Flying Site Assistance
Joe Beshar | [email protected]
USUALLY fliers seek a flying site. In a refreshing change of pace, here is a flying site seeking fliers; it can even handle jets!
History
Cairo, Illinois, was a small but bustling city in the late 1950s and the airport was modern for those days. The city lost industry, business, and population because of race riots and other troubles in the 1960s and 1970s, and not much remains today.
The airport has been maintained but has not progressed and still reminds one of an earlier time when things were much simpler. The Alexander Airport Board is now looking for something to get some activity again and is asking for someone to investigate the possibility of starting an RC organization.
Airport details
- Total area: 470 acres (350 acres are farmland).
- Primary runway (14/32): 4,003 feet long by 100 feet wide — in excellent shape.
- Secondary runway (2/20): 3,200 feet long by 60 feet wide — also in excellent shape.
- The primary runway has a taxiway at about midpoint that would be an excellent staging area for jet models, with plenty of room for parking vehicles and setting up tents or shelters.
- Ample parking with a fence between public parking and the taxiway/runways that would be excellent for gate control.
- No scheduled airlines; very few small private airplanes use the facility. Current occupants include a crop sprayer in one hangar, a skydiving aircraft in another, and a few small private planes.
The Tourism Bureau is interested in promoting the use of the airport. There are plenty of motels in Cape Girardeau, Missouri (roughly a 40-minute drive), and more in Marion, Illinois (about an hour away).
Contact
If you’re interested, contact Darrell Honey at (618) 982-2272 or [email protected].
RC Adventure at Valley Middle School (Oakland, New Jersey)
The RC Adventure demonstration at Valley Middle School in Oakland, New Jersey, was held on May 29 to present the Fly the Adventure program. Weather was challenging in the morning but fortunately cleared by the afternoon.
Students in the science class were scheduled to go out to the soccer field at 2 p.m. Two electric training models were provided by Paragon Federal Credit Union so students could experience flying a model. All local modelers were invited to display their aircraft and join in the flying with the students. There were no midair collisions.
Bruce Giumarra brought and ran the turbine in his jet model, which impressed the students. Celebrity George Meade, helicopter pilot for New York radio station WOR, attended, as did members of the local media.
The school plans to offer a model airplane course next term.
Press release (Paragon Federal Credit Union Aero Club)
"The purpose of Paragon Federal Credit Union's Aero Club program is to encourage our school students into the world of model aviation in the various schools throughout northern New Jersey. They observed demo flying followed by a classroom instruction course for building models. In years past, students were first taught how to build a plane and then learn how to fly.
"This change to flying first from building first is possible because of the new and inexpensive beginner planes that are available ready to fly. By giving students a taste of what it is like to fly a model plane, the Paragon Federal Credit Union Aero Club is introducing students to model aviation through innovative programs. The world of model aviation is very different; as a hobby/sport, it is the vehicle for our youth to enter the world of research and development. The program is Fly the RC Adventure."
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
