Bayview Airpark Update – May 6

We had to wait for 10 days, but the airfield has been freshly cut and rolled today. Please hold off from using the gate to the chickee as the grounds remain very wet and soft.

You might notice our new weather station button, it is all setup and reporting to weather underground. Our team is working on an a pole adapter and we’ll start getting real wind readings once it is mounted. We are also working on mounting the wifi extender.

Over a dozen pilots were enjoying the warmer weather today. As a reminder for the new season, be sure to perform a failsafe check by having a member hold your plane at half throttle, then shut off your transmitter. If the engine shuts down you are good to go. One of our members tested failsafe on a nitro plane and it went to full throttle. It was corrected before take off.

So be safe, and have fun flying your planes at Bayview Airpark!

Happy 50th Anniversary BRCM!

On Wednesday, April 26, we celebrated the 50th anniversary of the founding of BRCM. We were honoured to have present at the celebrations two of the founding members – Harold Jones and  Charlie Chomas. They were presented with engraved glass plaques recognizing the occasion. A show and tell included a magnificent Stinson Reliant recently completed by master builder, Paul Gentile, a vintage Sikorsky helicopter by Don Irvine, a Twin Otter by Ian Brown and an old Midwest Aerostar by Geoff Norman

Ian Brown and Charlie Chomas
Geoff Norman and Harold Jones
Ian Brown and Wayne Bransfield
Charlie, Harold and Ted Pritlove

Bayview Airpark Update…

With the opening of flying season, the volunteers at BRCM are working very hard to get back to having fun flying our planes safely.

  • Webcam and weather station

We had some water damage that caused our router at the clubhouse to fail. Bill Ayre performed his magic and fixed the corroded connector. Our weather station was also damaged and we will be replacing it. The webcam is working, but we have to sort out some changes with our ISP to get everything back online.

  • Field Maintenance

Our Field Manager Ken has filled the roller and he and Dwayne will be rolling Monday morning. He is also preparing the cutting schedule now that the sun has returned to our field.

Please be patient and support your BRCM volunteers!

NOTAM – BRCM Members cleared to land at Bayview Airpark

We have cleared all the hurdles with Transport Canada (TC), insurance, City of Burlington, etc. and are good to go. So we can be up and flying on what looks like a very nice weekend.

Please keep in mind, though, that you must adhere to TC regulations. In particular, you must:

  1. Pass the RPAS Basic exam to obtain your Pilot Certificate.
  2. Register each plane with TC (Google TC RPAS registration or go directly to https://tc.canada.ca/en/aviation/drone-safety/registering-your-drone-overview).
  3. Have your registration number visible on each plane.
  4. Read the updated Safety Management Manual
    (especially the new TC Regulations Summary on pages 12 & 13)

IMPORTANT!

Remember to have your flight log and TC Pilot Certificate with you at the field.
Only BRCM members are permitted past the safety fence to the pit and flying field.
We are here to have fun and fly our planes safely.

Enjoy!!

NOTAM (CANCELLED) – All pilots grounded until further notice!

Dear BRCM Member

As we look ahead to the New Year, one issue dominates the Club. How will the MAAC crisis regarding controlled airspace resolve, and how long will it take? No one can answer this question.

However one thing is clear. At the present time, we MUST abide by the present rules and remain grounded. From the original email:

“the MAAC Board of Directors has made the difficult decision to temporarily suspend all outdoor flying activity, effective immediately. “

If individual fliers ignore the suspension, they risk not only losing their own membership, but also de-sanctioning the Club. In another letter, the MAAC president states:

“If you fly your model in Canada in defiance of the MAAC suspension, you could face disciplinary actions from your club and MAAC. If you fly an RPAS you will be flying under the Canadian Aviation Safety Regulations Part IX and could face disciplinary action from Transport Canada which could include fines for individuals and clubs.”

We can hope that this grounding will be temporary, but for the moment, the right course of action is to play the game and be a little patient.

We are moving to explore how we might proceed if the unthinkable happens and MAAC can no longer speak for fliers in Canada. I am creating a task force to explore these issues, and ensure we will be in a position to deal with any eventuality. However, with luck the issues will be resolved expeditiously at a national level and we can resume flying under MAAC umbrella soon.

Geoff. Norman

President

My Yellow Yak

I had a surprise visit from Wayne Bransfield in August of last year (2021). He wanted to give me a Freewing 70mm Yak-130 with 2-4000mah Lipo batteries. I asked him, why? His answer was –“everyone seems to be flying jets, so I bought one, but I realize EDF jets are not my thing.”
I suggested that he should sell the model and get some return from his purchase. After a lengthy discussion, he told me his real reason for this gift.
Some years ago, when Wayne returned from living in BC, he had all his models and equipment stolen from his van. When I heard his story, I gave him a ready to fly Ultra Sport 1000 complete with a receiver. He said, because of my generosity, he wanted to return the favour.
Brian Harrington had assembled and test flew the model; so all I did was install my receiver and with Peter Krautter’s help, flew the jet a few weeks later with Wayne being present.
During winter, I repainted the model duplicating the Russian Yellow “04” Yak 130. As is my custom, I replaced the “04” with my current age “86”. At present I have had 34 flights on this model.
The Yak is a very fast, smooth, and quiet jet, and has a nice presence in the sky.
Thanks, Wayne, for the gift and Peter for taking the pictures and posting this article on our club’s website.
Cheers, Ted Pritlove

Pilot Briefing – Failsafe and Flyaways

There seems to be a lot of confusion about flyaway and failsafe. In this short briefing, we are going to discuss preventive measures, the proper flyaway emergency procedure, the required failsafe tests for every plane, and BRCM reporting requirements.

Preamble

A flyaway is caused by either loss of signal to the model and/or a loss in effective control leading to the model moving ever distant from the pilot/field. In most cases, a flyaway is created or exacerbated by pilot error.

Failsafe is a safety feature designed into receivers that drives the servo positions to a pre-set location if the signal is lost.

Normally you have complete control of your plane and keep it well within the flying area or zone. However, there are many complications that can cause loss of control, including wind conditions, mechanical failure, loss of signal, perception, orientation, incorrect inputs, pilot error, and so on.

Identification Requirements

Every aircraft should have an identification label. This is not just good sense; it’s hard to get a plane back to the pilot if you don’t know who the pilot is. It is also a MAAC regulation (MPP10). The label must contain your MAAC ID, MAAC email and MAAC phone number.  It is optional to include your name and contact information.

Prevention

To minimize the opportunity for a flyaway we highly recommend the following standard operating procedures:

  1. All BRCM pilots adhere to the failsafe requirements below.
  2. Pilots lacking overall or recent experience fly with a spotter capable of flying the model. This practice should be continued until the pilot can always keep the model within the field boundaries.
  3. Pilots moving to a faster, higher performance model use a spotter until full comfortable with the new operating envelope.

Flyaway Emergency Procedure

If you have attempted to return your plane to the flying zone and cannot do so, then you should perform the flyaway emergency procedure without delay. Do not wait until your plane is no longer visible.

If your plane leaves the dedicated flying zone for any reason:

  1. Immediately reduce the throttle stick to zero.
  2. Watch where your plane is going and call out “Dead stick” or “Flyaway” to ask for assistance.
  3. Turn off your transmitter (to activate failsafe).
  4. Continue to watch your plane looking for helpful direction and distance clues for recovery.

This simple procedure is designed to bring your plane down as quickly and safely as possible. It will keep your plane closer to the flying area to minimize damage or injury and maximize recovery efforts.

Required Failsafe Tests

Before any maiden flight, or whenever receivers are changed or damaged, you should take sixty seconds to perform a failsafe test…

  1. Secure the plane mechanically or have a helper hold your plane.
  2. Be extremely cautious and mindful of the dangerous propeller. Remove the prop for even greater safety.
  3. Run your engine at half throttle. For failsafe control surfaces, also apply aileron and elevator (hold the stick to any corner) .
  4. Shut off your transmitter. Some models may take a few seconds to complete the shutdown process.
  5. Note what happens to your engine speed and control surfaces in failsafe mode.
  6. Reduce the throttle and turn your transmitter back on.

Failsafe Engine Test

If the engine shuts off when your transmitter is off, you have passed. If your engine stayed running (hold/increase/decrease) you have failed.

Failsafe Control Surfaces Test

If the control surfaces center, you have passed. If they held position, you have failed.

Do not fly your plane until failsafe is programmed properly and works as expected. Some receivers only need re-binding (some include flap and landing gear positions), while some transmitters can program failsafe. Consult your receiver instructions to program failsafe as the steps vary by manufacturer and model.

Reporting Requirements

If your plane is within the flying zone and caused property damage or personal injury…

or landed or crashed outside of the flying zone (North or East of King Road, South of the chimney stack, West of the tall trees beyond the runway)…

…immediately contact your Safety Director, your President, or any board member. They will expect model details, direction and distance estimates, and will guide you with any further requirements as per MAAC and/or Transport Canada.

Note that if you followed the Flyaway Emergency Procedure, it is highly unlikely that your incident will require a report.

Hopefully, you can locate your plane, repair any damage, retest your failsafe, and get back to having fun flying.

Corn Roast Fun Fly – Sep 24 – Update

Update:

On behalf of the Board I would like to thank the volunteers, pilots and club members who helped to make our event a success.

The club sold $160 of raffle tickets for the r.c. plane at the event. I would also like to thank the Fish family for the donation of their late father’s plane for the raffle.

Ian Brown

Lights, Cameras,Sound/Action Corn Feast kicks off at 9 am Bayview field 24 September.

Volunteers on set 8.30 am

Aircraft and drones welcome. Prizes for best static and flying photograph.