Flying Site Assistance
Wes De Cou | [email protected]
The world is run by people who do stuff ...
OOPS! In my last article I missed a typo. Slap my hand and change the name of the soil hardening product I mentioned to SoilTac. Sorry for the many fruitless searches. —Wes
On a few occasions in the past 10 years, I’ve had modelers call to tell me that out of the clear blue sky came the message that their local flying field was being taken away. Poof! Gone!
Gonna become a flower garden, a baseball field, something other than a model flying site. While my main effort has always been to stop the loss, I’ve always tried to deduce what it was that caused the field to be put “on the block,” and why it was a surprise to the local modelers.
In most cases, the problem lies at the feet of the modelers—modelers who thought that the “out of sight, out of mind” philosophy would shield them from ever having to worry about a field loss.
In most cases, only one or two people in the governing agency had any contact with the modelers, and that was at the renewal time for the use permit/contract/agreement. Otherwise, unless (or until) there was a noise complaint or other unusual circumstance, the modelers operated “incognito.”
Unless the modelers were on top of the public notices in local newspapers, the “notice to vacate” was a complete surprise.
The point, in short, is that once a field is secured, we, as users, need to do something to assure our continued use of that facility. Head-in-the-sand lethargy is not an effective strategy in building a long-term relationship with a site owner.
Three excellent examples of clubs doing things to cement their position in the local community came across my desk this month.
Chino Valley Model Aviators — Prescott Daily Courier (Dec 27, 2009)
The following article appeared in the Prescott, Arizona, Daily Courier on Sunday, December 27, 2009. It is useful on many levels. The article credits the club as well as the individual involved. It mentions the AMA, and it talks about the involvement of youngsters in our hobby. I’ve visited the Chino Valley club. The members are always “doing stuff” — community stuff — and that keeps their value-added proposition in front of local administrators.
Robert Shanks Jr. has had a love of flying since his youth, but poor eyesight prevented him from being a pilot in the U.S. Air Force. “I ended up going into intelligence work,” Shanks, 68, said.
Shanks spent 31 years with the Air Force, including 20 years as a reserve officer, before retiring at the rank of colonel in 2001. His career highlights included helping to coordinate the exodus of 6,000 Kurds from northern Iraq in 1995 and teaching at the Air War College at Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama, from 1999 to 2001.
“I guess the most rewarding job was being a professor at the Air War College,” Shanks said. “We had 45 officers from 45 different countries.”
Shanks said he and his wife, Cindi, moved to Williamson Valley from Tucson in 2006 because he prefers the climate here. He teaches part time at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Prescott, and revived an interest in a hobby that he pursued as a child growing up in Nebraska: model aviation.
“You build it yourself,” Shanks said, referring to model airplanes. “You put electronics in. You’ve got to understand a little about aeronautics.”
He joined the Chino Valley Model Aviators, served as its officer, vice president and president, and edits its newsletter. The club has more than 100 members who fly remote-controlled model aircraft at an 800-foot runway in Chino Valley.
Shanks’ service to the club inspired Randy Meathrell, its outgoing president, to nominate him for the Carl Goldberg Vital People Award from the Academy of Model Aeronautics. The award is named for a model aircraft designer, model-club founder, educator and business owner who died in 1985.
“It is for the people who sit in the background but do a lot for the club and the community,” Meathrell said. He described Shanks as a “super guy.”
Shanks and four others received the award earlier this month from the Academy, which is based in Muncie, Indiana. Erin Dobbs, its programs coordinator, said a committee of academy officers reviewed paperwork from nine nominees.
The award came with a $200 cash prize, which Shanks indicated he will invest in another model plane. He builds model planes, mostly of World War I and World War II aircraft, from kits and scratch.
Shanks said he is trying to interest children in the hobby. “It can improve their study habits,” he said. “They can set some life goals.”
Watervliet Wind Warriors — Albany Times Union (Dec 30, 2009)
The following article appeared in the Albany (New York) Times Union on Wednesday, December 30, 2009. What a win for the club and for the community. Notice the mention of an ongoing relationship with the city recreation department, as well as the strong connection with kids, science, and math. A great program, now squarely in the public eye.
Watervliet — A group of youngsters recently celebrated their graduation from an aviation course sponsored by the city recreation department and the Watervliet Wind Warriors, a club for radio-controlled aircraft enthusiasts.
This marked the second time the city and the club teamed up to offer the course, called the Tom Brown Youth Aviation Program. The program, for children in grades 5 and 6, is named in memory of the late Tom Brown, an engineer and inventor whose hobby was aviation.
The program is designed to introduce participants to the aviation industry and the basic concepts of flying using radio-controlled aircraft. During the six-week program, participants had an opportunity to work with area professionals and club members to learn basic concepts of flight and the connection of science and math to aviation.
Participants in the course, which was offered for the first time earlier this year, also had the chance to interact with commercial airline and helicopter pilots and radio control-tower operators, including a field trip to the Albany International Airport.
Classes were held on Saturdays and lasted two hours. The students flew remote-controlled model planes.
Ten youngsters received certificates of completion at the recent graduation celebration at the Watervliet Recreational Dome.
For information about the aviation program or about the Wind Warriors, contact club president Howard Cummings via e-mail at [email protected] or by calling 786-3622.
Somerset County 4-H — Broken Props
This next one highlights the great work being done by the Somerset County (New Jersey) 4-H Club Broken Props. The leaders of this club have been teaching model aviation principles to youngsters for about 30 years. Indeed, it was my privilege to help lead the club in the 1980s and 90s along with Ken Pomplun, who is still an active leader.
Each year, the club members display their modeling and flying skills to thousands of local 4-H fair attendees. The activity gets model aviation and its value as a youth activity in the limelight for the duration of the fair.
As Ken's letter attests, the AMA can be proud of many of its local clubs, whose members show up at the fair each year to help youngsters develop their flying skills. Hats off to Richie Blatt, Tom Murray, Al Friedrichs, and Mike De Cou for many years of unstinting volunteer service during the fair.
Dear Rich, Mike, Al, and Tom,
On behalf of all the members, parents and leaders of the 4-H Broken Props Model Airplane Club, as well as the Somerset County NJ 4-H organization, a million thanks for your support and assistance during the 4-H Fair.
As you saw, our club has quite a few young and inexperienced modelers and despite some very adverse weather as well as parking issues, we had a great time with much success on the flying field. This would not have been possible without your contributions of time and knowledge.
Having you all available as instructors/advisors during our flying sessions enabled our kids to make significant strides in improving their model airplane skills. Without your help this would not have been possible. It will surely help in promoting the hobby and ensuring its future success.
Again, we thank you so much for your efforts.
With appreciation,
4-H Broken Props MAC and Leaders: Marsh Hayward, Gene Sellers and Ken Pomplun
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
