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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.

Big Sky RC Meeting Minutes Nov 03, 2021

President Dan Woods brought the meeting to order at 7:07 PM at the PitStop with 17 members in attendance. Secretary Don Gilles read October'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 informed us the 4 Dec Christmas party has been mistakenly removed from the Pitstop's event calendar. Dan is working with the Pitstop to see how this happened and what can be done about it. There is an alternate date of 27 Nov but Dan didn't commit the club to that date. Darrell Anderson reminded everyone how club renewals work and that all the new members that just joined are good through the end of 2022. Darrell will be putting next year's date combination on our 2022 club cards. Club members can renew before the March 2022 meeting for $75 but after that the cost is $85.

New business:
John Sandy gave a run-down on how the 23 Oct Leo Fly-In out near Power MT went. Due to predicted windy weather turn-out was a little lower this year. Dan Woods briefed everyone on how the 16 Oct Fall Fury race event went. There were some growing pains with the timing system but Dan is confident we'll get them smoothed out. Bruce Hadella suggested we have a youth novice heat to give our young beginners a better chance at winning a race. There was a short discussion on the track condition and whether it was too dry. It was discussed how magnesium chloride might be an option to help retain some moisture in the track surface but many members who race on Sunday thought the track was pretty good. Dan Woods spoke to the issue of insurance for non-club members wanting to participate in our race events. Dan thinks there has to be a workable solution as other clubs are in the same predicament. Some of the new car folks stated that ROAR insurance may not work for us. Darrell Anderson reminded everyone how AMA insurance works and how it covers the club for these events. Dan believes we could probably get a standalone policy to cover non-members during a weekend event that meets the requirement of our lease. Dan reminded everyone that it's the property lease that drives our insurance requirements. Bruce Hadella asked if we had a plan yet for next year's race events. Dan Woods stated we don't but he thought we might try league events over four Thursday nights or three weekend events. That official discussion will occur during the January or February meeting when we finalize next year's calendar. Darrell Anderson asked about the club renting port-a-potties during next year's race events. Dan Woods stated the cost is probably not prohibitive but we'll need to bring it up again next spring. Dan also stated that we really need to get our pit pumped next spring after it fills with spring rain water
Dan Woods reminded everyone that he needs suggestions for Flyer of the Year, Hard Luck Trophy and Most Improved. Dan also asked for club officer nominations for President, Vice-President, Treasurer and Secretary. We also have two appointed positions of Field Marshall and Field Safety Officer. A short discussion took place acknowledging we need to work out new awards for the car track and possibly needing a car track Field Marshall and Safety Officer. Dan explained how the positions are filled and that they're open to all members. Thanks to all attendees, the meeting was adjourned at 8:11 pm.

Big Sky RC Meeting Minutes Oct 06, 2021
President Dan Woods brought the meeting to order at 7:09 PM at the PitStop with 17 members in attendance. Secretary Don Gilles read September'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:
We're waiting on the airport to return our request for information on renewing our Wadsworth and Riverside Parks letter of agreement. Dan Woods gave another extensive run-down on the track 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.

Sep 01, 2021 President Dan Woods brought the meeting to order at 7:00 PM at the PitStop with 10 members in attendance. Secretary Don Gilles read August'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:
The Riverfest date is still set as 10-11 Sep. The club hasn't made an official commit to this event. The event is now called Big River Ruckus. We'd probably need to use the B4UFLY Mobile App or the FAA UAS Data Exchange / Low Altitude Authorization and Notification Capability (LAANC) for flight approval or possibly coordinate with the airport manager. There's been no update on the Wadsworth and Riverside Parks letter of
agreement.

Dan Woods gave an extensive run-down on the track progress. The track is usable and several members have been racing with each other. Pipe has been laid out to assist with staying on course. A driver's stand is in the works. Builders FirstSource donated approximately $325.00 in materials. Hobby Time RC donated $1000.00 in funds to purchase track building materials. Electric City RC Racing donated the pipe that was used to surround the course saving the club approximately $1200.00. Dan is looking into purchasing a water pump, a 250 gallon water tank for hauling and a 500 gallon water tank for track watering. He's asked North 40 to donate the tanks and pump. A work party is scheduled for 08 Sep 2021 starting around 6pm to continue work on the track.
Dave Grosse made a motion to move the snack shack closer to the track to be used as both a snack shack and to house the timing equipment for the car track. Motion passed.

New business:
Dave Grosse made a motion to extend the recent new memberships from 24 August forward through next year. Motion passed. Dan Woods reiterated to all that flying on the north side of the runway and over the racing track is flying out of bounds. Our safety officer will be paying close attention to this. Dan Woods reminded everyone not to drive on the grass. Please keep vehicles on the graveled areas. Dan Woods stated our current lease expires Feb 2023. The current cost. is $900.00. He has been informed by the DNRC that our rates are going up and will be approximately $4320.00 annually. Dan is looking into shrinking the amount of land we lease as it's now 160 acres and we only need about 30 acres. We had three new members in attendance tonight - we welcomed Jason Naranjo, Mat Permann and Vince Rupnow to the club Thanks to all attendees, the meeting was adjourned at 8:11 pm

Aug 08, 2021 Vice-President Dave Grosse brought the meeting to order at 7:17 PM at the PitStop with 7 members in attendance. Secretary Don Gilles read July'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 gave a run-down on the car track progress - we're waiting on fill dirt. Dave Grosse stated the Riverfest date has been set as 10-11 Sep and reminded all we've been invited to fly. The club hasn't made an
official commit to this event. Dave Grosse asked if we've had an update on the Wadsworth and Riverside Parks letter of agreement. Darrell Anderson stated no update as of yet.

New business:
Note to all - the BSRC lock has been found open on several occasions this last month. Please pay attention and double check that the lock is locked. Thanks to all attendees, the meeting was adjourned at 7:39 pm.

Big Sky RC Meeting Minutes Jul 07, 2021
President Dan Woods brought the meeting to order at 7:07 PM at the PitStop with 10 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. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the Hungerford family. We lost a great club member on 22 Jun. Don Hungerford passed away of a heart attack. Old business: Dan Woods provided an update on the club's request to the Department of Natural Resources & Conservation (DNRC) to make alterations to our property - it's in review and we should hear something soon. Dan Woods addressed June's old business item of whether or not the car folks would be full AMA club members - they will and will have full access to the club just like we flyers do.Dan Woods contacted the Great Falls airport manager and obtained the person our club needs to contact concerning our local Wadsworth and Riverside Parks letter of agreement. Darrell Anderson will be
contacting Nick Olsen to pursue our renewal request New business: John Sandy reminded everyone of the Victor Fly-in - said it's a great club and nice place to fly.Darrell Anderson briefed the members on the new The Recreational UAS Safety Test - TRUST. All members will be required to take the test and have their certificate with them while flying. Members can take the test at
Darrell Anderson briefed members on some of the AMA's recommended ways to obtain approval to fly if we're flying at a non-AMA flying site. These included the B4UFLY Mobile App and the UAS Data Exchange (LAANC).Dan Woods stated he asked and was offered the PitStop as our new monthly meeting place. Dan asked the members our thoughts and there was a general agreement on using the PitStop for our meetings as Hardee's isn't available. Dan Woods also stated the PitStop is most likely available for our Christmas banquet. A motion was made and motion was passed selecting the PitStop for the banquet if Dan confirms availability. The members preferred an evening banquet if possible. Dave Grosse made a motion to select Don Hungerford as the 2020 Flyer of the Year. Motion passed. Dan Woods took a head count of members who are planning on flying at
our 9-11 July BSRC flying event - it should be a good showing.Thanks to all attendees, the meeting was adjourned at 8:02 pm
7both our website and Facebook page. Bruce also stated it was time to pay the annual website hosting fee. Approval was given for renewing the website fee. Note: Numerous side & short discussions took place at the meeting concerning the track and numerous additional details remain to be decided. Thanks to Don Woods for hosting the meeting. Social distancing was observed and masks worn as required. June's meeting location is currently TBD.
Thanks to all attendees, the meeting was adjourned at 8:30 pm.