sky_blueaug22 » Page 6 of 12

July 6, 2022 President Dan Woods brought the meeting to order at 7:14 PM at the Pitstop with 15 members in attendance.
Secretary Don Gilles read June’s meeting minutes and they were accepted as read.
Treasurer Darrell Anderson read the Treasurer’s report and it was accepted as read.
Old business:
Dan Woods briefed that the Great Falls Airport has approved our Wadsworth and Riverside Parks letter of agreement. Members were advised if they fly at either location it would be a good idea to have a copy of the agreement in their possession.
Dan Woods briefed club members on the progress of the oval racing track which has been built west of and centered on the drivers stand. It's a 12-foot-wide flat oval with no jumps. Dan said it probably needs compaction with the big roller.
Dan Woods briefed that he'd spoken to the insurance agency and he'll soon purchase the insurance to cover the race track for non-members during our 9 July BSRC Fly-In Open House and the subsequent 16-17 July car / truck racing "Summer Heat" event.
Dan Woods briefed that himself, Don Woods and John Sandy represented the club at the 2022 summer International Scout Expo event. All went well and the scouts enjoyed our display and flight simulator.
New business:
During the 25 June BSRC Float Fly the club directors and members present were briefed by Dan Woods that he has an insurance quote to cover the track for a year at a cost of $395. This would allow those club members who don't plan on flying to drop their AMA membership. At the float fly, Chuck Woods made the motion to approve the insurance purchase. Motion passed.
Jim Hutchins brought a proposal to the club to build a smaller oval track with-in the large oval track. Jim Hutchins and others voiced competition would be greater racing on a smaller oval and that while doing some test racing on the large oval the cars get very small on the far side and very hard to see. A conversation ensued among the members and it was decided that Jim has some great ideas and that we'd like him to take charge of the tracks. Mat Permann made a motion to appoint Jim Hutchins as Track Marshal. Motion passed. Jim Hutchins accepted the position and will now be running the tracks and directing the care & maintenance of our tracks. Please ensure you contact Jim if you have any questions concerning track operations.
During the race track conversation it was also confirmed that during our 16-17 July "Summer Heat" event we'll only be racing the eastern track, not the oval track. Following Saturday's qualifiers the track will be closed for a limited time to cleanup and prepare for Sunday's qualifications and final race. Club members tabled the purchasing of another timing loop, approximately $180, for the oval until TBD. We've also reminded members that if our track is successful and participation grows we'll eventually have to purchase our own $3000 timing system.
Dan Woods asked the club if we should raffle a club membership at our open house. No members voiced disagreement.
Bruce Hadella sent a request to the club directors asking us to consider a track-only club membership with the news of BSRC obtaining track-only insurance. This was discussed and it was determined that $100 annually for a track only club membership was fair. This insurance also covers non-members wishing to race at any of our events. The insurance does not cover flyers - flying requires AMA membership. Our youth membership and "flyer/racer" membership will remain unchanged. Jim Hutchins made a motion to approve the $100 annual track-only membership. Motion passed.
Dan Woods asked if we would consider lowering the initial club membership to $50 for any new members wishing to join during the remainder of this year. Jason Naranjo made a motion to approve the lowered membership fee. Motion passed.
Dave Grosse volunteered to put our highway sign back up. Chuck Woods has provided the new sign faces which will be mounted as well.
Dan Woods asked members if they're considering racing during the 16-17 July "Summer Heat" event to please sign-up. The snack-shack will be open however we're not doing porta-potties due to the cost of initial delivery.
Thanks to all attendees, the meeting was adjourned at 8:32 pm. Don Gilles

June 1, 2022 President Dan Woods brought the meeting to order at 7:06 PM at the Pitstop with 10 members in attendance.
Secretary Don Gilles read April’s meeting minutes and they were accepted as read.
Treasurer Darrell Anderson read the Treasurer’s report and it was accepted as read.

Old business:
Chuck Woods made contact with Nick Olsen at the Great Falls Airport concerning our Wadsworth and Riverside Parks letter of agreement. Chuck was told the letter should be approved soon with the same restrictions we had on our previous letter.
Dan Woods met the outhouse service truck at the track and was informed that our outhouse residue container had collapsed, filled with gravel and cannot be pumped. The club will need to decide on a plan of action to get the outhouse moved, a new hole dug, a new vault purchased, a new hole dug and the outhouse put back over the new vault.
Dan Woods briefed that we didn't do a porta-potty for Spring Thaw as he found out there was an initial $150 delivery fee to bring out the porta-potty and the lower than expected spectator turnout.
Dan Woods stated he spoke with the highway sign personnel and that our existing sign was an approved "non-conforming" highway sign. We've been given the ok to put the sign back up.
Dan Woods gave a run-down on how our first event of 2022, Spring Thaw, turned out. We brought in around $700 in revenue and spent about $880 to put on the event. Many expenditures were one-time fees and we'll likely turn a good profit on our next race event in July.

New business:
Dan Woods briefed club members on the progress of the oval racing track which has been built west of and centered on the drivers stand. It's a 12-foot-wide flat oval with no jumps. Dan said it probably needs compaction with the big roller. Dan also asked if the club wanted to put in a timing cable but it was decided to wait on this for now. It was also decided to wait on renting the big roller.
Mike Fischer floated the idea to open up the race track to the public on a Saturday. Dan Woods voiced that we could do this during our upcoming BSRC Fly-In open house scheduled for 9-10 July. Members agreed this would be a great idea and we'd need to get it advertised. Dave Grosse made a motion to purchase insurance to cover non-members who might come on out and race on Saturday, 9 July. Motion passed.Dan Woods asked members if we want to put our old sign back up for now until we get our new sign made. A final decision was not made at the meeting on whether or not we would wait. Most likely this will happen via email this month. Chuck Woods said he has an $420 estimate from Montana Graphics to get two new aluminum signs made, one to face each highway direction. Chuck said he'll have to find out what the delivery time might be. Don Woods made a motion to approve the funds to purchase the new club signs. Motion passed.Dan Woods made a request for funds to purchase a 2" water pump and hose that was found on sale for approximately $280. Dave Grosse made a motion to approve the purchase of the water pump. Motion passed.
Dan Woods made a request that the club obtain a debit card and add himself and Dave Grosse as authorized to expend club money and remove Bruce Hadella from the club's account. Darrel Anderson will remain on the account. John Ropp made a motion to approve the debit card request and the request to add club officers Dan Woods and Dave Grosse as additional club bank account officers and remove Bruce Hadella. Motion passed. Doug McCombs let everyone know he has two planes, a Dynam P47 Thunderbolt and a Cessna 182, that he'd like to donate to the club. The club graciously accepted the planes and we'll probably raffle one away at a club event and the other at this year's Christmas banquet. Thanks Doug! Dan Woods asked the club if we wanted to raffle off a club membership at our upcoming open house. It was decided to table the raffle idea until July's meeting. Dan Woods briefed that the 2022 summer International Scout Expo event to be held 16-19 June at the Great Falls Fairgrounds is near. Dave Grosse and John Sandy volunteered to cover the club's participation at this event. Thanks to all attendees, the meeting was adjourned at 8:30 pm.

Big Sky RC Meeting Minutes May 4, 2022
President Dan Woods brought the meeting to order at 7:11 PM at the Pitstop with 15 members in attendance.
Secretary Don Gilles read April’s meeting minutes and they were accepted as read.
Treasurer Darrell Anderson read the Treasurer’s report and it was accepted as read.
Old business:
Dan Woods briefed that Chuck Woods had made contact with Nick Olsen at the Great Falls Airport concerning our Wadsworth and Riverside Parks letter of agreement. Chuck is waiting to hear back on whether or not it will be re-approved.
Dan Woods let us know he reviewed the condition of our existing bleachers and has come to the determination that we need to haul them to the dump as they are a safety concern to anyone who might sit on them.
Dan Woods re-addressed a club work party but time is running out as we prepare for our first club event 21-22 May titled "Spring Thaw." Dan stated he'll be out at the field several times before then and will attempt to get the word out via Facebook and email message. The plan is to get the track lanes widened and then packed down. There will also be some rework of the jumps as asked for by the racers.
Dan Woods received a $260.00 estimate to get the field outhouse pumped out. Dave Grosse made a motion to approve this expenditure. Motion passed.
Dan Woods let us know he has ordered the new timing system cable for the race track. Our club sponsor, Zach Olson - Hobby Time RC, is letting us use his timing system at our scheduled races. A serious discussion took place among members about obtaining our own timing system that we can permanently install. It's approximately $3500.00 to purchase a new timing system.

New business:
Dan Woods received an $175 estimate for a porta-potty. The estimate is for 28 days of usage which includes a weekly cleaning. Dave Grosse made a motion to approve this expenditure. Motion passed.
Dan Woods received an $151 estimate from Tamarack Insurance for 3 days of insurance primarily to cover the club for non-AMA members during our upcoming racing event. John Ropp made a motion to approve this expenditure. Motion passed.
Darrell Anderson brought up the issue of how do we know what rules racers need to abide by at our events. Dan Woods and some of the racers explained that we are defining the rules in our race flyer. As we are not doing sanctioned race events, we can define the rules at our events.
Dan Woods went through the flyer for "Spring Thaw" and the tentative classes, qualifiers, mains, cost to race and other issues to ensure we have a successful event. Many car racers gave their input and it was decided to follow last fall's race with some minor tweaks. Dan will get the flyer out soon.
Dan Woods briefed the members he's been told our club highway sign was not in compliance. Dan is waiting to hear back on where and when we can put a sign back up. He also had some sign designs - a decision to select the sign design will be coming soon.
Dan Woods briefed that the 2022 summer International Scout Expo event to be held 16-19 June at the Great Falls Fairgrounds is coming fast. Dave Grosse volunteered to coordinate our club's participation in this event with boy scout leader Dave Cunningham.
Thanks to all attendees, the meeting was adjourned at 8:35 pm.

Big Sky RC Meeting Minutes Apr 5, 2022

President Dan Woods brought the meeting to order at 7:12 PM at the Classic 50's diner with 9 members in attendance.
Secretary Don Gilles read March’s meeting minutes and they were accepted as read.
Treasurer Darrell Anderson read the Treasurer’s report and it was accepted as read.
Old business:
Chuck Woods gave a quick update on the status on renewing our Wadsworth and Riverside Parks letter of agreement. Chuck has put in a call to Nick Olsen at the Great Falls Airport and is waiting to hear back. John Sandy asked about replacing our wood bleachers with aluminum bleachers with wheels. It was discussed but the opinion is that it would be cost prohibitive for the club to pursue this route. Dan Woods re-addressed scheduling a work party but it was decided to put this on hold and possibly schedule it via an email for later in the month or put it off till May. Dan Woods let everyone know he's working on the estimate to get the BSRC field outhouse pumped out.

New business:
Dan Woods stated we need to put in a new timing system buried line from the snack shack out to the RC track starting point. The line will need to be put in conduit to ensure it doesn't get damaged. Dan asked for $500.00 to fund this effort and to purchase some other miscellaneous supply items for the track. Bruce Hadella made a motion to approve $500.00 for President Dan Woods to use for the timing system line, conduit and other miscellaneous supplies. Motion carried.
Thanks to all attendees, the meeting was adjourned at 7:56 pm. By Don Gilles

Big Sky RC Meeting Minutes Mar 2, 2022
President Dan Woods brought the meeting to order at 7:04 PM at Hobby Time RC's indoor racing track with 15 members in attendance. Secretary Don Gilles read February’s meeting minutes and they were accepted as read.
Treasurer Darrell Anderson read the Treasurer’s report and it was accepted as read.

Old business: Dan Woods started the evenings discussions with a run-down of our tentative 2022 BSRC master event list for the year. It was decided to move the "Summer Heat" R/C Car Race from 23-24 July to 16-17 July due to the Great Falls "Flight Over the Falls" air show featuring the Air Force Thunderbirds. Our events are now set and will be published to the website.
Chuck Woods gave a quick update on the status on renewing our Wadsworth and Riverside Parks letter of agreement. Chuck contacted Nick Olsen at the Great Falls Airport and is waiting to hear back.

New business: John Sandy asked whether or not the club might put up a static aircraft display during events at Hobby Time RC's indoor track but Dan Woods stated there isn't any available space during events. John Sandy brought up the issue of our deteriorating bleachers at the field and whether or not it was worth our time attempting to repair them. This was discussed but no decision was made. Dan Woods asked if members were ready to schedule a field work party. Members voiced their opinions that we should wait for April's warmer weather. Dan Woods let everyone know he's going to get an estimate to get the BSRC field outhouse pumped out. Thanks to all attendees, the meeting was adjourned at 7:40 pm. Don Gilles

Big Sky RC Meeting Minutes Feb 2, 2022
President Dan Woods brought the meeting to order at 7:03 PM at the Paris Gibson Gymnasium with 10 members in attendance.
Secretary Don Gilles read January’s meeting minutes and they were accepted as read.
Treasurer Darrell Anderson read the Treasurer’s report and it was accepted as read.
Old business:
Dave Grosse inquired as to the status on renewing our Wadsworth and Riverside Parks letter of agreement. This hasn't yet been resolved and Chuck Woods agreed to contact Nick Olsen at the Great Falls Airport to see what can be done.
Dan Woods put together a master event list for the 2022 BSRC calendar. The events were discussed and the dates tentatively agreed upon. Dan added 3 formal car/truck racing events. John Ropp made a motion to accept the tentative events and the motion passed. Dan floated the idea of formally recognizing Thursday nights as a car/truck night at the field - members nodded in agreement that it sounded like a good idea.
Darrel Anderson asked about replacing our road-side club sign. Dan Woods stated he needs to contact the MT Department of Transportation for an update as we need to change the location where the sign will be placed.
New business: None Thanks to all attendees, the meeting was adjourned at 7:50 pm. Don Gilles

Big Sky RC Meeting Minutes Jan 5, 2022
President Dan Woods brought the meeting to order at 7:04 PM at the Paris Gibson Gymnasium with 13 members in attendance. We had one guest - boy scout leader Dave Cunningham.
Secretary Don Gilles read December’s meeting minutes and they were accepted as read.
Treasurer Darrell Anderson read the Treasurer’s report and it was accepted as read.
d business:
Darrell Anderson reminded everyone that the 2022 gate combo will be printed on the reverse of your 2022 membership card.
Dan Woods asked everyone for some input on how the Christmas banquet went. Most folks said it went well.
New business:
Our guest - boy scout leader Dave Cunningham, briefed us on the 2022 summer International Scout Expo event to be held 16-19 June at the Great Falls Fairgrounds. The scouts have asked if we'd be interested in supporting some activities - all TBD at this time.Dan Woods asked everyone for input on the 2022 BSRC events - we need to get the event dates set and published. We expect most dates from last year's events will carry over but we'll need to confirm those. We also need input on suggested events for the racing track. Vince Rupnow informed the club that the Great Falls RC drag racing folks would not be pursuing any race events at our field as they have a very nice area for racing in town.Tony Stinger briefed everyone that winter RC car racing is going to take place at the old Skyline bar. Racing is scheduled for 22-23 Jan with a practice on Friday night, 21 Jan
Dan Woods informed members that he plans on breaking ground on an oval race track with a figure eight this spring and to expand our existing track lanes to a 12 foot width to accommodate 8th scale buggies. Dan also stated we still need to work on expanded parking for the track.Dan continued with some discussion on re-grading the existing jumps and whether or not they needed to be enlarged. Many people like the existing size but some are asking for larger jumps. We'll need some quality fill dirt for re-working the track and questions surfaced on where this fill dirt might come from and who might provide it. Talk also ensued over bringing in the track designer who assisted with the Columbia Falls and Libby tracks so we could get his endorsement.
Members brought up the issue of field maintenance and specifically weed control for the track. We haven't appointed a "Field Marshall" for the track so that's still on the to-do list. We need to figure out what type of spray we'll need to control the weeds that will start growing after spring thaw.
John Sandy stated that some of the weeds are quite resistant to spraying. Secretary's note: While writing up the meeting minutes I googled this and came across an article stating this as fact: glyphosate (generic roundup) resistant kochia and Russian thistle has been identified in several Montana counties. The article states that hand-weeding might be your only option. Kochia looks like small bushes when they’ve grown and can grow to 6 foot tall before dying and tumbling away.
Thanks to all attendees, the meeting was adjourned at 8:04 pm.

Big Sky RC Meeting MinutesDec 01, 2021
President Dan Woods brought the meeting to order at 7:04 PM at the PitStop with 14 members in attendance.
Secretary Don Gilles read November's meeting minutes and they were accepted as read.
Treasurer Darrell Anderson read the Treasurer’s report and it was accepted as read.
Old business:
Dan Woods covered some of the expenses to run the snack shack for the Fall Fury event we hosted. It turned a profit of $120.
Dan Woods briefed members that the Christmas banquet is a go at the Classic 50's starting @ 5pm. There's going to be a door prize, 50/50 raffle, two drawings from the attendance bucket and a $20 gift exchange.
Club officer nominations took place - nobody voiced any interest in the positions so Chuck Woods made a motion that the current officers be retained for another year. Motion passed. Dan Woods remains Club President, Dave Grosse remains Club Vice-President, Darrel Anderson remains Club Treasurer and Don Gilles remains Club Secretary.
New business:
No new business was discussed.
Thanks to all attendees, the meeting was adjourned at 7:36 pm.

rack progress. Gusto Distributing donated the $250 which included the banners and flyers they also provided and it helped pay for the driver’s stand construction. Vince Rupnow of EZ Bailbonds donated a water tank for the track. The snack shack has been moved next to the track and has been cleaned. Dan Woods also brought out an old freezer to store items we don't want the mice getting into and purchased a PA system for use at the track. The 25 Sep Scale Fly-In / Quad Racing / Car Racing event was a pretty good success. The wind did start blowing and ended flying early. Dave Grosse was the winner of the quad race. Dave said it was down to
the wire but he pulled it off as he was the only entrant.
New business:
Dan Woods briefed everyone on the upcoming Fall Fury race event scheduled for 16 Oct. Dan will be installing and testing the track timing system. Dan also asked that members refrain from parking on the grass - especially if it rains. Dan spent several minutes explaining how the race heats will be setup. Racing is free for BSRC members and non-members can pay $20 for the trial AMA membership to cover insurance. The Leo Fly-In out near Power MT is re-scheduled for 23 Oct. Dave Grosse will be sending out directions. Dan Woods reminded us the Christmas party is scheduled for 4 Dec at the Pitstop. Hobby Time RC donated an EMAX EZ Pilot FPV drone as a door prize - it was won by Don Gilles. Don Woods donated a trainer plane and it was won by Cody Erickson. We had several new members in attendance tonight - we welcomed them to the club! Thanks to all attendees, the meeting was adjourned at 8:17 pm.