National Free Flight Society

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  1. Congratulations Bill Vanderbeek the 2018 Mentorship Award Winner
  2. Lost Hills Field Rules
  3. Lost Hills Welcome
  4. Lost Hills Weather
  5. Bees at Lost Hills

Congratulations Bill Vanderbeek the 2018 Mentorship Award Winner
From: Jim Parker
Bill Vanderbeek is  the 2018 Mentorship Award Winner.  The  Mentorship award   was created in 2006 by  Jon Davis. He wrote: “To honor and recognize the aero modeler who has best embodied the mentoring spirit in the sport of free flight model aviation.”  Jon had a special perpetual trophy created for the award, he made the multi-wood base and commissioned a custom brass sculpture of a young boy holding a model glider ready to be tossed into the air.

We are recognizing Bill’s mentoring of Chinmay Jaju (2008 and 2010 Jr FAI FF Team, F1P) and his generous financial support  of the USA Junior FAI free flight teams through the years.

We present the Mentorship award at the Am Cup banquet, this year the banquet is Friday, Feb 16, 2018 at 6:30 pm at the north Lost Hills Wonderful Park recreation room. We are hoping Bill will come down to  the Lost Hills banquet to accept the Mentorship award but if he can’t, Mike McKeever will insure he gets the award soon.

Thermals, Jim Parker, SCAT president

LOST HILLS FIELD RULES
Speed Limit: 20 MPH for all vehicles including chase vehicles on all roads.
Speed Limit: 10 MPH for all vehicles including chase vehicles in & near camping, parking and flying areas

Acceptable chase vehicles are motorcycles, quad cycles, golf carts, bicycles and similar small vehicles.

Passenger vehicles may be NOT be used to chase models across open fields at any time.

No Moto-Flapping  (Flapping on motorcycles or other motorized vehicles)

Do not park on roads unless directed to do so by Contest Management

Keep all passenger vehicles (cars, trucks, vans, etc.) minimum 100 feet from flight lines and flying areas
Passenger vehicles may be used to deliver & set up flight line equipment, but must be moved to designated parking areas no less than 10 minutes prior to round one, or prior to the start of the next round after the flight line has been moved.

Passenger vehicles may be used to pick-up flight line equipment:
1) 10 minutes after the horn ending the final flyoff round for the day.
2) Immediately after the horn ending a round prior to moving the flight line.

Please keep all areas of the field including north and west flight line areas clean.  Pick up and remove everything you bring including broken motors, model parts, cups, cans, food wrappers, etc.  Leave your flying area cleaner than when you arrived.

ORCHARD RULES
IMPORTANT:  READ ATTACHED MESSAGE FROM THE LOST HILLS FREE FLIGHT MODEL AIRFIELD ASSOCIATION BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Do not climb trees at any time for any reason.  EVER.  NO EXCEPTIONS.  Ask Contest Director for telescoping pole and ladder.

Do not step on or drive across plastic irrigation piping in orchards.  EVER.  NO EXCEPTIONS.

Chase vehicles are only allowed to drive down open rows between and parallel to trees.  Please ride as far away from trees as possible and if on foot, minimize walking across the irrigation pipes.

Under no circumstances shall passenger vehicles enter the orchard areas.  Violation of this rule will result in immediate disqualification and removal from the flying site.

Lost Hills Welcome
Lost Hills Free Flight Model Airfield Association
Message from The LHFFMAA Board of Directors

We would like to welcome all flyers attending the week long 2018 Fabulous February competition.  We want to take this opportunity to remind you how important it is that we respect the orchards that are adjacent to or near our flying field.  The Owners have given us permission to ride our chase vehicles into the orchards without supervision.  When you enter an orchard, only ride down the rows, which are defined by the plastic irrigation pipe.  Please do not ride over the plastic pipe for any reason at any time.  If you go down the wrong row and your model is one or more rows away, park your chase vehicle and walk to the model.   AT ALL TIMES, be careful not to step on the plastic irrigation pipe.

The trees are getting very tall.  If your model lands in a tree DO NOT climb the tree to retrieve it for any reason at any time.  No Exceptions.  Again, the Owners have generously given us the opportunity to chase our models into their orchards.  If we damage their trees in retrieving our models they will take this important privilege away.

The best way to remove a model from a tree is with a long pole with a hook on a piece of string.   We now have a 26-foot long telescoping pole to help with retrieval.  See the Contest Director for this pole.

If you drive over the plastic irrigation pipe or climb a tree, you will be immediately referred to the Jury for disciplinary action including immediate disqualification and removal from the field for the remainder of the week’s competition.

Please be prepared to move the flight line if the drift sends our models into the orchards.  The area to the north (Cashin and Holloway) can be used and the flight line will be moved by the CD if and when needed.

One last item, please respect the speed limit on the dirt roads.  We share the roads with the Holloway Gypsum Company.  They have a speed limit posted on several of the roads in the area and we need to respect that posted speed limit of 20 mph.  10 mph in the camping and parking areas.

Thank You and Have a Great Week!

Bill Booth
President LHFFMAA

Lost Hills Weather
In previous years we have recommended that people go to http://www.wunderground.com  site and look up either Paramount Farming or Blackwells Corners for Lost Hills weather.  In recent times both of these sites have disappeared.  In  Looking up Lost Hills you got a weather station (PASUZA LAND AND WATER, DUCK HUNTING CLUB – KCAWASCO2) close to Lost Hills on the other side of the I-5 Freeway.

Just in the last 2 or 3 days Wunderground has sometimes given a different station  (M2CN4) for Lost Hills that appears to be a little closer to the site. And the Blackwells corner station has reappeared.  At the top of the Wunderground page it lets you change the station and you can try another.
While the forecast for the whole Fab Feb period is not there it appears that the temperature will be between 50 and 78 F / 10 and 26 C with light winds and no expectation of rain.

BEE  PREPARED  FOR  BEES
Please READ the following and be prepared to share the field with some bees.

It isn’t something we like and the LHFFMAA has made every effort to distance the bees from headquarters and flying areas, but it is essential that we are good neighbors to the tree farmers and their bees.  The bees are just as uncomfortable with us as we are with them, but they are a critical part of the pollination process for the trees in the surrounding orchards.  Taking some basic precautions will go a long way to minimizing bee stings from happening.  See CD or Headquarters if you need attention for a sting.  In case of emergency always call 911.

DON’T GO ON THE ATTACK
If you start swatting at a passing bee, he is going to get mad and try to sting you.  Remain calm and either move away slowly or stay put until the bee moves away.

WEAR LIGHT COLORED, NEUTRAL CLOTHING
If you don’t want a bee to confuse you with a pollen filled flower, avoid wearing bright colors.
Stick to clothes in tan, cream and white so you’ll easily be able to see when a dark insect lands on you.

COVER UP
Nothing deters a stinger like a layer of clothing.  Wear long sleeved shirts and pants, socks and closed toe shoes.  If you have long hair, pull it back and up.  Bees think of hair as a ladder that will lead them to a banquet of exposed skin.

TRASH & FOOD
There is nothing like the smell of something rotten to attract bees.  Make sure your trash is neatly contained in a place away from where you want to be.  Keep doors & windows on all vehicles including RV’s, closed whenever possible.  Open and handle outdoor containers with caution.

SUGARY DRINKS
Bees love soft drinks, sweet tea and lemonade almost as much as you do.  Avoid these drinks when outdoors.  If you have to have that sugary fix, drink from an open glass or container so you can see a bee before you take a sip.  Keep all containers tightly sealed and look carefully before you drink from a can.