Newsletter 427 – April 2020 - NSW Aeromodellers · 2020. 5. 8. · ANSW is a fully-fledged aeromodeller and loves flying just as much as you do. We try our best to stay in touch

Zoom meetings look like becoming the norm for many businesses and organisations. Friday 17th April saw ANSW hold its General Bi-Monthly Management Committee Meeting entirely over Zoom for the first time. The whole event went off perfectly and we had 25 members, including the entire committee connect in to the meeting which ran for just over 2 ½ hours. This really proved that the technology can work and looks like being a way that we can draw participation from our non Sydney clubs in the future. At this stage we are also looking to hold the June meeting, incorporating the 2020 AGM over this medium.

Newsletter 427 – April 2020

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Contents Contents ....................................................................................................................................................... 2 Diary Notes ................................................................................................................................................... 3 Contacts ........................................................................................................................................................ 3 COVID19 and its Impact on our Sport Your ANSW Fees for 2020-21 .......................................................... 4 General Bi-Monthly Management Committee Meeting Minutes ............................................................... 6 Aeromodellers NSW 2020 Calendar ........................................................................................................... 17 Club News & General Interest .................................................................................................................... 19

Find a Kit – the Answers .......................................................................................................................... 19 Viewpoint: How WW1 changed aviation forever ...................................................................................... 20 Event Updates ............................................................................................................................................ 23

COMSOA Scale Fun Fly – 16-17 May - CANCELLED ................................................................................. 23 MDMAS Veterans’ Gathering – Postponed to 14-15 Nov ...................................................................... 24 Coffs Coast RC Flyers 4th Annual Fun Fly-In & Swap Meet – 5-7 June - TBC ........................................... 25

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Diary Notes Next Aeromodellers NSW Bi-Monthly Management Committee Meeting,incorporating the 2020 AGM. Friday 12th June, 8:00pm Internet via ZOOM – instructions will be advised to Club Execs via bulletin. Following Aeromodellers NSW Bi-Monthly Management Committee Meeting. Friday 14th August 2019, 8:00pm Venue TBA Newsletter #428 (May 2020) deadline for submissions: Friday 22nd May 2020.

Contacts President

Tim Nolan [email protected] 0412 173 440

Vice Pres

Vacant [email protected]

Secretary

Clive Weatherhead [email protected] c/o Battery Business Unit 14, 3 Vuko Place Warriewood NSW 2102

0404 826 880

Treasurer/ State Field Officer

Steve Norrie [email protected] 0418 874 740

Registrar

David Lewis [email protected] PO Box 7291, SOUTH PENRITH 2750

02 4736 2611 0439 264 220

Newsletter Editor

Rob Masters [email protected]

0418 160 295

Public Relations Officer and Webmaster

Aranka Nolan [email protected]

0419 540 104

CFI

George Atkinson [email protected] 0414 972 118

Deputy CFI North

Martin Cochrane [email protected] 02 6658 2364

Deputy CFI South

Brendan Tucker [email protected] 02 6931 1025

Join us on Facebook

Please forward any changes of mail or email address together with your AUS Number directly to the Registrar

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COVID19 and its Impact on our Sport Your ANSW Fees for 2020-21

The ANSW fees for the upcoming year are set at the April meeting each year and I am very pleased to tell you that, for this year only, senior members renewing by 31st July 2020 will receive a reduction of $15, an ‘earlybird discount’, making their ANSW fee only $30. Other than that, the fees are unchanged from those that were set last year. So, the ANSW fees for the upcoming membership year are: Full year

Half year

Seniors $45 (reduced to $30 if paid and registered by your club by 31st July 2020)

$25

Juniors $0 $0 Please note that this does not include the MAAA fee as this will be determined at the MAAA Conference in late May. The earlybird discount is an acknowledgement that it has been a very difficult flying year for most of us, with fires, then flooding and then Covid19 Pandemic lockdowns. Flying has been severely limited and, as a result, the attendees from around the state at the April meeting agreed to provide a one-off early payment reduction of the fees for all returning MAAA members. To receive the earlybird discount your club must have completed your MAAA renewal by July 31st 2020. This will require your club to have received your payment and to have your renewal updated in the MAAA database by the end of July. We sometimes get asked what ANSW provides for its members, so here are a few examples:

∑ Registration of all individual members in NSW (over 2000 people) including maintenance of a database of people, their flight qualifications, clubs etc

∑ Maintenance of a register of NSW flying sites with the Civil Aviation Safety Authority ∑ Processing and obtaining area approvals for member club fields and other flying sites ∑ Negotiating and obtaining increased height limits and height exemptions for clubs and for

competitions and major events ∑ Public display approvals ∑ Heavy and Giant model inspectors ∑ Provision of flight training courses ∑ Provision of instructor training and qualification

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∑ Financing and provision of the state flying field at Cootamundra in the south, which is available to all MAAA members and for special events with prior notification to the host club

∑ Soon, we hope, the development and provision of a second state field, north of Sydney, again available to all MAAA members (which has taken a few years to find and should provide a sensational facility for many years to come)

∑ Frequent newsletters throughout the year ∑ The nsw.aeromodellers.org.au website and facebook pages, including facilities for people

to find a club near them and to contact us with questions and ideas ∑ Communication with club executives on key issues that clubs need to be dealing with ∑ Assistance and support for clubs and members on difficult issues, challenges to flying

fields, legal matters and complications with landlords or local authorities ∑ Support, both technical and financial, for clubs in difficulty or in need of help with essential

expenditure ∑ Liaison with the federal body, the MAAA, and involvement in key matters such as safety,

training and operating procedures, as well as representation at a CASA and government level on aeromodelling issues

∑ Representation with state bodies such as Sports NSW to ensure that our members can receive grant funding (as, last year, with the defibrillator grant)

∑ Co-ordination of safety matters and incident reporting so that all clubs can benefit from something that has been learned (often the hard way) at a club anywhere in the country

Most of all we try to make sure that our clubs and their individual members can continue to enjoy their aeromodelling with minimum red tape and maximum fun. Everyone who volunteers to help ANSW is a fully-fledged aeromodeller and loves flying just as much as you do. We try our best to stay in touch with people all around the state and to make sure that we are always on hand to help, when it is needed. It’s lovely to be able to provide some good news in these very difficult times. I’m looking forward to all the maiden flights when we get back to flying, as soon as it is legal and responsible to do so. If you ever have a thought on something that ANSW can do for your club, or even if you just want to volunteer, please get in touch with me, or our long-suffering secretary, Clive. Our wishes are with you, and your family and friends, for a safe and healthy return to normality. Tim Nolan President Aeromodellers NSW

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General Bi-Monthly Management Committee Meeting

Minutes Aeromodellers NSW Inc Venue: Zoom Video Conference

Friday 17th April 2020

Meeting Opened : 7:42pm Attendees in person: None Attendees via Zoom online: Clive Weatherhead – WRCS, Rob Masters – WPMAC, Dave Lewis – Coota,

Tim Nolan – ROW, Aranka Nolan – ROW, Steve Norrie – NSW Scale, Tom Tobin – RFC, Paul Collins – RFC, Tim Ingham – WRCS, Jason Burcher – PRCAC, Stephen Lange – PRCAC, Jeremy Randle – NSW Pylon, Geoff Jones – SNMAC, Ken Hartley – GDAMA, Bob Carpenter – HMAS, David Kennedy – SSSME, Bruce Thrift – CVRCMAC, Anthony Russell – CVRCMAC, Paul Phibbs – CVRCMAC, Trevor Smith – AEFA, Hutton Oddy – NEMAC, Bill Swan – UMAC, Daryl Wolfe – GMAC, Greg Hoy – CMAC, George Atkinson - WRCS

Visitors: None Apologies: None Minutes: Motion: That the minutes of the Bi-Monthly meeting held on the 7th February 2020 at

Dooley’s Waterview as published in Newsletter 425, February 2020, and the financials for December and January distributed in email bulletin 20 be accepted as a true and correct record of that meeting.

Moved: UMAC Seconded: RFC Carried Business Arising:

1. Standing item - Major ANSW event in 2020 – the October 2019 meeting agreed that a major state event is a good idea. Item deferred for discussion at an ANSW committee meeting to bring proposals back to bi-monthly management committee. No proposal yet, due to the extensive activity on a new flying field and the restrictions placed by Covid-19

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Correspondence: Correspondence In Source Content Outcome and matters arising Lenise Walker – Warialda RCMAC

Request for gifts/giveaways for a local event that Warialda Club would be attending

Boxes of chuck gliders and flyers supplied

Lessee – sub lease of Cootamundra field

Return of key after termination of lease arrangement

Info only

David Balfour – TCMAC

Details of Autumn Scale Rally – 1/2/3 May 2020 Published ANSW newsletter

Bruce Thrift – CVRCMAC

Request for templates for field lease agreements with government bodies

Referred to two clubs that had gone through same process

Tyson Dodd – MAAA

Documents for MAAA council to consider and vote on proposed land acquisition by MAAA to be leased by ANSW

Voted 24/2/20. Proposal failed 16 votes to 5

Ross Finocchiaro – President – Northern Territory

Would be unable to read the proposal for land acquisition within the next 6 days and would be unable to attend the council teleconference on the issue, nor would the NT Secretary.

Info only

Roy Summersby – NSW Free Flight

Document of concerns in relation to proposed land purchase for MAAA council consideration

Considered. Corrections and additional information provided at the council teleconference

Basil Healy – Archville Eagles

Requesting confirmation that a site had been registered for RC flying

Confirmed

Don Grant – SAM600 – Victoria

Request for proposed changes to Old Timer rules sent

Brian Laughton – SAM600 – Victoria

Request for proposed changes to Old Timer rules sent

Peter Van de Waterbeemd – President SAM1788

Feedback on proposed rule changes to Old Timer competitions

Copied to MAAA

Ian Harris Questions about CASA’s intentions given the social media commentary on possible regulations overseas

Referred to CASA and MAAA pages which give the situation for Australia

A resident near Cootamundra

Enquiry concerning aircraft flying near or over private property

Passed to Cootamundra club to resolve and matter dealt with

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Correspondence In Source Content Outcome and matters arising Matt – Deniliquin MAC

Notice of property address for flying site to be added to MAAA and CASA records

Confirmed

Kieran McCullagh – Canberra Air Force Cadets

Looking for a suitable location for Cadets Model Drone programme

Enquiry passed to representatives of nearby clubs and followed-through

Tyson Dodd – MAAA

Minutes from December MAAA Presidents’ Meeting

Info only

Tom Tobin – Rebel Club

Enquiry concerning NSW Workplace Health and Safety legislation on club maintenance and activities

Answered. Note that, as a general comment, volunteer activity does not constitute a workplace, but standard duties of care apply

Ken Hartley Enquiry concerning area approval Answered Tom Tobin – Rebel Club

Incident report for incident at Rebel Club on 29th Feb 2020. Prop strike, finger damage.

Passed to MAAA and to NSW safety officer

Tom Tobin – Rebel Club

Request to CASA for NOTAM 2000ft 1000m radius for Middlebrook Station 20/3 to 22/3

Submitted for publishing by CASA

David Bailey – COMSOA

Request to CASA for information concerning renewal of area approval

Directed to Tim Nolan – ANSW. Please note that any club requiring area approval will need to submit risk assessment (template/examples available), Google maps/earth picture with area of operation and boundary co-ordinates highlighted, evidence of landowner approval and a copy of club restrictions/rules that members or visitors must follow. Further information is available from Tim Nolan at ANSW

Michael Ford – LTMFC

Indication that LTMFC will submit an application under club assistance scheme. Note that a subsequent communication has been received confirming that an application will NOT be submitted this year

Noted. All applications, please, to Clive Weatherhead. [email protected] before 30/4/20

Malcolm Robertson – JFANSW

Risk assessment and request for CASA approval for jet event at West Wyalong 3-5 April

Submitted to CASA

Tyson Dodd – MAAA

Indication that MAAA annual conference in Sydney 16/17 May 2020 will now be held as a teleconference with limited attendees in view of Coronavirus development

Info only

mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]

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Correspondence In Source Content Outcome and matters arising Dave Bolstad – Safety Reporting Officer – WRCS

Notification and report on an incident in Feb 2020 involving an aircraft crash. No injuries, third party property damage or insurance implications

Forwarded to NSW safety officer

Dooleys Waterview

Notification of closure during Covid 19 outbreak Bi-monthly meeting moved to Zoom video conference

Graeme Frauenfelder – Twin Cities MAC

Postponement of Autumn Scale Rally (1-3 May) and EDF weekend 23-24 May

Published

Neil Tank – MAAA

Extension of instructor requalification programme deadline to 30/6/21

Circulated to CFIs

Rob Masters – ANSW

To all events contacts checking whether forthcoming events were cancelled or postponed

Responses collated and published

Byron Simpson

Notification that Scale F1 Air Races 25/26 April cancelled

Published

Jeremy Randle – NSW Pylon

Notification that NSW pylon racing events would be suspended until further notice

Published

Jason Russ - Comsoa

Comsoa scale funfly 16-17 May cancelled (may be on at a later date)

Published

Ian Avery – The Australian Thermaleer

Copy of Jan to Mar 20 newsletter. Passed to ANSW Newsletter Editor to liaise re circulation

Various clubs Enquiries concerning need for closure of club fields due to Covid 19

Notification sent for ANSW president confirming that clubs should close until restrictions are lifted

Various clubs Notification of field closures Infor only. Each club to notify members

Trevor Smith Notification of a malicious site error reported by Norton for the ANSW website

Being resolved

Gerry Carter – League of Silent Flight

Cancellation of Jerilderie tournament Published

Matt – Drone Racing Australia

Notification that all Drone Racing Australia events are cancelled until further notice

Published

Cory Eustace – MDMAS

Veterans Gathering postponed from May until 14-15 Nov 2020

Published

Various members

Enquiry concerning partial refund of fees or extension during flying hiatus

In discussion at federal and state level, as well as with local clubs

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Correspondence In Source Content Outcome and matters arising Bob Carpenter – HMAS

Enquiry concerning MAAA and ANSW approach to fees for 2020-21 year given Covid-19

To be communicated to all clubs when known

Geoff Jones – Springwood Nepean Club

Enquiries concerning the MAAA club assistance scheme.

Answered. See new business for this meeting

Stephen Weatherstone

Enquiry concerning Golf NSW approach to Covid-19 and whether aeromodelling should be treated the same

Answered

Late Correspondence Not Yet Dealt With Source Content Outcome and matters arising Correspondence out Source Content Outcome and matters arising Tim Nolan – ANSW

To CASA. Documentation for area approval for Shoalhaven MFC

Approved

Tim Nolan – ANSW

To MAAA. Input on proposed flight training initiative led by O’Reilly Model Products

Info only. With MAAA to progress

Dave Lewis – ANSW

Bulletin to clubs – Community Sport Guidelines on Covid 19

Sent

Motion: That the inward correspondence is accepted, and the outward correspondence be adopted. This motion was not presented at the meeting as the correspondence was not read out. Reports Treasurer Steve Norrie The February and March reports were presented and will be circulated in an email bulletin. Expenses incurred by committee members were presented for approval. Motion: That the Treasurer’s reports be accepted, and the accounts presented be approved for payment. Moved: GMAC Seconded: SNMAC Carried

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President and CASA Liaison Tim Nolan It has been a very busy period for ANSW with our land purchase application, CASA approval processing, Covid19, preparation for the MAAA Council Conference and the rewriting of the MAAA MOPs all adding to our usual workload. The Annual MAAA Conference will be held on 16th May, online with just the Presidents of each state body and special interest groups attending. With the meeting needing to be held by video conference, the agenda has been trimmed to cover the critical elements and will defer non-urgent issues to the next meeting. Issues such as Insurance, fees and budgets will be the focus for the meeting. On the CASA front there have been some delays in completing applications but as flying has been restricted there has been no impact on operations; these will be completed in the next few weeks. There is currently an extensive rewrite in progress of the MAAA operational and administrative processes and procedures. Some people have been asked to review and comment on the new draft documents, if you would like to be involved then please drop me a line. In relation to Field Closures, our recommendation on this was not an easy decision for ANSW. We all need to consider the very difficult and unique times that we are experiencing, with social distancing and restrictions on numbers. The New South Wales Emergency Legislation sets out 16 reasons why you can leave your home that fit under four headings for the essential reasons. The requirement, for everyone’s benefit, is that we stay home unless it is essential for us to go out and this was forefront in our decision to recommend that clubs should temporarily suspend flying operations. This is not to the time to try and find loopholes and workarounds… we need to respect the intent of this action being taken… I am certain that NONE of us want to be responsible in any way for an outbreak of Covid19. Consider that a large percentage of our members are in the high-risk categories. If people were to attend the field, we know that we should not fly alone and are currently restricted to a maximum of two, so what happens when a third person arrives? We have heard members suggesting that if golf is allowed then so should aeromodelling be, but there is a substantial difference between the exercise levels of the two. If you are still in doubt, please ask yourself whether ‘popping out for a fly’ is in the spirit of ‘staying home for the benefit of the entire population unless you have an essential reason to go out’. The potential for police action is high, as is the risk of complaint and reporting by locals, and it would also leave the Club Executives exposed to fines and other action if they have permitted flying operations to occur. As we have all been saying, please use the time to finish a project or do some maintenance. I am confident that we will start to see some easing of restrictions over the next few weeks and, when this occurs, I would strongly recommend that clubs limit flying to club members only as there will still be restrictions on travel to some level that we must comply with. You will know that we have been very active with the strategic imperative to purchase a new MAAA field in NSW. An application for a proposed site was submitted and voted on in February. There were concerns and questions raised and the voting did not go in our favour. We remain confident that the proposed location would be an excellent site and would be accessible and beneficial to a large proportion of the NSW aeromodelling community and I am pleased to say that, with support from the MAAA Executive, we have taken the feedback on board and reviewed and reworked the proposal and it has been resubmitted. A vote on the purchase is imminent and we will advise you, as soon as we can, of the results of this resubmission.

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Secretary Clive Weatherhead No report required for this meeting Vice President Position vacant n/a Registrar Dave Lewis

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Newsletter editor Rob Masters No report required for this meeting Public Relations Officer Aranka Nolan No report required for this meeting Chief Flying Instructor George Atkinson No report required for this meeting State Flying Field Cootamundra Club Previous tenant has vacated property. New tenant arrangements in progress Awards:

Awards MAAA power fixed wing Name Club MAAA number Class Bailey Knowles CCMAC 83723 Gold Wayne Tonks LMMAC 87112 Silver Michael Turner PMRCMAC 76631 Gold Darius Ankus HEMFC 85021 Gold Gary Richards LMFC 86820 Silver R Winder SHMFC 85056 Silver MAAA glider Name Club MAAA number Class MAAA helicopter Name Club MAAA number Class MAAA multirotor Name Club MAAA number Class Mohommed Baset CMAC 87156 Silver MAAA Instructor certification or recertification Name Club

Motion: That the President’s report be accepted and that nominations for Gold Wings be ratified Moved: CVRCMAC Seconded: UMAC Carried

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General and New Business:

1. Discussion item – update on search for a state field a. Update on the application to MAAA Council for approval on a Hunter Valley property

2. Club Assistance Scheme – update.

a. Just for information, this was what was approved at the April 2019 ANSW Meeting: ANSW will assess each application at a quorum of committee members taking into account the club history, efforts to grow membership and willingness to support all aeromodelling disciplines. If it is agreed that the application will be supported, then ANSW will agree to contribute up to the amount that the club contributes, subject to a maximum of $1500 and subject to the application being successful with the MAAA grant programme.

b. Application from Cootamundra Club for review c. Application from Springwood Nepean Club review

Motion: That the applications for club assistance scheme, above, be approved by ANSW for support and

recommended to MAAA Moved: RFC Seconded: WRCS Carried

3. Standing item – upcoming events:

a. Wings Over Illawarra, 2nd and 3rd May 2020 – Cancelled

b. Warbirds Over Scone, 19th and 20th September 2020 – no change, currently

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4. Standing item – any incident reports or safety issues reported during the last 2 months: a. One report from WRCS – incident in February – model damage only b. Daryl Woolfe – suggestions on safety procedures and documentation to be drafted and

circulated in a future ANSW newsletter

5. Fees for 2020/21. The attendees considered the implications of the flying restrictions during the current year, including Covid-19, and agreed that it would be appropriate to recognise the difficulties encountered by all members. A number of options were discussed, leading to the following motion, which was passed unanimously.

Motion: That the ANSW fee for the year 2020-21 remains unchanged at $45 for seniors, and that an early-

bird discount, for this year only, of $15 be applied to any existing MAAA member renewing their membership and registered in the MAAA database by 31st July 2020, making the fee $30 for those members renewing during June and July 2020

Moved: HMAS Seconded: UMAC Carried

6. Queries concerning recent instructor courses and receipt of certificates of completion. George Atkinson confirmed that course organisers had been given the results in each case and that individuals wishing to arrange to complete any elements should contact George by email. It was noted that anyone wishing to attend instructor recertification would need to provide an aircraft suitable for gold wings exercises and would be required to complete some appropriate manoeuvres. It was also noted that the deadline for instructor requalification had been extended from 30/6/20 to 30/6/21 in view of the impact of Covid-19 on the current programme.

7. Not discussed at video-conference: Working with Children checks (WWCC) – ANSW will write to all member Club Representatives in the near future. In brief, though, any instructor who provides instruction to anyone under 18 MUST undertake a Working with Children Check. It is also important that parents/guardians remain present whilst instruction is being provided (ie no dropping a child off for some flying lessons whilst the parents pop to the shops). It is also strongly recommended that club executives and committee members undergo a check and there is an obligation on each club to have a suitable person nominated to manage working with children checks, including keeping records of those in the club who have completed the check, their WWCC number and the expiry date of their current check. For information, there is no cost involved in completing the check for volunteers. It involves completing an online form (see https://www.service.nsw.gov.au/transaction/apply-working-children-check) which allows for a police record check and a review of reportable workplace misconduct. The final stage is a visit to a service.nsw centre with the original application form and adequate proof of identity to complete the identity check.

8. The next General Bi-Monthly Management Committee Meeting, incorporating the 2020 Annual

General Meeting will be held on Friday 12th June 2020 commencing at 8:00pm. It is expected that the location will be by Zoom meeting and log-in information will be provided before the meeting.

https://www.service.nsw.gov.au/transaction/apply-working-children-check

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Motion: That the items of general and new business, above, be recorded as discussed

This motion was not presented at the meeting as the individual decision items (Club Assistance and Fess for 2020-21) were proposed and voted on individually.

There being no further business before the meeting, the meeting was declared closed at 10:20pm

Addendum to Minutes of the ANSW Bi-monthly Management Committee Meeting of April 2020 Election of Officers The following roles on the ANSW Committee will be open for nominations prior to the June 2020 Annual General Meeting: • President • Treasurer • Registrar • Vice-President • Public Relations Officer For the first three roles, the current incumbents are willing to stand for re-election. The Vice-President role and Public Relations Officer role will be vacant. If you would be willing to stand for election into one of the roles, or know someone who is willing and able to stand, then please let Clive Weatherhead have your election by Friday 29th May 2020, latest, at [email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

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Aeromodellers NSW 2020 Calendar (Compiled 29 April 2020)

Unless otherwise advised Aeromodellers NSW Meetings are held the 2nd Friday of every other Month.

Given the current uncertain times the events indicated thus (strikethrough) have at this stage been either cancelled or suspended

until further notice. All events for June and beyond will be reviewed as they approach. The nominated contact can provide further details.

May 2020 10 Seaplanes over the Regatta Centre Penrith Tim Nolan 0412 173 440 10 Gosford City Float Planes Kariong Nic Lucas 0424 350366 16-17 Hunter Valley Veterans Gathering Muswellbrook Cory Eustace 0429 090 686 16-17 COMSOA Scale Funfly Maitland Jason Russ 0414 505 212 16-17 NSWPF Precision Aerobatics (SRCS) Gunderman Alastair Bennetts 0439 480 793 24 Gosford City Float Planes Kariong Nic Lucas 0424 350366 31 Pylon Racing at Pitt Town Pitt Town Jeremy Randle 0418 390 446

June 2020

5-7 CCRCF Annual Fun Fly-in and swap meet Coffs Harbour Martin Cochran 0423 691 150 7 Gosford City Float Planes Kariong Nic Lucas 0424 350366 12 Aeromodellers NSW General Mtg & ZOOM Tim Nolan 0412 173 440

Annual General Meeting To be broadcast via ZOOM – instructions will be advised to Club Execs via bulletin.

20-21 NSWPF Precision Aerobatics (RFC) Newcastle Alastair Bennetts 0439 480 793 21 Gosford City Float Planes Kariong Nic Lucas 0424 350366 28 Pylon Racing at Marulan Marulan (TBC) Jeremy Randle 0418 390 446

July 2020

12 Gosford City Float Planes Kariong Nic Lucas 0424 350366 18-19 NSWPF Precision Aerobatics (CVRCMAS) Camden Alastair Bennetts 0439 480 793 26 Gosford City Float Planes Kariong Nic Lucas 0424 350366 26 Pylon Racing at Pitt Town Pitt Town Jeremy Randle 0418 390 446

August 2020

9 Gosford City Float Planes Kariong Nic Lucas 0424 350366 14 Aeromodellers NSW General Mtg TBA Tim Nolan 0412 173 440 15-16TARMAC Scale Rally Tamworth Richard Exler 0438 314882 23 Gosford City Float Planes Kariong Nic Lucas 0424 350366

September 2020

6 Gosford City Float Planes Kariong Nic Lucas 0424 350366 12-13 NSWPF Precision Aerobatics (GDA) Gunnedah Alastair Bennetts 0439 480 793 20 Pylon Racing at Richmond Richmond Jeremy Randle 0418 390 446 20 Gosford City Float Planes Kariong Nic Lucas 0424 350366

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October 2020 4 Gosford City Float Planes Kariong Nic Lucas 0424 350366 9 Aeromodellers NSW General Mtg TBA Tim Nolan 0412 173 440 16-18 Warbirds Over Coffs Coffs Harbour Martin Cochrane 0423 691 150 17-18 NSWPF Precision Aerobatics (CKSMAC) Richmond/Pitt Town Alastair Bennetts 0439 480 793 25 Gosford City Float Planes Kariong Nic Lucas 0424 350366

November 2020

8 Gosford City Float Planes Kariong Nic Lucas 0424 350366 11-15 Invitational Scale Classic Downunder 2020 Cootamundra Cheryl Rolfe [email protected] 14-15 MDMAS Veterans Gathering Muswellbrook Cory Eustace 0429 090 686 14-15 NSWPF State Champs (SMFC) Shoalhaven Alastair Bennetts 0439 480 793 22 Gosford City Float Planes Kariong Nic Lucas 0424 350366

December 2020

1 Pylon Racing at Marulan Marulan (TBC) Jeremy Randle 0418 390 446 11 Aeromodellers NSW General Mtg TBA Tim Nolan 0412 173 440


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Club News & General Interest

Find a Kit – the Answers

Here is the solution to the Find a Kit puzzle published last month – how did you go?

AEROFLYTE EUREKA PILOT AIRTRONICS GRAUPNER PRECEDENT ARISTOCRAFT GREATPLANES ROBBE BERKELEY HOBBYSHACK SEAGULL BLACKHORSE JIMROBERTS SIG CARLGOLDBERG KEILKRAFT STERLING COMET LANIER TESTORS COX MARUTAKA TOPFLITE DAVEPLATTS PARKZONE VERON EAGLE PICA

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Viewpoint: How WW1 changed aviation forever

From the BBC News Magazine at https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-29612707 dated 20 October 2014

When the world went to war in 1914 the Wright Brothers had only made the world's first powered flight little over a decade before. But the remarkable advances made in aviation during World War One are still at the core of air power today, says Dr Peter Gray. To say the first aeroplanes used in WW1 were extremely basic is something of an understatement. Cockpits were open and instruments were rudimentary. There were no navigational aids and pilots had to rely on whatever maps could be found. A school atlas or a roadmap if necessary. Getting lost was commonplace and landing in a field to ask directions was not unusual, as was flying alongside railway lines hoping to read station names on the platforms. But throughout the war there was a spiral of technological developments, as first one side and then the other gained the ascendancy.

To this day the core roles of air power - control of the air, strike, reconnaissance and mobility - have their roots in the evolution of aviation before and during WW1. From the deployment of Tornadoes to RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus to conduct operations against Islamic State in Iraq, to providing combat air patrols over the recent Nato summit in Wales. How aviation came of age For the British it all started on 13 August 1914 at 08:20, when Lieutenant H D Harvey-Kelly landed the first Royal Flying Corps (RFC) aircraft to deploy in WW1 at Amiens in northern France. This may not seem such a big deal today, but was a major achievement then - and a hazardous one. Crews were not always sure where the enemy was. The danger was all the greater because the troops on the ground were not expert in aircraft recognition so just shot at anything that flew, regardless of which side it was on.

Wing Commander PB Joubert de la Ferte remarked in August 1914 that he regretted the arrival of British troops because the RFC would be fired on by the Germans, the French and now the English.

https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-29612707

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In the early days of war, the aircraft of the RFC were in use daily to monitor the movements of the German Army in France and Belgium. As the benefits of "eyes in the sky" became increasingly evident to both sides, it became obvious that steps would need to be taken to prevent the opposition from gaining significant advantage. The enemy would need to be shot down. At first this consisted of little more than pilots taking pot shots at each other with their service revolvers. But as technology improved airframes became more manoeuvrable and engines more powerful and it was soon possible to mount machine guns. The age of air-to-air combat had begun. The improvements also meant crews could carry more than simple hand grenades in their pockets. Recognisable bombs and bomb racks added a strike component to the roles of air power in warfare. This development took a sinister turn when Germany started long-range bombing attacks on London, primarily with Zeppelins and then Gotha bombers. Total war was now on the doorsteps of family homes. Control of the air also became paramount over the trenches and has remained so ever since in every conflict undertaken. As the war progressed, tactics and technology improved markedly with each side trying to outwit the other, both in the air and on the drawing boards of the aircraft designers. Eyes in the sky

This was matched by an unprecedented growth in the aviation industry. By early 1915 the British Army reckoned it would need some 50 squadrons

of aircraft, up to 700 planes in total. When Kitchener, as Secretary of State for War, saw the estimate he swept aside official objections with curt instruction to double the figure. Pilots were needed in ever-increasing numbers to fly the new machines and replace casualties. Although the RFC was relatively small, their ratio of losses was at least as high as in the infantry. But there was never a shortage of volunteers either to fly as a pilot or as an observer. The romance of flying was an attractive proposition, it avoided the tedium of life in the trenches and offered a novel way of going to war. From today's vantage point, the aircraft of WW1 look incredibly flimsy, precarious to manoeuvre on the ground and seemingly subject to every gust of wind in the air. But to those who flew them, they were to be marvelled at. There were over 50 different aircraft designs during WW1, with five distinct technological generations, according to American historian Richard Hallion.

Over the course of the war the countries involved in the fighting produced more than 200,000 aircraft and even more engines. French industry alone accounted for a third of these. At the end of the war, the Allied nations were out-producing the Germans by nearly five-to-one in terms of aircraft and over seven-to-one in engines. The UK was producing 31 times more aircraft per month than it had owned at the beginning of the conflict and the RAF was not only the first independent air service, but also the largest.

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The aircraft in 1918 were clearly recognisable as direct descendants of their pre-war predecessors with open cockpits, no parachutes and wood and doped fabric construction. But they had reached a degree of sophistication in handling and engine performance which would make a sound platform for the developments that were to come in the inter-war years and on from then. As mail routes were opened and exploration flights carried out, records were set for transoceanic crossings and the pieces were all in place for an airline industry to take off, both over the then British Empire and continental land masses. But this also had a darker side as the technology necessary to convert transport aircraft into long-range bombers was minimal. All was in place for the highly controversial bombing campaigns of World War Two.

It would then only take parallel developments in nuclear physics for the stage to be set for the attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The Cold War inevitably followed with the spectre of nuclear Armageddon ever present. Equally, by the end of WW1, the basic key roles of air power - control of the air, strike, reconnaissance and mobility - had all been demonstrated. They remain the same today. Where there is a stark difference, is in the life expectancy of those involved. A century on, we still shudder at the scale of the casualties in WW1, whether in the trenches or in the air. This obviously varied with time and activity over the war, but poet Robert Graves noted that RFC casualties were markedly higher than for infantry subalterns. Hallion quotes figures of one fatality for every 92 flying hours. Today, living to draw one's pension is the norm. Even in hostile environments such as Iraq and Afghanistan, where the flying is likely to be either dull, dirty or especially dangerous, it is left to drones to bear the brunt. Although still expensive to operate, they do not put aircrew in harm's way, which has made them highly popular with commanders. The next major change will possibly be even more revolutionary than flight was a century ago. It will happen when artificial intelligence is sufficiently advanced for these machines to operate completely independently. Will the day of the robot come, or is that a step too far?

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Event Updates

COMSOA Scale Fun Fly – 16-17 May - CANCELLED

COMSOA SCALE FUN FLY 16th.and 17th. MAY 2020 AT COMSOA’s FLYING FIELD AT EAST MAITLAND OFF RAYMOND TERRACE ROAD.

Saturday the 16th-- Gate will be open about 0700. Flying can commence after 0830. Fly as much as you wish. Registration starting after 0900 Sunday the 17th. Gate open about 0700, flying after 0830 and will be slightly different this year by separating Biplanes and Monoplanes in the over 7KG categories. Judging will be by entrants on Sunday CATEGORIES-- MILITARY UNDER AND OVER 7 KG. --CIVILIAN UNDER AND OVER 7kg .- JETS and SPORTS MODEL Prizes 1st. 2nd.and 3rd. in all categories, plus Model of the Meeting.

If you are intending to participate please PRE ENTER if possible. There is no problem changing your model entry on the weekend if required. Pre entry draw cut-off date is Thursday the 14th. MAY 2019

Entry for the weekend is $30. Entry fee includes lunch on Saturday and Sunday. If pre entering pay on the weekend. MAAA Membership cards and Heavy Model/Turbine Permits will need to be sighted. Free tea and coffee. Cold drinks on sale all weekend. VISIT OUR WEB SITE www.comsoa.com for up to date info for the event and about our club.

AN ENTRY FORM is on our web site, it is a very easy to use electronically submittable form. Also there is a blank form which can be printed and posted or transmitted by attaching to an email to [email protected] If Mailing and for general inquiries :- Jason Russ, 75 Clyde Circuit. Raymond Terrace 2324 - Phone 0414505212


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MDMAS Veterans’ Gathering – Postponed to 14-15 Nov

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Coffs Coast RC Flyers 4th Annual Fun Fly-In & Swap Meet – 5-7 June - TBC

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Deadline for submissions to Newsletter #428 (May 2020) is

Friday 22nd May 2020.

Please forward any changes of mail or email address together with your AUS Number directly to the Registrar.

[email protected]