Chief Financial Officer - 2009/08
Flying Site Assistance
Joe Beshar | [email protected]
Usually fliers seek a flying site. In a refreshing change of pace, here is a flying site seeking fliers — it can even handle jets!
History
Cairo, Illinois, was a small but bustling city in the late 1950s, and the airport was modern for those days. The city lost industry, business, and population because of race riots and other troubles in the 1960s and 1970s, and not much remains today.
The airport has been maintained but has not progressed; it still reminds one of an earlier time when things were much simpler. The Alexander Airport Board is now looking for something to get some action again and is asking for someone to investigate the possibility of getting an RC organization started.
Airport details
- The airport consists of 470 acres, of which 350 acres are farmland.
- Primary runway (14/32): 4,003 feet long by 100 feet wide — in excellent shape.
- Secondary runway (20/2): 3,200 feet long by 60 feet wide — also in excellent shape.
- The primary runway has a taxiway at about midpoint that would be an excellent staging area for jet models, with plenty of room for parking vehicles and setting up tents or shelters.
- The airport has ample parking and a fence between public parking and the taxiway/runways that would be excellent for gate control.
There are no scheduled airlines and very few small private airplanes use the facility. Presently, there is a crop sprayer in one hangar, a skydiving aircraft in another, and a few small private airplanes in others. The Tourism Bureau is interested in promoting the use of the airport.
Nearby accommodations:
- Cape Girardeau, Missouri — roughly a 40-minute drive.
- Marion, Illinois — about an hour away.
If you're interested, contact Darrell Honey at (618) 982-2272 or [email protected].
RC Adventure at Valley Middle School
Oakland, New Jersey — May 29
The RC Adventure at Valley Middle School was held on May 29, where we demonstrated Fly the RC Adventure. The weather was challenging, but fortunately it cleared by the afternoon.
Students from the science class were scheduled to go out to the soccer field at 2 p.m. Two electric trainer models were provided by Paragon Federal Credit Union for the students to experience flying a model. All local modelers were invited to display their aircraft and join the flying with the students. There were no midair collisions.
Bruce Giumarra brought his jet model and ran the turbine, which impressed the students. Celebrity George Meade, helicopter pilot for New York radio station WOR, attended, as did members of the local media. The school plans to offer a model airplane course next term.
Press release
“The purpose of Paragon Federal Credit Union’s Aero Club program is to encourage our school students into the world of model aviation in the various schools throughout northern New Jersey. They observed demo flying followed by a classroom instruction course for building models. In years past, students were first taught how to build a plane and then learn how to fly.
“This change to flying first from building first is possible because of the new and inexpensive beginner planes that are available ready to fly. By giving students a taste of what it is like to fly a model plane, the Paragon Federal Credit Union Aero Club is introducing students to model aviation through innovative programs. The world of model aviation is very different; as a hobby/sport, it is the vehicle for our youth to enter the world of research and development. The program is Fly the RC Adventure.”
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
