Flying Site Assistance - 2008/05

170 MODEL AVIATION
AMA News
Announcements, news, and information from the
Academy of Model Aeronautics and the elected district representatives.
IT’S THE SECOND week of the Cactus
League baseball season here in the Phoenix
area. Major League stars and future stars are
getting ready for the regular season, which
kicks off in April. The sports section is
talking wins and losses as spring training
rolls on.
In the Flying Site Assistance arena, I like
to talk of wins and extra-inning efforts,
rather than wins and losses.
In January I got a call from Reeves
Lippincott of the Alaska RC Society
(ARCS) in which he described an onerous
new law that would essentially outlaw
model aviation within the Matanuska-
Susitna Borough (MSB). The MSB
comprises roughly 24,700 square miles and
contains approximately 10% of the
population of Alaska. Anchorage is within
the MSB area.
The new law restricts noise levels created
by certain sources—such as model aircraft
engines—to 3-5 dB above ambient noise
levels measured at the affected property line.
The mayor had vetoed the measure at a prior
meeting, but the MSB Assembly was getting
ready to have an override vote.
ARCS and the AMA mounted a furious
informational campaign to educate the
assembly members regarding the benefits of
model aviation, both to individuals and to
communities. At the override hearing, many
modelers stood to decry the new ordinance
and to defend their recreational activity.
The veto was overridden; however,
because of the
significant input
from the modelers
at the hearing
(more than an hour
of comments), the
assembly asked
that a committee be
formed to try to
come to an
agreement whereby
the modelers
would indeed be
able to continue
their flying
activities.
Instead of the
flat denial and a
loss of flying
activities, we got
some “extra
innings.” Three
modelers will be
part of the sixperson
committee.
We’ll let you
know how it goes.
In retrospect,
Tom Simes,
president of the
ARCS, and
Reeves
Lippincott, my
initial contact,
pointed to two
learning points
they took from the
events leading to
the override.
First, the initial ordinance revision had
been advertised in local newspapers as
required by law. The sound ordinance’s
impact on modelers had been missed. The
initial ordinance had been voted on without
any input from us! We need to skim public
notices to see whether or not they have an
impact on us.
Second, Tom was told that rather than
offering a series of comments praising the
benefits of model aviation and describing
the burdensome nature of the new
ordinance, we should have approached the
assembly with a workable alternative plan.
By attending the meeting with nothing other
than passionate comments, we left the
assembly members with nothing more than
an up or down choice.
In the “win” column, I have a great followup
to my article in the March issue of MA.
Near the end of that article I mentioned that
construction of the new model airpark in
Florence, Arizona, would get underway
before that issue would hit your mailbox.
On March 1, the day the March issue
arrived at my house, the new airpark was
dedicated! Take a look at the picture in the
March issue and the pictures I have
included. A motivated and dedicated city
Flying Site Assistance
We Win Some and Some Go to Extra Innings
Wes De Cou
Coordinator
Western Region
AMA Districts VIII - XI
202 W. Desert Flower Ln.,
Phoenix AZ 85045
Voice: (480) 460-9466;
Cell: (480) 296-9515
Fax: (480) 460-9434
E-mail: [email protected]
Joe Beshar
Coordinator
Eastern Region
AMA Districts I - VII
198 Merritt Dr., Oradell NJ 07649
Tel.: (201) 261-1281;
Fax: (201) 261-0223
E-mail: [email protected]
Finding—Preserving—Maintaining
The flightline at the new facility in Florence,
Arizona, takes shape on dedication day.
Town Council member
Vicki Kilvinger looks on
as Lyle presents a
bouquet to town clerk
Garcia in appreciation
for her help in ensuring
the we were always
dealing with the right
folks in the field
development effort.
Prime movers in the
field development
effort, Councilman
Richard Sanders, Mayor
Tom Rankin, Lyle Bohn,
and Parks and
Recreation Director
Gabe Beechum cut the
ribbon.
05amanews.qxp 3/21/2008 3:13 PM Page 170
staff pulled out all the stops in creating a
very nice facility, including parking for drycamping
RVs, in less than 60 days.
Aircraft ranging from Tournament of
Champions-size competition airplanes to
.40-size trainers, and powered with
anything from electric to turbines, tested
the new site during the dedication day.
Plans are already underway to add a few
hundred feet to the 600-foot runway so it
can accommodate more sophisticated
turbine aircraft.
The Florence facility is a win for the
city, a win for modelers in the Southwest,
and a win for those of us who like the
camaraderie of an RV camping experience
coupled with a two- or three-day flying
event.
See you in Florence!