INDOOR CHALLENGE 23rd JANUARY 2010 HELD AT HALL 'F', PRETORIA SHOWGROUNDS,SOUTER STREET,PRETORIA - CHANGE OF KNOWN SCHEDULE -- Chris Harris

Hi Guys,

Please note the Known Schedule has been changed to the BMFA ‘C’ Schedule. This will be more suitable for our first S.A event. A copy of the schedule, Description of manoeuvres & Aresti diagram is attached.

So the event will now consist of the following events:-

· 2 Rounds of F3P BMFA ‘C’ Schedule (Best Round to count Normalised to 1000 points.)

· 2 Rounds of 2 minute Freestyle to Music (Best Round to count Normalised to 1000 points.)

· 2 Rounds of an E-X GAMES Obstacle course (Best Round to count Normalised to 1000 points.)

The best two of the counted 3 rounds will decide the Winner & other positions. (ie. A total maximum normalised score of 2000 points is possible.) I have also attached a simple diagram of how the scoring will work.

The reason we are doing it this way is some guys may not excel in the precision F3P discipline or they might have two bad rounds in the Freestyle or E-X Games event. This now doesn’t matter as only their two best scoring events will count to the final score.

This is such a fantastic, fun and extremely cheap discipline, anyone can get into it and have the time of their lives while flying their aircraft indoors!

Please forward this email to anyone that you know would be interested.

SO COME ON GUYS, LETS GET THE INTEREST GOING AND GET AS MANY PEOPLE AS WE CAN TO ENTER TO MAKE THIS FIRST ANNUAL INDOOR CHALLENGE A HUGE SUCCESS!!!

Please contact me if you need any further information.

Chris Harris – 072 183 0878

Entry form here.

Gliding Postals November 2009 -- John Lightfoot

Here are the scores and comments.

FAI Sporting Code (Aeromodelling) -- Thierry Montigneaux

The 2010 edition of the following volumes of Section 4 of the FAI Sporting Code (Aeromodelling) have now been published on the FAI website:

F1 Free Flight

F3 Soaring

F3 Pylon

F4 Scale

F5 Electric

F6 Promotional

F7 Aerostats

SM Space Modelling

The documents can be downloaded here.

The 2010 edition of the remaining volumes will be published in early January.

Best regards,

Thierry Montigneaux

FAI Aeromodelling Calendar for 2010

The FAI Sporting Calendar of Model Aircraft & Space Modelling Competitions for the year 2010 is now available on the FAI website.

First Annual Electric Indoor Challenge -- Rules and Known Schedule

The Rules are here.

The Known Schedule is here.

Hermanus 2009

November 2009 issue of SAMAA News

The November issue is now on the web site

Gariep 2010 update -- Boet Denysschen

1st South African Indoor Challenge -- entry form

The entry form is here.

1^st ANNUAL SOUTH AFRICAN ELECTRIC INDOOR CHALLENGE

More info here.

Gariep 2010 -- Bob Skinner

Stolen Equipment

Here are some photos of items stolen from Torsten at an armed robbery at Irene recently.

Torsten says:

The plane is a: 1.5m wingspan high wing trainer, yellow, D-XMEP, OS FP40 engine, Graupner C508 servos.

The radio is a: Graupner/JR MC-22S (I am sending you a catalog picture, the switch configuration on mine is slightly different)

Since I brought both from Germany, the plane and the radio should be unique in South Africa.

If anyone sees these, or is offered them for sale, or whatever, please get in touch with Torsten. His email address is: t.scheidt@optronics.zeiss.com

75th anniversary of the DC3 -- Andre Killian

It will be the 75th anniversary of the DC3 next year - not sure whether anybody is organising anything to celebrate, but maybe we should start stirring to see whether we can get someting going.

Maybe we should see if we can get a few models at Zwartkop Scale or Oudtshoorn for a flypast next year. Would also be interesting to know how may models of the DC3 are actually flying. Has anybody got any other ideas on this topic, and should we persue this matter further?

Regards,

Andre

2009 Gliding Nats -- Gert Nieuwoudt

I drove down on the Thursday morning (big mistake) when all the Gauteng long weekend holiday makers were on the N3. The day before the event a few of us enjoyed the beautiful flying weather at the Noodsberg club. I stayed over with Johan, Rudi, Chris, Conrad, Evan, Christo, Tia and Victoria at the Castaway guest farm house. Nice dinner made by the Tia and Vici and long stories around a few cold beers made us ready for the next day.

Friday morning started off with winds gusting up to 30km/h. It got a while to get organized at the field but no one was complaining. Most of the time was used to check out the competition and determine whose was the largest. (Dion's prop won this round) The event got off with F5J, RES and 2m rounds with F3K following. By this time we had to change the winch direction already from first setup and clouds moved in followed by mist clouds. A few more slots of F3K was done but F3J launching could not be done safe and flying was cancelled. The AGM was held in good spirit at the country club before we moved off to Wartburg Hoff (What a letdown) for some eisbein. Zimmy was to happy to have us all there as the place was like a spookhuis. We were entertained till late by the Italian and had a lot of good laughs.

Saturday morning promised good weather and we had a great day of flying. There was a few spectacular and painful mishaps. Johan lost his Pike in the sun on a launch and it went in full speed. Allen lost his Supra due to a line tangle. Conrad damaged his model when he tried to land on the other side of the sewerage farm. A tree jumped in front of Little Ryan's model on the way back to the field. I must say the juniors show BIG character flying at this level and performing this well. Lionel tried to destroy his F3K model all weekend but it was repairable every time. All in all the conditions was very challenging and very difficult to read. Most of the day was crosswind launches. We flew the last round of F3K just before sunset. The day was ended by all the tired pilots having a super dinner at the country club.

Sunday morning we were out again early. For the record, myself and Evan was first at the field every morning. Man it is a beautiful venue for gliding. Sunday was probably the best thermal weather of all the days. We had to do cross wind launches but could find lift easily during the morning. The wind picked up later and I think we ended just in time before it became un-flyable again (Evan will disagree).

Lionel. Well maybe I can write a separate chapter about this man. When a model is 5m up in the tree then Lionel will fetch it. When the scores have to be done, then Lionel will calculate. Who is collecting the spots after all has left? Lionel. If there is a major protest, Lionel is in the middle. If you need a 2 man tow, then Lionel will give you that tow all by himself. Who can compete in at least 5 classes (2m, RES, F3J, F5J, F3K and towman) and do a lot of the side organizing and scoring? Lionel! Gee wiz guys have we become so competitive that we only think of ourselves and can't help this man.

A note to Wolfie who is organizing 2010: It is not necessary to plan 8 rounds for 2m, RES, F5J, F3K. Only 6 rounds I think is sufficient. Some pressure to start earlier will also help. Best time of year is a gamble but maybe June the risk is lower for rain. The idea of a class per day also surfaced again with a lot of pros and cons.

I would like to report on the F5J comp in a separate mail when I have more details as the evolution of this class the past 4 years was amazing.

Now why do we do this every year?

Up to this year I was lucky to be able to take home a memento of the Nats for the past 4 years and it makes it real special. Thanks to everyone who made it possible this year and congrats to all the winners.

Cheers

Gert

Vote for committee -- update from Vic de Vries

"Further to my previous posting regarding the national Postal Strike and us voting for a new SAMAA committee. Members to please note the last day for collecting envelopes from the Alberton Post Office for postal voting will be Thursday 1 October 2009. Envelopes received after this date will not be taken into account ".

Kind regards

Vic de Vries (Election Officer)

THE GREAT INDIANA AIRPLANE BLUNDER --Peter Joffe

Who knows how far the course of aviation would have gone by now if only someone had followed the lead of the Johnson boys, who designed a fabulous, streamlined airplane twenty five years too soon?

They are old men now and their hair is white. They speak slowly and let sentences lapse. But they stand straight and walk with honest pride because, as young men, they achieved something extraordinary - and today the world has acknowledged the achievement.

If the world had noticed them at the time, their name, Johnson, would have been emblazoned in aviation history next to Bleriot and Wright and Curtiss and Martin. But the young brothers were isolated in the backwoods of the Middle West and if there had been a conspiracy, events and time could not have been more brutally against them.

Their tragedy, and America’s loss, was a plane twenty five yeas ahead of its time.

Read more.

MHSA 2009 Masters entry form -- Johan Sieling

Entry form is here.

Gliding Postal scores and comments for August 2009 -- John Lightfoot

Scores are here.

Comments are here.

A reminder of the Challenge

Importing "type-approved" 2,4 GHz radio equipment

Liaan van der Merwe posted this information on the SARFY list. It concerns direct import of types of radio equipment that have been approved locally by ICASA:

"...Just for interest sake I actually phoned ICASA and after friendly conversation with gentlemen the following was concluded: if you import for personal use, you can simply ask ICASA to send you letter that the radio is legal to use. (That is if the radio model has been approved already). but if you import to resell, you have to get it re-approved, even if been approved before.

........

There is that grey area of the radio's made before ICASA etc.. but that is different topic all together.

So import it.. phone ICASA, get the nod of approval and fly to you heart's content."

He goes on to say:

"... please just reiterate that this is what was told to me by 1 representative from ICASA via telephone conversation. I am really hoping someone else would phone them as well and confirm or negate these statements"

Time extension for votes for new committee

As Election Officer, I have decided to extend the deadline for voting for a new SAMAA committee to accommodate the number of days that the postal strike will last.

Some members are still waiting delivery of the newsletter and some only received their copy during the last week in August. Very little is being published regarding the strike and we are all in the dark, the media included.

The Election Officer will accept late arrivals and members must please forward their voting forms on arrival of their news letter. The cut –off date will be determined by the number of days the strike is in force.

Kind regards

Vic de Vries (Election Officer).

NERF Heli Fly In 6 September 2009

Marc's sixth report from the F3A World Champs – Pombal, Portugal

Hi guys,

There''s good news and theres bad news... lets go for the bad news first. as you may have noticed, the mails have dried up a little ...this is because my laptop has packed up.

The good news is that we have got walters phone to connect to the net, so I can do some very basic reporting in this way.

Right, so lets cut to the chase... what's been happening... as you may know by now, we have just completed round 3 so we are 3/4 through the prelims now. cplr seems to be dominating the p schedule so far, with akibba and qq trailing by a bit. we are still trying to understand what the judges are looking for, as this year the trend has moved on from argentina. the guys are flying much bigger and a little faster, but it looks like the big thing is the geometry of the manouvers and the legs between the rolls must be of equal leangth.

There is no way yet of predicting the pilots going into the f's yet. this is because the are 4 flight lines opperating every day with 4 different judging pannels,... each of which we will fly infront of only onnce,. this means that until all 4 rounds are finnished, there is no way to compare the results.

That's all for now as it ia very difficult to see the screen and type on the phone

Team SA

Marc's fifth, er, report on the F3A World Champs

hi john

pc has packed up and I am now using walters phone to send you this message. things might get a little slow from here on but I will try to keep you guys informed. please post on the blog that my pc has crashed, but that I will get back on to it asap:

regards

marc

Marc's fourth report from the F3A World Champs – Pombal, Portugal

Practice day 4 (Thursday)

I have to admit to missing out on my report for this day, but sleep deprivation had finally caught up with me! Here follows a short précis of the day as best as I can remember…

Once again we were at the field in Barosa, and if I haven’t mentioned it before, it was billed as a field with a ‘carpet’ runway. It is in fact a very thick woven cloth that has been tightly stretched over some hard rolled ground and is actually a great surface to fly on. This time the field was not very busy, and we each got in about 7 flights during the day. The temperature was quite hot – about 32deg, and the wind was blowing cross at about 15-20 kph. Many of the practice flights were done into / down wind, but after watching Wolfgang flying in a 80 deg crass wind, I asked him why, and he said that the predominant wind at the main contest site was the same, so it would be good practice. After this we started to do the same and also flew crosswind, at first with the wind in our faces, which I found easier, and once the sun had moved around, we switched to flying on the other side, and then we had a blow out. This proved very challenging for all of us, however, watching Wolfgang, was like thinking that the wind wasn’t blowing… what a master!

We left the field quite early… about 7pm, and stopped off at Mac Donald’s for dinner. Kind’a hurts when you have to pay about R65.00 for a big Mac Meal! Anyway we all went to bed quite early, hence the lack of a report.

Practice Day 5 (Friday)

Same old same old! Up at 7;30 down for breakfast, and on to the flying field via our favorite supermarket called LIDDEL to collect essentials in the form of bananas, peaches and various cool drinks and water. We had bought a nice cooler bag a few days ago, and today, instead of paying R40.00 for 2kg of ice (”gello”), we got the hotel to fill the cooler bag and we were set for the day! When we arrived at the field it was incredibly busy, and after putting our names on the list, we worked out that it would be 3 hours before we got our first flight! During the wait, Andre started to clean his model, as he always does and both Walter and I thought it would also be a great idea, as the dust of the last few days was starting to affect the well waxed look of the Beryll. It was while wiping the wing down with a bit of windowlene on a cloth that I noticed a small crack on the right hand wing of the Beryll, which was positioned just at the point where the carbon wing tube ended. What to do!? After a lot of consultation with most of the pilots at the field, it was decided that we should pull open the crack enough to drop some cyano into it and just monitor the length of the crack after each flight. Eventually my chance came up and I decided not to be gentle, but fly as if it were a contest round, and if it broke, well then ,so be it. Fortunately, the wing held, and after the whole day’s activities, seems to be coping quite well with the repairs metered out at the field.

Today the wind was stronger than it has ever been since we’ve been here, and the turbulence over the trees and hill was, to put it mildly, quite daunting. Today we had the opportunity to spend time with the Japanese team, as well as BPLR and CPLR, all of whom used the Barosa site for their practice today.

Watching these guys fly is like poetry – Walter was convinced that the 20km/h winds would mysteriously stop when these guys were flying, but somehow when we went up… the wind would start up again! Both BPLR and CPLR were flying their Oxiome design – a half biplane / half overgrown T canaliser equipped monoplane. Today we decided to braai… and thanks to one of the local club members, who grew up in Pretoria, we were able to organize a braai and some wood as well as a grid and all the necessary essentials to make it happen. Needless to say, we were the envy of the whole field when the food was ready! As mentioned before, the wind was really bad and we always flew crosswind, either with a blow in or a blow out.

We left the field a little early again today, as john had to go to the Team Managers meeting in Pombal, which is at least 40 minutes drive from our hotel.

SO…WHATS EVERYBODY FLYING, YOU MAY ASK?..........

Here’s what we have seen so far…

QQ is flying his new bi-plane (called Venture or Ventura- can’t remember) with Plettenberg electric power.

Jason is still flying his Integral, he says he has made one or two mods, but he is very familiar with the design and happy with it’s performance.

Andrew Jesky is flying the Spark, and looks like a nice one.

Both B and C PLR are flying the Axiome, as used in the Euro’s last year, and Wolfgang Matt is also flying a biplane, an upgrade of the Amethyst, which he also flew at the Euro’s

The Japs have also got new aircraft, and they as usual have one heck of a colour scheme and paint job on them.

The big news however is that Bernt Beschoner from Germany is flying some sort of vectored thrust motor system… haven’t seen it yet but should get to see it tomorrow.

Tommorow at 10;30 is our official practice slot, followed bu the opening ceremony, so we will feed more info through as soon as it’s over.

That’s it for now, if there’s anything you would like to know, please drop us a mail and we’ll get you the answer - Until tomorrow…

Please feel free to email the team at capesailplanes@live.com

Marc's third report on the F3A World Champs – Pombal, Portugal

Practice day 2 (Tuesday)

Once again, as every day, the team meets for breakfast at 8 am and as the main contest site was closed for the day, we decided that we would try the local model airfield just outside Leiria, in a district called Barosa. The advertised distance from our hotel to the field was about 5 km, and we probably added another 10 km to the trip by the time we found it! The field is located in a flood plain alongside an irrigation canal in an agricultural area. The runways are surrounded by fruit orchards on the one side, a maize plantation on the other, with tall poplar trees behind us and a tall’ish hill covered in pine trees making up the mix.

The flight line was quite busy in the morning, with many of the European countries choosing to practice at this site and the turnaround time between flights was about 1 ½ hrs. Andre was getting used to his new Quantum eL at the coast, but Walter was still having problems with his motor, so he changed out the CDI for the old Dingo 160 DZ. Walter spent most of the day trying to get this motor to run properly, but it was not to be, as the next thing to go was the throttle servo. After replacing the servo, the throttle was still erratic, and we discovered that it was actually the throttle barrel that was the cause of all the problems.

Practice Day 3 (Wednesday)

Once again the weather was the same as the previous days… misty mornings, although we only get up at around 8am, as we have been having late nights, what with only getting back to the hotel at around 9:30pm, and then still having to get something to eat and charge the uncharged batteries.

Today was once again not Walters’s day… having an overheating problem on his DZ 160. Try as he may (and he did!) the problem just kept persisting. After a team caucus, the solution was one of two… either replace the motor with a brand new unit… or try the CDI unit again. Walter was worried about flying with the new, as yet un-run motor, so he decided to give the CDI unit one more try, as it had been pointed out to him that it could be that the fuel issued by the organizers was of a different type to what the motor was used to. Once the CDi motor was back in, a different mixed blend of fuel was tried, along with adjusting the needle another THREE turns out! And hey presto – Walter was back in business. Fortunately, there were not that many pilots at the Barosa site today and we were running on a turnaround time of about 40 minutes. Today was quite a good day, as we managed to get in at least 8 flights each. We were very fortunate to have ex world champion, Wolfgang Matt at our practice site, and he was very willing to help with all sorts of questions that we threw his way. Often it is not only about the contest, but also about the information gleaned, and today was one of those days were we learnt a lot. We packed it in quite early today – 6pm (there was still about 2 ½ hrs daylight left) and once at the hotel, John called a team meeting, where we went through the maneuvers and discussed the team strategy and planning for the rest of the week.

That’s it for now as it is now midnight and I still need to charge. Until tomorrow…

Please feel free to email the team at capesailplanes@live.com

Marc's second report on F3A World Champs – Pombal, Portugal -- Marc Wollfe

First off, we must apologize for the delay in getting this report back to you, but being in a foreign country is not all a bunch of roses, especially when the hotel we’ve booked into doesn’t have a wifi hot spot. It has taken us a while to find a nice restaurant (where they understand English) with a wifi connection and we will now frequent it on a regular basis.

Anyway, enough with the excuses, let’s get back to what’s going down in Pombal…

Practice day 1 (Monday)

After waking up at about 7 30 am we grouped for a nice continental breakfast. The cars were packed and we set off for Pombal, a distance of approximately 35km from our hotel in Leiria. This proved to be quite an experience, as the road system in Portugal is nowhere near what we are used to in SA. Over here, what looks like a free way on the road map, can best be described as a country lane! On arriving at the contest site, we found graders, digger loaders and lots of workers, still finishing off the site. The runway is about 1km long from end to end, and there is a line on each end. After we had collected our fuel and car passes, we decided to go down to the end where team USA was practicing. The contest site is in a valley surrounded by tree lined hills causing the most incredible turbulence. This is exacerbated by the heat, with thermal activity causing the models to jump up and down in flight… quite a challenge, and not something that any of us are used to! We mixed well with the American team, learning a few tricks here and there. The line was quite busy, with us getting a flight in every 1 1/2hrs. The flying was quite a huge adjustment for us, as we had to lift our base line quite a bit, both to avoid the mountainous tree line, as well as try and avoid the turbulence. Andre had brought both his A and B models with on the first day, and was happy with both of them. Andre has decided to use his new electric model and spent the rest of the day with this one. Walter was flying his Osmose, and was settling in quite nicely, when his manifold broke in flight. This required an emergency landing, but he couldn’t get the throttle to close or open as the manifold had jammed the throttle at a high’ish idle. This caused the model to run off the end of the runway, which ramps down approximately 2m at the end and finishes off with vineyards. Walter tried valiantly to nurse the sick Osmose over the vineyards and a fence and pancake down in the long grass on the other side. Incredibly there was no damage… not even a broken prop! I was using my original ‘blue’ Beryll, and trying to get used to the weather conditions. The wind was quite strong, at about 10 to 15 knots, and at about 30 degrees to the flight line. The temperature is about 35 -37 degrees and quite dry… very different from the winter wonderland we are used to! The other thing that is so strange is that the sun comes up just before 7am and only sets at 9pm! That’s a VEEEERY long day.

NEXT INSTALMENT TO FOLLOW SOON…

Please feel free to email the team at capesailplanes@live.com

2009 Thermal Soaring Nats -- bulletin one

The Bulletin is here.

"SPECIAL INVITATION TO THE LONGRUN: SILVERSTROOM STRAND TO VELDDRIFT"

I make use of this opportunity to invite you to our annual event held on the West Coast. (16 December).

This will be the 5th year concurrently that this event is held and it's getting better every year.

Come and see how the brave are trying to fly their heavy loaded planes for 100 Km non stop, or take part yourself. For the not so brave just come along bring your plane and join the "Fly In" for the day. Any plane welcome and especially those funnies lawnmowers ect. Also those of you with the hi-tech stuff, jets, helies and more. And bring along the four wheel monsters, as long as it is RC. We cater for them too.

The idea is to get the RC community together for one day and to raise money for charity. Only R100 for the Long runners per team and R50 for those that join the "Fly In".

For lunch we are having a good old braai together ­ other fast foods also available and also something to wet the throat of course.

We are planning some very exiting special events this year ­ so please, come on and don't miss out on this joyous day with all your RC friends.

And tell the others.

Please reply to bitkraft@telkomsa.net for your entry form. It will be forwarded. Further information will be communicated to all entries by email regarding this event of the year….

See you at the "Lo..............ong Run"."

Mario. 083-284 7173 bitkraft@telkomsa.net

The SAAF Museum Swartkops will be hosting a Wings and Adventure day on 12 September 2009.

This will be the highlight of the year for the SAAF Museum as it will a big show!

For the car enthusiasts there will a 4x4 track where they can test their skills.

For the aviation enthusiasts there will be range of aircraft flying and on display!

The Alo11,Alo111, Puma, Bosbok (traffic eye in the sky),Kudu, Harvards, Caravan C208, CASA 235, Vampire, Mirage111CZ, Mirage F1AZ, Impala Mk1, Hawk, Gripen and possible Falcon 50 or 900 will take part. (Flying program can change due to the serviceability / availability of aircraft).

The Flying Lions, Albatross, Pitts (Dennis Spence) and the Northwest Province Team (G-Loc) will also be taking part.

Flying starts at 10:00 and ends at 16:00.

Francois "Hosepipe" Hanekom will be the airshow safety director. Brian Emmenis from Capital Sounds will doing the commentary for the show and will cross to the roving reporter from Radio Bosveld for commentary from the crowd and the motor ( 4x4) enthusiast side of the show. Live traffic commentary will be broadcast from the Bosbok. The radio frequency (FM) will be advertised on the billboards posted along the major routes or if you have a traffic report function on your radio it will be automatically broadcast on your radio.

A Hawk and a Gripen will also be in the static park so that the public can get a closer look of the aircraft (first time in Gauteng that the public will be able to get up close to the SAAF Gripen and Hawk).

A big screen will be available in hanger 2 for those who would like to watch the rugby. SA Breweries, Coca-Cola, Perno, KWV will also have stalls at various strategic points on the airfield ( hanger 2). A 16m long bar counter will be erected in hanger 2.

There will also be two live bands to entertain the crowd. A lost children's pick-up point will also be available.

Entrance will be R30 for adults and under 16 will be free. (What a bargain!) Parking will available to the northern side of Swartkops adjacent to Trichardt rd and car-guards will be on duty.

Various light aircraft will also attend the show.

Should anyone require to fly in to attend the show ( non-participants) prior authorisation from SAAF HQ (min 72 hours) is required. Landing fees and entrance per person will be applicable. No fuel will be available.

See you there!

Report number one from F3A World Champs -- Marc Wolffe

Hi John,

I have battled to get an internet connection, but have now fond a nice cafe down the road from the hotel.

the first report is attached below...

F3A World Champs – Pombal, Portugal

Well, it’s hard to believe that it was almost 2 years ago that I was at the F3A world champs in Argentina! …and here we are on our way to Pombal, Portugal

Many times, I have been the one back in South Africa, wondering what the guys were up too at the world champs… not only the SA Team, but also all the latest breaking news, results, trends and just about anything that can be feed back to the rest of us at home. Usually you can Google and surf the internet until the cows come home and still not find a decent site to see the days happenings, so…

With this in mind, I will undertake, on behalf of, and with the SA team, to send daily updates to the SAMAA BLOG, and hopefully keep you all informed.

We will be online daily, and if anyone would like to mail us (questions about the event, or just some good wishes) we look forward to receiving your email, which can be sent to the following address which I have created specifically for this event, so as to correspond with the modelers back home. capesailplanes@live.com I / we undertake to get back to all emails as soon as possible, and welcome your comments.

And so … on to our trip, which for Walter, Bertie(caller), Gerrie (supporter) and I, started yesterday. Walter and the guys drove up from the Free State, and I flew up from Cape Town on SAA, Star Alliance partner with TAP, so even though there shouldn’t have been any problems, I still took the precaution of phoning ahead to double check that the 2.1 meter long model box was known about… and of course the first snag of the trip came when I arrived at the airport to book in, only to be told that the model box was too big and had to go cargo! Anyway, a lot of talking later and the box was accepted as passenger baggage, and sent on its way. The flight up to JHB was uneventful, and I was met at the airport by Danie Potgieter, who was to be my host for the overnight stay. He whisked me back to his place to freshen up, and then we were off to John Brinks house for a braai. At the braai we held a little ceremony for Walter Van Huyssteen, as it is his first ‘cap’ for South Africa, and we all witnessed him putting on his SA blazer for the first time.

We left the braai at 9pm, and headed for home, as we were to be at the airport at 5:30 the next morning. All things considered, the main leg of the trip from JHB to Lisbon went quite smoothly, i.e. the usual snags occurred, which briefly, are explaining the whole story of what’s in the boxes to the customs officials when making your declaration of what you are taking out the country, as well as the now usual insistence that these boxes DO in fact fit on the aircraft and they have been cleared for normal baggage. Once that was taken care of, we boarded the plane (an A340) and 9hrs later, we landed at Lisbon, which is an hour behind local SA time. So you can imagine the strange feeling when not only should it be dark, but it was also 29 degrees! Unbeknownst to us, our boxes and luggage ended up as ‘priority’ and was all but waiting for us when we arrived at baggage collection! All looked set for a quick drive up to the town of Leiria, when the wheels came off…literally. The hire car company that we had booked had a queue which ran out the door of the airport and round the corner! So… 3hrs later we got our car – an Opel Corsa, and Van – a Fiat Scudo. Next minor headache was that the boxes were about 10cm too long to fit into the Scudo, but the thought of going back into those queues realized a plan to tie the rear door closed with own of the tie straps used to hold the lid on the boxes, and not long after we were on our way - with a short stop at one of the roadside restaurants, where a cheese roll and coke cost R27.00 or a toasted cheese and tomato with a coke cost close to R50.00! Once fed, it was just a short drive to the hotel in Leiria, which we found with no fuss or bother. By now, the local SA time was midnight, and once all the goods were taken out of the car, we retired to our rooms for the night, but not before all three of us checked through the model boxes to see that everything was all right.

Tomorrow we will assemble the models and go out to the first practice session in the morning.

I hope you have enjoyed reading about our journey so far, please let us know if there are any specific things you would like me to cover by mailing us at capesailplanes@live.com .

NEXT ISSUE TOMMORROW!

Results for the F3B World Champs

All the info is here.

PLEASE NOTE!! OUDTSHOORN SCALE IS ALIVE AND WELL. -- Hekkie Fourie

Hi All,

PLEASE NOTE!! OUDTSHOORN SCALE IS ALIVE AND WELL.

We have had numerous calls from people wanting to know if this event is still on.

Help us out and spread the news to all your friends, family and enemies that Scale is happening, God willing, from 24th to 27th September 2009. ( Four days).

Please visit our Website for a copy of our Entry Form.

Asseblief manne laat weet almal met wie u in aanraking kom dat OUDTSHOORN SKAAL wel aan is en vra hulle om die aansoekvorm op ons webwerf so spoedig moontlik te voltooi.

Baie dankie,

Groete,

Hekkie Fourie

North West Aerobatic League 4 -- Scott Crescent

North West League 4

Will be hosted at Klerksdorp Radio Flyers on the 23rd August 09

(Please note the venue and the date has been changed and not as per Samaa/Maasa event calendar).

Pilots briefing will be at 09h00 sharp, please bring own refreshments, braai fires will be available at 12h00, last chance to qualify for Masters 2009 in the country.

Entry R50.00

For more information:

Quintin 0829393134

Nico 0832767047

SAMAA News, July 2009

You can find it here.

A Tale of two Dakotas -- Andre Killian and Peter Morey

The intention of the articles on building and flying the ESM Dakota is to share information on considerations and choice of the power systems including the motors, batteries, electronic speed controls, four stroke or two stroke motors, building issues relating to each, cost and performance comparisons and hopefully to get feedback on the flying characteristics of these aircraft! Two versions of this aircraft are available locally; the one based on the aircraft used by Delta Airlines in the USA (used in the glow version) and the second based on the Springbok Safaris aircraft flying from the Rand Airport in Gauteng (electric version). Part one will focus on general considerations for electric aircraft and the electric version and part two on the glow version, building, cost and performance considerations and flying the aircraft...read more

Oudtshoorn Scale 2009 -- Fanie Fourie

Hi,

Just a reminder Oudtshoorn Scale is around the corner. We have our website up and running. The dates are 24 - 27 September 2009.

Register here.

Look forward to seeing you all there!!

Fanie Fourie

Zwartkop Scale 2009

CIAM Flyer 3/09 -- Bob Skinner

The term "retro" has become a catchword and, since the 1970s, has constantly gained importance in our society. In a time in which faith in progress, innovation and change, often contrary to all common sense, appears to prevail, the retro movement can in fact be understood as a trend that is critical of progress. There is hardly an area of our social life where this widely used fashionable term has not made an entrance. Quite frequently developments and even new creations emerge from such reversions to concepts and styles of bygone eras, making the retro movement go far beyond the world of museums and galleries. eras, making the retro movement go far beyond the world of museums and galleries.

More here.

North West Aerobatic League Three -- Scott Crescent

Good day Gentlemen,

Klerksdorp will host North West League 3 on the 19th July, starting 09h00am sharp. Entry fee R50.00 per pilot, braai fires will be lit at 12h00 please bring own food and refreshments. The field will be available on Saturday for practice.

For more info:

Quintin 0829393134/ Nico 0832767047

World Jet Masters in Isreal -- Zane Mannell

Congratulations to Team SA for finishing second in the World Jet Masters in Israel. The competition ended today.

The team consisting of Glen Roberts, Francios Diedrechsen, Mark Savage and Marthinus Potgieter ended second in the team contest. Glen Roberts ended second in the individual class as well,. He had the second highest static score with his scratch built Vampire. Mark and Marthinus also did very well in static. Unfortunately Marthinus did not have a complete flight in any of his three rounds with flames outs in every flight. Mark had a no start and Glen also a flame out in one round. Francios had a retract pipe burst which messed up his second flight(and the bottom of the aircraft).

Well done to Team SA.

See some more info and pictures on www.sajets.co.za

Photos from the World Air Games in Italy -- Bob Skinner

Dear John

Here are some pictures, and captions. Great news with Alan Smith winning the FAI Silver Medal.

Thirteen pilots competed in 11 gruelling rounds, and eight of them progressed to the finals. One-by-one, the great names failed to stretch their flight times, and were eliminated, until only two remained standing: Massimiliano Sacchi (Italy), and Alan Smith (South Africa). At 20:00 on Friday 12th June , when the chances of finding lift were very slim, the two finalists launched. Sacchi found the conditions more favourable and Alan missed the max by a mere 20 seconds.

This achievement must surely be the highlight of South Africa's aeromodelling activities for many years, and will hopefully inspire others to greater heights too.

Best regards
Bob

Part of the crowd before the start of the Aeromusicals in the circular stadium of Palaruffini. Has seating capacity of 4000, and on the last night, the event was attended by about 800 spectators. Electronic score board displayed the results within a minute of completion of the flights.

More photos here.

Aeromusicals at Palaruffini -- Bob Skinner

The citizens of Turin and participants in other airsports at the World Air Games, are being treated to an unrivalled spectacle in the indoor arena at Palaruffini. The aeromodelling commission of the FAI (CIAM) has developed a set of rules to promote the very exciting and affordable sport, of building and flying indoor model aircraft. With this edition of the World Air Games, the FAI now has a marketable product, and already there is interest in the Far East for similar events, coupled with major cultural and financial meetings.

The concept of combining flying models with accompanying music and other show effects, has huge potential for creating awareness for aeromodelling, and aviation in general. The potential for media exposure is greatly enhanced, since the results are almost instantaneous. Spectators are able to sit in relative comfort and be entertained. Without lengthy explanations, they are able to judge the relative performances, with simple judging criteria like technique (precision, versatility) and artistic quality (synchronisation with music, continuous flow).

Young French pilot Fabian Turpaud is leading the field, followed closely by Lithuanian ace Donatas Pauzuolis. The variable pitch propeller on the aircraft used by Martin Mueller, allows him to perform spectacular reverse-direction manoeuvres, defying the known laws of aerodynamics. Without exception, the younger pilots from Italy, Czech Republic, the Netherlands, and Hungary, are all performing with great skill, and lightning-fast reflexes. The music choice is from a wide variety of genres, ranging from techno pop to classical and opera. The secret of course, is to effectively combine the flight performance with several pieces of music, using the tempo and mood.

To provide more entertainment for the spectators, there are performances of synchronised flying; Martin Mueller and wife Stephanie Schwan (yes, a sophisticated young lady that will put many of the boys to shame, with her flying skills); and Bert and Derk van der Vecht also with formation flying. The entertainment highlight was a magnificent flying dragon, with glowing eyes, and the ability to shake its head to communicate with its “master”. A few students have a formation routine by several MB339 aircraft of the Italian air force aerobatic team, the Frecce Tricolori. Then there are airships, a flying Ferrari race car, and hand-thrown gliders.

It really is time that those interested in indoor activities in South Africa, who have not yet experienced the thrill of indoor aeromodelling, start in earnest to focus their activities. It’s all good and well to have regular meetings, and the potential is there to steer this energy in a more structured direction. The participants and officials of the other airsports at the WAG are unanimous in their opinion that aeromodelling has successfully developed events that are attractive to the media, and that can be marketed as a product to potential sponsors. In FAI President, Pierre Portman’s words: “You guys are leading the way”

Bob Skinner

(I hope to have some photos from Bob soon)

Gliding Postal results for May 2009 -- John Lightfoot

Here are the results and comments.

2,4 Ghz Equipment type-approval

I received this by email from Dave Armitage today:

John,

....................

So far the only equipment approved for use in RSA is:

a) JR/Spektrum b) Futaba Fasst c) Extreme Link, d) IMax.

The Assan system from Hobby Wholesale (Hitec) and the Jeti from MAD are not type approved

I was told today that the approval for the Assan system will not be completed and Hitec are bringing out their own system shortly. E-SKY equipment is not type approved............

Dave

A message from Bob Skinner at the World Air Games in Turin

Dear John

I'm currently in Turin for the World Air Games (6-14 June), where a few South Africans are participating and officiating. John Gaillard, Quinton Hawthorne and Lazslo are involved in full-size aerobatics judging, I'm a juror for the aeromodelling events, and I know of two parachutists representing South Africa.

Apart from this, the only other South African participation is by Stephane Duponsel, Alan Smith, and Mark Stockton, in the hand-throw glider event. The first two tasks were completed yesterday (5-minute flight as task one, and three 3-minute flights for task two).

It is a real pity that our talented aeromodellers did not make any effort to have selection events for Artistic Aerobatics (outdoor) and Aeromusicals (Indoor). The indoor event (two rounds to date) has been nothing short of spectacular, with nine competitors from eight nations battling it out to impress the judges,m and wow the sizeable crowd. Many participants in the other airsports were in awe of the performances. If only we had the likes of Christopher Harris, who recently participated in the ETOC (Electric Tournament of Champions) in the USA, competing, at least the South African presence would have been reinforced.

We have to start now, to circulate the rules, create interest, and arrange for selection events, to be ready for the next WAG (probably in Russia, but the bidding process is on the go right now), and the 2013 WAG is likely to be in Korea. This is the flagship event of the FAI, where all the airsports have an oppertunity to showcase their events to the world. Aeromodelling is leading the field with new and exciting classes, that are spectator and media friendly. All the in-country costs are paid by the Local Organising Committee, which certainly makes it affordable for athletes to attend.

Today (Wednesday) is the third and fourth tasks of the hand-throw gliders, and all three SA participants have the potential to reach the finals.

Best regards

Bob

MHSA Gauteng Champs entry form

Entry form is here.

Jets over Henley

Non type-approved 2,4 Ghz equipment

Dominic from Ellipsis sent me a link to the general notice in the Government Gazette number 926 of 2008 dealing with the electronic communications act. This deals with equipment that " ...shall not require a radio frequency spectrum licence".

If anyone is interested I can forward to them a copy of his note.

However, note 2 (a) on page 17 states: " All radio apparatus must be type-approved by the Authority in accordance with section 35 of the Act". Thus operating a non type-approved set would be illegal.

I have yet to get a clear statement from the SAMAA management committee but my personal view is that in terms of clause 4,1 the SAMAA insurance policy will not cover illegal operation.

An open letter to the chairman of the management committee

Dear Percy,
My view is this:
The SAMAA exists solely to look after its members' interests and for no other reason.
As such the association's first priority is to be aware of what its members want and take whatever steps it can to meet these needs.
Its job is not to enforce the laws of the land but rather to change the law or mitigate its effects to help its members.
There are two good examples of this. Firstly the acquisition of the 35Mhz band for model flying. Secondly the ongoing attempts to get the CAA height restriction lifted over registered fields.
Recently there were two golden opportunities to help members. I drew your attention to both but for whatever reason you chose to do nothing or pass the buck. The opportunities arose from a discussion on SARFLY about 2,4Ghz equipment, and insurance. Both things are of interest to our members.
I know that SARFLY is not a SAMAA group which is why I apprised you of the matter. However many contributors to SARFLY are SAMAA members, and those who are not are potential ones.
Firstly you declined to take action to issue Advice and Guidance on the matter of equipment not type-approved by ICASA.
There were two quite specific queries, the answers to which are matters of fact, not opinion:
(i) What does type-approval mean? Does it legalize the operation of equipment, or does it simply indicate that the equipment meets the legal requirements?
(ii) Bearing this in mind and in terms of clause 4.1 of the policy will the SAMAA insurance cover members who operate non type-approved equipment?
Crucial questions that need unambiguous answers.
Secondly you sidestepped the issue of leaning on ICASA to speed up type-approval for the many new R/C sets coming to market. You passed the buck to Dave Armitage, and raised the problem of cost - R2000 per type-approval.
I have the utmost respect for Dave's technical ability, likewise his integrity and honesty. But he is a dealer so the matter of Conflict of Interest cannot be denied. I know the committee is aware of this so something rather more rigorous is needed.
On the matter of the fee I would have thought that our members would be happy with this. In a budget of over R 1 million it is drop in the ocean. (I just hope no one says that we cannot spend it because it was not budgeted. This is the original, and most feeble excuse for inaction).
I look forward to your reply.
John

Here is Percy's reply...

John,

You know the operational structure of SAMAA. I even discussed it in a SAMAA News.

I did not side step any question I forwarded your requests to Dave who is responsible for that section and since this mail also asks about insurance I include Johan since insurance is his responsibility. I am not going to take over their portfolios and make statements about things that I have much less in depth knowledge of than they have.

When someone else is elected to my position he or she can elect to do it differently, they may be more arrogant in believing they know everything about everything than I am.

See my answers in red in your text.

Kind Regards, Percy Attfield

Kind Regards,Percy Attfield

office +27 (0)11 266 1078 | fax +27 (0)86 571 7769 | mobile +27 (0)82 556 9147

-----Original Message-----

From: John Godwin [mailto:johng@cis.co.za]

Sent: 29 May 2009 10:51 AM

To: Percy Attfield - Business Connexion

Subject: RE: Re: [Sarfly] Assan 2.4 ghz

At 07:58 AM 5/29/2009, you wrote:

>Good morning John,

>In my previous mail I pointed out that this is an issue for Dave and his

>committee ....................

Dear Percy,

My view is this:

The SAMAA exists solely to look after its members' interests and for

no other reason. Correct and for that reason we have created expertise in specific areas so that the members can get the benefit of specialization or in the everyday jargon Centers of Excellence or in SAMAA words subcommittees.

As such the association's first priority is to be aware of what its

members want and take whatever steps it can to meet these needs. Right which is why I did not ignore your requests I sent it to the Centre's of Excellence entrusted to meet those needs.

Its job is not to enforce the laws of the land but rather to change

the law or mitigate its effects to help its members. Yes and these service providers, be that ICASA or the insurance company etc. will consider their options given their policies and risk profiles etc.

There are two good examples of this. Firstly the acquisition of the

35Mhz band for model flying. Secondly the ongoing attempts to get the

CAA height restriction lifted over registered fields. Yes it is a good example because the height restriction issue has been ongoing for an extended time but SAMAA continues to follow it up with Aero Club and CAA. Just because it takes a longtime to resolve issues does not mean SAMAA (the subcommittee responsible for it) is not active with it.

Recently there were two golden opportunities to help members. I drew

your attention to both but for whatever reason you chose to do

nothing or pass the buck. The opportunities arose from a discussion

on SARFLY about 2,4Ghz equipment, and insurance. Both things are of

interest to our members. When your insurance company Chairman was asked how many MIPS his computer is and he passed the question to you, you figure he was passing the buck?

I know that SARFLY is not a SAMAA group which is why I apprised you

of the matter. However many contributors to SARFLY are SAMAA members,

and those who are not are potential ones. I hope they recognize that their issues are important enough to have it referred to the expert in that field rather than an arrogant al knowing Chairman answering without knowledge exposing them and their organization to risk.

Firstly you declined to take action to issue Advice and Guidance on

the matter of equipment not type-approved by ICASA. I did not I asked the Center of Excellence (the relevant subcommittee) to respond with the correct advice.

There were two quite specific queries, the answers to which are

matters of fact, not opinion:

(i) What does type-approval mean? Does it legalize the operation of

equipment, or does it simply indicate that the equipment meets the

legal requirements? That is something for Dave to answer, it is his portfolio. You don’t want an opinion (as you say) from me you want a fact (as you say). Dave can give you the fact. To do so he may have to contact ICASA, he may already know the answer, the answer may already be in the public domain and you just don’t like the answer. In any event he has that contact to ask the questions and get the facts.

(ii) Bearing this in mind and in terms of clause 4.1 of the policy

will the SAMAA insurance cover members who operate non type-approved equipment? Johan has the contact with the insurance company to ask the question. Again he may already know the answer, the answer may already be in the public domain and you just don’t like the answer. In any event he has that contact to ask the questions and get the facts.

Crucial questions that need unambiguous answers.

Secondly you sidestepped the issue of leaning on ICASA to speed up

type-approval for the many new R/C sets coming to market. You passed

the buck to Dave Armitage, correctly so that is his Centre of Excellence where he has the contacts and raised the problem of cost - R2000 per

type-approval.

I have the utmost respect for Dave's technical ability, likewise his

integrity and honesty. But he is a dealer so the matter of Conflict

of Interest cannot be denied. I know the committee is aware of this

so something rather more rigorous is needed. If I recall Dave was voted in by the members of SAMAA surely you took all that you say into consideration and then made your vote (for many years already), if anything he is the most senior voted person on the committee. Don't make it a committee problem now he is and remains one of the respected people of the industry that have been voted to the committee.

On the matter of the fee I would have thought that our members would

be happy with this. In a budget of over R 1 million it is drop in the

ocean. (I just hope no one says that we cannot spend it because it

was not budgeted. This is the original, and most feeble excuse for inaction). R2000 times how many sets did you say? I for one would object to it since I do not need anything type approved and I suspect there are many others who don’t need this type approval either. I would rather see that money go to an international team than for type approval.

I look forward to your reply.

John

PS. I propose to post this on the BLOG as an open letter. I'd very

much like to post your reply at the same time. Please put it on the blog without adding comments from yourself to my comments. It is the reason why I don’t get involved with the blog discussions they are never ending with specific individuals pushing their private agendas as a matter of urgency under the guise that everyone needs it.

SAMAA News May 2009

The News is here.

SAMAA Insurance Policy documentation

The latest documentation is here.

SAMAA Office

Here's Bob Skinner, the SAMAA General Manager, and President of the CIAM, at work in the new SAMAA Office at Denel.

Anja really didn't want her photo taken. This is the best I could manage.

Updated list of sponsors for the Gariep Fly In -- Boet Denysschen

Model Mechanics

SAMAA

Sanjay Quality Products

Opti-Truss

York Signs

Denny’s Electrical

MN Models

Wright Planes

RC Pilot

Extreme Link

Micton Hobbies

RC Services

Frequency Hobbies

Bob’s Hobbies

Mad Models

Hobby Flight Centre

Fire Fly Hobbies

Arial Concepts

Fly Fun Hobbies

CD’s Pub and Curry Shack

ASP Aviation

Total Hobbies

Dremel

Victory Hobbies

Parker Craft

JMC Hobbies

Cointech

The High Flyer

Brian’s Hobbies

Aviation Art

Guns and Gifts

Cape Sail Planes

Valencia Hobbies

Rivo Hobbies

SA Model Sport

African Pilot

Hobby Magic Bloem

Icron

Flite Roofing

Printo Printers

African Utility Supplies

SA Model Magazine

Airborn Passion

B & B Importers

GAC Laser Int Logistics

Nestle

Aeronautical Society of South Africa Indoor Model Aviation Challenge 2009

This is a fun competition to encourage interest in both aviation and aeronautics amongst but not limited to learners and students. There is currently no competitor age limit.

The event will take place in a venue in the greater Pretoria/Tshwane area most likely during the week of 12-19 September 2009. Both the date and venue will be confirmed closer to the time.

More here.

Gary Hinze from California on the Delta Dart

Hi John,

 

I came across your Transformation and Development Program.  The Oakland Cloud Dusters use the equivalent AMA Cub in our youth program.

 

I have made a couple improvements to the construction instructions.

 

The 1/16" x 1/8" balsa pieces are sorted by weight.  Flexing them is a good indication, the stiffer ones generally will be heavier.  The heaviest pieces go to the wing leading edge, the lightest go to the tailplane and fin trailing edge, everything else in between according to weight.

 

The entire fuselage assembly, fin, tailplane, prop and rubber motor, is completed before joining the main wing.  The entire assembly is balanced on a loop of thread and the CG is marked on the side at the top of the stick.  The center wing rib is marked at its midpoint.  A couple pins are pushed into the wing center rib about 1/2" from the ends at 45 degree angles.  Glue is applied to 1/4" of the ends of the center rib and then it is pinned to the stick with the center of the rib mark corresponding to the CG mark.  Then the plane is inverted over the board, propped up on the fin and propeller, the wingtips are pinned down and the wing spars are glued to the sides of the stick and center rib.  I glue twice, forming strong fillets.  Care must be taken that the tailplane is parallel with the wing.

 

I also make a right handed pigtail from the pin for the rear motor pin.  The rubber is less likely to twist itself off the right handed pigtail.  I cut the head off the pin, file the end round, bend a right handed loop, a straight piece and a reverse angle for the sharp end to go into the balsa.  The straight piece is glued over the tailplane spars to space the rubber farther from the stick to prevent rubbing.  A picture is worth a thousand words.

With the 1/8" rubber strip provided, the Cub easily hits the ceiling of our gym with much less than maximum turns.  I recommended replacing the 18" strip of 1/8" rubber with 24" of 3/32" strip.  The thinner motor takes more turns per inch, and it has more inches.  It will still hit the ceiling, but much more of the energy can be used for flight with much longer flight times.  I recently found that 1/16" strip works better.  An 11" loop will give flights of more than a minute outdoors.  I'm afraid to try anything longer, because I nearly lost my daughter's Cub out of the park with 80% turns on the 11" motor.

 

Gary Hinze

San Jose, California

2009 Control Line Nats -- Keith Renecle

Considering  the global  currency crises,   I  believe   that  we did  rather  well  with our  control-line national champs this year. The competition was held again at Barnstormers Model Flying Club, and after some reasonable rain this year, the grass circle was a lot more user-friendly than last year. The competitors came from Grahamstown, Cape Town, Plettenberg Bay and Durban as well. We had a total of 17 entries, and for the first time as far as I am aware, we also had an international entry in stunt  from the Netherlands.  We were privileged to have Rob Metkemeijer and his wife Caroline with us. Rob is the well-known high-speed engine developer of the MB (Metkemeijer Brothers)...

More here ( 2,5 m pdf)

3D Heli comp 9 May 2009 -- Johan Sieling

Pretoria Radio flyers in conjunction with Model Helicopters of South Africa (MHSA) are hosting a 3D Helicopter competition / fun day. This is an open event, for all SAMAA  helicopter pilots. Bring your family and friends and let’s have fun. 

More here.

 

The SAMAA supports a non-stop round-the-world model flight

The Association has today announced that it will give financial and technical support to James Cook's non-stop round-the-world model record attempt.

James estimates that he will need some R250 000 to develop and build the model. The SAMAA has agreed to provide this amount.

James originally applied for funding in November last year. The management committee agreed unanimously at its last meeting to provide it. 

Asked about the effect on the Associations finances, a committee member - Attie Percefield said, " It means we shall have to increase members subs quite substantially, but we feel that no one will object given the unbelievable nature of this project".

2009 Free State Aerobatic Champs -- Piet le Roux

Central Radio Flyers hosted the Free State Model pattern aerobatic championship in Bloemfontein on the 7 to 8 of March. Some competitors arrived on Friday, the day before, to get acquainted with the  conditions. On Saturday morning Wynand Swart, CRF chairman, welcomed all the competitors, laid  down the rules and gave us some kind words of inspiration.,,,

More here with photos. (pdf)

SAMAA News March 2009

You can get the March 2009 issue of the News here.

These are the static thrust calulations that go with the article on page 34. We reproduce them here with the permission of Model Aviation in the USA.

Gliding Postals Feb 2009 -- John Lightfoot

Comments here.

Scores here.

(Info updated on 15 Mar 2009)

Updated sponsors list for Gariep Fly In -- Boet Denysschen

Here's the latest list of sponsors:

Model Mechanics

SAMAA

Sanjay Quality Products

Opti-Truss

York Signs

Denny’s Electrical

MN Models

Wright Planes

RC Pilot

Extreme Link

Micton Hobbies

RC Services

Frequency Hobbies

Bob’s Hobbies

Mad Models

Hobby Flight Centre

Fire Fly Hobbies

Arial Concepts

Fly Fun Hobbies

CD’s Pub and Curry Shack

ASP Aviation

Total Hobbies

Dremel

Victory Hobbies

Parker Craft

JMC Hobbies

Cointech

The High Flyer

Brian’s Hobbies

Aviation Art

Guns and Gifts

Cape Sail Planes

Valencia Hobbies

Rivo Hobbies

SA Model Sport

African Pilot

Hobby Magic Bloem

Icron

Flite Roofing

Printo Printers

African Utility Supplies

SA Model Magazine

Airborn Passion

B & B Importers

 

SAMAA Accounts as at Jan 2009

General accounts here.

T and D accounts here.

Making Vacuum bagged wings -- Mike May

Mike is posting a series of articles on the JOMAC BLOG on the construction of vacuum bagged wings.

Robertson Fly In

2009 Heli Nats and World Champs team -- Johan Sieling

Results for 2009 Heli Nats here.

Team for WC here.