2013 News & Updates
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Indoor Flying: If you are craving some flying time, you might be interested in a weekly indoor flying opportunity in La Pine. The La Pine R/C Flyers offer indoor flying at the La Pine Event Center:
When: Every Wednesday Time: 6:00 – 9:00 PM Cost: $5 per pilot
Free for spectatorsWhere: La Pine Event Center
16405 First St. (next to the Library)
La Pine, OR 97739
If you have any questions about the indoor flying, please contact La Pine’s club president, Joe Stone at joerocketman@hotmail.com.
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November Newsletter Available: Just hot off the press, the November club newsletter is available and can be downloaded from the Newsletter archive.
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KBNZ TV Visits BAM (continued): The video clip of the recent TV shoot at Popp's Field from KBNZ's local myWindow TV show is available and can be viewed below.
"Bend Aero Modelers" by John Hammarley, KBNZ "myWindow" video clip at Popp's Field. -
KBNZ TV Visits BAM: KBNZ, a Central Oregon station for CBS Entertainment, News, and Sports recently contacted us to inquire about our interest in being featured on one of their local weekday shows called "MyWindow" (weekdays at 4:30 PM on cable channel 6/HD channel 606). John Hammerley, one of the show's co-hosts, was looking for an interesting topic and saw our club information on this website. Of course, we were excited about this opportunity and agreed to a TV shoot at our field.
Mackenzie Wilson and Justin Renoud of KBNZ met up with a group of BAM members at Popp's Field on Thursday morning, October 24. Several members brought and demonstrated their airplanes. Among others, Rick Burgess, VP and one of BAM's flight instructors, provided additional information about our hobby and put both Mackenzie and Justin on the buddy box to provide them with hands-on flying experience. They spent over two hours at our field learning about our hobby and club. It was fun hosting them and we look forward to seeing the edited and finalized TV program in about two weeks on MyWindow.
Below are a few pictures from the TV shoot. Stay tuned for an announcement of the specific program date!
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Field Maintenance Update: Last Saturday (October 19), several of us met to sand and paint the tops of the setup tables. We also gathered all garbage and emptied the recycle bins. Repainting the setup table tops was necessary to make certain that the tables will hold up through the winter season. And we flew a bit afterwards. Below are some pictures from the "mini work party."
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October Newsletter Available: Just hot off the press, the October club newsletter is available and can be downloaded from the Newsletter archive.
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September Newsletter Available: Just hot off the press, the September club newsletter is available and can be downloaded from the Newsletter archive.
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Club House Improvements: We have been adding further improvements to our field and installed insulation and drywall in the club house to provide better shelter for winter flying. Several members came out on August 24 to partipate in the work party and helped with this project. Some finishing touches remain, which will be completed in the near future (this summer).
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Field Safety Guidelines: We have been discussing improving safety practices at our field for some time and have now finalized the Field Safety Guidelines. The guidelines are available for download as a PDF document or can be viewed online under the Resources page.
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August Newsletter Available: Just hot off the press, the August club newsletter is available and can be downloaded from the Newsletter archive.
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Wings & Wheels Show: Join us at the Wings & Wheels Show on Saturday, August 10th, at the Prineville Airport. The event features a variety of full-scale aircraft, classic cars, discovery flights, raffle prizes, and more. The Bend Aero Modelers will exhibit at the event and answer any questions about our hobby. Our booth will also feature an R/C flight simulator. We hope to see you at the show!
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July Newsletter Available: Just hot off the press, the July club newsletter is available and can be downloaded from the Newsletter archive.
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June Newsletter Available: Just hot off the press, the June club newsletter is available and can be downloaded from the Newsletter archive.
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Field Projects: Finally, our club is moving forward with several field improvement projects. The first major improvements include a concrete floor for the club house and a concrete pathway at the main entry gate. Further, we will install a concrete slab in front of the porta-potties and a dedicated slab for wheelchair pilots off the center taxiway. Overall, the improvements will make it easier to access the field with wheelchairs while providing a more durable solution for high-traffic areas.
G.L. Willis Construction is performing the work for us and we are extremely pleased with the craftsmanship so far. Last Saturday (May 25), we had a work party that was tasked with excavating the remaining sections in preparation for the concrete job. Several members came out to assist, including Tim Peterson who brought his tractor to help with the "bigger" excavation job.
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Park Flying: Don't miss out on our weekly park flying at Pine Nursery Park. We meet every Thursday at 6:00 PM (weather permitting) at the east end in an open grass area near the baseball field to fly electric R/C airplanes suited for park flying. You don't need to be a member of our club to join the weekly flying and we are more than happy to assist you and answer any questions about the hobby and our club.
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May Newsletter Available: Just hot off the press, the May club newsletter is available and can be downloaded from the Newsletter archive.
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Oregon Senate Bill 71 Rejected: Senate Bill 71 failed to receive sufficient support in the Oregon State Senate to proceed any further. In addition, strong opposition by the Oregon R/C model aviation community led by the Salem R/C Pilot Association club and AMA as well as support from local representatives achieved successful rejection of the bill. For now, there is no further attempt to introduce state-specific regulation regarding drones (unmanned aerial vehicles) and R/C flying involving video equipment.
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April Newsletter Available: Just hot off the press, the April club newsletter is available and can be downloaded from the Newsletter archive.
April 21, 2013 [top]
April 16, 2013 [top]
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Park Flying: Our park flying season will officially start next week Thursday, April 4. As usual, we will be meeting at 6:00 PM at Pine Nursery Park. This event is open to anybody who would like to participate or just watch. We'll hope to see you there!
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Oregon Senate Bill 71: The latest amendment to ORSB 71 shows progress by differentiating "drones" from "R/C airplanes." The public hearing on March 21, 2013 also provided strong feedback from the model aviation community to ensure that further refinements to the bill be made and clearly separate recreational R/C model aviation from actual drone activities carried out by commercial, government, and military entities.
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March Newsletter Available: Just hot off the press, the March club newsletter is available and can be downloaded from the Newsletter archive.
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Oregon Senate Bill 71:
You may have been following the developments regarding Oregon Senate Bill 71, which proposes the control and licensing of unmanned flying machines (“drones”). Per the definition outlined in the bill, R/C airplanes would also fall into this category and per our understanding would require licensing (authorization) with the Federal Government and/or the Oregon Department of Aviation should this bill pass.
The original bill proposal has been amended since it was initially made available, including refinements to some of the definitions and scope. You can access the latest amendment from March 6, 2013 by clicking here. A hearing is scheduled for March 20, 2013.
The below source provides an informational video about Bill 71 by the Roswell Flight Test Crew and also useful reference information such as an opposition sample letter that you can complete and send to your representative, a search tool to find out who your state/federal representatives are and a link to Governor Kitzhaber's contact page.
MS Word version (.docx) of opposition sample letter:
ORSB 71 Opposition Sample LetterYouTube video concerning Bill 71:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=ygoJoVk_qSoThe official purpose of the bill is to ensure the privacy of people, which at first glance sounds like a good thing. However, the all-or-nothing approach seems rather ignorant and lacking a big-picture mindset. For example, the mandatory licensing of R/C airplanes (since they are considered “drones” per the definition outlined in the bill) would have significant consequences for our hobby by imposing restrictions and potential fees. Likewise, this bill would negatively affect related industries and compromise an innovative, emerging technology nationwide and here in Oregon.
Following are links to selected legal material (Oregon) referenced in the bill concerning the potential violations when operating a “drone:”
§ 163.700 Invasion of personal privacy:
http://www.oregonlaws.org/ors/163.700
§ 163.702 Exceptions to ORS 163.700:
http://www.oregonlaws.org/ors/163.702
§ 165.540 Obtaining contents of communications:
http://www.oregonlaws.org/ors/165.540
§ 164.245 Criminal trespass in the second degree:
http://www.oregonlaws.org/ors/164.245
§ 163.732 Stalking:
http://www.oregonlaws.org/ors/163.732 -
February Newsletter Available: Our latest issue of the club newsletter is available and can be downloaded from the Newsletter archive. This issue is also filled with great information, stories, and articles.
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Indoor Flying: A weekly flying opportunity is available to those who are interested in indoor flying. The La Pine R/C Flyers host the weekly event at the La Pine Event Center:
When: Every Thursday Time: Thursdays from 6:00 – 9:00 PM Cost: $5 per pilot
Free for spectatorsWhere: La Pine Event Center
16405 First St. (across the Library's parking lot)
La Pine, OR 97739
If you have any questions about the indoor flying, please contact La Pine’s club president, Joe Stone at joerocketman@hotmail.com.
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January Newsletter Available: After a long hiatus, we are pleased to re-introduce a club newsletter as a regular benefit to club members and interested readers. This is our first issue and we are looking forward to many more in the future. To access the latest issue please click here.
