News

  • 08 Mar 2016 1:34 PM | Marshall Henley

    Have an interesting aviation or hobby related story/experience you would like to share?  Want to let fellow members know about your latest build?  Or perhaps a tip or technique that could help everyone out?

    Get it published in SLRCFA’s Rotate newsletter.  It’s simple, send your story and pictures to SLRCFA’s newsletter editor via e-mail to slrcfa.rotate@gmail.com and it will be published in the next month’s issue.


  • 25 Feb 2016 1:46 PM | Marshall Henley

    The board has extended the deadline to get your membership without an extra feeMake sure to renew before March 31, 2016, and avoid the $25 late fee. 

     Renew today using PayPal or your Visa!

     


  • 25 Feb 2016 1:45 PM | Marshall Henley

    FEB 25 2016: While our field was flooded in December 2015, it’s back to normal, except for electricity. Many have flown in the last two weeks with the beautiful Spring-like days we were able to enjoy.  We’re looking at solutions for electrical work that make sense, long-term. In the mean time, bring charged batteries or a small generator. The porta-potty is en-route and should be there soon. 

    We finished a work day on Saturday, February 20th, so things are looking good. Look for the usual work days to get the field into ship-shape for Spring as well as our big June Fly-in.

    If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, do not hesitate to email SLRCFA.Rotate@gmail.com.

    Our field is in great shape and still beautiful… so grateful that our workday got everything back into place! –Marshall Henley


  • 15 Feb 2016 8:00 AM | Marshall Henley

    Author: Jonathan Hendrickson

    You may have heard on the evening news something about drone registration and thought, I don’t fly a drone so that doesn’t apply to me…Think again, they were really talking about Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (sUAS).  So what exactly is a sUAS and what actually has to be registered?

    • UAS is the unmanned aircraft (UA) and all of the associated support equipment, control station, data links, telemetry, communications and navigation equipment, etc., necessary to operate the unmanned aircraft. A sUAS is under 55lbs maximum takeoff weight. This is any aircraft that flies with a control system, so ANY RC AIRCRAFT.
    • All sUAS that weigh more than 0.55lbs or 250grams bust be registered to legally fly in the USA. 
    • Anyone 13 or older must register their sUAS.  Anyone younger than 13 must have the sUAS they are operating registered by an adult.
    • All sUAS must be registered by February 19th, 2016.  You may not fly ANY sUAS over 0.55 pounds up to 55 pounds) unless it is registered after this date.
    • Failure to register an aircraft may result in regulatory and criminal sanctions. The FAA may assess civil penalties up to $27,500. Criminal penalties include fines of up to $250,000 and/or imprisonment for up to three years.

    ALL SLRCFA members will need to submit their FAA registration number to Dennis Chivetta for club records.

    All aircraft must be marked with your registration number before ANY further flights. The registration number may be hand written or a decal and must be accessible or visible without the use of any tools.

    sUAS Registration Link: http://www.faa.gov/uas/registration/

    sUAS FAQs: http://www.faa.gov/uas/faq/

    Model Aircraft Operations: http://www.faa.gov/uas/model_aircraft/

    Do’s and Don’ts: http://www.faa.gov/uas/publications/model_aircraft_operators/

    Near Airports: http://www.faa.gov/airports/special_programs/uas_airports/model_airplane_faqs/

    Know Before You Fly: http://knowbeforeyoufly.org/



  • 15 Jan 2016 8:00 PM | Marshall Henley

    Jonathon Hendrickson is the newly elected president of SLRCFA. We share his letter published in ROTATE here...

    “As the new president of SLRCFA I would like to personally thank the former president of SLRCFA, Stan King and Treasurer, Ron Lawson for their many, many years of service to our club. Ron has retired from his position and his famous Ron Dogs will be greatly missed along with much, much more). Stan will continue to serve on the board of directors and I admire his untiring commitment to serving our club. Dennis Chivetta has been elected as SLRCFA’s treasurer and has hit the ground running. Dennis is only the 2nd treasurer in our club’s history (Ron was the treasurer from the beginning). He has done a tremendous job absorbing the task  of treasurer, organizing 30+ years of information into a format that he can understand and share with the club. Treasurer is the most time consuming position on the board and I appreciate him stepping up to the plate.

    Safety, fun, and comradery are the reasons all of us join a club like SLRCFA. My intentions as president are to improve all these areas and some more than others. The opening article of Rotate shows the destruction that the flood caused, yes it will cost us to restore the field, but we will be able to incorporate new ideas and make improvements during this restoration  process  and  this  in  turn  should boost accessibility and fellowship between members. Several ideas were discussed at the January board meeting and will be further discussed at the February board meeting. I encourage all members to attend and participate in this process. 

    Clubs all over the country have several fun flys and open houses on a monthly basis. Last year, Ken Merrill, our vice president suggested that we incorporate more events like this promoting fun and comradery. I would like to implement this idea. The events do not need to be sanctioned or even run by a contest director. They could be as simple or complex as the organizer would like. It could be open to any AMA member or just our club members. It doesn’t have to be a fund raiser either. However, the burden of organizing these events cannot fall on one individual. We need several members to step forward and each take on one event.

    Field improvements (curb appeal and safety), events (fun), and comradery will in turn grow our club. It is common for the general public, our neighbors, and fellow aviation enthusiast to be spectators at our club on any given day.

    All too often I see members pass them buy instead of engaging in conversation with our guest. Make it a point to talk to them, they came to our field to watch us fly and already have an interest in our hobby. They are potential new members and friends, greet them and make them feel at home. Put them in touch with one of our introductory pilots (instructors).

    Our club averages between 100-115 members each year. Even members that frequent the flying field have never met everybody. If you see someone at the field that you do not recognize, introduce yourself and ask them if they are  a member if you do not see their membership card on their person. (Last year a rule was passed that all members must wear their membership chard when flying. You will notice that your 2016 membership card has a rectangular hole in it near the end. There are clips available to all members free. We will have them available at all meetings and at the field in the brochure holder in the pavilion.) Make it a point to know as many members as possible.

    Lastly, I want everybody to know that I am open to all ideas and suggestions. If you have anything to say about anything, speak your mind. I want open communication, constructive, respectful discussion and problem solving. I want to grow this club’s comradery and membership simultaneously.”

    Your President and Newsletter Editor Jonathon Hendrickson

  • 01 Jan 2016 8:00 AM | Marshall Henley
    Direct (quoted) from the AMA on 1/11/16

    “As you know, we have been working with our legal counsel and the FAA to find a solution for our members on the registration rule. To date, FAA has agreed in principle to several proposed initiatives that will help ease this process for our members. Specifically, they are:

    ·       AMA and the FAA are working to streamline the registration process for AMA members whereby those who register with the FAA will be able to use their AMA number as the primary identification on their model aircraft, as opposed to adding a new federal registration number.

    ·       In addition, AMA members’ federal registration will automatically renew provided membership remains active and current. We are working with FAA in negotiating the renewal fee, but  in any case it is envisioned the renewal process will be provided as a member benefit.

    ·       In the future, federal registration will automatically be accomplished upon joining the AMA, eliminating the need to register with both AMA and the FAA.

    These initiatives are a step in the right direction. However, we want to emphasize that this is not the end of our efforts to protect AMA members from this overreaching regulation. We are continuing to explore all legal and political options available, but these conversations may take time and a definitive solution is unlikely before the February 19 registration deadline.

    Currently, registration is free of charge until January 19. If you would like to take advantage of this free period, you may want to register before that day. But please note that you have until February 19 to register in order to avoid violating the federal rule.

    We also want to encourage our members to submit comments to the FAA about the registration rule. It is critical that all AMA members are heard loud and clear on this issue. The deadline for submitting comments is Friday, January 15. Additional instruction is available here.

    Thank you for your patience as we work to find the best path forward on registration. We are committed to doing everything possible to protect our hobby and ensure that future generations have the opportunity to fly.”

    sUAS Registration

    You may have heard on the evening news something about drone registration and thought, I don’t fly a drone so that doesn’t apply to me…Think again, they were really talking about Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (sUAS). So what exactly is a sUAS and what actually has to be registered?

    ·       A UAS is the unmanned aircraft (UA) and all of the associated support equipment, control station, data links, telemetry, communications and navigation equipment, etc.,  necessary to operate the unmanned aircraft. A sUAS is under 55lbs maximum takeoff weight. This is any aircraft that flies with a control system, so ANY RC AIRCRAFT.

    ·       All sUAS that weigh more than 0.55lbs or 250grams bust be registered to legally fly in the USA.

    ·       Anyone 13 or older must register their sUAS. Anyone younger than 13 must have the sUAS they are operating registered by an adult.

    ·       All sUAS must be registered by February 19th, 2016

    ·       Failure to register an aircraft may result in regulatory and criminal sanctions. The FAA may assess civil penalties up to $27,500. Criminal penalties include fines of up to $250,000 and/or imprisonment for up to three years.

    For more information about sUAS visit http://www.faa.gov/uas/

    To register your sUAS visit https://registermyuas.faa.gov/


  • 14 Dec 2015 7:30 PM | Marshall Henley

    SLRCFA had a great turn out for its December Club meeting, over 35 members attended.  There was an unexpected amount of quadcopters in the gift exchange, 7 to be exact.

    Dennis Chivetta pas presented a plaque along with a well thought out certificate detailing our gratitude for his years of service as SLRCFA’s secretary.

    Several new constitutional amendments were voted upon and passed.  You can see the updated constitution on our webpage.

    ( www.slrcfa.com ) From the home page select the Documents tab, then SLRCFA Documents, then SLRCFA Constitution.

    SLRCFA welcomed a new Director to the Board, James Spellman. 

    After the Meeting several members flew in the gymnasium while several watched.


  • 14 Dec 2015 5:52 PM | Marshall Henley

    SLRCFA is in need of some storage space for the club’s PA system, foldable tables, coolers, and a few other items.  If you would be willing to store some of the club’s items, please contact slrcfa.rotate@gmail.com


  • 08 Dec 2015 12:51 PM | Marshall Henley

    SLRCFA general club meetings will resume for the warmer months. SLRCFA Club meetings are the 3rd Thursday of each month. The first club meeting of the season will be Thursday May, 15th at 7:30pm. All members and perspective members are encouraged to attend.

    The SLRCFA Board meetings are held on the 1st Thursday of each month. Usually, in May, we start holding board meetings at the field. Otherwise, e-mail rotate.slrcfa@gmail.com to find out where the next board meeting will be held. All members and perspective members are encouraged to attend. 


  • 21 Oct 2015 8:23 PM | Marshall Henley

    Author: Jonathan Hendrickson

    SLRCFA’s warbirds event was greeted with a cold and WINDY Saturday, was concluded with a slightly warmer and little less windy Sunday. Few pilots braved the sky on Saturday as the winds were 15-18mph gusting 25mph+ at about a 75-90 degree crosswind to runway 31 (Taking off and landing Right to Left).  .

    Saturday afternoon was the Pilots prize giveaway and Lunch. 

    Overall the Event was a success. We had an increase of pilots, great prizes, and great flying.  We are hoping for better weather next year!!

    You can view pictures from the event on our facebook page. www.facebook.com/slrcfa



(c) 2023, St. Louis Radio  Control Flying Association

Powered by Wild Apricot Membership Software