This is the first stage of the Fast & Furious Combat plane build activity. It was kicked off at our April 2010 meeting by President Jerry LeLacheur As recorded by your faithful secretary...
	Jerry shows the parts he cut for templates from Bob Branch's plans. He also pointed to the back of the room where he brought in some "Fan Fold Foam" a well-known building material from Lowes. He said it was free, but I'll bet he is reimbursing Bob for it, thank you Jerry, that was nice.
	Jerry shows the main template and says you can make two planes from one piece of "FFF" ("Fan-Fold-Foam"). By the way, the FFF comes in different weights, usually different colors, and Bob Branch selected the Lowe's blue FFF based on weight and rigidity. Someday we will setup rules when we get our combat classes organized, and we may have guidelines and even limitations on certain materials. Usually the motor and battery pack are called out specifically for a certain class, as that has a lot to do with performance.
	Jerry explains that the front must be cut very square, as the Carbon Fiber tube ("CF") fits here The CF tube is held with tape as Bob Branch has done with green tape here. I brought in some clear tape from Sam's Club, and a knowledgeable participant asked what thickness it was. I didn't even think of that, but the weight and strength are very important!
	Glen looks on as Jerry explains the motor mounting. He pointed out that this one is not mounted the same way the plans show, but it still serves as an example. We didn't have a good reason why Bob built his differently. This is the top of the plane, so the motor is not exactly on center. Actually the spacing is set by the motor mount Bob specified in the BOM that I sent out. If you need the BOM or the plans, you can either email me, the secretary, or go back one page.
	Jerry Shows the fuselage, which is made of two identical strips of FFF. Jerry noted that the plans call for the strips to be sandwiched together, but this one from Bob seems to have them spaced about 2 inches apart. Hmmm another deviation from the plans, what is Bob up to? Jerry also showed how the two fuselasge sides from the plans are too long to fit Bob's plane Hmmm, doesn't a shorter plane turn faster, and loop faster, seems advantageous...
	This is the fuselage sides placed on the wing and stab pattern. Jerry shows that it is just the right length, as it ends right at the TE of the stab, at the elevator hinge line. He is holding them apart about 2 inches, and he and Glen pointed out that this makes a nice place for the electronic gear. I think it would cut down on drag too, another advantage. Hmm, another thing Bob's plans don't show that could improve speed... I wonder if Bob will be taking all the prizes until we "tech" his plane? We'll fool him, we can't afford any prizes!       Ha ha ha. LAST MINUTE NEWS BREAK: Bob reports that they are building them all with the wide fuselage at his other club, and there is no advantage to any of the differences I noted. I was wondering if this was actual evil activity, because most evil no-gooders use a laser beam for some part of their master plan... And another tip-off, there was no "Mini-Me" involved...
So we setup the tables and put a mini assembly line together. We cut out six planes, and generated a bit of enthusiasm. Come back here next month for more on the Fast and Furious