Our club is fortunate to have flyers with great technical background in aviation and electronics. So please feel free to ask your questions, and give us your suggestions.
We also welcome suggestions and comments from international flyers who would like to give us the benefit of their experience or who just want to say hello.
Post your message to the Model Plane Forum here : delta@opus.co.tt
I was speaking to Evan Chapkis ( who is the CD) & he mentioned that Mark Mendonca had won the Masters Pattern meet in FLA last month & I was very elated for Mark. Could you please pass on my congratulations to Mark for me. I remember telling you 2 years ago that I attended a Pattern meet in Orlando in 1989 & I saw a pilot from Trinidad who won the Unlimited contest then...He was the person who got me hooked on Aerobatics. I had NEVER seen anyone who had flown so smoothly or precise before & I knew that was what I wanted to do. I went into IMAC Scale Aerobatics instead of pattern but the principle is the same. You had identified the person as Mark Mendonca but I have never had the opportunity to meet him personally. I only remember congratulating him in Orlando on his win but we never got to talking as he was busy preparing for his competition.
I have been very lucky to have met the "right people at the right time" & our new business "SEW BUSY" has secured the contract to do the custom embroidery for two major model meets here. We handle the Joe Nall Fly-In and the Masters World Aerobatic Championships both held in Greenville South Carolina. We also do custom embroidery for Carden Aircraft, Bob Godfrey Precision Aviation & many local model clubs in Georgia. We do their caps, golf shirts & jackets. Because of my close contacts in the modeling industry, my play is now my work.. :o)
Evan told me that Mark may be coming up to Tampa over the 21-22 nd weekend for the contest. If he is, I am looking forward to the pleasure of meeting him. I have also encouraged one of my aerobatic friend in Jamaica to come up to compete. He will be doing so & will be using my plane. Keep in touch....I'll send you a couple of photos of my family & my aerobatic plane right after this.....Bye.....Wayne Matthews
Mark, on behalf of the Trinidad & Tobago Model Aircraft Club we would like to congratulate you on your success at the Sawgrass Pattern Classic. It is quite an accomplishment to come first beating the 1997 Florida State Masters champion.
As usual we hope that you will share your knowledge and experience with the rest of the membership.
Regards,
Stephen Lutchman
Secretary (TTMAC)
Steve I am writing this the day after my return from the Sawgrass Pattern Classic held in Coral Springs, Florida. I finished in first place in the Masters class ahead of 5 other competitors. One of these was the 1997 Florida State Masters champion. He was second. I won every round except the 2nd where I was in the #2 spot. Personally I flew very well in the varying conditions. The Olympian worked flawlessly.
Saturday : After one practice flight in the morning, 4 rounds were flown that day. Firstly in light, cool crosswinds at 90 deg to the runway. In the afternoon conditions got almost perfect.
Sunday : This became real interesting with strong winds blowing from the opposite direction. The majority of the contest commented on how well they thought the airplane seemed to handle the windy conditions.
I would just like to thank Mike Defreitas. Without his support none of this would be possible.
Mark.
Thank you for the article "Takeoffs Made Simple". As a beginning RC Modeler, I found it to be very helpfull.
Mike Babnick
TRINIDAD AREA RADIO CONTROL CLUB
Trinidad, Colorado
Hi Steve,
Its Christmas Eve and would you believe I am thinking about Model Airplanes? - I feel that it is long overdue that something is done to dramatically uplift the hobby/sport of Radio Controlled Aero-modeling in Trinidad and Tobago, this is not to say that we have not already come a very long way, thanks to the efforts of the committee and some very devoted modelers.
I am sure we would all like to like to enjoy a suitable flying field we can call our own, regular competitions with foreign participation, enough consistent modeling at a level that would really make a local hobby-shop a viable enterprise etc. etc.
I feel that greater public awareness of our activities would be a good starting point - it certainly won’t hurt !
This is where I get up on my little soap box! - A few years ago we envisaged flying a model from San Fernando to Port of Spain and more spectacularly flying a model from our sister isle Tobago along the North Coast to Trinidad.
Unfortunately none of these aspirations "got off the ground" but I would certainly like to revamp these projects and would like to put together a team to look into it.
A lot of preliminary work especially on the technical side has already been done. In fact, you would recall that we did accomplish a successful test flight from San Fernando to Carson Field using my Goldberg Piper J-3 Cub with a payload of thirty two ounces of fuel. (The trip was accomplished using less than sixteen ounces, leaky Perry carb and all).
My Sig Piper J-3 Cub ¼ scale, stands available for the Tobago mission, we already have specially reinforced wings built with recesses for wing-tanks etc., the OS 120 Gemini-Twin is in excellent condition, and all we need maybe is some team effort.
I am certainly interested in getting these two projects off the ground and hope that with all this high tech Internet communications we now have maybe I can generate some enthusiasm once again. I am easy to find - cberkeley@yahoo.com
Merry Christmas, will talk to you soon.
Cheers,
CLETUS
In response to the dramatic rise in interest world-wide in simulated flying using personal computers (with programmes such as Microsoft Flight Simulator), the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale invited leaders of simulated flying organisations to an historic meeting in Paris on 8th December 1997. Four FAI founder members - France, Germany, Italy and Spain - were represented and the Netherlands submitted a detailed report.
The meeting, held at the prestigious headquarters of the Aero Club de France - which next year celebrates its centenary as the world's oldest national aero club - agreed that the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale should help develop international contest rules for simulated flying and should encourage the formation, within its national member organisations, of simulated flying groups.
A FAI Simulated Flying Working Party was established comprising representatives from FAI Air Sport Commissions (to ensure that simulated flying competitions remain as close to reality as possible) and leaders of national simulated flying federations. The group will assist in developing contest rules and defining levels of personal achievement. A report will be made to the FAI Council in May 1998.
A FAI Simulated Flying mailing list has been established . Anyone interested may subscribe by sending an email message to : simflying-info-request@fai.org, mentioning "subscribe" in the subject line.
Well Steve I have returned and to say it was a waste would be an understatement. The Florida weather did not coorporate this year at all. I arrived on Thursday afternoon in rain and left Monday morning in rain. It never stopped, not even for an hour or so. There was no practice flights and the contest was cancelled on Saturday morning at about 9am. Travelling is not cheap and you can imagine to tote this box around and then get all the way up there and not even fly a flight, well disappointing is not the word.
The one thing that came out in meeting with Dave Stodart and some of the U.S. FAI class was that the World Championships will be held in Florida in 1999. This is a fantastic opportunity for me or should I say the club to actually send a team to this great contest. We may never have another chance like this.Dave Stodart also flies in the Masters class and both himself and I have decided to start practicing the FAI sequencesin 1998. Dave is also eligible to fly for Trinidad since he is a U.S. resident but not a citizen. To achieve this we will need the help of TTMAC. The body that sends the team must be affiliated with the FAI and this may require some ground work. Once this is done TTMAC can select a team to send.
As you know this has been a dream of mine for sometime and I would really like to attend in 1999.
If we can hold some discussions on the subject I am available so let me know. That's all for now.
Mark.
David Stodart, From Orlando
THE "ISLAND MAN"
Dave is one of the better-known flyers around the pattern circuit. His origin is a bit unusual. He was born in the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, a country made up of two islands that lie off the coast of Venezuela in the Caribbean Sea. Dave was born in Trinidad, the larger of the two islands. The country covers about 2,000 square miles, roughly the size of the state of Delaware, and claims a population of 1.3 million. Dave represents the third generation of Stodarts in Trinidad. His Grandfather started it all when he left Scotland for a new life in South America. Dave attended high school and college in Trinidad.
In 1985, inspired by his brother-in-law, Dave began his career in modelling whth a control line airplane. It didn't go well! Dave got dizzy from the constant turning so he looked for some other aspect of the hobby to pursue. He took a turn at radio controlled trainer airplanes and immediately fell in love with the sport.
Later in 1986, Dave immigrated to the United States. His first stop was in Corvallis, Oregon, a city of about 45,000 people licated 75 miles south of Portland and about 50 miles from the Pacific Ocean. In Corvallis, Dave found a sharp contrast in the weather from the tropical climate he had left in Trinidad. He also found the Benton County Radio Control Club, a very friendly group of flyers, and Dave finally began to learn the basics of radio control. The Benton Club continues to stay in touch with Dave, periodically sending him their newsletter.
In 1987, Dave left the west coast for Orlando where he joined the Remote Control Association of Central Florida (RCACF) club where his initial interest was in Sport flying. In 1991, he entered his first Pattern contest, the annual Tangerine event at Apopka, and flew in the Novice class. After that first contest, Dave moved up to Sportsman. In 1993, he moved up to Advanced and in June 1996, he made the move to Masters, his current level.
In the early days of his career, Dave dabbled in sport flying. But today he is exclusively a Pattern flyer. He is competing with a Jekyll powered by a YS 1.2 and uses a Futaba Super 7 radio system. In addition to membership in the AMA, he is a member of the National Society of Radio Controlled Aerobatics and Florida Pattern Association.
Dave gives major credit for his steady advancement to Jason Shulman. Dave says that Jason has always been there with guidance, advice and unlimited patience. Catherine, Dave's wife of 25 years, and his three sons all are enthusiastic in their support of his flying activities, another important factor in helping him move up the Pattern ladder.
Dave is also an active businessman. He is the owner of a thriving beauty salon in Orlando and he is a professional musician. In Trinidad, Dave learned the native music, calypso, and how to play a native instrument, the steel drum. He brought all this with him to the states and now plays the steel drums professionally. Dave performed at the King Orange pattern contest in 1995 and we hope he will honor us with a demonstration of his musical skills again soon. ( Hint!, Hint! )
Dave regards RC Pattern flying as a fantastic area of the hobby. He looks forward to every pattern meet for both the flying challenge and the camaraderie among the many nice people in the sport. On the competitive side, Dave is all business when it comes time to fly. His determination and congeniality have made him a popular competitor.
Dave has some ambitious goals for himself as a pattern flyer. He wants to be the best possible competition flyer. With this goal in mind, he is aiming at the top of the sport, FAI level, and the competition associated with the world championships. Today, his presence is being felt among Masters flyers. His determination, a supportive family, and a super coach ,all add up to a guy to be reckoned with in the future.
ROGER
Novice
Like most sports, pattern is fed from the bottom. And usually by the young and/or unwealthy. These days it is pretty disheartening to see someone who may be interested in pattern be put off by the stiff price tag. Even novices are showing up with $2000 plus aircraft. The following suggestion is meant only to stimulate thought along these lines and I don't know if it could be made to work, but here it is anyway.
Suppose we had a class for low-cost entry level pattern flying called KAOS Novice. The standard Novice pattern would be used, but only Kaos designs and their kit derivatives would be allowed. Total Chaos, Super Kaos, etc., i.e. any kit produced with Kaos or Chaos in the name would be eligible. Scratch building would be okay as long as the kit plans were strictly followed. If retracts are installed, they must be left down. The engine must be a two-stroke with a maximum displacement of .61, but it's okay to run a pipe. Sound interesting? Let me know what you think.
-Ron Ellis
From: m.s.m.@trinidad.net
Date: 6 Dec 97 06:49:38 -0400
Subject: Tangerine Contest
On Monday the 8th I am off to the Tangerine. If all goes well, the OLYMPIAN will be the equipment of choice. This contest is held in Apopka, Florida and should have around 45 contestants.
The Masters class is very competitive and quite a few people that fly in this class could probably do quite well in FAI with a bit more money and time. I personally have flown in this class for two years now and still don't feel that the move up can be made.
Hopefully the result of this contest will be a good one and make the money, time and effort worth while. If any of you out there from other Carribean Islands or anywhere really will be going, please let me know.
Mark Mendonca
From: Stephen Lutchman
Date: 6 Dec 97 06:49:38 -0400
Subject: Mark Mendonca goes to the Tangerine Contest
The Trinidad and Tobago Model Aircraft Club would like to wish Mark Mendonca all
the best in the Tangerine Contest. Mark has been a very consistent and dedicated flyer over the years, and will represent Trinidad & Tobago well.
The club hopes that when Mark returns he will share his experience with us by writing an
article for our web page.
Steve Lutchman
Secretary TTMAC