fire is small, attempt to extinguish the fire by using an approved extinguisher for fuel fires (foam or powder). If there is any danger of a large fire, i.e. the fuel container itself, do not attempt to extinguish the fire under any circumstances. Always exercise extreme caution and if in any doubt stay well back and contact the emergency services f for assistance. 7. Do not attempt to move any burning materiel. 8. Ensure you know the first aid treatment for burns and where your nearest water supply is. The first few minutes in the treatment of burns is critical if the injures are to be minimised; the quicker the burn is cooled the less the damage to the underlying skin tissues. Burns can cause severe shock which will also require treatment. Remember, avoid putting your fuel container into an enclosed space and never adjacent to potential sources of ignition. Should you have a fire, do not take any risks; your equipment is replaceable but you are not.
Some Pretty Pics Cain has sent me some lovely pictures taken by Alan S of Cain’s Cap 232 from Glen’s models; it is 35% and has a Roto 85cc twin four stroke engine. The cylinders fire on alternative strokes (unlike a 2stroke twin) as can be seen by the smoke coming from alternate exhausts.
Hullavington Airfield Availability Diary (HAAD) Thanks must go to Andrew K who has been hard at work developing the ‘HAAD’ and below is his explanation of it and how to use it. Tis really simple, I managed to use it perfectly well all on my own! As more members were viewing / trying out the Google calendar, which was set-up for transferring information on the Hullavington airfield availability (bookings and events). It has become apparent that the number of people logging in, using the same account was a problem! The Google calendar is not setup for sharing in this way. So a better alternative was sought, found and set-up in next to no-time! (Follow the instructions in the May 2014 Newsletter that was emailed to you as the detail cannot be provided on this open source website.) Open the attachment and copy the link to your web-browser favourites!! This calendar is a free service. It only has 6 months of history but it can be transferred to an outlook calendar for producing statistics on usage of the airfield. This calendar should be your primary source of information for the airfield availability. With the Army Air Corp (Apache) activity changing all the time, sending an email to every club member every time things change becomes cumbersome. So the reasons for using it are obvious! You will notice a "restricted" category in the calendar. This will be used when an army or police/air ambulance helicopter movement is expected on a particular day. The club is currently in negotiation with the relevant parties, to enable these days to become available for NWMAC usage. These days would otherwise be unavailable. We had long periods of army airfield booking with little activity last year. So for example, 3 or 4 hrs of availability is better than none! Watch this space for details on the process that will need to be followed. This process, which is not complicated, will also enable prior warning of ad-hoc Army Helicopter movements, via a club mobile telephone. This will significantly reduce the possibility of conflict with the army helicopters. Watch this space for details! This will not open up sharing the airfield with the full-size glider school. The site will remain closed to model flying during glider training. For Sale etc If anybody has anything for sale they would like popped in the newsletter please do let me know, plus Steve has added a new ‘for sale, exchange and wanted’ section to the website which is available to use.
Thank you very much to all of the people who sent me pictures and items to put in this Newsletter and thank you all for reading it!, Happy landings for now, Ed