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From
Walter Higgins, President, Houston Hawks RC Soaring
July
21st, 2008
I
know that It has been a bit since my last update but there has been
a lot going on so let's get to it.
First let's start with the winches. Bill Estill, Tommy and myself spent
the better part of a day upgrading the first of two winches for the
HAWKS. I know it sounds simple. Just change out the motor and go fly.
But it is a little more involved than that. Tommy took the time to repaint
the winch frames and make and paint the boards that the frames mount
on plus the bracket for the safety switches. More on the safety switches
later. Then we had to make up the cables that connect the winches to
the battery and solenoids. Not as simple as it sounds. Each cable had
to be measured cut to length and then have the connectors swedged or
soldered on. A big thank you from the HAWKS to Bill for letting us use
his garage to do the upgrades and for soldering on the Anderson Power
Pole connectors that connect the battery to the winch.
Several of us have tried out the new winch to make sure that it is performing
as it should and it worked great for several days. We took it to Austin
this last weekend to help the ASF club with the LSS contest. That is
when we ran into trouble with the winch and thank goodness we had a
reliable safety cutoff switch. Stefano had his foot on the switch, retrieving
line preparing for the next launch when the solenoids stuck shut causing
the winch to run away. I believe it was Boby that had the presence of
mind to turn off the power at the safety switch preventing anyone from
being seriously injured and saving the winch from thrashing itself to
death. Tommy and I checked out the winch and sure enough both Injoy
solenoids had stuck closed. A couple of taps and they opened but we
decided that it was not safe to continue operation with the winch. A
call to Jim Brandon at The Shop confirmed that there had been some problems
with the Injoy solenoids and Tommy is in the process of ordering new
more reliable ones for us. As soon as the new solenoids are installed
we will give the new winch to one of our winch masters and then upgrade
another winch with a new motor.
Just one more word about winch safety before we move on to the next
topic. Winches and solenoids very rarely fail. But when they do the
results can be catastrophic. So if you are around the winch while a
plane is being launched and whoever is launching says that they cannot
shut off the winch or that the winch is running away. Use the safety
cutoff switch right away. The safety switch can and will avoid serious
damage to a model or someone standing close should the winch ever run
away.
Next topic is the LSS or LoneStar Soaring Series. After the first contest
of the season here in Houston we were tied with the ASF club with eighteen
points each followed by San Antonio with thirteen points. The leader
after the first contest was Dallas with twenty eight points. There were
no surprises here but I thought or hoped that the HAWKS would be a couple
of points ahead of ASF. But the tie did not surprise me. I have never
done well at a contest that I was involved in running and the first
LSS contest here did not go all that well (lots of line breaks and the
batteries were getting weak in the later rounds). But with the upgrading
of the winches and the addition of stronger lines that is a thing of
the past. After the latest LSS contest in Austin the HAWKS slipped to
third a couple of points behind ASF. Current standing are 1st place
Dallas (SLNT) with 57 points, 2nd place is Austin (ASF) with 42 points,
3rd place HAWKS with 40 points and 4th place San Antonio (HOTS) with
16 points.
The ASF hosted second round of the LSS was a fun contest. Those of you
that were not able to attend missed a good time. Plenty of heat (temp.
wise) and competition to go around. The weather was great with some
scattered clouds and while the wind got to blowing a couple of times
I would be surprised it the max. wind speed ever exceeded eight or nine
miles per hour. Lift was plentiful as was the sink. With a little of
everything thrown in between. I have included a Excel file, provided
by ASF, that gives the current LSS points and the scores by round for
the contest. HAWKS attending the ASF contest were Bill, Stefano, Boby,
Tommy, Steve and myself. I want to encourage every HAWK to make it to
the next two contests in Dallas and San Antonio. We need the points
if we are to catch up and have a chance of closing on the current point
leaders.
One last final item before I call it a newsletter. Jack Strouther has
had to return to Indiana. He requested a full or partial refund on his
HAWKS dues for this year. Since he only flew with us a couple of times
I have decided to call it a 30 day trial period and have asked Tommy
to refund Jack's dues for 2008.
So until the next newsletter I will see you at Grassland. Remember that
we are moving into the dog days of summer. It's hot and humid so stay
hydrated and use your sunscreen. Also be sure to congratulate Bill Estill
when you see him. He was the highest placing HAWK at the ASF LSS contest.
Fly safe,
Walter
May
31st, 2008
The
HAWKS held a club meeting at the field today prior to starting the days
flying. Those present were, Walter Higgins, Tommy Lamnek, Alan Jones,
Steve Gibson, Boby Fussell, John Hill, Dean Peterson, George Pierce
and Dick Roddy.
We
discussed several issues including the position of club president.Keith
Blair our current president had expressed a desire to vacate the office
of president so that he might devote more time to other things and bring
more fun back into r/c soaring. Since I am currently vice-president
it was decided that I would move into the office of president and Boby
Fussell would fill out the remainder of my term as vice-president.
The
next issue discussed was club equipment. Our club winches are getting
old and have a difficult time launching the new generation of r/c sailplanes
so it was decided that we would upgrade two of the club winches to the
new Injoy motors. These motors are nearly five horse power and have
ball bearings instead of bushings. Tommy Lamnek is going to obtain with
club funds two Injoy motors, two adapter plates and four solenoids capable
of handling the higher load. When these parts arrive we are going to
have an assembly party to upgrade the two winches.
Next
we decided that the club contest for June will be a RES MOM. June 7th
will be the date and the pilots meeting will be at 0930. So get out
your RES ship and dust it off and come out next weekend and have some
MOM RES fun.
I
Hope to see all of you HAWKS at the contest.
Walter
April
2008
GETTIN’ READY…..
Lone Star Soaring Series – May 3rd
It looks like we’ll have a good turnout – the other
clubs are expecting 4-6 people from each one to arrive. Let’s
give them a good Houston Hawks welcome; but don’t be afraid to
out-fly them.
We’re doing pretty well with our volunteers, but we can always
use some extra hands on ‘contest day’ so please look for
a way to help out.
At our last club meeting, we decided to simplify our logistics by passing
on providing food. The club will provide soft drinks and water, leaving
the choice of food up the discretion of each pilot. To fund this and
other fees (LSS pilot fee, awards, port-a-potty) we’re planning
to charge $15 for the first task and $10 for the second. The ‘extra’
$5 is to cover those extraneous charges and still give the club a chance
to earn a few dollars.
Lastly – watch the website and the newsgroup on Thursday May 1st.
That will be when and where we post our go/no-go decision on weather.
To allow those who will be traveling to make a rational and timely decision,
particularly if they might be leaving on Friday, we’ll make the
call by 6:00 pm CDT on Thursday May 1st.
Club Equipment Maintenance
First of all, we’re doing pretty well with our treasury and our
primary expense is winch and retriever maintenance. Also, we have a
couple of members that bring their own personal equipment to the field
for others to use. This is very generous of them and it really helps
out the club.
I’m one of the winchmasters who has all club equipment. Those
who have been out at the field lately have probably noticed that the
retriever battery (Everlast) doesn’t last so long. As we’ve
had good experience with the Optima batteries, the membership agreed
to purchase another one to replace the Everlast. These are expensive
batteries, but they seem to standup well to the abuse we give them.
We hope to have the newest one before the contest.
Bill Estill has done another outstanding job for us by building an automatic
bailer for the retriever I keep. It works great – now I just have
to remember to bring the handle extension. Also, it looks like the spindle
bearings have finally given up. I’ll be trying to find a replacement
this week.
Lastly, we’re running into a whole bunch of line breaks lately.
Lately we’ve been able to cut out the bad line and keep going
because Walter has us all practicing on short winch lines, but I’ve
ordered some replacement line that we’ll be putting on the equipment
soon. It’s always trouble while we work out the twists and inevitable
breaks that occur with new line – please bear with us and recognize
that it’s better to happen before we have our contest on the 3rd.
All-season Fliers
My bad – I keep forgetting to get pictures. Please remind me when
we’re out at the field
-Keith
February
3, 2008
SUPERBOWL SUNDAY!
Three topics for this “building season”
1. Preparing
and planning for the LSS (LoneStar Soaring Series)
2. All-season fliers
3. That dreaded ‘maintenance’ stuff
Lone Star Soaring Series – May 3rd
May 3rd will be here before you know it and that’s the date we
host the opening of this year’s LSS. We’ll need lots of
Houston Hawks to participate and help with the hosting. Walter was ‘volunteered’
to be the CD and is looking for some help in running the contest.
We can’t rest on our laurels either. There will be some tough
competition gunning for us in 2008 and with the scoring format, the
more Hawks that show up, the better our chances of winning. Even better,
the more practice we get in, the better each of us will do. To that
end, every Saturday, we’ll have an impromptu and simple opportunity
for everyone to try a flight and landing task. Simple, easy, and very
educational.
All-season Fliers
For those that are interested in obtaining your All Season Flier patch,
I’ll be trying to record your monthly achievement. As an up-to-date
computer user, that will be through digital pictures or on the newsgroup
postings. Of course, we’ll have to impose on our webmaster to
keep some sort of standings and our Secretary to sign your application.
I know it’s a tough thing to accomplish, but those hardy Houston
Hawks are up to the task!
Airplane Maintenance
I know this ranks right up there with some of that motherly advice,
and frankly I still have some things I need to attend to. But, it still
needs to be said. Take this not-so-great-flying-weather opportunity
to check over your beloved airplanes. The time you spend now may save
a rebuild/rekit/wallet-busting later.
You all know what to check so I won’t belabor it here, but it’s
time well spent. Now I just need to take my own advice…….
Been some good thermals the past few weeks, hope to see you all out
there.
-Keith
December
30, 2007
The
Requisite Look Back, and Looking Forward
Let’s
get the bad news out of the way first – It’s a new year,
and that means it’s time to pay your dues. No increase in cost,
same as last year; $30 – Tommy’s waiting for your check.
What a great
year 2007 has been for the Houston Hawks! The most important and notable
aspect of 2007 has been the continued fun and camaraderie shared by
all during the year. I have flown with many other clubs and this is
without a doubt the one that I have enjoyed the most. It is a rare treat
to be able to associate with such fine people – thank you all!
Of course,
the Hawks did accomplish something a bit more tangible – creation
(and winners) of the South Texas Triad Series. This was so well received
that the Dallas fliers want to get in on the fun, too. In 2008, it will
be known as the LoneStar Soaring Series. This means the plaque shown
here will be retired, but it’s going to take some serious effort
to make sure the trophy comes back to Houston. There have been some
changes to the scoring format for 2008 that will strongly favor the
clubs with more members present at each contest. So we’ll be looking
for all our members to participate in this series. I know it’s
an effort to travel, but it is a really good time and the people at
these out-of-town clubs really appreciate the participation. If you’d
rather not drive, see if you can carpool with someone else – that
makes a shorter trip for everyone involved.
The Hawks
are hosting the first contest of the series on May 3rd. Mark your calendar’s
now. If you’re willing to help with running a smooth contest,
let me know. We’ll need help with winches, scoring, setting up,
breaking down, and general logistics.
In case
you haven’t noticed, the Hawks have also gotten quite a Handlaunch
group going. Thanks to Walter for organizing these contests. He’ll
be hosting these most every month and would like to invite everyone
to participate. Even if you don’t have a DLG, you can learn an
awful lot about handlaunch contests and how to thermal by coming out
and timing. You all know how important the timer is in Thermal Duration;
well the timer is even more important in handlaunch.
The Hawks
have been blessed with an unbelievably good flying field so close to
a metropolitan area. Please remember to thank the long-standing club
members for their foresight in obtaining this site and maintaining good
relations with our ‘landlords’. Keeping the field clean
and not making ruts has kept us in good standing – good job Hawks!
Our webmaster
has reminded me that I need to get our 2008 contest calendar finished.
Ooops! Watch the website to see if we can get something posted for January,
but if not we’ll definitely have something ready by February.
I’ll
try to keep these shorter in the coming months. Thanks for reading this
far,
-Keith
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