KENT RADIO AEROMODELERS, INC.
Minutes of the April 2nd, 2013 Meeting

Called to order at 7:05 pm by President Nikolei Zinsli            

Members present: 12 (quorum not met, unofficial meeting rules engaged)
Guests present:  Mike and Roger Heileman, Lloyd Deyoung, Brad Peet

Review of the Minutes of the February meeting produced no additions, deletions, or changes. 
Financial Report presented by Nikolei Zinsli produced no questions.
Current membership stands at 56 regular, 4 lifetime, 2 associate, and 4 junior for a total of 66 members.
         

We have decided to do a club build over the winter this year. Our objective is twofold: First, to build an advanced trainer for club use. Second, to get our members comfortable with building a kit, rather just arf's. Kit building seems to be becoming a lost art, one that we need tro keep going. We chose a Carl Goldberg Tiger 2 .60 kit, generously donated by Rider's Hobby Shop of Grand Rapids.

KENT RADIO AEROMODELERS, INC.
Minutes of the March 5, 2013 Meeting

Called to order at 7:03 pm by President Nikolei Zinsli             

Members present: 17
Guests present:  Mike and Roger Heileman, Jack Vanden Bosch

Review of the Minutes of the February meeting produced no additions, deletions, or changes. 
        Motion to approve by:        George Orphan   
        Seconded by:              Ed Buck
        Vote:                 carried

Financial Report presented by Dan McLaren produced no questions.
        Motion to accept by:    Jim Heist         
        Seconded by:          Allen Simpson
        Vote:             carried
        No New Members were added this month. Current membership stands at 53 regular, 4 lifetime, 2 associate, and 4 junior for a total of 63 members.
         

Greg from West Michigan Park Flyers has invited KRAM and other local clubs to their first "WMPF Appreciation Fun Fly" on March 15th from 6-11pm at WMAA. Admission is free and he has several fun events planned from spot landing and limbo to balloon cut combat. Fun and prizes will ensue, so be sure to come out and join in the fun! Click the image to download the flyer.

KENT RADIO AEROMODELERS, INC.
Minutes of the February 5, 2013 Meeting

Called to order at   7:02    pm by President Nikolei Zinsli             

Members present: 20
Guests present: Fred, Roger, and Mike Heileman 

Review of the Minutes of the January meeting resulted in a request by Leroy Lubbers to include a statement about the future possible additions to the shed as mentioned at the meeting.  Such additions will be proposed once we have a lease and ok from our landlord. 
        Motion to approve by: Ed Bradley   
        Seconded by:      Ed Buck
        Vote:     Carried

Financial Report presented by Dan McLaren and produced no questions or comments.
        Motion to accept by:      Danny Osborn
        Seconded by:  Dave Kingma
        Vote: Carried
        No New Members admitted this month.
        Membership currently stands at: Regular – 43; Lifetime – 4; Associate – 1;                             Junior – 2 for a total of 50   
     

AMA District 7 VP Tim Jesky and Education Director Bill Pritchett visited West Michigan Aviation Academy earlier this year to see the program that George Pavey has put together. Visiting on one of the mornings that the R/C club meets, Mr. Jesky and Mr. Pritchett got to experience the students love of aviation and the level to which KRAM members are helping. They were thoroughly impressed with not only the school, their kids and faculty, but with our interaction with the school! So much so, that we got a full page write-up in Model Aviation, February 2013, page 154. Click the image to read it full-size.

A BIG thanks goes out to all of our members that have been volunteering each week. This is proof that your efforts have not gone unnoticed or unappreciated!!

KENT RADIO AEROMODELERS, INC.
Minutes of the January 8, 2013 Meeting

Called to order at 7:00 pm by President Nikolei Zinsli            

Members present: 23
Four guests present: 3 Heilemans
             Fred Wiltse

A review of the Minutes of the December meeting produced not changes or additions.
        Motion to approve by: Mark Schmaltz
        Seconded by:      Ed Bradley
        Vote: Carries          

Financial Report presented by Dan McLaren for both the month and year.  Detail available on line.
        Motion to accept by:  Jim Peterson        
        Seconded by:  Danny Osborn
        Vote: Carried

        New Members approved for club membership:
             Fred Wiltse
            Daniel Herweyer (youth membership)

Greeting Pilots!

So did you find anything under your tree that made you go "Wheeeeee!"?? Under mine, was a UMX Stryker 180. I've loved the Stryker since its release in 2004(time flies!), and now I have a micro version with dual rudders that will do boomerang flat spins like nothing else! And yes, I've already got the light kit in my hands for it! ;) This leads to your first assignment, send me pics of your R/C gifts this year! I want to compile a post with everyone's goodies so we can all share what we might see on the field next summer.

The holidays are over, snow is finally on the ground, and that only means one thing - the building season has begun! Whether it was under the tree, or already on the build table, send me pics of what you're building this winter. If you don't have anything to build, come help build the new club trainer this winter! We will be building a Tiger 60 (kindly donated by Hobby World) progressively through the winter, which will be an excellent advanced trainer for the club. Mark Schmaltz will be hosting our build nights in Lowell on Wednesday nights, every other week, starting around 6pm. Each session will have a planned focus; fuselage assembly, wing assembly, covering, engine/radio installation, etc. With the 'elderly statesmen' supervising and instructing, we will let the new builders in attendance handle the assembly. With the huge growth of ARF's, our goal this winter is educate everyone so you will be prepared when the inevitable happens. This will also be open to the public, so if you know anyone that might be interested in learning please invite them! Keep an eye on your email, I will send more details with the what/where/when very soon.

KRAM and WMAA got a mention on the AMA youth blog recently, following AMA D7 AVP Tim Jesky's visit to WMAA. Mr. Jesky and Mr. Pritchett were both very excited to see the interaction between the club and the WMAA students. You can read the blog entry here: http://amablog.modelaircraft.org/amayouth/2012/12/18/a-trip-to-western-michigan-aviation-academy/  But wait, there's more! In the February edition of Model Aviation, there will be a full page article about our very own club and the Tuesday/Thursday morning WMAA R/C club sessions! What great visibility for both of us! Be sure to keep an eye out for it when it comes in the mail. Special thanks to Dan McLaren and Dave Kingma for providing pictures for the article, and to Lee Frederickson for letting AMA know what we've been doing!

Have you renewed your club dues? Contact Dan McLaren ASAP to avoid late fees! How about your AMA card? It would be a shame to not be able to fly with us at the Frozen Fun-Fly on Jan 1st just because you forgot to go to modelaircraft.org to renew.

Keep your wings level and altitude positive,

Nikolei

KRAM & WMAA were featured in a quick blog post that was featured in the AMA Flightline Newsletter & Youth Blog. This is great exposure for both of us and there is more to come! Please go to the link at the end and share on your Facebook!

A Trip to Western Michigan Aviation Academy

In early December, AMA’s Education Director, Bill Pritchett and District VII VP Tim Jesky took a trip to the Western Michigan Aviation Academy. They visited the Academy to learn more about the programs that were put together to provide a charter high school experience with lots of aviation resources available.  One of their best resources is the local AMA Charter Club, the Kent Radio Aero Modelers and their president, Nikolei Zinsli.  Not only does the Dean, George Pavey, recognize the value of modeling, the local AMA club knows a great opportunity to share their wealth of talent and experience.  Every Tuesday and Thursday morning KRAM members can be found building and flying with the students at WMAA. 

 To learn about more about opportunities for students to develop a relationship with your club, visit http://www.modelaircraft.org/education/masc.aspx.

Source: http://amablog.modelaircraft.org/amayouth/2012/12/18/a-trip-to-western-michigan-aviation-academy/

KENT RADIO AEROMODELERS, INC.
Minutes of the December 4, 2012 Meeting

Called to order at 7:06pm by President Nikolei Zinsli

Members present 23 with no guests present.

Review of the Minutes of the November meeting produced no additions, deletions, or corrections.
                        Motion to approve by:  Ed Buck
                        Seconded by:              Mark Schmaltz
                        Vote: carried                         

The Financial Report was presented by Dan McLaren and can be seen on line.  Membership remains at 79 members.
                        Motion to accept by:  Danny Osborn 
                        Seconded by:  Dave Parrotte
                        Vote: carried

                        New Members:  None this month

KENT RADIO AEROMODELERS, INC.
Minutes of the November 6, 2012 Meeting

Called to order at 7:00pm by President Nikolei Zinsli                        
Members present: 27
Guest:  Roger Heileman

Review of the Minutes of the October meeting resulted in no additions, changes, or deletions.  
     Motion to approve by:              Danny Osborn
     Seconded by:                       Ed Bradley      
     Vote:                              carried

The Financial Report was presented by Dan McLaren and can be seen by members on the web site.
     Motion to accept by:              Mark Schmaltz  
     Seconded by:                   Danny Osborn
     Vote:                                carried
 
New Members:  No new members were introduced this month.  Total membership remains at 79.

Good evening pilots!

And just like that, this years' club events are in the books. We had a FULL house and I just got the financial report from the swap shop; we had a great year! Thanks to everyone for coming early, setting up 100 tables w/ chairs and helping all of the vendors unload. Special thanks go out to Dave Pierce and George Orphan for all of their hard work putting the swap together and keeping it organized, it really paid off. Without their efforts, we couldn't pay for our field! Next time you see them, be sure to shake their hand and congratulate them on a super show.

A reminder that the November meeting will close nominations for club officer positions. The slot of social director is still seeking a home. Whomever takes this role will have a lot of opportunity to help shape the clubs' events into bigger and better things. If you have ideas to help improve the club, this may be the position for you! Or, if you have another member in mind, nominate them!

The November meeting also brings a first for the club - indoor flying! The WMAA gym is complete and will be host to us before and after the meetings through the winter. Flying will open at 6pm, pause at 7 for the meeting, and resume afterwards until around 9 (or until George kicks us out!). Meeting night flying will be free and reserved for KRAM members only. Dates are planned for Saturdays starting in December that will be open to anyone for only a $5 fee that will be donated to the WMAA R/C club. Details on those dates will be announced at the meeting.

November is also time to start the renewal process! Don't forget to bring your dues to Dan, and the AMA renewal in the mail before the end of the year so you can come brave the cold, but fun, New Years Day Fly.

Winter is a time to reflect on the past year and make resolutions to improve and change. Its time to take this club into your hands and mold it into something even better. If you have any comments or suggestions about the club, its up to YOU to bring them forward to us! No matter how big or small, or how brief or long you've been in the club, all of your ideas will be considered and could very well be carried out. The result? KRAM becomes more than just a place to fly!

Keep your wings level & altitude positive,
Nik

KENT RADIO AEROMODELERS, INC.
Minutes of the October 2, 2012 Meeting

Called to order at 7:04 pm by President Nikolei Zinsli             

Members present: 27
Guests present were:  Fred Heileman, Mr.& Mrs. Van Heulen

Review of the Minutes of the September meeting had two corrections noted by Dan McLaren:  1) Mike Murphy’s granddaughter was 8 months (not weeks) old when taking her first airplane ride and 2) the milking barn open house times were wrong. 
        Motion to approve by:  Allen Simpson
        Seconded by:      Dave Pierce
        Vote:  carried           

Financial Report given by Dan McLaren generated no questions or comments.  Current total membership is 79 of which 66 are regular, 4 lifetime, 4 associate, and 5 junior.
        Motion to accept by: Danny Osborn     
        Seconded by:  Allen Simpson
        Vote: carried

Greetings pilots!

With the Veterans Fly-In completed, another year of successful flying events is completed at KRAM. Great weather, a bus full of vets, 20+ pilots, over 60 aircraft and over 100 people fed made for a great day at the KRAM field. A big thank-you to everyone that came and helped with setup and other volunteer positions needed throughout the day; you are all appreciated! During lunch, we had everyone roll their planes to the middle of the runway and opened it to visitors. This went very well and I think it was impressive to see planes stretched from one end of the runway to the other! We may have to make this a new fly-in tradition at KRAM. Did you attend this or any of the other KRAM fly-ins? If so, we'd like to hear your comments and suggestions! How did we do? What can we improve? How do we attract more pilots and visitors?

Have you been saving your change in a jar? I hope it's full, because our annual swap shop is drawing close! Oct 28th will be coming up fast, so call Dave Pierce quick to reserve your table! And, if you're in contact with anyone from other local clubs, please spread the word. Our flyer can be found on the events page of the website. You'll also notice our ad in Model Aviation for September and October. Your raffle tickets for the P-47 will be in the mail shortly.

Speaking of our website, I'd like to remind our new members (and those that haven't done it yet), to register an account. An account on the KRAM site will enable you to see the monthly financial reports, post pictures in our galleries, and post in our forums. Once you register, be sure to send me an email with your name & email address so I can change your access rights on the site! In addition to the website, we have a public group on facebook. I encourage anyone with a FB account to join our group and help me make it a bit more active! Post to us when you're going out flying, or your build progress, or some videos! Check us out here - http://www.facebook.com/groups/kramrc/  I *really* want the forums and our facebook page to become a hub of activity. So, log-on once in awhile and say hey!

I'm very happy to report that KRAM and West Michigan Aviation Academy are joining forces! Several of you have already lent them spare planes to hang in their classrooms (they still want more if you have one to spare!), and have met George Pavey, a new instructor at WMAA. He has been working with the club officers in order to help get a r/c club established at their school. In return, WMAA will be the future host of our winter meetings and even some indoor flying once their gymnasium is finished! We're also planning on doing a club demo for the students in their new gym this fall, so get those foamies and micros ready. The demo should help attract a lot of attention for both their WMAA club and ours! I'll email more details when it's closer, but plan on driving to the airport instead of the High School. Thanks George and WMAA for connecting with us!

Until then...
Keep your wings level and altitude positive,
Nik