THE MASTHEAD PLANE

               The Tupolev ANT-25 was developed in 1933 when Stalin decided he wanted a plane that could break all existing records for distance flown.  Almost from its first flight, it was breaking records for its class.  In 1934, it flew a closed circuit course for 7,712 miles in a little over 75 hours.  In 1936 it made a trans-polar flight of 5,799 miles in 56 hours and 20 minutes.  In 1937 it flew the first non-stop flight from Moscow to Portland, Oregon, and later the same year flew non-stop from Moscow to San Jacinto, California.

               The ANT-25 was powered by a 675 h.p. 12-cylinder engine, spanned 111 feet, and cruised at 103 m.p.h.  It carried a crew of three in quarters that included two cockpits, a sleeping cabin, and a navigator’s cabin.  In theory, the plane could fly eight thousand miles in one hundred hours.

               This is a great plane to model!  The wheels retract straight back, without rotation, so they end up sticking out partially from the wing.  There is only one engine, and the huge wing promises outstanding duration flights, especially if you use a Swoboda wet-wing system!  Just one question:  what was the purpose of the second, simpler cockpit?

SAFETY TABLES

               Thanks to Bobby Harmon and Ray Piper, we now have a prototype safety table at the field.  At the January meeting, it was voted and funding approved to build five more tables.  The total cost for the six tables is $320.  Al Zerber said he would install patio blocks donated by Kathy Kendzior around the tables.

PROPWASH

VOL XXX, No. 1               January, 2007

Arden McConnell       president              313-274-3185

Mike Cuba                   vice-president      734-522-7638

Tim Kirsten                 secretary              313-565-6093

Terry Kozlowski         treasurer               734-354-1928

Dennis Gazdecki         safety                    734-442-3402

Bobby Harmon            field                      313-541-4204

Al Zerber                     membership         734-427-4872

Kathy Kendzior           at-large                 313-274-1402

Ray Piper                     at-large                 313-532-7286

Mike Cuba                   editor                    734-522-7638

Charlie Thomas           swap shop             313-565-2973

Bob Mayhew                archivist                313-291-6855

Stephanie Thomas       webmaster             313-565-2973

website  http://detroitaeromodelers.org

RAFFLE WINNERS

Rap Piper won the January door prize, a $15 gift certificate, and Vince Blasky won the raffle, a $75 gift certificate, both from Nankin Hardware & Hobby. Congratulations, gentlemen!

WEB SITE NEWS

               Webmaster Stephanie Thomas announced at the January meeting that she will be posting pictures of the swap as well as pictures of the new safety tables being built at the field.

INDOOR FLYING

               Indoor flying has resumed at Jefferson Elementary school.  It’s open from 5 to 9 p.m. the second and fourth Fridays of the month.

DECEMBER SHOW AND TELL

Stan Spiewak brought in two electric helicopters.  The first was a $40 wonder from Harbor Freight, and the second was the E-Flight Blade CX-2.  The latter comes with a spread-spectrum radio system, but is otherwise the same as the Blade CX with a snazzy new red body.  Rumor has it that a desert camouflage body will be available shortly.

DAM SWAP

               The January swap was a huge success, thanks to the efforts of Charlie Thomas and his staff of volunteers.  We had more than 260 paying customers come through the front door, and most of the tables were sold.  Well done!

MEMBERSHIP

               It’s time to re-up your membership in DAM!  New members are $75, renewing members are $50, family members under age 18 are $12, and life members (ten years minimum in the club, age 65 or more) are $37.50.  Please check your current roster to make sure we have the correct address and phone number for you.  If you want your email included in the roster, add that to your renewal form.  As of the January meeting, we have 40 members signed up.

SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL

HOBBY SHOPS!

NANKIN HARDWARE & HOBBY

35101 Ford Rd.   734-722-5700

RIDER'S HOBBY SHOP OF LIVONIA

30991 Five Mile Rd.          734-425-9720

RIDER’S HOBBY SHOP OF TAYLOR

22789 Northline                734-287-7405

ELECTRODYNAMICS

31091 Schoolcraft             734-422-5420

PROP SHOP

23326 Van Dyke 810-757-7160

JOE'S HOBBY CENTER

Grand River & Drake Rd   248-477-6266

FIELD RESCUE

               Tom McNulty, our representative to the Friends of Rouge Park, brought in a copy of Michigan Streamside Journal which described the efforts made to prevent the sale of parts of Rouge Park this summer.  Included in the article is a good picture of our flying site, with Mike Cuba flying his Taube.  The issue was presented to our archivist, Bob Mayhew.

FIELD REPORT

               Field Marshall Bobby Harmon reminds us that especially with the wet weather we’ve been having, it is not a good idea to drive up to the pit area.  There are several ruts in the field that will need work this Spring to remove.  If you must drive up, please be careful not to come past the flagpole, or out onto the active runways!  Remember, even though the city gave us permission to park at the flagpole, the club voted not to permit that as a regular practice.

               The official mole toll in 2006 was forty-one confirmed kills.  The few remaining are slowly becoming convinced that the field is not a healthy place to hang out.

BANQUET

               The annual DAM banquet will be held at the Old Country Buffet on Wayne Road between Ford and Warren Roads.  It is still scheduled for the fourth Tuesday of January, the 23rd, at 6:00 p.m.  The meal is $10.80 for adults and $2.50 for children, payable at the door. 

PROPOSED ATTENDANCE INCENTIVE

               Ron Wasielewski, in a blast from the past, reminded the club of the way the raffle was run fifteen years ago.  There was a guaranteed raffle prize winner each month, whether the cost of the prize had been recovered or not.  In addition, every time a member attended a meeting throughout the year, he or she was given a ticket for a grand drawing at the annual banquet. Ron is going to make a formal proposal that we re-establish this format at the February meeting.

Speaking editorially now, this format was abandoned shortly before I became a member of DAM.  The reasons given at the time were that there was no discernible effect on attendance figures for the meetings.

               During my tenure as president, we also stopped the practice of offering significant monetary prizes for Fun Fly events, for the same reasons.  The prizes were supposed to increase participation in the events, and it didn’t.  We were also under a monetary crunch at the time.  The crunch has eased, but not gone away.  I believe it would be fiscally irresponsible to sign onto a program that is an acknowledged money-loser.  Let’s not confuse attendance with membership.

Michael Joseph Cuba

YOUTH ACTIVITY

               AMA has a new program to entice younger flyers to join the club.  It may involve getting some equipment from AMA.  Ron Wasielewski volunteered to look into this program and to report back to the membership on it.

HEALING THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS

               We have two members in for repairs this month.  Let’s keep Jim Thomas and Tom McNulty in our prayers and  thoughts.  Jim is undergoing chemotherapy, and Tom is in for his second triple bypass.  Does that make it a sextuple bypass?

CLUB CALENDAR

Club meetings are at the Redford Community Center,

12121 Hemingway, in Redford

               1/26       indoor flying                     5:00 p.m.

               1/30       banquet                               6:00 p.m.

               2/9         indoor flying                     5:00 p.m.

               2/13       business meeting              7:00 p.m.

               2/23       indoor flying                     5:00 p.m.