150
I HAVE two good news items from down
south, and then some practical stuff and a
request for some information.
I received the following E-mail message
from the Williams Aero Modelers Remotecontrol
Pilots Society (WARPS) in Morgan
City, Louisiana.
“WARPS R/C Flyers recently dedicated
its new flying site, naming it the Pedro
Hernandez Field.
“In the mid 1940s, Pedro, a Cuban
citizen, built a full-scale glider. At that
time, it was the first full-scale flying ship to
have been produced by a citizen in Cuba.
The Cuban press was eager to cover the
first flight, during which a Ford automobile
towed the glider to an elevation of
approximately 800 feet. After releasing the
towline, Pedro and his glider remained
aloft for 23 minutes, returning safely to the
take-off point.
“Pedro moved to Morgan City,
Louisiana, in 1962, bringing with him a
love for RC flying. Throughout the years,
Pedro’s enthusiasm for the sport rubbed off
on many local citizens, and soon many of
them were also addicted to the activity.
With Pedro as one of its founders, WARPS
was formed in 1976.
“The new field, with its 450 x 50-foot
runway, was established near the St.
Mary’s Parish landfill, in Berwick,
Louisiana. The site provides modelers with
a facility dedicated solely to RC flight
activities. Calling him ‘an icon of RC
flying in south Louisiana,’ club members
were pleased to name the field in Pedro’s
honor, as his proud family watched the
ceremonies.
“WARPS offers its sincere thanks to St.
Mary’s Parish and city officials for their
support in this effort.”
Similarly, Browne Goodwin, 2004
president of the Austin Silent Flyers, sent
the following message.
“The Travis County Commissioners
today (December 28, 2004) approved a
resolution acknowledging the Austin Silent
Flyers (ASF) as an official Adopt-A-Park
Participant at the Travis County Northeast
Metropolitan Park near Pflugerville, Texas,
northeast of Austin.
“The impact of this action is the
assignment of a 38-acre open field on
Travis County Park property exclusively to
the ASF for RC soaring and electric
models. The county is committed to
making a number of improvements to the
site and to continued mowing and other
general maintenance, while ASF will
participate in the design and installation of
the improvements and in the upkeep of the
field.
“ASF is also committed to providing
flight training and other aviation-related
educational opportunities. The club will be
hosting soaring and electric contests at the
field throughout the year.
“The County Commissioners and the
Park staff have been very supportive of this
use of County Park property, and we look
forward to working with them to make the
field a success.
“We are planning to host a
dedication/grand opening for the field
sometime in the spring, once some of the
improvements are in place. In the
meantime, we are using the field on a
regular basis, and are enjoying the
excellent soaring that it allows.
“ASF appreciates the support that we
have received from AMA Headquarters
staff during the negotiations for this
important flying site.”
Thanks to WARPS and to Browne for
your stories.
Each week I receive requests for advice on
myriad topics relative to new flying sites
and efforts to save existing sites. One of the
most frequent questions is “Are there any
other clubs doing what we want to do?”
AMA maintains lists of clubs whose
flying sites are on specific types of property.
We have lists of flying sites located on fullscale
airports, on Bureau of Land
Management (BLM) land—even on
cemetery property! (Don’t send me any
quips about folks who are dying to learn how
to fly.)
Although these lists are useful in flyingsite
acquisition and retention activities, they
are by no means complete. You can help us
here. During the next few months I’ll print a
list or two with each column.
If you see a list of fields on the type of
property your club is looking at as a flying
site, use that list as support for your quest. If
you see a list you think should include your
club, but your club isn’t listed, let me know.
Similarly, if your club is listed in error, I
want to know that as well. In many cases, a
club contact will be willing to give you some
useful pointers on how the club gained
access to a particular parcel. All good stuff in
our search for more and better flying sites!
This month’s lists: Flying sites located on
school (any type of school) property and
flying sites located on BLM land. (The
cemetery list is pretty short. I’ll do that one
later!)
Flying Site Assistance
Wes De Cou
Coordinator,
Western Region
Districts VII-XI
Voice: (480) 460-9466
Cell: (480) 296 9515
Fax: (480) 460-9434
202 W. Desert Flower Ln.
Phoenix AZ 85045
E-mail: [email protected]
Joe Beshar, Coordinator,
Eastern Region, Districts I-VI
198 Merritt Dr., Oradell NJ 07649
Tel.: (201) 261-1281; Fax: (201) 261-0223
E-mail: [email protected]
Finding—Preserving—Maintaining
Flying Sites on BLM Land
1) Arizona Model Aviators, Mesa AZ
2) Wickenburg RC Flyers, Wickenburg
AZ
3) Imperial Valley RC Assoc., Imperial
CA
4) CL Speed Flyers of California, El
Monte CA
5) High Desert Aerobarons, Joshua
Tree CA
6) Northern California RC, Anderson
CA
7) Grand Junction Modelers, Grand
Junction CO
8) Sun Valley Aeronautical Society,
Hailey ID
9) Helena Flying Tigers, Helena MT
10) Lander RC Club, Battle Mountain
NV
11) Reno Unlimited Air Race
Association, Reno NV
12) Bend Aeromodeler, Bend OR
13) Eagle Draw Aeromodelers,
Thermoplis WY
14) Flying Cowboys RC Club, Sheridan
WY
15) Worland RC Aeromodelers,
Worland WY
Flying Sites at Schools
1) Huntsville Heli Flyers, Huntsville
AL
2) Scottsdale Model Flyers, Scottsdale
AZ
3) Santa Clarita Soaring Association,
Valencia CA
4) San Fernando Silent Flyers,
Woodland Hills CA
5) Anaheim Model Airplane Club,
Anaheim CA
6) Desert Union Soaring Thermals, La
Quinta CA
7) Inland Empire Rotor and Wing,
Highland CA
8) Torrey Pines Scale Soaring, San
Diego CA
9) Coyote Valley Bellcrankers, Morgan
CA
10) Floyd RC Flyers, Cave Spring GA
11) Rend Lake RC, Ina IL
12) Tri County Aero Club, Westport IL
13) East Side Radio Control,
Edwardsville IL
14) Monticello Model Makers,
Monticello IL
15) Winnebago Sport Modelers,
Winnebago IL
16) Tri Valley RC Flyers, Rosemont MN
17) Socorro Chile Proppers, Socorro
NM
18) Harrisburg Aeromodeling, Hampden
PA
19) Soaring League of North Texas,
Mesquite TX
Edition: Model Aviation - 2005/03
Page Numbers: 150