Club Meeting/ Jim Storts Memorial Mon Aug 18, 2008 @ 18:30:53 by dave.gomez@dkgomez.com
All,
A reminder that the 3rd Thursday of the month has rolled around again, and that we are meeting @ 7pm, regular location at the Oakwood Country Club (see About Us tab for directions). Also, Mike & Cecil have put together a video of the flyover, so make sure to take a peak, link below.
Best Regards,
Dave Gomez
ps sorry for the errant early email, finger slipped!
Field Rename Sat Aug 2, 2008 @ 13:13:21 by tktilley@cox.net
Hi all I have received many many requests from club members and have met with the board members and have been tentavely decided to rename the club field JIM STORTS MEMORIAL FIELD AT FELIX RANCH. Let me know if you have any thoughts on this . The rename will be announced at the Memorial Flyover on Saturday August 9th at 6:00 pm. Please be on the field at 5:45 pm to give time for parking and a short service proir to the fly over at 6:20 pm Bring your lawn chairs and the club will provide cold water and drinks. Thank you Tom Tilley Pres. Sun Lakes MAC Cell 480-236 -5305 home 480-963-9517
Jim Storts Memorial Sat Aug 2, 2008 @ 07:17:09 by tktilley@cox.net
Hi All Thank you to all who attended the Faith Family Church Memorial Service. The family and the Sun Lakes MAC will always remember the outpouring of love and respect for Jim. For those of you that are planning to attend the Memorial Flyover please bring your lawn chairs as we have no seating such as bleachers etc. We do have a large grass area and shade ramada for you to enjoy. The flyover is planned for approxamately 6:20 pm on Saturday August the 9th. Please plan to be on the field at least by 5:45 pm as we have a short announcement prior to the flyover.There will be cold drinks and water at no cost to you. The field will be open to any AMA member and for non AMA folks please come on as you are welcome also. We always will make our visitors WELCOME whether you are a flyer or would like to give it a try,or just like to watch. Please bring your sunglasses and if you need, your sunscreen. Check the website for directions and please be careful at the entrance as the driveway in is on the curve of Hunt Highway. Thank you and if you need please contact any Board Member or club member for any further information. Tom Tilley Pres. Sun Lakes MAC
Memorial Flyover Mon Jul 28, 2008 @ 22:11:11 by tktilley@cox.net
Hi All There will be a memorial flyover at the Felix Ranch field on August 9th at 6:00 PM. This will be on Saturday evening and the club will provide cold water and drinks free for all who attend. The field will be open for flying as usual. There will be a brief gathering and a moment of silence in tribute to Jim Storts VP OF Sun Lakes MAC prior to the flyover by Larry Dustman and his friends. Larry was a friend of Jim's for a number of years. Larry and his friends will be flying Stearman Biplanes and will perform a runway pass,teardrop turn and then the missing man pullup. Tom Tilley Pres.SLMAC
Thoughts about a friend Mon Jul 28, 2008 @ 21:49:00 by tktilley@cox.net
Hi All As you know by now we have lost a friend,club member,AMA Life member,and a man that will be missed dearly by all of us. Jim Storts was not only VP but a man who built pilots,future modelers,and kept us old timers focused on passing on our craft and passion for Aviation both large and small. "OPA" will always be in my heart and mind as he not only kept me inspired,but kept me focused on my job and passion for THE CLUB. His laugh and total disregard for the ground as he kept the rubber side UP. This past week he had told me of his mastering the art of rolling and looping his helo without need for his "famous bench time". Jim we will miss you but as you told me on a few occasions ".keep looking up and forward" Thank you and happy and safe landings old friend. Tom Tilley Pres. SLMAC
Memorial for Jim Mon Jul 28, 2008 @ 21:00:12 by dave.gomez@dkgomez.com
All,
I have received quite a few messages about Jim, and decided to share them as they come in. The will be displayed here on Jim's page. If you have any pictures or comments to share, I will gladly share them with the group, but you can also send comments to Tom Tilley also if you would like to have them shared at the memorial (as some of these surely will).
Jim Storts Passing Sun Jul 27, 2008 @ 10:27:09 by dave.gomez@dkgomez.com
In Loving Memory of Jim Storts
I forgot to mention previously the circumstances under which Jim perished, here is a local newsite with details.
As I sit here stunned, as most all of you probably are doing, having heard the news of Jim's passing, my heart goes out to his family Marilyn and Donna. For a man that was so giving, all I can think of is what I can do to help. My thoughts also wander to so much about what made Jim a great friend, and person.... His ease with laughter, oh how I will remember his laugh. His daring attitude toward flying, that this is fun no matter the outcome. The way he could jump in to work with both feet. The obvious way he just loved his family.
As for the club, all I can say that this man was the heart of the club, one that greatly influenced the tone and tempo of what we were about. The ease with which he brought people into the club, brought me in, made him a great ambassador to our hobby, one that so encouraged new folks to give it a try, it is as fun as it looks, and will excite you to your core. He will be irreplaceable in that role, and the depth of sadness I have cannot be measured at the moment.
A memorial service will be held for Jim at the Faith Family Church @7:30pm on Thursday. See below for additional Details. We have also been asked for "stories/memories" of Jim to be shared at the service. We can either get these to Tom and he can forward them to the pastor to be included in the service or you can share them yourself in person.
Memorial Service will be held at
Failth Family Church
101 E Comstock Dr
Chandler, Az
Fun Fly Sun Jul 20, 2008 @ 16:01:40 by dave.gomez@dkgomez.com
All,
we have some good fun out at the field today for the funfly, so I added a couple of pictures I took. Hopefully others that took some can send them to me or Jim Storts, and yours too will be added.
Sunday at the field Fri Jul 18, 2008 @ 15:44:40 by jstorts@cox.net
Just a quick reminder that this coming Sunday July 20th starting at 9 am is the club informal fun fly, meeting day at the field at 11 am, and hot weather "bring your own food to grill" cook-off. There will be cold water and sodas for everyone iced down and in the coolers. Bring your plane, your batteries, transmitters, and whatever for a morning of stick time and goofing off with plenty of shade and grass to park your planes in. See the photo gallery at the left of your screen for the latest pictures and a couple of overhead shots from our RPV staff.
Apologies to who ever might have tried to show up at the usual club meeting room at Oakwood County club in Sun Lakes for our regular meeting date, as we had mentioned a number of times that Oakwood CC would be shut down for repair of their water and electric system that week. With no restrooms or plumbing usable and the electric shut down, no air-conditions etc. and not to mention the bar would be closed. Duh.
grass in the pit area Thu May 8, 2008 @ 20:21:03 by tktilley@cox.net
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
THE CLUB Wed May 7, 2008 @ 05:44:16 by tktilley@cox.net
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
HAVE YOU ????? Wed May 7, 2008 @ 05:35:36 by tktilley@cox.net
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
SLMAC Field for RealFlight Sun Mar 30, 2008 @ 16:37:33 by dougkaye@cox.net
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.
Can RC aircraft and surface vehicles coexist? Fri Mar 21, 2008 @ 16:16:32 by dougkaye@cox.net
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.
President's Letter Thu Jan 17, 2008 @ 02:14:37 by jstorts@cox.net
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!!!
AMA MAG ARTICLE IS HERE Sun Dec 30, 2007 @ 04:45:28 by jstorts@cox.net
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.
London Bridge Classic pictures, part two Fri Nov 23, 2007 @ 22:02:44 by jstorts@cox.net
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
London Bridge Classic pictures Wed Nov 7, 2007 @ 13:44:15 by jstorts@cox.net
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.
Club flying schedules? Wed Oct 24, 2007 @ 20:27:16 by jstorts@cox.net
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.
New Field Wed Oct 10, 2007 @ 14:49:49 by jstorts@cox.net
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.
Last Days at Old Field Wed Oct 10, 2007 @ 14:48:08 by jstorts@cox.net
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
