PRESIDENT's CORNER-Sept '98
By Ron Gibby

This newsletter includes the Club Safety and Field Rules. These rules have never been adopted formally, consequently, we will vote on them as a package at the September meeting. After that they will be revised as necessary and voted on annually. New club members will be given a copy of these rules to assure they know what is expected when using the club flying fields.

Good news for the club! We received a check for $500.00 from the Radio Control Hobby Trade Association in recognition of the media coverage we received for the special ARC activity held in July. That is the maximum award they give out. Again, thanks to Bill Greger for planning the ARC activity, Bill Bowen for notifying the media, and John Hanson and others for preparing the necessary documentation that resulted in the cash award.

The hot weather continues, but the ORV Park flying field (called by some the sod farm) is recovering nicely from a near disaster last month when the watering system was down for several days during a hot spell. Thanks to Terry Hane for keeping on top of the water situation at the park.

Last month I didn't recognize the right person for installing the new gate at the ORV Park. David Hirsch is the guy that really did all of the work while the rest of us stood around and tried not to get in his way. Thank you David!

Thanks to John Hanson for his effort as the Contest Director for a successful Biplane Fly-in last month, and also to all of those who helped John.

Thanks also to each of you that has taken his turn to mow the lawn at the ORV Park this year. The other day someone asked if it's okay to use the runway mower to help mow the rest of the field. The problem is it only takes about 45 min to mow the runway and about 2 hrs to mow the outer area; consequently, one mower is finished much sooner than the other. I mentioned this concern to Terry. He told me that the runway mower is setup specifically to mow short. If it's moved to mow higher it puts the mower drive pulley out of alignment, wearing out the drive belt quickly. Last year when we were moving it up and down we were losing a belt about every two weeks. At more than $20.00 per belt it gets expensive, and in addition it's not that easy to change a belt. This year we have only replaced the belt once or twice. We realize it's an inconvenience, but since we each only have to mow once or twice a year it's not a big deal. So, please use the runway mower only for the runway and the new mower for the rest of the field.

Remember that club dues should only be paid to Clee Childress, Club Treasurer. He must verify your AMA membership before accepting your dues and issuing a club membership card.

If you have any comments about our club please contact me. Email: president@tcrcm.org, phone: 946-5356

Happy Flyin'.