Conference vmszoo::rc

1529.0. "European Chronicles # 2. In June RCSD" by COWBOY::DUFRESNE () Thu Jun 03 1993 11:27

    European Chronicles
     by
    Marc Dufresne					Copyright 1993 
    Domaine de Belle Croix
    17, rue Albert Camus
    77330 OZOIR-La-Ferriere, FRANCE

    Tel/FAX: +33 1.64.40.12.24

    TITLE: Fog? What fog?!?


    WEEEEEEEEEGNAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA.

    I almost jumped out of my skin. I had just been passed by a
    motorcyclist doing at least 130 Kph... In the fog. 

    Now this fog was serious stuff. I've lived 10 years in New England
    and we get fog from time to time but this was something else.
    "This is not bad" one co-worker had commented earlier in the day,
    "sometimes it gets to the point you can't see beyond the hood of
    the car". On that day, not bad meant the I could barely see 20
    metres ahead. Everyone drives with their lights on and this
    includes fog lamps. 

    Ah yes, fog lamps. They are standard equipment in this part of the
    world. I chuckled some when I saw that my car was equipped with
    fog lamps FRONT and BACK. This I had to check out. So I walk
    around to the back of the car: Two, count'em: two very bright red
    lights. For a moment, I thought that the brake lights were on.
    Nope, them where fog lights. Same thing out front, but they are
    yellow and low down. The car is now a fair imitation for a
    Christmas tree. 

    Its meant a security feature! Ah! This IS France...

    Now, you'd think that with this type of weather, that traffic would
    slow down. Well not really. Everyone turns on the fog lamps and
    just keep going. Them rear red light are visible at least 100
    metres back. So its follow the leader and 3/4 ahead full. Except
    for them crazy motorcyclists...

    So, I'm my way to the a club meeting, in the fog. It's about 8 PM
    and its dark. I'm in the right hand lane, doing 80-90 Kph and
    trying to read the road signs, most of which are posted 5 metres
    off the ground. It's tricky: You don't much warning and then they are
    not lit very long as the fog absorbs the light very efficiently. I'm 
    the dummy in the lot, everyone else is passing me, doing about
    110.

    This club, Areo Club Les Cigognes (STORKS), was recommended to me
    by Mr Maisse, President of the EOLE Association. EOLE's mission it
    for foster and support RC glider activities in France. It also
    organizes all the sanctioned glider contests on behalf of the FFAM,
    the French Aeromodeling Federation. 

    AC Les Cigognes has a interesting history. It started as a real
    Aero Club (with full size planes) in the early 30s. It included a
    "cadet" section focused on modeling. Its flying activities were
    suspended during the war . After the war, things got going again,
    but gradually, the modeling section took on more importance,
    especially as RC became more popular and affordable. Enventually,
    all full size flying was stopped and the club is now a modeling
    club only.






    Les Cigognes are located about 30 Km south of Paris and lay claim
    to the "best flying field in the region": the Air Force Flight
    Evaluation Center in nearby Bretigny. Access is limited to days
    when the center is not in operation, which means weekends and
    holidays. They operate two flight lines: One for powered craft
    and the other for gliders, each with an assigned set of
    frequencies. Since towing is quite popular in France (This is the
    country the got the F3I class going), there is a special rule that
    if a glider is being towed from a particular flight line, both
    crafts must operate on that flight line's set of frequencies. The
    club has about 150 members, split about 60/40 in favour of power.
    Most of the glider flyers are F3B oriented.


    Club meetings are held every Tuesday, starting around 9 PM in a
    permanently assigned room at the local civic center. Interesting
    cultural note: The club operates a small bar/cafe in its room as
    no self-serving frenchman would dream of meeting friends for any
    length of time without consuming something. French cafes are
    notorious for this: You go in with a group of friends, order
    coffee or whatever and you can chat all day if you want. Nobody
    will ever bother you. You don't even get a check unless you ask for
    it. The club operates on the same principle: walk-in, get
    something to drink, sit down with friends and talk away. That
    night, the guy responsible for the bar was absent -- grumbling was
    heard.

    The group was pretty typical as modelers go, some showing up with
    their latest  creation, other discussing particular technical
    points or otherwise. I linked with a number of members who were
    focused on glider. I'd brought the ANTHEM plans along to get
    comments and advice, especially on radio gear. I got whistles of
    admiration on the bullet proof spar and chuckles at the "clam
    shell" fuse. The ANTHEM was immediately classified as F3B-class 
    "gas-works" machine.  (Note: The term "gas works" is commonly used
    here to refer to a complex set-up that requires a lot of attention
    or tuning to get it working right. The equivalent american
    expression would be "bells and whistles")

    This led to a discussion about what radio would be best suited for
    it. I also pointed out that I had additional gliders that required
    similar functionality. The GRAUPNER MC-20 or the MULTIPLEX 3030
    were recommended with the comment that the GRAUPNER had better
    price/performance. These are both top of the line gear and we are
    talking serious money here. 

    While on the subject, it seems that everyone here gets two sets of
    crystals. In fact, crystals are sold separately from the set. One
    guy mentionned that he had to wait 3 MONTHS for delivery  of a
    72MHz set. Hummmm. Also, you must get a license from the French
    PTT for your transmitter. The license is valid for three years,
    allows you to own three transmitters and cost 170 FF ($30 USD).
    Club rule: fly without a license and you get turfed out of the
    club. You must have the license with you at the field.

    I was given a very detailed new club member package that includes
    the club charter, its rules, a plan showing the location of the
    flying site, a list of upcoming club events and finally a schedule
    of membership fees. I had to sit down to digest that last item.





    Now, to put this in context: I used to belong to a very small club
    near the Mass/Rhode Island border. Our flying site was on a
    members's land in a flood plane along a river. Our biggest cost
    was the mowing fee for the field. Dues ran about $20 a year. What
    I now had in my hands was "sticker shocking". First there was a
    320 FF ($60 USD) initiation fee then a 430 FF ($80 USD) yearly
    dues. GULP. Upon inquiry, it turned out this was a bargain. First
    the yearly dues includes the FFAM membership (Joining a club is
    the only way you can get to join the FFAM). Also, participation in
    sanctioned contests organised by the club is free to members.
    Non-members pay. Entry fees in contests organised by other clubs
    are re-imbursed to members that participate in them.

    The club also subscribes to a number of modeling magazines and buys
    plans (all kept neatly in a closet). It also has fuselage molds
    for the entreprising modeler that wants to scratch build his
    own fuselage. Time ran out on me to have a closer look at
    what was available. 

    This certainly very different from what I had known stateside.
    There was a strong sense of purpose and camaraderie. Pride also.
    The club also operated a purchase co-op that provides members with
    reduced prices on certain modeling materials. Also, many hobby
    shops will give a discount when presented with the club membership
    card. From what I can gather, the local hobby shop is still the
    main source for kits end supplies. I haven't heard of or seen
    advertising for an equivalent to TOWER HOBBIES here in Europe.

    Sidebar to all this: The club rules call for every member to
    contribute eight hours a month to club activities. Not enforced as
    much as in the days when full sized craft were the mainstay of
    activities, but still... The intent is that everyone is expected to
    pitch in to help with club activities, including contests.
    
    The next step now is to get my workshop set up, get my hands on some
    radio gear and go flying. The flying season gets underway in
    earnest in April. Between F3B, F3I, F3J and F3F, I could be out
    there non-stop til the end of the year! There is an international
    circuit for all these classes also so one can be on the road
    virutally non-stop. A great way (for me) to discover Europe and to
    use up all this vacation time that was foisted on me (about 7
    weeks total, counting stutory holidays).

    I also plan to attend the Paris Modeling Show coming in early
    April. I covers every aspect of modeling: train, boats, planes,
    etc,... And it runs for a week. 

     Continued next month.

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