AMA 573

AMA 573, IMAA 138 www.tcws.org January 2006

REMINDER – Meetings are now on the third Sunday of the month at the Hamburg Moose Lodge, starting at 1:30 PM.

2006 MEMBERSHIP DUES ARE NOW DUE – PAY BY 31 DECEMBER TO AVOID THE LATE PENALTY!!!

In This Issue:

· President’s Message

· Unofficial Meeting Minutes

· Old Business

· New Business

· R/C Events

· Announcements

· Web Sites

· Club Officers & Committees.

· Runway Relocation Information

Next Member Meeting:

Sunday, 15 January 2006 @ 1:30 PM

Hamburg Moose Lodge

Directions to Moose Lodge:

Hamburg Exit from Route 22

2^nd Floor, 12 South 3^rd Street, Hamburg, PA

Official Field Location Address:

Tri-County Wingsnappers, Inc.
329 Balthaser Road
Lenhartsville, PA 19534

First, I’d like to thank the two “retiring” officers, John Messersmith and Jack Hilbert, for their service to the club, they both have put in many hours to make flying at our club field and attending our events more enjoyable. On a personal note, I would like to thank both of them for my RC plane flying skills (or lack thereof) since John and Jack are the ones that trained me!

Next, I’d like to thank the membership entrusting this position to me. I will try to serve the club and the members as best I can in this capacity.

Finally, I want to make sure that all of the members are aware of the proposal to move the runway at our club field. This will be a major change for the club, and I want to be sure that the vast majority of the membership agrees that this will be a beneficial change for them. Lee Buskirk presented a proposal for this change to the membership at the December meeting, and a majority voted to form a committee and look into this plan further. Details (to date) of this change can be found at the end of this newsletter. A web page has also been created on our club web site to pass on up-to-date info on the committee’s investigation into this change (go to our home page http://www.tcws.org and click on the “Runway Relocation Info” link at the very bottom). The committee plans to present a very detailed plan, and address member questions & concerns, at the January 15^th meeting. We will call for a vote from the members at the February 19^th meeting. Please be sure to attend the February meeting to put in your vote for/against this proposal. If you have questions or concerns, please come to the January meeting, or send them to me via email or US mail. Here are my addresses:

All questions or concerns submitted to me will be presented to the committee and will be addressed.

President, John Messersmith called the meeting to order at 1:30PM at the Hamburg Moose Lodge (24) Members and (2) associate members were present.

David Kilmer read the Secretary’s report for November’s meeting. A motion to accept was made by Karen Loop, seconded by Jim Pauley and all approved.

Dale Loop read the Treasurer’s report as of 18 December. A motion to accept was made by George Case, seconded by Lee Buskirk and approved by a majority vote.

a. John Messersmith reported that the club would have been named as a defendant in the lawsuit no matter what, and that our AMA insurance will be more than enough to cover us in the event we are found liable in any way, so the club is not at financial risk.

b. The lawsuit claims that the club and other parties involved were negligent in operation of the fryer, using the wrong oil in the fryer, overfilling the fryer, and for being slow to respond to the fire. Lawyer feels that these are all flimsy arguments and that the club covered itself well by having a professional doing the cooking, we did use a recognized cooking oil, and the automatic suppression system was in operation, and the fire alarm was pulled.

a. Dave Renninger reported that table rentals for the ’06 Swap Meet are coming in. A meeting of key people is pending to discuss detail of raffles to be held.

a. No changes were made to the wording approved at last months meeting. The criteria for lifetime membership is as follows:

i. Any current member, reaching the age of 80 years will automatically receive a lifetime membership.

ii. Any current member may recommend to the BOD that another current member be granted Lifetime Membership in recognition of exemplary service to the club.

b. Since the wording wasn’t changed, this is now the SECOND posting of the newly proposed amendment. A vote will be held on the proposal at the January, 2006 meeting.

b. Kitchen was emptied of perishables, with further cleanup to be accomplished by Spring

a. The club needs volunteers to distribute flyers at the door…let us know if you can help!

b. See Walt Gladney for advance tickets (early entry if you get them in advance so you can see what’s what before the crowds hit the floor!)

a. Dale and Karen Loop represented the club at the event, and displayed planes, sold club shirts and hats, and gave out small Christmas tokens to the kids. Around 300 kids attended. Thanks to Dale and Karen for representing the club!

a. John Messersmith reported that the club’s lease has been extended for (2) more years, with a minimal increase in cost to the club.

a. John Messersmith recommended that, as in years past, the club make an additional donation to the Moose Lodge in the amount of $100.

b. Motion was made by Karen Loop, seconded by Walt Gladney, and approved by unanimous vote.

a. Lee Buskirk submitted a preliminary proposal that the club consider changes to the field layout for the 2006 flying season. Lee’s proposal includes altering the runway direction from its current orientation to one that will run southeast to northwest. It was noted that this would eliminate unwelcome flyover of one neighbor’s property, allow for a longer runway, and reduce the number of trees on the approach/departure path.

b. Rough depictions of the suggested changes were passed around, and more detailed drawings showing the proposed changes are now posted on the club’s website for review of all concerned.

c. Costs have yet to be determined, as this was a preliminary proposal to gauge the club’s interest before significant investments of time and effort were made.

1) John Messersmith suggested a committee be formed to investigate the pro’s and con’s of such changes. He also noted that consideration must be given to AMA guidelines for field layout, including setbacks.

2) Lee said he knows several club members are willing to donate funds, and Lee is willing to donate most of the equipment necessary for the job.

e. A vote was taken to determine if the club would approve the formation of a committee

which resulted in a majority approving the next club president to appoint a committee to

f. The committee formed by Paul Hartley consists of himself, Lee Buskirk, George Case,

2006 membership renewals are due by 31 December to avoid the $25.00 late penalty.

The Allentown Hobbytown USA store (where Jack Hilbert works p/t) will match Tower Hobby prices if you present your TCWS member card. Also, if you buy a complete airplane, they will give you an additional 5% discount off Tower Hobby’s price for the same setup (ask Jack for specifics as to what constitutes a “complete airplane”!)

Meeting adjourned – George Case made the motion, Jim Pauley seconded, and the club voted unanimously to make haste to the subsequent Christmas party!

Upcoming Events

January 15, 2006, near Pittsburgh (John Messersmith has the flyer if you’re interested)

Web Sites…

Editor note: If anyone has a web site to share – please let me know - thanks

(What follows is a copy of what is contained on the “Runway Relocation Info” web page found on our website as of 12/23/2006, please see the web page for more current information, and/or attend January’s meeting. Here is a direct link to the page: http://www.tcws.org/Runway%20Relocation/runway_relocation_page.htm .)

As many of you know, Lee Buskirk informed the membership of a proposal to move the club's runway at December's club meeting. A committee has been formed to investigate the cost, and pros/cons of this change. An initial drawing has been provided by Lee to give members an idea of where the new runway would be located (see the bottom of this page).

The committee will present details about this possible relocation, and address member questions or concerns, at January's meeting. The membership will vote on whether or not to proceed with the relocation at February's meeting. Please send in your questions or comments concerning this issue, and come to February's meeting to vote!

The committee members are:

Paul Hartley
Lee Buskirk
George Case
Dennis Christman
Walt Gladney
Dave Renninger

Any members wishing to ask questions or express concerns about this change should contact Paul Hartley: tcws@pkhartley.com

The reasons or motivations for moving the runway are listed below. A current list of questions & concerns is also listed below, along with responses from the committee.

Reasons or Motivations for Moving the Runway:

1) Longer runway for larger planes, etc.
2) Little to no tree obstructions on either end of the runway.
3) Sun always at our backs when flying.
4) Wind will be more downfield to the NW layout.
5) More visibility to planes going down. Currently, the ground slopes down steeply beyond the runway (to the south), and planes going down in that area are out of site long before impact. With the new runway location, planes going down in front of the runway (to the NE) will be much more visible, making it easier to "fly" them down and locate them.
6) No more flying over homes or roads.

General Comments:
In addition to the benefits above for our club members, it is hoped that the new runway, being more "large plane" friendly than our existing runway, will help attract more large scale plane pilots to our fundraising events, and as a result attract more spectators, which will greatly increase the funds we can raise at these events. It seems that there are many advantages for both large scale and small scale pilots, which means there should be benefits for everyone in the club.

1) Who owns the property we will fly over? Same owner as the west tree line (Stufflet).
2) Have these neighbors been contacted about the proposed change? Not yet , Dennis and Lee will contact him after Christmas.
3) Are the neighbors supportive of this change, or are they unhappy about the new fly-over areas? TBD.
4) Will we have to ask permission of these neighbors to retrieve downed planes in the most likely fly-over areas? TBD.
5) What will this cost, and how will we pay for it? Initial cost estimate is $4K to $5K... more details will be known for Jan. meeting, and funding sources/options will be discussed (member donations, an assessment, etc.). Obviously very little funding can come from our existing bank account (we only have about a $3K balance).
6) How much "down time" do we expect due to construction? Estimated at 7 to 10 days, more details at Jan. meeting.
7) When would construction start if the relocation is approved? March 2006.
9) How many members need to volunteer to help with the work and for how long? As many as we can get for as long as we can get!
10) How long before we have "good" grass on the new runway? With good spring weather, mid to late June.
11) How will this affect our first event (in June)? Hopefully it will have little negative impact on it.
12) How will AMA rules affect the new runway placement (set-backs for spectator section, etc.)? After review of the current runway layout, we are in violation of the spectator setback requirement. The new runway location will be laid out so that we do not violate this requirement. More details will be provided at the January meeting.
13) Will we need to get a permit for this change? No, we are staying within our buffer zone.
14) Where will the heli/foamy area and fly-over region be after the relocation? Same location with more area to the west.
15) Will the sheds need to be moved? No.
16) Are there electric lines running under the new runway location? If yes, what impact will this have? Yes. There are electric lines under the existing runway and driveway as well. There is no impact, though, since the lines are 36" below the grade.
17) Will rent increase since no crops will be grown in the new runway area? No. We are giving back some property to the west in exchange for the new area, and it will be an even exchange... no rent increase.

Initial "Rough" Diagram of new runway location:
for questions concerning this drawing, please contact Lee Buskirk: lbjms@verizon.net