District IX Report - 2003/02

February 2003 159
NEWS FROM NEBRASKA: Dick
Behrens sent in the following information
about the Omahawks cross-country fly.
“Sunday morning, May 2, the
Omahawks sponsored its sixth annual crosscountry
fly. No entry fee, no prizes. Sixteen
pilots, along with their spotters and drivers,
took part.
Pilots meeting.
“This year’s route went eight miles
north of Valley NE to a turnaround, then
back to the start. The fliers had to share the
route with about 300 unexpected bicyclists.
“At the turnaround, the club provided 50
breakfast biscuits, five-dozen donuts, and
coffee. Gene Alexander dealt an optional
poker card game along the route. Byron
Head won the $17 pot.
“The pilots included Gary Black, Nick
Brown, Skip Brown, Bob Burt, Kip
Dirkschneider, Byron Head, Bud Mitchell,
Matt Myer, Ward Neesen, Keith Paskewitz,
Ed Pugsley, Gale Sherman, Ed Splittgerber,
Rich Tiller, Bob Zitzlsperger, and Dick
Behrens.
“Nick and Rich flew from a convertible,
Byron from an open-roof minivan, and the
rest flew from pickup trucks.”
Bud Mitchell, Bob Burt, and Bob
Zitzlsperger on chairs.
Ed Splittgerber and Bob Anderson on
bench.
Skip and Jacob Brown and Matt Myer on
knees.
News from Colorado: The Arvada
Associated Modelers build their Airpark.
Contributed by Chris Sturm.
The Arvada Associated Modelers Club
was formed in 1975 with fewer than 10
members. The club members flew at five
different sites for the first few years but each
field was to be claimed by the everexpanding
population.
In 1979-80 the club moved to Sullivan
Field in northwest Arvada, Colorado. The
club members knew from the beginning that
someday this field would be taken as well.
At least 17 sites were identified and
rejected by one party or the other; some
were too small, some had other
developments scheduled for them. After a
couple of years of searching, an ideal site
was finally found.
The city acquired open land that was
perfect, 3/4 mile from the west border to the
east border, and 700 feet from the south
border to the north border.
In addition to the above parcel, the city
included in a long-term lease renewable in
five-year increments, overfly privileges over
additional open space acreage, for a total
flight area of roughly 220 acres.
The next step was to decide how to best
use this space. Ideas were floated around
within the site committee, and other club
members also submitted ideas. Our field
marshal installed a weather station at the
new field site to gather all of the needed
information such as temperature, wind
direction, and wind speed.
The resulting design was two runways,
one on the east half of the site and one on
the west half of the site. The main runway
on the east side consists of four-inch-thick
concrete and is 743 feet long and 49 feet
wide. The second runway, on the west half
of the site remains as natural prairie grass
approximately 600 feet long by 75 feet wide.
Club members building the fence.
The east half has six safety-fenced pilot
stations with safety fencing between the
pilots and the starting tables and the pits.
There are currently four starting tables with
small benches on the front end to hold
starting equipment, flight boxes, or whatever
else you may have carried out.
The west half has four fenced-in pilot
stations with cement helicopter landing pads
in front of each station.
There are two additional
“hover only” cement
stations on either side of
the pit area for teaching
helicopter pilots.
Now that the club had
two runways, separated by
approximately 1/2 mile, it
needed to have some way
to providing frequency
controls.
More on the club’s
creative frequency control
next month.
Associate Vice Presidents
Max Hansen, 1909 Wisconsin SW, Huron SD
57350
Nathan Lancaster, 3597 S. Kendall Street, Denver
CO 80235
Fred Hildebrand, 4015 Somerset Circle, Casper
WY 82609-3161
Troy Lapp, 1619 Wichita Dr., Bismarck ND 58504
Travis McGinnis, 8027 W. 81st Circle, Arvada CO
80005
Don Moden, 410 Hart St., Salina KS 67401
Jim Ricketts, 4921 Fernwood Drive, Sioux Falls
SD 57103-5573
Jack L. Sibert, 3611 Kimberly Circle, Lincoln NE
68506-4524
Mark T. Smith, 14632 W. 50th Street, Shawnee
KS 66216
Mike Weidner, 6535 Foxdale Circle, Colorado
Springs CO 80919-1788
Frequency Coordinator
Steve Mangles, c/o Radio Service Center, 918 S.
Sheridan, Denver CO 80226
Colorado / Kansas /
Nebraska / North Dakota /
South Dakota / Wyoming
Russ Miller
Vice President
980 N. 3rd St.
Carrington ND 58421
Phone: (701) 652-2321
Fax: (701) 652-2994
E:mail:
[email protected]
District IX Report
Arvada Associated Aeromodelers’ Field of Dreams. Note
the west runway has been outlined for clarity.
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