As the weather starts to improve, I'd like to relay a couple suggestions and observations to help us all have a great flying season:
- As we all bring our planes and equipment out of winter storage, please pay special attention to your battery packs, both for transmitters and airborne systems. While lithium batteries generally hold charge well for several months, NiCd and NiMh flight and battery packs should be cycled a couple times to make sure they are still good. Anything that is questionable should be replaced, for safety's sake. The same thing holds for checking nuts and bolt, linkages, wheel retainers, and so on, to make sure they are secure for the new season.
- With a lot of new projects from over the winter coming to the flight line for the first time, our sound check operation has been seeing a lot of planes over or very near the 90 dB limit. Our Sound and Safety officer, Tim, reported that more than half the planes tested this past weekend failed. I realize dialing in the components needed to meet the noise limit make take a couple efforts, but I need to stress that if you've been told your plane did not pass the noise measurement, you cannot continue to fly it, as it appears has happened a couple times recently. If we get noise complaints because a handful of folks feel entitled to bend the rules, we will win no friends with the park or our neighbors, and in all probability would need to impose an even lower noise limit in response. 90dB seems to be acceptable to our neighbors, but it only works if we honor that limit.
- Given the great cooperation we've had from the park about field improvements, it pained me to get an email from one of the park staff pointing out that, on a recent maintenance visit, it was noted that of 15 cars parked in our lot, not one had a parking sticker. I realize that there are others who park in our lot, but the email reported that when the park van pulled up, a rapid scurrying to the ticketing machine was observed. I'd ask you be mindful of our need to support the park in return for their support of us, and that if you're planning on being at the field regularly, the permits available at the park office are both a good deal, and a great alternative to having to keep a bunch of dollar bills on hand every time you come to the field.
- Moving forward, we will be rolling the field as soon as the weather permits, and will also be putting together a work party to extend the pavers under the charging area, now that the Park has provided us more outlets. Walle and his crew are mowing more frequently as the grass returns from dormancy, and would welcome volunteers, especially for the Monday mowing and the field rolling. And or course volunteers for improving the electric charging area would be most welcome
That's all for now except to wish everyone a great season!
Steve