The Clark County Radio Control Society, a group of 107 people who fly radio-controlled planes at the Clark County Fairgrounds, welcomes the public to attend their monthly events.
Group members gathered April 18 for the season-opening “Fun Fly,” with five competitive events.
Dave Anderson, spokesman for the Radio Control Society, said model planes range in size from about a 15-inch wing span to as large as a 8-foot long span.
He said planes fall into one of three types--acrobatic/stunt planes, scale models of actual planes, and miscellaneous planes that don’t fall into the first two categories.
Planes may be made of foam, referred to as “foamies,” or from balsa wood framework with a plastic sheet coating called “monokote.”
The planes are controlled either by FM frequencies or the newer digital technology. Those flying planes with FM controllers need to make sure they are on different channels, said Anderson. A frequency assignment chart at the fairgrounds flying area helps assure that no two pilots use the same channel.
Anderson said those flying with digital (2.4 gHz) technology need not be concerned about overlapping or conflicting radio frequencies.
Anderson said people are welcome to learn about the sport without investing in a plane. The club encourages new members. The group has a trainer plane that people can try out. The trainer includes two transmitters for student and pilot, with a special cable link. Using the master transmitter, the experienced pilot has the ability to allow the student to take control of the plane on demand.
When the student gets in trouble or has had enough, the experienced pilot retakes control of the aircraft.
Anderson said people can get into the sport with a less expensive plane. Planes can be purchased in new kits as “almost ready to fly,” also called ARF. Such new planes need some assembly but all parts are provided at a cost of about $150. Planes may also be purchased used from other pilots.
Some planes are replicas of war planes used in world wars and other conflicts. Planes may be scale models of war planes, ranging in size up to 1/3 scale. The larger scale planes are not flown at the Clark County Fairgrounds, said Anderson.
“If you’re gonna’ fly, you’re gonna’ crash,” said Anderson. Therefore an important part of the sport is repairing and modifying planes, he said. “Every plane has different flying characteristics,” said Anderson, “like the difference in driving a Porsche or a VW bug--the performance can be extreme.”.
The faster planes can reach speeds of 90 miles per hour and perhaps faster.
Some planes have electric motors that run the propeller. Some have gas engines that run on “nitro,” a synthetic model engine fuel made of 10 percent nitro-methane, lubricants and other materials. Fuel tanks range in size from four to 14 ounces, and allow a plane to operate about 7-15 minutes or more. A newer generation of electric planes use lithium-polymer or “Li-Po” batteries.
Some pilots fly planes with electric-ducted fan engines, which are somewhat like a jet engine system, and others fly with turbine jet engines.
Some planes are called “flat outs” because they have no fuselage, just a flat, upright board or foam piece to which the wings are attached.
On April 18, pilots flew in competitions that included an “egg drop,” an event in which pilots place a plastic egg in an open-top container affixed to the plane, then take off, perform a maneuver to drop the egg on or near a target, and then land. The goal is to drop the egg close to the target.
In another April 18 event, pilots placed about a dozen red beans in the open top container, took off, performed a maneuver that included a loop, and then landed. The event was timed from take off to landing, and included turns around certain light posts. The goal was to perform the event in the shortest amount of time, and not use any or many beans in the process.
The pilots also competed in “X marks the spot,” which was a precision landing event, and “limbo,” in which pilots flew under a ribbon.
Anderson explained that planes are controlled in several ways--ailerons which are control panels on the back edges of wings, elevators which are control panels on the back of the tail, and rudder which is the vertical portion of the tail. Other controls are engine speed and sometimes a retractable landing gear.
One competitive event involves a “dead stick” when the motor to the plane is turned off in mid-flight and the pilot controls the gliding plane to a smooth landing.
Club has women, children
While the Clark County Radio Control Society is made up mostly of men, many of whom formerly served in the United States armed forces, the group includes some women as well as young boys.
Member Elaine Huber has a smaller, electric, 15-inch wing span foam plane that weighs about 8 ounces. Her plane travels only 2-3 miles per hour and, with engine turned off, can still stay in the air for several minutes.
Club member Dave Agar of Battle Ground said he began the sport in 1972 and currently has 40 planes. He devotes a garage and other areas of his home to plane storage.
Anderson has 20 planes including a Piper Cherokee ARF which he purchased used for $225. He also has a blue and white T-34 Mentor, a scale model of a Navy jet pilot trainer.
Stuart Hall has a “Big Stick” or “Ugly Stick” plane which he acquired as an ARF. The plane travels 40-50 miles per hour.
Matt Williams and his son Raymond, 12, are just getting started in the sport. Together they have 11 planes.
Dave Yardas, with his son Miles, age 5, has 12 planes including a 1964 Yak scale plane, a model of a Russian plane with an 89-inch wing span. The Yak runs on real gas and has a weedeater-type motor with mufflers.
Yardas, a resident of downtown Vancouver, goes to the Fairgrounds to fly planes 2-3 times a week. On April 18 he flew an Aviation Hot Knife plane which is a “Fun Fly” plane, he said, with a 36-inch wing span.
Boy Scout Carter Strader is also a member of the group and flies planes at the Fairgrounds.
The club posts safety rules at its Fairgrounds runway area. Members who fly there are required to belong to the Academy of Model Aeronautics, a national organization,
The club and its members constructed a shelter at the area it uses at the Fairgrounds, along with the runway, taxiway, windsock, and parking amenities. The club has 12 tables at the flying site for use by pilots to stage, assemble and repair their aircraft. In addition, the club pays rent to the county of $1,188 per month. The runway is 300 feet long.
The next club event will be a “Support Our Troops” fun fly activity set for Sun., May 16, 9 a.m.-1 p.m., with awards and hamburgers. The public is welcome to attend and observe the activities. The flying site can be reached by entering the Fairgrounds from Delfel Rd. near the Amphitheater, and continuing westerly, following signs.
Anderson said the club benefits the community by providing displays at schools, assisting Boy Scouts with aviation merit badges, and by participating in parades and public training programs.
Anderson can be reached at 521-6419.