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News Items
Hi all Well here we go. 4000sq feet of sod will be installed asap. We contracted with a sod company to install,fetilize and roll the grass in the rest of the pit area. The price was fantastic and if you come to the club meeting on Thursday the 15th you can hear all about it. We will also firm up the fun fly at that time. A WORD OF CAUTION the snakes are out now SO BE OBSERVENT AND DO NOT PICK UP ANY THING WITHOUT LOOKING FIRST. REMEMBER THIS IS THE DESERT AND THEY LIVE HERE TOO. If you must go out to get a downed aircraft TAKE A BUDDY WITH YOU. See you at the meeting Tom Tilley Pres. SLMAC
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Hi All Don't forget CLUB MEETING NIGHT May 15th at the usual place and time. BRING A FRIEND BRING A NEW MEMBER BRING YOUR SHOW AND TELL. Thanks to all. Tom Tilley Pres. SLMAC
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HAVE YOU: Sponsored a new member----made plans for the fun fly----been to the field----car pooled to our field----seen our field on the web site----used the field on your simulator----made plans for the club meeting in July where we will BBQ-Fly-MEET and plan for the future of our club ????? The board has been hard at work to make the club and the field a reality for YOU. SO COME ON DOWN!!!!! More grass soon for the pit area and the talks are still in progress for the off road rc trucks and cars track.. Give us your input and ideas. THANKS and fly safe. Tom Tilley Pres. SLMAC
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In preparation for the eFlight expo, I have remodeled our flying field for RealFlight. This airport is for version G4 and uses some collision meshes from expansion packs 3 & 4. If you do not have the expansion packs, you'll see an error that some objects cannot be found. Don't worry, the airport will still work - you'll just be able to taxi or fly through a few objects (particularly the roof of the main ramada and the start-up stands).
Thanks,
Doug
Note: This field has been updated since it was originally posted. So if you downloaded it prior to 3/30/08, please download it again.
![]() Sun Lakes Model Airplane Club_PI
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An interesting topic came up during the meeting last night and there really wasn’t time to discuss it in detail (nor was a lot of the membership present). So I thought I’d post some of my ideas as well as the comments made at the meeting here on the site; and allow everyone review them and add their own comments prior to our next meeting.
This topic was brought up by Tom Tilley, who reported that he had been approached by some RC car enthusiasts. These RCers would like to join our club so that they too would have a dedicated place to run and race their RC vehicles. It seems that every place that they can go is fairly expensive and has limited access.
The following are the primary pros & cons brought up at the meeting:
Pros:
1) Easy way to increase our membership.
2) More members equals a larger treasury.
3) With more members, everyone’s annual dues could be lowered.
4) Plenty of room available to support both RC activities.
Cons:
1) Potential for Us vs Them mentality.
2) Increased sources of noise.
3) Increased sources of dust.
4) Frequency control.
I personally think it is a good idea to allow other RC enthusiast into the club as I see the pros greatly out-weighing the cons, with a few caveats.
1) The three Cs (Courtesy, Coordination, and Cooperation) under which we currently operate would need to apply and be expanded to include all parties. Even now instructors with students, beginning pilots, fixed wing pilots, and heli pilots all work together and coordinate flying so as not to interfere with each other on a day-to-day basis. Fun-Flys, Rallies, and Races will all be club events and will require scheduling and coordination. Working parties will continue to be open to all members, after all the shovel doesn’t care who’s on the handle.
2) To avoid any Us/Them issues – we have one club with one charter. The same rules and privileges apply to all. All have to be members of the AMA and/or ROAR to have their RC vehicles covered by liability insurance. All members pay for the maintenance of the club infra-structure through the same dues structure. Our pit grass was donated by members, but all future major expenditures for improvements get voted on by the membership. With one possible exception to be grand-fathered: Say $4000 to be set aside for improving the runway (as the current membership has struggled and saved for several years to accumulate that amount for the field).
3) One frequency control/impound area that is expanded to include the 30 surface frequencies.
4) One common social area – the main ramada, with run-ups and tuning done at the other ramadas.
I don’t see dust or noise as being big issues. The proposed car track would be down field and behind the flight line. Both cars & planes can be noisy when right up next to them, but no run-ups are allowed in the main area and a little separation can make a lot of difference. Plus no one running a $200 RC engine is going to be a big fan of excess dust, the car folks will want to control this as much as the plane operators do. Just remember the 3 Cs and we can all work/play together.
Everyone, please add your own view-points to this blog so that we can discuss this and have a vote at the next meeting.
Doug
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Hi All
Well here it is again another year has come and gone. Your Sun Lakes MAC has come a long way and has a long way to go!!!
If you haven't renewed your membership as yet there is still plenty of room left open JUST FOR YOU.
The club has made GREAT progress toward having the BEST SITE IN THE STATE and we need you to help us into the future. How does a 50 X 500 ' GRASS runway with GRASS pit area and 84' of shade Ramada also starter benches and worktables.
Between now and early April we will be installing the rest of the pit and pilot area sod as the money has already been allotted and paid for. The underground irrigation has been completed for 6000 sq ft of grass, not counting the future work on the main runway grass.
Internet access will be coming soon as Sprint is just finishing the cell tower at the east end of the field for you laptop fans. This will allow us also monitor the Clubs equipment with remote camera viewing and alarm system hookup. Most of this stuff has been donated or purchased as a very reduced price. But it still takes over $250 a month to just make expenses with the portable outhouse and the rent to the landlord. These funds are derived entirely from club dues. So be thinking about club fund raising projects this year.
Just think, you will be able to go to our club web site on the internet and click on the “Club field camera icon” and see who is already at the field and what the wind conditions are before you head over for an afternoon of flying.
Come On Down!!! For those of you that have already renewed THANK YOU!!! The board will continue to move forward and will listen and act on your needs and wishes to make SLMAC better than ever.
Check out the article in the latest Model Aviation, page 181.
See you at the Club meeting every third Thursday at the Oakwood Country Club in Sun Lakes Az.
Welcome back and HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!
Tom Tilley Pres.SLMAC
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Check out your January copy of Model Aviation, page 181 for Wes De Cou's article on the new field dedication. A definite boost to our club efforts in procuring and construction of our facilities at the Felix Ranch, I would have liked to have seen a map published on how to get there, but that's what the Club website is for.
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Wow, would you like to get a ride in that thing, that is one brave man!.
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Click on Photo Galley in the column to your left and you will be automaticly taken to the server handling all of our pictures and the slide show will start in about 30 secs.
These are shots taken By Mike Ross at the London Bridge Classic
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Michael Ross posted this picture along with the notice on the London Bridge Classic flyin last week, The event is over but until he gets us some more pictures that were taken at the show I will hold this posting opening for comment and more pictures.
Click on the picture for a large view.
Chick on it again for an even larger view.
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After the grand opening and dedication of the field last Sat there's been discussion on the best days to fly and at which field in the future. Tues mornings seem to be the best day to fly electric at the Gilbert Rodeo grounds, one block south of Ray road on the east side of Val Vista in Gilbert. Thurs mornings and Sundays flying at the Felix field is the best way to find most of the regular flying members and newbies starting up in the hobby. This will allow you to have a mishap on Thursday and have two days to rebuild before Sunday. The board will take on any discussion as to the best day to find the most people at any one time.
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Note: we have received donations from various club members to cover the cost of the grass to date and more coming in every day. Thanks to everybody involved. Their names will be posted as soon as we straighten out all of the paperwork.
Jim Storts
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Thanks to Bob Edgar for the use of his BobCat to pull the last posts and signs at the old field and we will have a fly session as usual on Sunday morning just before we remove the last of the shade and cart it off to the new field at Felix Ranch.
Jim Storts
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