0569 april 2014 electric flight basics · 2015. 4. 22. · so you may need as many adapters as you...

Safety is YOUR Job!!

Ocean County Modelers, Inc.

By-Lines & Fly-Lines

P.O. Box 569, Lakehurst, NJ 08733-0569 April 2014

Electric Flight Basics

See LIPO , page 2

LIPO Battery Tutorial, Part IV

by Doug Lindauer

Prices: (based on 2012 prices)

The Bantam BC 6’s successor, the BC6DX-II, costs about $150. It is actually a much better

charger than the old BC6. But you can get a charter from Hobby King with a few less features

than the BC6 for only $24 + shipping. It doesn’t have a built in power supply and has to run

from a car battery or some other 12V source. But this gives you some idea of the price ranges.

Other good chargers are out there and you just have to shop around for what you want. A real-

ly good charger can cost upwards of $300 plus the cost of a power supply. Like anything, else,

you have to shop around and look around at what other people are using and don’t be afraid to

ask questions from other flyers.

Balancing Taps:

Well, this is a biggie. Guess what? There are no standards for how the balancing tap con-

nector is designed! That means that if you have batteries from different manufacturers, they’re

likely to have a different balancing tap connector! However, most batteries fit either the Align

(which is almost a standard) or the Thunderpower/Flightpower balance tap. Hyperion has an-

other type of connector but I’ve found that they work with the Align. Like me, you will proba-

bly wind up with a collection of adapters to go from one type to the other.

The reason you need more than one adapter is that a connector is for a particular “S” rating. A

3S battery needs 4 wires, a 4S battery has 5 wires, etc. So you may need as many adapters as

you have S ratings IF you have batteries of different types.

Balancing Boards:

It just doesn’t stop, does it? You didn’t know that you had to get a college degree in batteries

just to fly an airplane, did you! All right, you’ve bought a good balancing charger. But what

kind of balancing tap does it have? Well, actually there will be a little circuit board with multi-

ple connectors on it for 2S, 3S, 4S and higher batteries. This board will plug into the side of

PRESIDENT

Edward Hollema

201-320-2872 [email protected]

VICE PRESIDENT

Anthony Riccio 848-333-8861

[email protected]

TREASURER

Joseph Acquisto


SECRETARY William Martin 732-330-4680

[email protected]

SAFETY OFFICER

Harry Jenkin

732-255-5836

[email protected]

NEWSLETTER EDITOR

Sue Fevola 732-477-1761

[email protected]

PROPERTY MANAGER

Jam Rabii


CLOTHING APPAREL

Paul Meier


WEBSITE ADMINISTRATORS

Jacob Hoehler


Asst. Salvatore Piu 732-664-2688

[email protected]

Asst. Steve Lew 732-608-9938

[email protected]

Ocean County Modelers Inc.

Club Officers

Welcome to our new members

John Cafro Victor Czornyj Obinna Ndu

Welcome to our

returning member Eric Shetina

Newsletter

deadline:

last day of each

month

Send info to:

[email protected]

or

Susan Fevola

342 Heritage Drive

Brick, NJ 08723

Items listed for sale

may be submitted to the

newsletter editor and/or the

website administrator.

your charger. Here’s a picture of a board that takes up to a 6S

battery and is made for Align type of battery.

You might need to buy another board if the charger doesn’t

come with the type of battery(s) you use. The boards usually

cost less than $10. A different option would be to buy indi-

vidual adapters to go between the board you have and the bat-

tery you want to charge. Decisions, decisions!

[Reprinted with permission from Johnson City Radio Con-

trollers, Johnson City, TN; July 2012. Watch for the final part

in next month’s issue of the OCM newsletter.]

LIPO, from page 1


see Minutes, page 4

Minutes of OCM

Meeting on

March 26, 2014

T he meeting was called to order by President Ed Hollema at 7:01pm after the Pledge of

Allegiance. There were approximately 39 members present including the five officers.

Secretary Bill Martin read the full text of February’s minutes to the group. The minutes were

accepted as written, after the normal motion, second, and vote process. Due to some member

comments about the length of the minutes, at the next meeting attendees will be asked to vote

on reading the full minutes.

Treasurer Joe Acquisto presented the Treasurer’s report. Since the previous meeting there

were normal expenses of $206.06 and revenues of $88. The Treasurer’s report was accepted as

written, after the normal motion, second, and vote process.

President Ed Hollema briefed the group on his visit to the Jackson Township Council meeting

regarding the solar farm bid process. During the public comment section of that meeting, Ed

introduced himself to the council and thanked them for allowing OCM to use the field. The

council indicated that they, and the mayor are aware of the OCM presence and want to see us

continue to fly at the field even after the solar farm is completed. Questions about the ability to

co-exist and liability are still lingering. After some discussion it is clear that there will be chal-

lenges, but the club is moving forward with the assumption that we will continue to fly there in

the future. Our immediate focus will be on getting the field ready and planning our 2014

events.

The Field Committee report was given by Co-chairs Tony Riccio and Ron Syanovitz. They

announced the plan to fill in the holes, re-seed, and roll the turf on Saturday, April 5th. In the

event of rain, the plan is to work the following day. Should the entire weekend be a wash out,

then we will reschedule for Saturday, April 12th. Volunteers are requested to bring rakes and/or

shovels. Ed Hollema advised that the top soil has been ordered and that we will be picking up

the seed this week. Everyone should make an effort to get out and help get the field ready.

Expect the field to remain closed! Status emails will be sent as information develops.

Tony Riccio also inquired about volunteers to help mow the field this season. The plan is to

train some additional people so that he and Ron can split the duty rather than both of them al-

ways being there. The only qualification is the ability to drive in a straight line. With enough

help each volunteer may only be needed once or twice.

Safety Officer Harry Jenkin stated that there have been no reported incidents at the field.

Harry also pointed out that we may need to use spotters at heavy traffic times. There continues

to be some concern about the mix of fuel and electric planes in the air, as well as pattern disci-

pline. He reminded everyone that they should be flying the pattern, into the wind. The first

plane in the air sets the pattern and all other flyers are expected to follow suit. There was a

question about quadcopters flying on the field and clarification that these craft are helicopters.


See Minutes, page 5

Minutes, from page 3

They should be flying routinely from the helicopter pad and not the main runway. Ed Hollema

ended the discussion by pointing out that a little common sense goes a long way and that the

lack of common sense turns into stupidity very quickly.

Old Business:

Bill Martin reported that as of the meeting there are now 127 members, including five junior

memberships. New members are John Cafro, Victor Czornyj, Obinna Ndu, and Eric Schetina.

Ed Hollema updated members on efforts to update the bylaws to waive the fees for non-

affiliated junior members. This is a work in progress and will be handled shortly.

Paul Meier opened the discussion of the Electric Fun Fly scheduled for May 17th. He will re-

main the CD, but introduced Chris Segui as the new chairman. Paul stated that Jacob Hoehler

has already put together a flyer and that he (Paul), has submitted the paperwork for AMA sanc-

tioning. The event will run from 9am to 4pm with the pilot safety briefing conducted by Harry

Jenkin promptly at 9am. The committee members include Chris Segui, Paul Meier, Bill Martin,

Dennis Haase, Tom Moore and Vinny Scatuccio. More volunteers will be needed to help the

day of the event.

Pattern Contest Chairman Sal Piu updated members on the event scheduled for May 3rd. The

committee members include Sal Piu and Danny Ditursi doing the planning, but more volunteers

are needed. If we get enough volunteers to show up in the morning through lunch, then we’ll

buy burgers/food supplies that morning and cook lunch. Otherwise, the plan is to make ar-

rangements the day before to have the food delivered. Ed inquired about the scale of the con-

test. Sal stated that last year’s event drew 15 pilots, but that in previous years there had been as

many as 55 pilots.

Ed Hollema advised the group that there has been no further contact with JCRCC in part due

to his schedule. Bert McNomee, who is a member of both clubs and will be acting as a liaison,

has been away and not had the opportunity to make contact. Ed promised an update at the next

meeting.

Ed restarted the discussion of holding some of the club meetings at the field this summer.

Danny Ditursi pointed out that it has been tried, but that the members just walk around and

there isn’t any focus. Jam Rabii inquired about seating if there is a large turnout and Harry Jen-

kin mentioned parking all those cars. Additional comments were made about bugs and the

weather before a vote was called. A large majority (2+ to 1) rejected the idea.

New Business:

Paul Meier discussed items of interest to club members…

The discussion of a trip to the USS Intrepid museum continues. The cost to members

would be around $40.00 for both transportation and admission. The idea would be to

meet at a central location and bus to NY. Trips are usually scheduled for five hours at

the museum. The group would need to include at least 40 people and members are en-

couraged to bring family or friends. It’s a great facility and exciting day. More infor-

mation will follow.


Minutes, from page 4

The deadline to order hats and apparel has been pushed back until the end of April.

Members are reminded that there is a minimum order required for the group and that

this will be the only opportunity this year. Please get your orders into Paul ASAP.

Paul also discussed the idea of OCM members putting together a “mall show” to drum

up interest in the club. He has done a couple of them and found them to be fun and a

great way to reach out to younger people. The concept would be to setup tables at the

Ocean County Mall and demonstrate our planes from 10am to 2pm. AMA has a kit on

the process and offers an inexpensive liability rider. If anyone is interested, please con-

tact Paul.

Hob Davis announced that long time member John Wagner is currently in rehab after surgery.

Subsequent to the meeting Jam Rabii was kind enough to dig up some more information. He is

at HealthSouth, 2 Centre Plaza, Tinton Falls, NJ 07724, the main number is 732-460-5320.

MODELS OF THE MONTH:

Hob Davis’ 1 1/2oz. Front Yard Canard from last month was a great success in the hangar

and performed every maneuver with the exception of a loop. This inspired Hob to create a

scaled-up version that doubled the size of last month’s effort. The new variant is 6oz. and spins

a 9x5 propeller on either two or three cell LiPo batteries.

Bert McNomee’s latest build is a large scale DH87B De Havilland Hornet Moth bi-plane that

he is scratch-building from a simple 3-view drawing. The rare Hornet Moth (only 140 pro-

duced) was used during WWII as a liaison aircraft and by civilian pilots to buzz German U-

boats off the coast of Britain. The wood work has been completed and the build has been as-

sisted by some repurposed wings. He hopes to get her in the air soon with a Sato 91 four-

stroke.

Chris Segui showed off the three aircraft foam kit that he picked up by Flite Test Shop, the

famous Josh & Josh on YouTube. The kit includes a modular power pod that can be used in

the three distinct aircraft designs all for $33. All of the pieces are pre-cut and the kit includes

laser cut mounts and control horns. Chris is using the original pieces as templates and is mak-

ing the working versions out of “dollar Store” foam board. The kit is a great way to start begin-

ners in the hobby and would make great projects for scouts and other groups.

Bud Phillips has picked up a Flyzone Acro-Wot MkII sport flyer with a 49” wingspan. The

plane is a foam construction 3-cell LiPo electric using 1800mAh and turning an 11-8 propeller.

Bud is flying on a 6-channel Tactic radio and noted that the plane needs bigger wheels on our

field.

This month’s 50/50 drawing was for $37.00 ($74.00 total). Ed Hollema held the winning ticket

for the second straight month.

The meeting was adjourned at 8:40pm.

Submitted by Bill Martin


Hob Davis shows his Backyard Canard with a

wing span of 40”, 2mm Depron, and a 350 out-

runner motor. It has a 9.5 prop, a 2 or 3 cell

Lipo battery and a 6ch. Spektrum radio.

Bert McNomee shows his

Hornet Moth D487B. It has a

64” wing span, an OS91

4stroke motor and a Futaba

radio. It weighs 10 lbs.


Chris Segui shows his FT Delta weighing 8.4

oz. It has a 26” wing span,

a 2712 1300KV motor and a

7.4 800 mAh battery. It has a Hitech radio.

Bud Phillips shows his Acro-

Wot MKII with a 49” wing

span , a 30-24-920 KV motor

and a 3S 1800 mAh battery.

It has a Tactic radio.

It weighs 38oz.


A s you probably already know, over the

last couple of years we have heard a

number of rumors and seen several articles in

the local papers regarding proposed plans by

the Jackson Township to use the Legler Land-

fill (a.k.a. Wiskow Field) for projects ranging

from a leaf composting facility to a solar

farm. Obviously, any proposal that carries

with it the potential of displacing our club

from Wiskow Field is worrisome to all of

us. Added to this worry has been the addi-

tional concern that the Ocean County Model-

ers have never been mentioned in any report

dealing with a proposed use of Legler Field

by the township. As a result, we were operat-

ing on the premise that the Township Council

might not even be aware of the club’s exist-

ence and ongoing use of the Legler facility for

the past 18 years.

Last year, after yet another article in a local

newspaper referring to the proposed solar

farm facility at Legler, the OCM Board decid-

ed to contact the Jackson Township Council

in writing in order to seek information and to

make them aware of our concerns. Following

the suggestion from the Council President, the

OCM Board appointed Jam Rabii and Gil

Schwalb to meet with the township engi-

neer. The upshot of this meeting was that the

township engineer was aware of the club’s

existence and that he did not see the proposed

project as a reason to displace the club from

its flying field. We were promised to be “kept

in the loop” as the proposal proceeded

through its subsequent steps. This meeting

gave us renewed hope of being able to co-

exist with the solar farm facility at Legler.

The appearance of a newspaper article last

week referring to an upcoming Council vote

to send the solar farm proposal out for bid,

and the absence of any communication from

the township to date, renewed our concerns

with the potential of losing access to Wiskow/

Legler Field. As you already know, I sent a

letter to the Jackson Council President last

week, thanking the township for allowing us

to use their property and also to once again

appeal to the council to be given consideration

in whatever is planned for Legler. We also

felt that attending the March 11 meeting of the

Township Council might well give us the de-

tailed information we have been looking for

and might also give us a chance to present

ourselves to the public.

A group of us (myself, Tony Riccio, Gil

Schwalb, Hob Davis, Mike Fevola, Sue Fevo-

la, Vincent Scatuccio, and Jam Rabii) attend-

ed this meeting. The resolution to send the

solar farm proposal out for bid was unani-

mously approved by the council. When com-

ments from the public were solicited, I intro-

duced myself and thanked the township for

allowing us to fly at Legler for the past 18

years and asked the council to consult with us

as the proposal goes ahead, with the hope that

our club might be able to co-exist with the

OCM Meets the

Jackson Township Council

Solar Panels at Legler Field on the Agenda

by Ed Hollema

Jackson Council, page 9


Jackson Council, from page 8

solar farm. We were all extremely pleased

and somewhat surprised when we were

told that the mayor and the council are

well aware of our existence at Legler and

that they expect the club will be able to co-

exist with the solar farm facility, either in

its present configuration or in a re-

configured runway. We expect to be kept

informed and to be consulted as the project

progresses.

OCMRC Annual Pattern Contest by Sal Piu

T he annual Pattern Contest, hosted by

OCMRC, will be held on May 3rd.

Contest setup: 8:00am

Registration: 8:45am

Pilot meeting and flying starts at

9:00am

No casual flying will be conducted during

the event until the last pilot completes his last

round (estimated to be about 6ish pm)

[Unless there is steady, persistent rain pre-

dicted, expect contestants to come to the

event to fly as much as possible.]

Anticipate some contestants may arrive Fri-

day afternoon to practice.

Five classes to be flown:

Sportsman (AMA 401)

Intermediate (AMA 402)

Advanced (AMA 403)

Masters (AMA 404)

FAI (AMA 406)

Three, possibly four rounds to be flown by

all classes.

Contestant judging: (pilots judge classes for

which they are not flying in)

OCM needs helpers for:

Field preparation prior to pilots’ meeting;

includes painting “box” lines for two flight

stations, getting judges chairs.

Provided volunteers are identified by Thurs-

day, May 1st prior to event:

Obtain food supplies prior to lunch for

cooking and handling of lunch. Otherwise,

arrangements will be made on Friday, May

2nd to have food delivered.

Contest score entry into the computer,

which is done as soon as possible after each

flight is completed.

Volunteers are also desired to take photos

and videos of this event.

Volunteers helping throughout the day are

just as much appreciated as volunteers that

help out all day because it helps distribute the

workload to all involved.

Good luck to all contestants!


JACKSON HOBBY SHOP

2275 W. COUNTY LINE RD (RT 526), JACKSON

(IN BENNETTS MILL PLAZA)

732-364-3334 Credit cards accepted Established 1969

JACKSON HOBBY SHOP

Full Line Hobby Shop

The Parts & Service Specialists

STORE HOURS

Tuesday thru Thursday: 10am-6pm

Friday: 10am - 7pm

Saturday: 10am - 5pm Sunday & Monday - Closed

L.G.B. “G” GAUGE

INDOOR—OUTDOOR

TRAINS

We carry Lionel trains “for the kid in you”

Spring is here! We have what you need

to get you in the air!

Show your OCM

club card for 10%

discount.

(See store personnel

for details.)

Next OCM Meeting

Wednesday

Apr 23rd

7:00pm

Manchester

Municipal Building

Ocean County Modelers Inc. P.O. Box 569 Lakehurst, NJ 08733-0569

Pattern Contest

May 3rd—9am to 6ish pm Contest setup 8:00am

Registration 8:45am

Pilot meeting 9:00am

Electric Fun Fly May 17th—9am to 4pm

Electric Fly—no helicopters

AMA card holders only

Food for sale: 11:30am-2:00pm

2 50/50’s raffle items -electric only

0569 april 2014 electric flight basics · 2015. 4. 22. · so you may need as many adapters as you...

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