CMB Club

Club Meeting & Fun Fly #3 has been CANCELED for Sunday September 24th @ Lenn Airpark due to weather!

Come fly radio control with us! Starting in May, on the second Saturday of each month. Come experience radio control flying with one of our instructors and training aircraft. From 9am to 2pm (weather permitting) introductory training flights will be available at the Lenn Model Airpark at Lenn Park. No appointment or previous experience is needed. Please check the @the-field link on our website the prior Friday evening for an instructor's confirmation that the weather will permit flying. Also feel free to sign up as a guest for training flights if you plan on coming out and finding out what radio control model aircraft flying is all about.
Scott and Grant Brotherton have soloed! Beginning in January, Scott (R) and Grant(L) (photo below) began training at CMB. With winter weather, schedules, spring rain, runway liming, etc. it took a few months to complete what would have otherwise been just a few weeks of training. Scott and Grant were both quick studies and soloed after five or six sessions, made shorter individually due to the fact that they both were alternating on the buddy box during training. Scott attributes Grant’s rapid advancement in control and smooth flying to his simulator time. While the bulk of their training was on an 80% foam board Kadet replica, after brief warm-up flights, they both soloed on a 70% foam board Kadet replica and an AeroScout. Say hello to Scott and Grant when they are at the field and welcome this father and son pair to the club. Ask them if they have been patient and not Haboo'd yet!
Here is our hard working instructor, Gordon C., setting up a trainer for another buddy-box experience and flight. Looks like the family are interested, too! (photo courtesy of Bill Towne)
Jay Z has worked with the club CMB merchandise seller and we now have a new dedicated Club Merchandise site. We can even pay online! Check it out! (thanks, Jay)
All CMB Club members: Spring is here and just the right time to get some new club merchandise. Perhaps a couple of new tee shirts or a new club hat! We always want to look our best at the field! Club member Jay Zompanti (Jay Z) is ready and waiting to receive the new orders. Click on over to the Club Merchandise page and see what strikes your fancy!
The FARM Charity Float Fly info for 2023 is available here. Charity Floatfly#1 is June 17th, and Charity Floatfly #2 is September 30th, so mark your calendars!
The new CMB 2023 Calendar is now available.
The new CMB board for 2023 is available on the Contacts page.
The CMB club Application and Renewal forms for 2023 are now available.
Bill Towne has put up more items from John Gilbert's estate sale. There are new items almost daily! Check out the ForSale / Wanted section of the website for more details. Items are going fast!
Al Hampton has soloed! Al is a recent new member that comes to CMB with a part 107 quadcopter background. With some flying experience in that world, some soccer field park plane flying, and encouragement from neighbor Terry Terrenoire, Al was a quick study and made the transition to fixed wing flying rapidly since starting in late September. Al completed his training and solo flight on Gordon Collyer's new "CBM t1" foam board trainer and then easily performed an unassisted check flight on the club's new "advanced" AeroScout trainer before the transmitter battery faded away in the cool morning air. Al has volunteered to be part of the quadcopter search and rescue team when the crops are growing next summer and when someone has to recover from a forced "landing" in the beans. Say hello to Al when you see him at the field and ask about his YouTube channel and why Gordon will sometimes call him Bob. Hi Bob!
Jay Z and friends had yet another great flying day on Sunday,Oct 30th at Lenn Air Park. Check out the fun and pictures! (photos courtesy of Jay Zompanti)
From Gordon C: Through a kind donation from Dan Jones, the club now has a Kaos classic pattern plane to be used for advanced training. If you are interested in moving to faster ".60" size planes or would like to explore basic aerobatics, some buddy-box time on the Kaos will get you moving in the right direction. This a Tower Hobbies "Kaos 60" flying a RimFire .80 electric motor and with a 6s 5000mah battery will provide 8-9 minutes per flight. (photo courtesy of Gordon Collyer):
Jay Z and friends had a great flying day on Sunday,Oct 23rd at Lenn Air Park. Check out the fun and pictures! (photos courtesy of Jay Zompanti)
Jay Z has written a detailed article for all of you intrepid firmware upgraders. Jay's article details upgrading and/or resetting the firmware in your Spektrum receivers.
From Jay Z: As a reminder, we now have Club Merchandise for sale on a per order basis. Reach out to me via the contact page on the Club Merchandise page if you are considering acquiring a sweatshirt, t-shirt, coffee mugs water tumblers, and more.
From Jay Z: Today (Sunday, Oct 16th), was a wonderful day at the field. Sun was shining the temperature right, the wind was down. Simply beautiful. Delbert Mast, Jay Zompanti, Jay Langley: we're out flying along with Dan Palmerly. It was one of those days where you just don't want it to end. Fooling around with the camera I happen to catch these shots of Delbert Mast flying his Cherokee. Fall flying is some of the best flying of the season. When the winds are down and the sun is out it's just beautiful here at the CMB field. Come out and join us. The more the merrier. (photos courtesy of Jay Zompanti):
Notice to all flyers: A binding incident happened at the CMB field. Everyone should read this as some newer receivers from some companies have the capability of using remote/satellite receivers. As this incident demonstrates, multiple concurrent bindings are possible. As such, someone elses transmitter may take control of your aircraft, in the air or on the ground, leading to disastrous results. This document presents the full details.
The 2022 FARM Fall Charity Float Fly was held on Saturday, 3 September, at Lake Ritchie in Bealeton, Virginia! What a beautiful day! Below, are 2 pictures from the float fly (photos courtesy of Dave Rothbart):
Michael Beckett has soloed! Michael began his training In late May. His work schedule dictated training during the evenings, so with the Lenn Model Airpark's orientation he trained the hard way, looking into the sun with the attendant difficulties in discerning orientation that this lighting provides. Working around the summer evening weather and the July rains, Michael logged a lot of simulator time at home waiting for dry ground. This sim-time paid off especially well during two weeks of wind and rain down time at the end of July. Coming back to training, Michael soloed after just a couple of "warm-up" flights on the buddy-box. Get to know Michael and ask him about his full-scale aviation career, and note his tee-shirt's strategic plan.
Xander has soloed! After a few sessions throughout the winter Xander attacked his training at the beginning of June and rapidly progressed to complete unassisted buddy box flights. After being repeatedly forced to fly those boring "fly down the center of the runway" exercises and several take-offs where the instructor accidentally(really - accidental) left the transmitter in high rates, it was clear he was good to go. His solo flight was uneventful and his landings have become often close to exceptional. He has been one of the few students who requested and learned stall turns and stall/spins before he competed his training. Xander is apparently cool under pressure….his response after soloing was a smile. We are told this is Xander being excited. Xander is planning on moving to an Aero Scout for his first plane. Say hello to Xander when you see him at the field and encourage him on!
If you weren't at the FARM Club Charity Float Fly event on Saturday, June 25th, you missed a great day of float flying! Regardless of whether you were there or not, Ralph G.has provided us with a stroll thru the event for your viewing pleasure! Thanks, Ralph!
Jerry Namken has soloed. Flying as weather permitted throughout the fall, winter, a wet spring, and "through" several of his own "Frankenstien" trainer airplanes, Jerry recently "graduated" to a specially modified SIG Seniorita (see also, there were some Seniorita parts that Jerry had left). With some down-thrust added, a larger motor, and stiffer landing gear, this plane did actually fly like a trainer SHOULD! Jerry soloed Jun 4th after the recent Civil Air Patrol Cadet morning training. Shown In the photo below, is Jerry and his band of merry critics, helpers, and sometimes supporters. From the left: Jay Zompanti, Jerry, Gordon Collyer, and Ernie Padgette. Even through his primary instructor, Gordon Collyer, thought there could still be some bad habits left over in his training transmitter, Jerry has elected to forgo the suggested ceremonial training transmitter burning.
For immediate release, notice to Piedmont area UAS pilots.
Reference : 38 deg., 27 min., 33 sec. north latitude; 77 deg., 53 min. 33 sec., west longitude as of 16 hours, 7 minutes Zulu, April 18th 2021.

Please note as a model of determination and persistence that at the place sited and the time indicated, John Gilbert having flown numerous unassisted buddy box flights, did successfully complete, pass and otherwise accomplish his solo check flight on the pictured SIG Kadet. His instructor for this check flight notes his maneuvers and two take-offs and landings were uneventful. Well done, John! Q.E.D.

P.S. there were several witnesses (Photo courtesy of Gordon Collyer).
Club member Gordon Collyer has shared with us a Write Up on the Electric Conversion of the Muddiman "Flying Machine". Gordon walks us through the steps necessary to do an electric conversion, build, and test fly the resulting machine. This is an excellent read and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
Jay Zompanti, recently a new member, has completed his solo flight! Jay took some advice from a friend who is a long time modeler in Massachusetts and escaped "COVID lockup" by checking out radio control flying with the Culpeper Model Barnstormers in the fresh air and open spaces of the Lenn Model Airpark. This year’s unexpected fall rainy season and the resulting mud, frustrated Jay's training and caused scheduling delays that he filled with RealFlight simulator time. With the pre-thanksgiving "drought", access to the full runway allowed Jay to complete his landing work and solo flight. He will be moving on now to his first plane, a Horizon AeroScout. Please introduce yourself to Jay and ask about his Massachusetts friend's interesting model aviation background!
Delbert Mast is the newest CMB club member and successful solo pilot. After some self taught flying and the associated "Gorilla Glue", Delbert found CMB and began pre-COVID-19 buddy boxing in February. After the field dried out from the spring rains and the virus counts subsided, Delbert resumed buddy boxing on Gordon Collyer’s SIG LT-40. After a half dozen or so sessions on the buddy box and several unassisted LT-40 flights, Delbert recently completed a couple of successful solo flights on his own (well repaired) Horizon Apprentice. Well done Delbert! Be sure and introduce yourself to Delbert and say hello when you see him at the field!
Take a look at John Hunton's latest project! John is building a Vought V-173 'Flying Pancake'.
The CMB Annual Club Meeting was held on Dec 15th at Lenn Park Pavillion (see photo below) About 10 members were in attendance. After the meeting, Nic braved a soggy field and got a flight in before calling it a day.
As a pre-curser to the Oct 12th Culpeper AirFest, Nic & Dave hosted a STEM (Science, Technology, Enginnering, and Math) workshop on Wed, Oct 9th.

(photo courtesy of Kirby Nelson)
Gordon Collyer and his student were buddy boxing and while they were at it they decided to lower the trees at the north end of the runway a bit. It's a "little" easier to clear the trees now! Thanks, Gordon !!
Gordon Collyer recently noticed a strange stress crack on his Hog Bipe. He has graciously shared his insight and repair of the problem. It's an interesting read. You can find the ariticle in the Articles & Reviews section at the left, or by clicking Hog Bipe Repair.
See you at the field...