Flying Site Assistance
Joe Beshar | [email protected]
This is an exciting field—as hobby or profession.
Waste Management Inc. Comes Aboard
I am proud to announce that Waste Management Inc. has expressed a commitment to consider the use of its closed landfill buffer properties by AMA clubs. Dee Brncich, vice president of the company's Closed Site Management Group, noted, "Waste Management looks for ways to partner with the communities we serve and is pleased to be working with the Academy of Model Aeronautics to identify suitable sites for model aeronautics use.
"We often set aside buffer areas surrounding our operating and closed landfills for community use, providing athletic facilities, sports fields, biking trails, parks, playgrounds, and other recreational facilities for the enjoyment of the community."
Waste Management Inc. is the leading provider of comprehensive waste and environmental services in North America. Headquartered in Houston, Texas, the company's network includes 413 collection operations, 370 transfer stations, 283 active landfill disposal sites, 17 waste-to-energy plants, 131 recycling plants, 95 beneficial-use landfill gas projects, and six independent production plants.
How to Request Permission
To request permission for use of a Waste Management–owned closed site:
- Locate a closed site in your area that your club is interested in.
- Decide if it is appropriate for a flying site, taking into consideration:
- the amount of buffer property available
- proximity to neighbors
- a plan for parking
- other relevant factors
Call Joe Beshar at (201) 261-1281 or e-mail him at [email protected]. He acts as the focal point for screening and collects the following information:
- Contact person's name
- Telephone number
- E-mail address
- Club name
- Specific address and geographic location of the site of interest
Joe will forward your request to Waste Management, and you will be contacted by a representative to determine the adequacy of the proposed site and the proposed model airplane flying plan for follow-up.
A Worthy Flying Site Support Letter
While flying indoor models at the AMA Convention in Ontario, California, I recognized Dr. Paul MacCready, Chairman of the Board of AeroVironment Inc., visiting the indoor flying area as a spectator. It was a real experience for me to have the opportunity to talk to him and find that he is a serious model airplane enthusiast and a man of many achievements.
He has set many records for experimental aircraft, including the Gossamer Albatross—the human-powered experimental craft that flew across the English Channel.
I asked him for a testimonial letter addressing model aviation and he acknowledged my request with the letter that I will share with you. You should find it helpful during your flying site presentations.
A copy of the original letter is available by request. Contact Erin Dobbs in the Programs Department at AMA.
Paul B. MacCready's Letter
Dear Joe,
Model airplane building and flying is getting more fascinating every year. The models get better. The power systems get better, and there is more variety in the sport. There are unpowered gliders, rubber-powered everything, helicopters, sailplanes, large and small gasoline-powered models, and an increasing variety of battery-powered aircraft. The field is growing as some of the model concepts fit into military surveillance needs.
Coaxing youngsters into the sport is getting easier, especially with some of the electric-powered models. You can now purchase a complete radio-controlled, electric-powered model, including the ground transmitter, for well under $100. The price will be moving down to under half of that, and some of the models will be maneuverable slow fliers that can be controlled within an auditorium or even a large living room!
And there are still the small rubber-powered planes that cost under $1.50 and can be flown inside or outside. I was delighted to work with some 3rd and 4th graders several years ago and find that every child was able to build and fly such a model.
Years earlier I had the great experience of operating a hot air balloon crafted with the aid of such youngsters. Even paper gliders, costing less than a penny each, can be made rather elegantly—and even be lost in thermals.
I work professionally with unoccupied planes from the 247-foot span Helios (that in 2001 flew to 96,863 feet, about 2 miles higher than any plane ever flown continuously!) to the 6-inch, 2-ounce planes that could fly for half an hour and that contained a video camera. There are many other vehicles, from a 3-inch to 9-foot span, all battery powered, all carrying one or two video or IR cameras, flying up to four hours.
Some must land and take off at zero speed, and then cruise at high speed. Others respond to turbulence and wind shears, deriving energy from the atmosphere so they can stay aloft much longer. On a hobby basis I am still excited about working with paper gliders, and radio control planes that weigh under half an ounce.
With my son Tyler I've worked on his 15-foot span walk-along glider that can be flown inside by just walking quickly behind it making an upcurrent for it with a plate, or your hands, or just the air blowing over your head.
There is simply so much that you can do with aircraft, so much that hasn't been done yet, that this is an exciting field—as hobby or profession.
Sincerely yours,
Paul B. MacCready
Contacts
Joe Beshar, Coordinator Eastern Region — Districts I–VII 198 Merritt Dr., Oradell, NJ 07649 Tel.: (201) 261-1281 Fax: (201) 261-0223 E-mail: [email protected]
Wes De Cou, Coordinator Western Region — Districts VIII–XI 202 W. Desert Flower Ln., Phoenix, AZ 85045 Voice: (480) 460-9466 Cell: (480) 296-9515 Fax: (480) 460-9434 E-mail: [email protected]
Finding—Preserving—Maintaining
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
