March 2001 45
hroughout the years, the
Southern
Indiana RC Modelers, Inc. (SIRCM)
club has sought new flying facilities from
time to time, as have many Radio Control
clubs across the country.
My club is incorporated as a “not-forprofit
corporation” in the state of Indiana,
and is in its 30th year of existence.
For the past 28 years, SIRCM has been
the Academy of Model Aeronautics
(AMA) sanctioned club for the Mint Julep
Scale Meet. In that period of time, we
have had six flying fields.
In each instance, residential and
industrial land development eventually
forced the club to look for an alternate
flying site that would somehow,
someday, provide a greater degree of
permanency.
After learning five years ago that the
owner of the club’s then-present flying
field was considering selling the property,
an alert SIRCM member brought the
officers’ attention to several acres of
n John R. Guenther
Overview of the Southern Indiana RC Modelers’ new site—Cinergy Riverview R/C Flying Field, in New Albany IN.
SIRCM club member Don Mansmann explains the various Radio Control model flight
functions to Cinergy Gallagher Generating Plant manager Dave Renner.
floodplain owned by Cinergy (a large
electric company headquartered in
Cincinnati OH).
The acreage, which was part of the
New Albany IN Gallagher Generating
Plant, bordered the Ohio River and was
across the river from Louisville KY.
A couple of club officers made an
appointment with the local plant
manager, and discussions ensued about
acquiring and supporting a new flying
facility encompassing roughly 45 acres,
with approximately 100 acres of
overflight forest and land.
The club representatives were wellreceived;
after several meetings and
visits to the proposed site (with club
officers and Cinergy engineers and
administrators), a tentative timetable
and development plan for the Radio
Control flying facility was drawn up.
AMA was contacted for flying-site
development guidelines, suggestions for
involving the local media and
politicians, insurance information, and
generalized “modeling propaganda”
that would be helpful in the final
presentation to Cinergy.
All of AMA’s information proved
invaluable, and it was an important
component of the land-acquisition
proposal.
The submission of the SIRCM
proposal was the first time a Southern
Indiana community-related organization
had approached Cinergy for its
corporate support and the use of
acreage the company considered
The pit area and Radio Control impound at the new field. The site came to life five years after the project began.
SIRCM members Dale Arvin (AMA Nationals RC event director) and caller Earl Dever
prepare for a Scale model demo flight during the dedication ceremonies.
Photos courtesy the author Graphic Design by Jill Ann Cavanaugh
46 M ODEL AVIATION
“unusable.”
After all the meetings had concluded,
SIRCM signed a 99-year lease with a
$1/year fee and the yearly option of
renewal—which Cinergy management
approved without hesitation.
As part of the signed agreement, we
are responsible for all site development,
maintenance, upkeep, and publicity for
flying activities.
Adhering to AMA guidelines and the
approved flying-site development plan,
plenty of physical labor and club money
went into preparing the road and parking
lot, frequency board, two shelters, two
portable toilets, several picnic tables, and
a storage shed.
We were required to install a security
gate at the property entrance, and to
double-lock it so company technicians
could have access to high-tension lines
that go over an unused area of the
property.
To finish the entrance, we contracted
a local sign company to make a four- by
eight-foot sign.
Our main task was to construct and
develop the runway and approach areas.
We built an 80- x 600-foot contoured
runway—made with special grass, to
allow carpet-height mowing—and the
area around the impound board, pit area,
and shelters.
One club member worked for a local
contractor, so we were able to arrange
for a special discount on the cost of a
large earthmover to grade the runway, pit
area, and parking lot.
When the runway was finished, club
members seeded, fertilized, and put
down straw, to make the grass seed
germinate quickly. We did other jobs as
we waited for the grass to grow.
We followed AMA guidelines for the
pit area, pilot stations, and frequency
board. A club member volunteered to
construct a steel-framed frequency board.
Six pilot stations were installed with
removable PVC (polyvinyl chloride) pipe
(for mowing and trimming) and heavy
plastic fencing for the pilots’ protection.
When the site was finished, a big
sigh of relief went up from all club
members and we decided it was time to
celebrate.
May 13, 2000—five years after we
began the flying-site project—SIRCM
had a special field-dedication ceremony,
picnic, and full day of open flying. The
local newspaper, television news, and
politicians were invited.
To commemorate the newly finished
and newly named Cinergy Riverview R/C
Flying Field, AMA and Cinergy
representatives were our special guests.
Gallagher Plant Manager Dave Renner
represented Cinergy, and AMA District
VI Vice President Charlie Bauer and
AMA President Dave Brown were in
attendance.
The dedication event inspired two
newspaper articles and one on-site
interview for early-morning television.
The results have been more local
awareness of responsible Radio Control
modeling, and a rise in spectator
attendance at the field during the week
and (especially) on the weekends.
Cinergy is very happy with the manner
in which we have developed and
managed the facility. The company
appreciates our frequent communiqués,
and the fact that we are making the
flying site well known in the Southern
Indiana and metro Louisville KY area.
The club roster has grown from the
mid-60s to more than 100 members,
and we hope our membership continues
to grow.
SIRCM is the oldest and most wellestablished
Radio Control club in the
area, and members can finally say, “we
have a home.”
We appreciate the opportunity to
work with a large corporation that is
community-minded and farsighted
enough to see the value and benefit of
getting involved with a local
organization that represents a healthy
and worthy hobby, such as Radio Control
modeling. MA
John R. Guenther
21609 Borden-Greenville Rd.
Borden IN 47106
March 2001 47
