Greetings to one and all.
The Mid-Winter Flying Frolic was a complete success, and a great time was had by all. Rainy weather in the early morning delayed the start, but we had at least two dozen happy flyers frolicking by 11 AM. There were hot dogs, hamburgers, chips and soda for all, plus lots of my Oatmeal Scotchie cookies. My deep thanks to Scott Annis for an excellent job manning the grill. Warm temperatures and light winds were a delightful change from the nasty stuff we endured earlier in the year. The only minus was the mud that got progressively worse as the ground continued to thaw.
After lunch, I turned my attention to setting up the potato cannon on the base that I made, and then tuning up my 43 year-old Lou Andrew's H-Ray and getting the tow line hooked up to my tow target. Take-off was iffy, as the target dragged a bit on the non-frozen runway, but I got it airborne on the second try. The H-Ray did a good job pulling all that extra drag, but that darned target was a bear to cope with. It kept fighting me constantly on every turn, and I found it challenging my flying skills as never before. That fact that the target went inverted immediately just made for more comedy. The gun crew did a fine job in perfecting the propellant charge, and the cannon began to really perform! The target finally won its battle with the H-Ray, and forced a crash after about 6 minutes of thrashing around. I kept my finger off the emergency release switch, 'cause I thought I could save it right up until the moment of failure. No lasting damage, and I fixed the plane just before Ground Hog Day
That day is significant for me, as that was the evening that I slipped on the ice in my back yard, and broke my right ankle. I have sent out a few Presidential Bulletins on the subject, but to kept folks up to date, successful surgery on Valentine's Day and an appointment for this Friday. If things look good there, then they take off the soft cast, and put on a hard cast. No weight bearing for at least 3 months, then lotsa rehab.
I followed through on sending the documentation into the AMA for renewing our club charter. I should get a reply from them shortly. Mark Schulz took possession of the club's Night Vapors and spare transmitters for the indoor flying that I was unable to attend. Mark will be conducting our Key Swap on our February 27 meeting at the American Legion. I will be unable to attend club meetings for a while. As soon as they clear me to drive (with my hand-controlled Chevy) I will involve myself as +much as I can do. I will keep in touch by phone and e-mail.
Respectfully, John Holcomb, President MMAC.
