 
 
 
 
 
 
 
         The following is a paper created by Thomas Nofsinger, 4503 Chapman
         Street, The Colony, Texas 75056   AMA License# 389715, Ham Radio
         Call Sign  N5FHZ.  Home phone number (214) 625-8363.  This paper
         was created to help convince The Colony City Council and The
         Colony City Park Board to create an Aero-Park for the flying of
         Radio Control Airplanes over Lake Lewisville, operating Radio
         Control boats in Lake Lewisville and operating Radio Controlled
         cars in the Aero-Park's Raceway.  The Council and the Board do not
         know what kind of fuel these Radio control devices use, and
         therefore were concerned about polluting the lake.  Well those of
         us in these hobbies know that there is no problem, but these
         Protectors of the Public Good (and dollar) need proof from
         authoritative sources that there was no pollution danger from the
         fuels used by these Radio Control devices.  I am passing this
         paper on to help any other group that maybe trying to create a R/C
         club, airfield, or Aero-Park and need to reassure a land owner or
         a city council that their air field will not pollute a lake, river
         or stream.  If your group requires any further help I suggest that
         you contact the Academy of Model Aeronautics, &/or feel free to
         call Thomas at home.
 
 
 
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                        Radio Controlled (R/C) Airplane Fuel
 
 
 
              This paper is to address two questions concerning the fuel
         used in Radio Controlled (R/C) airplanes.
 
                    I.  What kind of fuel does R/C airplanes use?
 
                   II.  What effect would the fuel from a R/C airplane
                        have on Lake Lewisville's water quality if a plane
                        were to land and spill its fuel into the lake?
 
 
         I.   What kind of fuel does R/C airplanes use?
 
              The common R/C airplane engine burns a fuel called
              "Glow Fuel".  Glow fuel is a mixture of methanol alcohol,
              castor oil, and sometimes nitrogenated methane (nitro-
              methane).  Glow fuel's component parts are detailed below.
 
              Methanol alcohol is "wood alcohol", also known as denatured
              alcohol, and is unfit for human consumption.  Methanol
              alcohol evaporates readily and is commonly used as a solvent.
              In Glow fuel, Methanol alcohol commonly makes up 70% to 80%
              of the fuels mixture, and is its source of power.
 
              Castor oil is a vegetable oil extracted from bean of the
              Castor plant.  Castor oil is non-toxic and is used as a
              laxative in humans and animals.  In Glow fuel, Castor oil is
              dissolved by the alcohol, and commonly makes up 20% of the
              fuel mixture.  Castor oil is used as a lubricant for the
              engines moving parts in the fuel mixture.
 
              Nitrogenated methane is a waxy paraffin substance that can
              best be described as a natural gas molecule with a hydrogen
              atom replaced by a nitrogen and two oxygens (CH3NO2), and is
              non-toxic.  In Glow fuel, Nitrogenated methane is dissolved
              by the alcohol and can be added to aid ignition (by adding
              oxygen), and commonly makes up 0% to 10% of the fuels
              mixture.
 
              The average R/C airplane carries only 6 fluid ounces of Glow
              fuel during a flight.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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         II.  What effect would the fuel from a R/C airplane have on Lake
              Lewisville's water quality if a plane were to land and spill
              its fuel into the lake?
 
              The Texas Water Commission and the Dallas Water Utility both
              concur that such a spill would have no measurable or seeable
              effect on the water quality of Lake Lewisville.  The
              following paragraphs contain details obtained from
              Charles Howw, Biologist for the Texas Water Commission, and
              Jody Puckitt, Planner for the Dallas Water Utility.
 
              Biologist Charles Howw, of the Texas Water Commission, stated
              that the components in Glow fuel "would evaporate quickly if
              spilled into the lake, and would be an insufficient source of
              foreign material into the lake".  Furthermore, Charles Howw
              cited a report created for the Texas Water Commission by the
              University of Texas - Austin, Center of Highway Research,
              titled "Oil, Grease, & Other Pollutants - Report# 16-1F", in
              which water samples taken along Interstate 35E in Lewisville
              of the runoff water entering the lake was measured and found
              to contain 4.6 milligrams of oil per liter.  Moreover,
              Biologist Charles Howw explained that the meaning of that
              report is that the runoff from 2 acres of paved area (about
              the size of the Wal-Mart parking lot) receiving 1 inch of
              rain puts 10 ounces of oil into Lake Lewisville, that's about
              1 1/4 cups of oil.  If you multiply all the surface area of
              all residential streets and highways who's storm sewers empty
              into Lake Lewisville, you would have to conclude with
              Biologist Charles Howw that a 6 fluid ounce Glow fuel spill
              from a R/C airplane is "an insufficient source of foreign
              material into the lake".
 
              Jody Puckitt, Planner for the Dallas Water Utility, stated
              that to her the biggest water quality problem for Lake
              Lewisville wasn't the oil content of the runoff water or the
              gasoline & oil spilled into the lake by motor boats and jet
              airliners, but untreated sewage discharge from the bigger
              motor boats.  She saw no water quality problems for the
              Dallas Water Utility from R/C airplane fuel.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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