Dave gave a very informative tutorial on engine maintenance, including replacement of bearings and valve adjustment.  He used his Saito 125 4-stroke as a guinea pig.  Bearing replacement was surprisingly easy, and took under 1 hour.  A 2-stroke engine would be even easier.    Dave said the set of front and rear stainless steel bearings cost about  $12 from www.rc-bearings.com .  Contact Dave with questions or for a copy of the tutorial material.

We welcomed new member Rob to the Club.

A group of us are planning to drive up to the WRAM show in White Plains, NY on Saturday, Feb 20.  If you would like to come along contact either Dave, Jack or Jon.

Dave made a motion to change our rule regarding the maximum number of aircrat that can fly simultaneously from three to four, and to add a new flying position midway along at the southwest half of the flight line fence.  This would mean opening a section of fence as was done last year at the northeast side.  The motion was approved unanimously.

Jon and Barry discussed the Club’s policy on discounts on dues for new members who join late in the flying season, and the Club’s policy on the initiation fee.  From the ensuing discussion it became clear that the club does not have a well-defined policy for these.   Jon will draft a fee schedule that defines our dues, initiation fee, and pro-rating policies and submit it for consideration at the December meeting.

The meeting closed at about 9:30.

Here are my minutes:

• Barry reported the club finances are about the same as always. We have enough to get us through the summer. Depending upon how many new members join and how often the grass requires cutting, we may or may not need an assessment this fall.
• We are going to try a club “call list”. The call list is a list of members who would want to receive a phone call when others are flying. This would be used on off times, not during our regular Wednesday evening and Sunday afternoon sessions. For example, if you can get out to fly on a Friday evening and want some company then you would call the names on the list. Please let me know if you would like to be on the list.
• We welcomed Jarrett, who just joined the club. Jarrett is attending Penn State and will be flying with us for the next month or so. He is a beginner but a quick learner. I expect he will be putting us older guys to shame by the end of the summer. Please introduce yourself to Jarrett if you see him at the field.
• Dave W reminded us that the tree line to the northwest of the flight line is a no-fly zone. Do not fly beyond those trees! There is a residence only about two hundred feet past the tree line directly in line with our main runway. Please see Dave if you need clarification.
• Ron reminded us that we must be aware of the noise level of our engines, particularly now that some of us are flying larger scale aircraft. Please do not fly with excessively noisy engines. Jack L has a sound level meter. Please see Jack if you would like to have your engine checked.

• Jack Leber was nominated and elected vice president for 2008.
• Barry reported that the club treasury is satisfactory for now, however, only 10 members have renewed so far this year.
• Rich Rycharski is looking for volunteers to assist with a Boy Scout aviation activity on Saturday, April 12 at Tamanend Park on 2nd Street Pike in Southampton. We will have a static display and flight simulator. Depending upon the weather and the available open space, we may try to fly an electric model. Please contact Rich at 215-343-8440 if you can help. It is from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. Tamanend Park is about 5 minutes drive from our meeting location. There will be around 250 Scouts plus adult leaders. Could be an opportunity to bring new members.
• I printed up some ‘business cards’ for the club. The idea is to pass them out at hobby shops and to people you meet who are interested in RC. See me if you would like some.
• We watched a DVD on airplane construction by an expert builder (forget his name). This guy was amazing! I always thought stabbing myself with an Xacto and gluing my fingers to the plans was an unavoidable part of the hobby.

Here is a list of the our current 2008 members.

• Anthony Assetto
• Joe D’Aquino
• Ron Feindt
• John Kaeser
• Terry Keim
• Bob Kuehne
• Jack Leber
• Jon MacGahan
• Cameron McDonald
• Robert Stintsman
• Jon Warfield
• Dave Weldin
• Barry Wiener
• Don Wright

If you have paid but are not on the list please contact me and I will make the correction. If you notice someone flying at the field who is not on this list, please gently (or not so gently) remind them to pay their dues.

• Barry reported that the club has paid all of its obligations for 2007 and is starting 2008 with a small balance.
• We held elections.¬† Ron Feindt, Barry Weiner, Dave Weldin and I were re-elected as president, treasurer, safety officer and secretary, respectively.¬† Rich Rycharski was not able to attend because of family obligations, so we postponed the election of a vice president until the March meeting.
• Dave is planning to enter us into the AMA Intro Pilot program again this year.¬† Jack, Dave and I are on the list.¬† If any other member would be willing to serve please contact Dave.
• Jon Warfield has done an outstanding job of updating our website.¬† Check it out when you get a chance: www.skypirates.org¬†¬†¬† I have looked over a lot of RC club websites and I think ours is one of the best.
• This year’s WRAM show is February 22 -24.¬† Dave is planning on attending on either Friday or Saturday.¬† There are a couple of interesting seminars on those days, not on Sunday.¬† If anyone is interested please contact Dave. He is already planning on driving and would have room for 2 or possibly 3 passengers.¬†¬†
• The Central Penn Aeromodelers annual flea market will be held on Saturday, March 8 at the Lebanon Fairgrounds in Lebanon, PA.¬† This is a big affair with 600 indoor tables and 40,000 square feet of floor space.¬† Ron is thinking of attending, so contact Ron if you are interested.¬† I have more information.¬† Contact me for the details.
• Jack and I are keeping our eye on the weather for decent weekend flying days.¬† We hope to get some activity going at the field soon.
• Ron is trying to sell his TopFlight AT-6 Texan.¬† This is fully assembled and covered in Navy colors.¬† It is ready to fly with a new OS 90 four stroke, pneumatic retracts, and working flaps.¬† Contact Ron if you are interested.

That’s all for now.¬† Hope to see you all at the field soon.¬† Spring is coming!

• As the January 2008 meeting date would fall on New Year‚Äôs Day, we voted to cancel the meeting.
• Elections, which would have been held at the January meeting, are rescheduled for the February meeting.
• We will try to do a Frost Fly at the field on January 1 in the afternoon. We‚Äôll have hot chocolate and coffee available. Hopefully the weather will cooperate and possibly there will even be some snow. If you have not experienced the fun of flyinhg off snow then I recommend you all get yourselves some skis and give it a try. It can be a blast.
• Barry reported that with last month‚Äôs assessment and some kind donations from members, the club‚Äôs finances are OK thorugh the end of 2007. If you have not yet paid your assessment, please mail it to Barry promptly.
• The club welcomes new member Bob Stintsman. Bob is presently flying slow flyers and may wish to move onto larger elecdtrics or glow planes.

• The membership voted to allow electric flight at the flying field from 8:00 a.m. until sunset, seven days a week. Glow and gas powered flying hours are unchanged. Glow and gas flying hours are 10:00 a.m. until sunset, Monday through Saturday, and 12:00 noon until sunset on Sunday.
• The membership voted to allow new members who prepay their full dues and initiation fee for 2008 to fly for the remainder of 2007.
• Barry (our Treasurer) reported that we are short this year and will require an assessment in order to cover our field rent and lawn-mowing expenses for the remainder of the year. Please send your check to Barry or bring it to the November meeting.