Flying Site Assistance - 2006/01

156 MODEL AVIATION
Announcements, news, and information from the
Academy of Model Aeronautics and the elected district representatives.
AMA News
Flying Site Assistance Wes De Cou | [email protected]
E-Flight: The Quiet Revolution
ELECTRIC MODEL AVIATION is the
wave of the present and the wave of the
future. In case you haven’t noticed, electricpowered
flight is revolutionizing the model
aviation scene.
Every distributor of model aviation
products displays a growing number of
electric-powered fixed- and rotary-wing
aircraft in its catalog. The shelves of local
hobby shops and many “toy stores” are piled
high with low-cost electric RTF kits. I’ve
even seen electric helicopters at a gas station
convenience store!
Rather than casting aspersions upon those
who fly aircraft that neither sound nor smell
“right,” we’d be wise to join or at least accept
them. The reasons involve both practicality
and preservation.
On the practical side, the dramatic surge
in interest in electric flight has had a
substantial, positive impact on flying-site
growth. The number-one dilemma facing
model airplane pilots today is the lack of
nearby flying facilities. While having to drive
long distances to fly used to be more of a
“bother” factor than anything else, it has now
become an economic factor. Fuel for the
model hauler—be it a car, a van, or a truck—
is now part of the equation.
The number one reason for the lack of or
loss of flying facilities is the perception held
by site owners, local public officials, and
local residents, that model aviation is an
inherently noisy activity. The advent of quiet,
lightweight, long-duration electric model
aircraft might well be the answer to the
dilemma.
Due to the “it’s noisy” perception, many
local, state, and federal officials reject the
notion of a model airport facility on public
lands under their jurisdiction. Many
modelers—and you could be one of them—
are changing the minds of those same
officials because of the quiet nature of
electric flight.
Because E-flight is quiet—almost
imperceptible in the urban ambient noise
spectrum—E-fields are being located in the
midst of residential developments. This
provides local park administrators with
significant increases in usage statistics for
their park lands. Those same usage statistics
are part of the evaluation process that is used
to determine how well a park administrator is
doing on his or her job as well as how much
consideration should be given to future parkdevelopment
funding.
With new E-fields in close proximity to
population centers, large numbers of children
and adults, indeed, entire families are
beginning to take advantage of the
educational and recreational opportunities
provided by the new wave of quiet electric
aircraft. From the preservation perspective,
trying to get every retail RTF electric aircraft
purchaser involved in flying at an organized
local flying field is clearly a worthwhile
objective.
Many of the brand-new pilots who see
and buy their first RC aircraft out of a catalog
or in a hobby or toy shop have no concept of
frequency interference. To the extent that we
can chat these folks up and get them to fly
their initial missions with experienced pilots
at a local field, we have the opportunity to
save their special aircraft as well as our own.
With electric models being flown on
many different frequency spectrums, the
chance for unplanned events is significant.
Even with the advent of spread-spectrum
technology, we need to be sure that every
pilot on the line or in the area understands
radio interference. There is a huge challenge
here, and it will take minds, money,
cooperation, and talent to meet that challenge.
Establishing new, well-publicized E-fields
is a first step. It’s an opportunity to get the
new pilot to a convenient site. The
information the new pilot needs in order to
become a safe pilot ought to be provided at
that field. I expect to see AMA-sponsored
initiatives in this area in the near future.
E-flight answers the majority of the
objections we have heard to the establishment
of new model aviation sites in urban areas.
Perhaps now is the time for you to approach
your local park department administrator with
a well-reasoned request for a new E-field.
You have all the right reasons. The AMA has
a great support team and great support
materials.
What should you look for? Is there
something ready made?
Your E-field requirements should be
based on the type of aircraft you and your
friends are going to fly. If your primary
interest is with micro-electrics—very small,
slow, indoor-type aircraft—then perhaps an
existing facility is what you should seek.
National Guard Armories, local school gyms,
senior center recreation halls, field houses,
and aircraft hangars—all of these are
potential flying sites if micro-electrics are
what you prefer.
If you are fan of the new class of park
flyers such as the Slo-V, Slo-Stik, Firebird,
and others, then existing park facilities such
as softball, baseball, or soccer fields are
prime candidates for your flying sites. None
of these fields is used all day, every day.
Negotiate an off-peak time to use existing
recreation fields on a regular basis.
Other existing park lands such as waterretention
basins or undeveloped park property
are also candidates for E-fields. Does your
city or county administer a closed landfill?
There is great potential there for a
noninvasive, ecologically friendly E-field.
The crucial fact here is that the park flyer
doesn’t require acres and acres of property.
Indeed, the infield of a baseball diamond is
adequate for half-throttle, let’s-learn-to-fly Eflight
with most park flyers.
If your penchant is for larger E-flight
aircraft, equivalent to a .40 or larger glowpowered
model, then you are looking at a
field of the size you would use for just such a
model—but you can consider fields much
closer to residential developments because of
the relatively quiet electric motor. Small but
very fast aircraft such as the Zagi or
Adrenalin-type airplanes also require a larger
area for safe operation.
If you already have a model airplane
flying site, but it is in jeopardy because of
2006 Election Results
Executive Vice President
Doug Holland 5667
Horrace Cain 2542
District III
Bob Brown 871
District VII
Bill Oberdieck 916
District XI
Bruce Nelson 640
January 2006 157
noise complaints, consider a switch to Eflight.
It could very likely be the key to
saving your field.
Where should we look? Determine the
local land ownership. Your primary sources
for a new E-flight facility are private land
owners and public agencies. Even on private
land, it may be necessary to go through local
government to get authority to fly your Eflight
model. Land-use restrictions and
zoning laws have to be taken into
consideration.
Vacant parcels, undeveloped tracts, fallow
fields—all of these, even if close to
residential developments, are targets for
modelers in need of a field. Huge chunks of
public land are available for recreational use
at the city, county, state, and federal level.
The key is to get to the appropriate
individual, and to educate him or her on the
subject of E-flight.
Local parks abound throughout the
country. Your job is to find out who
administers the park, whether it is the city,
county, state, or federal government.
Within the federal government you have
myriad opportunities to talk to people in
positions to do you some good in your quest
for an E-field. The Army Corps of Engineers
has a volunteer clearinghouse, the job of
which is to match public land to proposed
uses and users. Find out if the Corps controls
land in your area.
Also, look at the Bureau of Land
Management (BLM), the National Park
Service, or the U.S. Fish and Wildlife service,
all under the U.S. Department of the Interior,
for access to some of the hundreds of millions
of acres under its control. The U.S. Forest
Service under the U.S. Department of
Agriculture is another potential source of Eflight
facilities.
That land looks promising; what should I
do about it? If you think you’ve identified a
potential E-field site or if you just want to
start a dialog with someone in a position to
help you, whether a private landowner or a
public organization, the procedure is the
same.
Start by identifying your key contacts.
This is the person or people who are the
decision makers at the grassroots level. It
could be the landowner in the case of private
land, or even the landowner’s agent.
In the case of public lands, it could be the
park manger, the park ranger, the BLM
agent—whoever is in charge at the local level.
The key actions on your park are to ask for
what you want; to do a live demonstration at
the actual site or a show-and-tell in an office
environment; and to work “up the chain.” If
you start at the top and try to work down,
you’ll have, at best, a reluctant site manager.
If the local folks can’t make a decision, or
decide not to allow your proposed use, ask to
go up the line and then do it. Often, the
“boss” is more understanding than the person
who just turned you down.
If you run out of ideas, don’t forget to
contact your AMA for advice and counsel.
We have staff people who are great at
providing contact ideas, presentation
materials, even outlines for your
presentations.
As far as E-flight opportunities are
concerned, remember that people play at
parks and every park is in play. Talk to your
local park administrators about E-flights as a
creative use of their (your!) parks.
Flying Sites at Cemeteries:
South Florida Aerosquadron Moore Haven, Florida
Cincinnati Soaring Society Cincinnati, Ohio
Flying Sites on Military Land:
Wiregrass RC Newton, Alabama
Aux 6 RC Fliers Club Buckeye, Arizona
Green Valley RC Flyers Green Valley, Arizona
The Model Aircraft Association Laguna Hill, California
Cactus Avenue Regulars Riverside, California
Fightertown RC Flyers San Diego, California
Delta Valley Modelers Stockton, California
Sierra Foothill RC Flyers Marysville, California
Vandenburg AFB Prop Busters Vandenburg, California
Thermal Riders Whitehouse, Florida
Kars Flyers Merrih Island, Florida
Northwest Florida Modelers Pensacola, Florida
Pensacola Aeromodelers Pensacola, Florida
Mac Dill Flyers Tampa, Florida
Pensacola Free Flight Team Pale, Florida
Leeward Aeromodelers Pearl Harbor, Hawaii
Springfield Free Flight MAC Springfield, Illinois
Central Jersey Wingbenders Old Bridgem New Jersey
East Coast Indoor Modelers Lakehurst, New Jersey
Ocean County Modelers Lakehurst, New Jersey
Hobbs Cloud Dusters Hobbs, New Mexico
Stealth City Flyers Holloman AFB, New Mexico
Rome Academy Aeremodelers Rome, New York
Defense Hill Modelers Association Suffolk, New York
Grand Fork AFB Flatlanders Grand Forks, North Dakota
Huriott Sport Flyers Sandusky, Ohio
Radio Aircraft Modelers Dayton, Ohio
Free Flight Aeromodelers Society Dayton, Ohio
Lawton Area RC Association Lawton, Oklahoma
Kelly Point Flying Club Portland, Oregon
Jackson Flyers Association Fort Jackson, South Carolina
SAM 1836 Corpus Christi, Texas
Pohick Pilots Association Fairfax, Virginia
Whidbey Island RC Society Coupeville, Washington
SAM 8 Fort Lewis, Washington
Flying Sites at Parking Lots:
Local Area Fun Flyers Bullhead City, Arizona
Bayside Radio Control Club Fremont, California
Rocky Mountain Aeromodelers Denver, Colorado
Lockhead Martin RC Modelers Orlando, Florida
Palm Beach Aero Club West Palm Beach, Florida
128th RC Wing Danvers, Massachusetts
Mesick RC Fun Fly Buckley, Michigan
Sedalia RC Flyers Sedalia, Missouri
Bergen County CL Flyers Bergen, New Jersey
South Jersey Aeromodelers Sewell, New Jersey
Norace Sacher North Shore Stoney Brook, New York
Huguenot Aermodeling Club New Palte, New York
Buckeye Soaring Society Strongsville, Ohio
Miniature Aircraft Association Bandon, Oregon
Clark County RC Society Clark, Washington
Flying Sites at Hospitals:
Pioneer RC Club Santa Clara, California
Middlesex Aeromodelers Middletown, Connecticut
New England Stunt Team Wrentham, Massachusetts
Prop Busters Martinsburg, West Virginia
Here are more lists of AMA club flying sites on specific property types:
If you run out of ideas,
don’t forget to contact
your AMA for advice and
counsel.
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]
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]
Finding—Preserving—Maintaining