host of the neat fair silents please

HOST OF THE NEAT FAIR

Dear SEFLI’ers

Welcome to 2008 members! The New Year

awakens with some pretty warm weather! The

first full weekend of the New Year brought with it

50°+ of warmth! Will it last? I doubt it. I don’t

think global warming has progressed that far yet!

We should be knee deep in snow before this

month is out!

Our first new business of the New Year is to welcome Rick Cascella as our new

Treasurer. Outgoing Treasurer Joe Cabana did a fine job of managing both the SEFLI

and NEAT fair accounts. Joe will continue to be our webmaster. The remaining offi-

cers are sure that Rick will do a fine job at filling those shoes that Joe is removing.

Our holiday party at John Harvard’s seemed to be well received. Even some old

friends we have not seen in a while decided to come! We filled the room to capacity

with 55 members and family. I thank you all that participated. The restaurant crew did

an excellent job of keeping us well feed and liquefied! The food and drink were ex-

ceptional!

Flying indoor continues at the Samoset Middle School on the second Sunday of Feb

and March for those of you who don’t relocate south or don’t fly outdoors below 40°.

The January general meeting is SEFLI’s flee market night. Bring down anything worth

selling. Dues are due by the end of the month or you will be dropped from the news-

letter list. Dues remain $25.00 for the year. You may pay Wingnutz dues also at the

same time if you like by adding the additional $15.00. Please pay the new treasurer

Rick Cascella the funds at the January meeting or by sending a check made out to

SEFLI to Rick Cascella, 181 Beaver Dam Rd. Brookhaven, NY 11719.

Speaking of the Wingnutz, Joe Picone, the land owner has given us permission to

remove the lone birch tree in the southwest corner of the field. He has also informed

me that the rest of the trees on west side of the property will also be removed some-

time this spring. This will open up the field for departures and approaches from just

about anywhere EXCEPT OVER THE TRAILERS! The trailer re -seller will be given

an additional 40ft to store his trailers. This will make it even more imperative that we

NOT overfly that area!

On a final note, with the departure of Dave Mathewson as AMA District II VP for the

office of AMA president, his successor has been named. His name is Gary Fitch and

can be reached at: [email protected] . Our very own Ray Juschkus will remain

AVP of the Long Island area.

See ya’ll at the meeting or come on down to Samoset!

Prez Tom

Dedicated to the Advancement of Electric Flight

Silents Please

The Newslet ter o f the Silent E lectric Flyers o f Long Island

President:

Tom Hunt

(631) 835-5359

[email protected]

Vice President:

Jim Reid

Secretary:

Alan Ford

Treasurer:

Rick Cascella

Newsletter Editor:

Jim Perlowsky

[email protected]

SEFLI Main Website:

www.sefli.org

SEFLI Newsletter:

www.sefli.org/news.htm

SEFLI Current Events:

www.sefli.org/current.htm

SEFLI Web Forum:

http://sefli.proboards11.com

NEAT FAIR:

www.neatfair.org

For changes in the monthly

meeting or contest dates due

to weather/conflicts contact

Tom Hunt at the above phone

or e-mail.

Prez Sez by Tom Hunt

January 2008

Prez Sez 1

Watts Up? 2

Holiday Party 3

Hill AFB Museum 4,5

From The Field 6

Snow Flying 7

Schedule of Events 8

Inside this issue:

SILENTS PLEASE

Watts Up?

Club Dues Are Due!

Club Dues are due! We are actively collecting 2008

dues. You need to have your AMA membership up-

dated before you can submit your dues. You can pay

the $25 in CASH at any meeting or by check (made

out to SEFLI) and send to:

Rick Cascella

181 Beaver Dam Road

Brookhaven, NY

11719

Please advise if any membership data (AMA number,

address, etc.) has changed.

Dues MUST be submitted by Jan 31st or you will be

dropped from the club roster and news board.

Indoor Flying

For the winter of 2007-08 SEFLI has secured the Samoset Middle School large gym

(formerly Sachem South High School) on School Rd, Ronkonkoma, NY for Sunday af-

ternoon indoor flying from 1 -4PM. Last year we were only permitted in the large gym if

it was not in use (rare). The large school gym is available to us on the second Sunday

of the month from October to April without conflict from other activities. All current AMA

members are invited, but must present AMA card if requested. All model must be elec-

tric powered (no fossil fuel engines). Batteries must be charged in fire retardant boxes

while on the premises.

For more details and directions go to: http://www.sefli.org/Indoor/Indoor.php

Flea Market Night

The January meeting is our traditional Flea Market Night.

Bring down anything worth selling and unload that stuff you

don’t need or will never get to. Remember to bring some cash

as we all know one man’s junk is another man’s treasure!

SILENTS PLEASE

2007

Holiday

Party

Photos by Lionel Bernstein

SILENTS PLEASE

A Trip to Hill AFB Museum By Tom Hunt

I took a business trip for Grumman to Hill Air Force Base in Ogden, Utah (near Salt Lake City) to visit the A -10 Thunder-

bolt II depot. They’re installing a new “precision engagement” system to drop “smart bombs” more effectively. Once busi-

ness was done on my last day, I had a few hours to go over to their small indoor/outdoor museum on the NE corner of

the field. The museum is open to the public most days, run by volunteers (where have we seen that before!); however

there is no charge to enter. They do have donation boxes sprinkled about the place.

Because of the small indoor space available many aircraft are weathering outside. Large aircraft on display include a

Globemaster, B-29, C-130, B-1, B-47, B-52, Caribou, C-119 (remember “Flight of the Phoenix”?) and a few helicopters.

There was also a nose section outside by the B -52 of a B-26 Martin Marauder. I did not spend a lot of time outdoors with

the high winds and temperature hovering around freezing. Inside the specially erected metal buildings was a room dedi-

cated to “the early years” up to the Korean War. In it was a non -flying replica of a later Wright brothers aircraft (I think the

first one they sold to the Army) B -17, B-24, C-47, B-25, P-51, P-47, P-38, and P-61. I had never seen a P -61 before,

what an immense aircraft! I could not get that close to it as they were working on a nearby display and had the area

roped of. They also had many large scale models hanging about the place. I did notice that some were “reasonable” fac-

similes of the aircraft, but nothing a “scale modeler” would be proud of.

The B-25 was a bit “weird”. The aircraft was sitting on its wheels, but on concrete pillars about 3 feet high. The bomb bay

was left open so you could look inside, but the main gear doors (the larger one recycles closed once the gear is out)

were “nailed shut” but looked like they were never there in first place, no seams! The same was true for the nose gear. It

was funny to see the gear down and no wells behind them! It looked like a fixed gear version, very strange! Maybe the

aircraft bellied in and they wrote it off instead of repairing it. Perhaps it was repaired only to make it a museum piece.

The P-51(D) made up into a Tuskegee airman squadron was a bit odd too. The prop on it was neither the Hamilton Stan-

dard (cuffed or uncuffed) version or the Aeroquip prop (later version, usually on the K version Dallas, TX made “D”). No

one around knew the history of the aircraft. The spinner did match the prop pretty well, so it may have been a low -

production version of the prop. I have just never seen it on any in -war aircraft or restored vehicle before.

In the next building (about twice the size) was the newer aircraft. They had two F -105 “Thuds” (one an early wild -

weasel), an F-4, F-111, F-15, A-10, and an out of place F -18 (it is an Air Force museum after all!). They also had a Viet-

nam era Skymaster with rockets and bombs. One of the very few remaining SR -71 Blackbirds was also on display.

I certainly could not go away from the museum without bringing something home from the gift shop (besides my pictures)

so I went in and bought a couple of T -shirts and a hat, very reasonably priced! I did not submit many indoor photos to our

NL editor as my flash was not quite up to the task. Enjoy!

SILENTS PLEASE

SILENTS PLEASE

From the field...

Photographs by Jim Perlowsky

SILENTS PLEASE

A Day At The Field by Tom Reilly

Venturing out to Calverton is always fun, but it has on a different persona when winter

takes hold. Sunday Dec 2nd was just one of those days. I think it is fair to say that it

was considered the first official snow day of the year.

Tommy and I enjoy this kind of flying, not usually a crowded flight line, and no wind or

rain. Of course, when we arrived (and left) there was no one else there, the snow was

light, but the temperature was in the mid 20’s making anything longer than a four min-

ute flight without gloves unbearable. Tommy wanted more stick time with his E -Flite

Mini Edge. It cut through the snowy air without any effort, and his T3D was right at

home, the larger planes were a bit easier to see.

My Super Sportster with the larger wheels had no problem with the light accumulation

of snow on the field. I had only wished I had a couple warbirds to stage in the wintry

scenes.

Mini Edge & T3D waiting

their turn while the Sportster

gets a battery change.

This .25 size Super Sport-

ster Was built from a 1988

kit Part of the John Sermos

collection. Waiting for the

De-Icing crew to arrive!

SEFLI SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

Silents Please

Jim Perlowsky, Newsletter Editor

41 Buhl Lane

East Northport, NY 11731

Jan 13 Indoor Flying @ Samoset Middle School

Jan 15 General Club Meeting at Holtsville/Flea Market

Feb 10 Indoor Flying @ Samoset Middle School

Feb 19 General Club Meeting at Holtsville

Feb 22-24 WRAM Show

March 9 Indoor Flying @ Samoset Middle School

March 18 General Club Meeting at Holtsville

Wingsuit flying uses special jumpsuit that shapes the human body

into an airfoil that creates lift. Wingsuit flyers manipulate the shape

of their body to create the desired amount of lift and drag. A wing-

suit can reduce terminal velocity dramatically, a momentary speed

of 25 mph has been recorded, however 60 mph is more typical.

The suit also enables the wearer to travel longer distances horizon-

tally; glide ratios of 2.5:1 are commonplace.

host of the neat fair silents please

Documents