[Claudius]

Hi all,

just wanted to put a call out to see if any of the experienced builders in the club would be interesting in hosting the odd "build" session for newbies like me - perhaps of a night after work or opportunistically on the odd weekend when the weather interrupts the flying schedule?

As both a novice flyer and builder, I know just enough about both to be dangerous And while the flying side is being well attended to down at the field, I'd likewise love to have the opportunity to start learning the ins-and-outs of building from someone who knows which end to hold a hobby knife (i.e. "standing on the shoulders of giants" instead of "trial and error")

Sessions could be about anything really. Maintainence + repair (post the weekend's "misadventures"); 90% ARF from box to air; scratch built coming together; etc.

Bit of an ask, but just wanted to throw the request out and see if any victim one was interested in putting their hand up...

Claudio

[gbanger]

Im certainly no expert mate but would be more than happy to help out.

[robair]

Top idea.
Because I fly like crap compared to Gazz I am a bit more of an "expert".
And have done quite a bit of building.... and... rebuilding.
Cheers
Rob B

[Drew]

I'm always building stuff and believe me - there's no mystery to it.
Having said that, I think a building night/ day is a great idea. I'm in.

I think all we need is:
1. A good sized work room with plenty of floor/ bench space
2. Beer
3. Keen modellers with a project/ repair in mind
4. BYO materials and whatever tools you have to share.

We could even develope the idea of a "club plane" and build 3 or 4 to let first timers to have a go on a buddy cord without risking our loved fleet. Subsequent meetings could them repair/ maintain them

Drew.

[gbanger]

If you wanted to go a step further Drew,
We could host Build/Repair workshops for anyone that is new to RC that is happy to part with a few dollars to get asistance from people with years of RC experience.
I may have opened Pandoras box here, but if it works .... GREAT!

[smuzz]

I think Drew has actually nailed it ... except he's got items 1 and 2 in the wrong order

"But seriously folks" this is a great idea and would be a lot of fun. Just a bit of a problem actually finding the space somewhere for it - this is where we could really do with a club-house.

[Drew]

I have no probs (if we have a simple reliable build) of offering a kit and building assistance in a package. Novices can have the joy of building, flying and repairing their own plane.

It is a great experience seeing your scratch built creation actually fly - I've been there.

[Flying fisho]

Drew,I dont know how much thought went into your comments, but they were certainly noteworthy for expansion of the origional proposal. I often hear & read discussions on builds/repairs/modifications at the field & on our forum. A club plane project built with a team effort would not only offer your suggested flying trainer but also encourage, assist & promote team efforts towards the assistance of new builders/fliers. So far I have witnessed the selfless assistance from all club members indicative of comaraderie not experienced in other hobbies, and your suggestion would only enhance what already exists. Unfortunately I am unable to offer a suitable venue.

[kizza42]

I would happily donate a motor esc & servo's to a club plane, You buggers can build it though, I'm only a half decent pilot cos I can't afford to crash and rebuild

[popeyepete]

Whats the chance of getting a used sea container placed inthe park to be used as the "Club House".

Maybe we could roll one down from Grace Bros. They wont notice!

[samste]

Whats the chance of getting a used sea container placed inthe park to be used as the "Club House".

Maybe we could roll one down from Grace Bros. They wont notice!

Funny you mention that, a couple months ago i was talking to a movement freight company that sold an old container for $500 and i was thinking that would be a great just behind the heli patch out of the way.

[gbanger]

I agree, guys, great idea but I dont think we would have a hope in hades getting approval for that.

[~KevJ~]

I wish we could leave a bungey launch in there too for my beloved jets

[secant0give]

I like Drew's Idea of a club plane or 3, They'd just have to be a simple thing
proibably made from foam.

I have a set up for hot wire cutting and a few sets of templates for different wing chords and profiles.
I also have some spare EPS foam sheets left over from an insulating job.

Just a thaught, It's a little more work, but not that much, we could build some of those gliders like my flying fence pailing, Kiren has seen it in the air, they are 4 channel and easy enough to fly, big enough to see in the sky at 72" and there's not that much to building one, but enough to make it interesting.

The motor is on a pylon held down by the wing retaining rubber bands. So it can be flown with or with out the power pod and if we made 3 then as the wings are interchangable with the other fuses you could allways have one flying i'd think.

The wings can be balsa sheeted foam or vac bagged, Fuse is foam core with ply on 2 sides, horosontal stab and vertical fin are solid balsa with iron on film. Pretty easy.

You could also put a motor on the nose with a folder as if you wanted to go that way. There's been about a dozen of these built by my self and friends built over the years.

I'll bring it down to field next weekend so you can have a look if you like?

[stillflyin]

Great idea on the glider/power pod.

On the shipping container. When a member of Springwood-Nepean club we put one on site and kept a mower, two way radio (had to have contact with Richmond as strip is in their flight path) and other stuff inside. It attracted all sorts of vandalism. After we overcame all damage attempts, someone came with an oxy torch, cut it open and stole all the stuff.

[popeyepete]

I agree, guys, great idea but I dont think we would have a hope in hades getting approval for that.

Not being a smart arse, but has anyone asked? You never know!

With regards to the use, definately not for storage apart from the odd chair and table. But your right 'Stillflyin' it would attract vandalism, but what do you do?

[paulj]

Certainly we can put it on the agenda to discuss
at our next committee meeting but I fear that Gary
is correct, the chances of council agreeing to this request
are not great.

[popeyepete]

Thinking about it more, how would you get it down there? The logistics of it happening are getting thinner by the minute.

Again i'm full of suggestions tonight, Why not have a local pub/bar/bistro sponser the night. They provide the venue we provide the revenue.

tooo much.....let me know and i'll stop

[stillflyin]

How about hiring the auditorium of Winston Hills Public School or somewhere similar on a given night each month, or just a one off. Putting on my ham radio hat for a moment, our group meets once a month in the garage of one of the members.

[SydRob]

Hi Guys,

Checked in with Winston Hills Public School. Below is response

Hello Roberto,

Thank you for your enquiry however our hall is fully booked for the year.

Regards,

T. Griffin
SAO

I am now checking with Winston Heights as their hall would also be perfect.

[SydRob]

Hi Guys,

OK GREAT news for the board's consideration. (Darren, Kizza etc)

Winston Heights school located within 5 minutes of flying field - IS available for our use on a Saturday afternoon/night from Midday onwards. This is the only free time they have. There is a cost of $30 an hour plus GST, however this is very low cost, considering some of the other inquiries I have made. Table's, chairs and PA if required. Perfect size and location.

The need for a BUILD night is massive and the way knowledge and setup could be transferred would be simply awesome. Everyone throw your 2 cents in ?? (Mr Vella I will copy you on my correspondence with the school and leave any decisions etc for the board. I simply made the inquiries for the club)

[SydRob]

..what no-one wants to comment? No-one wants a Build Night? I thought it would be a HOT topic?

[kizza42]

Sorry mate, I meant to comment the other day.
I think its a good idea in theory but there might be a few setbacks:
- Moving building offsite could be tough, who brings the tools? Power tools? What if you forget something? Would be a bit of a PITA
- Time, would probably take 30 mins to get organised and then do what building you can then another 30-40 mins to clean up the mess $30 an hour when building could be quite expensive considering you'd want easily a 3 hour block. Who's paying?
- For me, Saturday arvo/evening is not doable on a regular basis so I can't commit to it

THAT SAID! We are looking for a venue for indoor flying, So all your chasing and hard work wouldn't be for nothing! How big is the hall?

Also if you need some help with something, give me a call, I'm happy to arrange a time...

[paulj]

Hi Rob,
Yes like Kieran I meant to comment on your earlier post.
First off, thanks for investigating the venue your efforts are appreciated.
For the committee to discuss this it would be helpful if you could explain
exactly what you have in mind.
First off my guess is that a Saturday afternoon is perhaps the wrong time as
a lot of members especially those with young families may find it hard to take the time off to fly and
build on a weekend.
Second, how often are you proposing? weekly,fortnightly,monthly etc.
As Kieran says the costs could add up rather quickly.
Also, the committee would like an idea of numbers of members who would want to utilise
this.
Can I suggest that as a start would interested member please advise via this thread if they are willing to attend regularly?

[SydRob]

Wow.. Thanks guys Now we got some HEAT going on the issue..

Saturday afternoon or night is the only time the hall is available. Understood the afternoon might not be achievable given our 'Hand-brakes' would want us home for family commitments, however a night meeting should be do-able on the odd occasion.

I was just thinking once every 2-3 months. A place for members to come with their toys, toolboxes and questions. If you forget something - someone else may have brought that tool. Power, Tables etc provided.

Just an idea for consideration for ALL members.

One last quick thought - What if we could put on some airshow for the school and kids (our biggest fans) - Money raised pays for annual hall costs. Sorted.

The more you look into it the harder it seems

[Servo]

Hi Rob, let me add my thanks for you efforts. My interest is not so much for building as this requires tools and bits and things and transporting those can be a pain. However I do go to Indoor meets where when not flying most people are exchanging ideas and demostrating their latest toys (motors, radios,servos etc). Indoor meets attrack people from several clubs so there is much more cross exchange of ideas than one gets in a single club meet. This also means there is a larger pool of people so getting enough numbers on the night to keep the fees low is much easier. So I guess I'm asking if the hall is big enough (and high enough)for some indoor flying as well, generally a basket ball court size is just enough.

kevB

[smuzz]

Well done Rob, for running with it.
Perhaps there's a pattern developing in the replies so far though.
I for one, am so disorganised that all my building occurs between about 6:00pm on a Friday night and 2:00am the following morning and I haven't got the self-discipline to manage any other way to go about it. I'm not sure about helicopter construction, but building fixed-wing aircraft off a plan or from scratch takes a lot of space as assembly takes place over the plan which is usually fixed to a large and heavy sheet of ply so that it stays flat. This and all the stuff that goes along with it, as well as the crap I would forget to pack would fill my car a couple of times over. Building most ARFs isn't really "building" and doesn't rate a mention, in the opinion of humble self.
Indoor flying might be a good alternative use for the space, as others have pointed out - but that's something which is a little out of my area, so I'll shut up at this point!

[~KevJ~]

hmm, steve and myself must do things exactly the same way.. the whole 6-2am thing.. lol
unfortunately im much the same mate, saturday is off the radar for me, id usually have had too many by sat night to be considering a build let alone helping others build i would be up for an indoor fly from time to time.. ill go buy one of those flybarless mini helis if we are going to do that and bring my little t28.. sorry i wasnt more positive..
also its easy for me , i have a retired modeller for a father that also backs up as a school bus driver. (wink wink)

[samste]

It Sounds like an indoor Fly Session Is a Go Rob if the hall is up to it.
But Yes many the Late night Builds seems to occur to me too and as all mentioned setup and gear could be some issue.
But More than Happy if you need help, to give a hand minus the Heli Stuff and i'm sure everyone else is more than willing To help you or others if they need it or Advice.
That's why were such a great Club

Steve

[Claudius]

..what no-one wants to comment? No-one wants a Build Night? I thought it would be a HOT topic?

Well, I was going to comment, but looks like your great effort in finding a hall for a build session might be co-opted into an Indoor Flying venue (not without its own benefits )

I for one, am so disorganised that all my building occurs between about 6:00pm on a Friday night and 2:00am the following morning and I haven't got the self-discipline to manage any other way to go about it.

So Steve, reading that another way, are you offering to host a midnight build session at your place?