Flying Site Success Stories
Determination and perseverance pays off for three clubs that lost their fields
What help does AMA provide when it comes to flying site issues? That’s a great question!
Your AMA membership dollars do much more than purchase insurance and provide a monthly magazine. Those benefits are great, and insurance is mandatory these days, but there is so much more available to AMA members.
My job as AMA’s Flying Site Assistance Coordinator is to help clubs deal with flying site loss, new site acquisition, and site support. There is a section on the AMA website (www.modelaircraft.org) that deals with flying site assistance. There you will find help in the form of documents, videos, and success stories to assist you in obtaining a new flying site, or inform you of ways you can protect the flying site you currently enjoy.
Without flying sites, model aviation as we know it would not exist. Flying sites are where members gather to enjoy flight and spend time with flying buddies. That is what it is all about!
Flying sites don’t just happen; people make them happen. These hard-working club members invest large amounts of time, energy, and even money to make a flying site happen. AMA supports their efforts in many ways, but it takes someone to do the footwork.
The following success stories are meant to inspire you and your club to find a flying site that you can enjoy for many years. Throughout these stories you will find a thread that links them together: work! It takes work by one or several modelers who have a vision and are willing to put out the effort! Will you be one of them? I hope so!
—Tony Stillman
Horizon City R/C FLYERS
Inevitable is defined as "unable to be avoided, evaded, or escaped." No better word exists to describe the subject that most RC clubs dread: the day that the organization loses its place to fly.
Most clubs are likely complacent, if not apathetic, concerning their tenure at the local flying site. Mine was, and out of the blue came an eviction notice giving our club 30 days to vacate the site we had been using for more than 20 years.
We were caught with our proverbial pants down. There had been ample time throughout the years to prepare for that day, but it seemed so distant that we took what we had for granted. Necessity is the mother of invention, and it is also a great means to motivate a club to get on top of the situation at hand, namely finding another suitable site from which to fly.
My club, the Horizon City R/C Flyers (HCRC), is located in what should be an easy place to find a site. We are in west Texas. Nothing surrounds Horizon City except thousands of acres of desert containing only a few mesquite trees occupied by coyotes, jack rabbits, and a few rattlesnakes.
Rarely does anything come easy. People looked at us with blank faces while they tried to contemplate why a group of grown men would need a piece of property on which to fly toy airplanes.
In order to better present our needs and intentions, a fundamental restructuring of our RC club was necessary. The first thing we did was incorporate the club. We filed and received 501(c)(3) status. By doing this, we were considered a viable entity worthy of consideration.
Doors were thrown open and offers of new flying sites seemed to pour in. Well, maybe it didn't happen that way, but it sure is nice to dream. It took diligence on the part of the HCRC members to acquire a nearly perfect location for flying.
After several meetings with the Horizon City Improvement Association, we were granted a 20-year lease on a spread of land in the middle of the aforementioned desert for a whopping $1 a year!
Not only did we acquire the land for a ridiculously low price, but if for some unforeseen reason the lease is terminated early, we will be reimbursed for all improvements made to the property on a prorated basis.
Now that the easy part was accomplished—yes, the easy part—we only needed to come up with the money to transform the desert into a first-class flying oasis. Unless a club has some benevolent, financially well-endowed members in it, odds are that the organization needs to become tremendously creative.
The club's board of directors and several interested members took on the task of planning and putting into action what would be required to get the project off the ground. HCRC was lucky enough to have a member, Danny Sander, who owned a private flying site. Danny was kind enough to allow our club members to fly and hold events while we were without our own field.
I drew up a simple set of schematics depicting the layout of the proposed field, including a paved 400-by-33-foot runway with a ramp. A list of materials and costs was compiled, giving us an approximate dollar amount needed. The club applied for and received a $5,000 grant through the AMA's Flying Site Assistance Program.
That got the ball rolling, and through hosting a series of fundraising events including fun-flies, raffles, auctions, as well as some generous cash donations, we were able to acquire enough money to begin making improvements.
In the past 20-plus years, HCRC held events that raised money for many great charities including the Muscular Dystrophy Association, the Humane Society, the World War II Veterans Fund, and numerous other worthwhile organizations. We didn’t think we needed to keep any of it for ourselves.
We held fundraisers in the interests of our club as well as other charitable establishments. By working with others, we were able to better promote and organize events that were beneficial to our cause as well as others.
One event was a fun-fly to benefit the American Rescue Dog Association (ARDA). ARDA is a nonprofit organization, which trains and deploys rescue dogs across the country following disasters, and relies solely on donations to accomplish this. Soliciting businesses and organizations across the nation as well as local establishments yielded some amazing donations, including a great gesture from Southwest Airlines, which sent us two round-trip airline tickets, without blackout dates, good anywhere Southwest Airlines serviced.
Numerous RC manufacturers donated RTF airplanes, components, glue, kits, and much more to be auctioned off or raffled.
Because of these remarkable donations, we were able to give a sizable check to the ARDA. After hosting that fun-fly, subsequent events were attended by large numbers of AMA members eager to help us raise the needed capital for our new field.
On a warm September day, we staked out what is now our runway. Jeff McMillin, our club president, solicited a number of paving outfits for bids. Because we are an active 501(c)(3) organization and had raised money for other worthwhile organizations, we received bids that were substantially less than our original estimates.
Material costs were cut by roughly 30 percent; equipment and labor were reduced nearly 90 percent. This is not a small amount of money—we are talking thousands of dollars saved by being an active member of society!
Jobe Concrete provided the asphalt at below-market price, Danny Sander Construction took care of the preparation of the field, and plenty of elbow grease was provided by many of the HCRC members.
We were able to reuse some materials from our previous site such as the gate and sheet metal awnings, saving nearly $1,500.
When the dust finally settled, we had spent only $24,000 on the entire project.
Without the stellar savings yielded by playing nice with others, the field would be far less spectacular. Please feel free to visit our website at the address listed in the sources section.
On February 18 and 19, 2012, the club held the official opening of our new flying site. Although the winds were brisk, approximately 75 people attended and helped us celebrate the completion of our club’s new home base.
By working with others we have managed to spread goodwill and establish an important bridge between our club and the community. There is nothing better than a community willing to support our hobby!
Thank you to the following people and organizations:
- Jobe Concrete (asphalt)
- Danny Sander Construction (field excavation and preparation, equipment donation)
- JTM Wood Works, Brian Stafford, Marty Engler, and AMA (monetary donations)
- Guy Barber (field design)
- Jeff McMillin, John Verslype, Mike Taylor, Manfred Balaster, and Luis Floriano (HCRC board members)
- The entire HCRC membership (volunteers, monetary donations, and support)
- Everyone else who participated in our fundraising efforts
—Guy C. Barber
SOURCES
- Horizon City RC Flyers: http://hcrcflyers.com
Fort Worth Thunderbirds
The Fort Worth Thunderbirds club in Texas moved to its new field on January 1, 2012, and will celebrate its 50th anniversary on September 30.
The Thunderbirds started flying north of Benbrook Lake in 1962. Advancing civilization caused the club to move to the west shore. The members constructed an asphalt runway, a shelter, then a concrete runway and pits throughout the years. They lengthened the runway and pit area, added pilots' safety boxes, and meticulously groomed and maintained the field.
For 50 years, the location was too good to be true. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers owned the lake and the land around it, and the Thunderbirds leased the site from the Corps.
Over time, the Corps installed recreational facilities under the aircraft flight paths, and our airplanes and radio equipment became more capable in speed and range. These factors led to possible conflicts between the public and the fliers. The Corps wanted the land for further improvement of its recreational facilities. In 2005, the Corps asked the Thunderbirds to move to the south end of the lake.
The field facilities had been built using club dues, event fees, member donations, and member labor. Neither the Corps nor the club had the funds to relocate the field.
Congresswoman Kay Granger was interested in providing increased recreational facilities for her constituents. Working with the Thunderbirds and the Corps in late 2007, she designated Corps maintenance funds for the return of the site to public use. This meant moving Thunderbird Field.
Little could be moved, so construction of equivalent facilities was in order. The Corps allowed the Thunderbirds to improve the field design by eliminating its former piecemeal construction and tailoring it to its new location.
Thunderbird member Joe Jopling, who had worked with Congresswoman Granger, made drawings of the new site, and then made new location and layout drawings of the runway, taxiways, pits, shelter, and parking lot. The designs were modified and approved by member vote before the Corps started construction. The result was a slightly longer runway, a parallel taxiway, four-sided pilot protection, a much-improved shelter, and wider spacing of shelter columns.
The area of the parking lot was not changed, but its shape was modified to include a fourth row of spaces. The spaces were widened and vehicle clearance was increased.
The Corps of Engineers awarded the first contract in September of 2008. The runway was completed in November. Concrete for the taxiways, pit, and shelter areas was in place by March 2009, and the shelter was erected in May.
At this point, work was brought to a near standstill because of the government's stimulus programs. The Corps was a prime recipient of shovel-ready money, and projects such as ours were put on hold. A parking lot was paved in January of 2010, but rains and other problems caused its early failure. It was finally completed in August of 2011.
It would be impossible to name all of the club members who contributed to the field construction. Members were always on-site for consultation with the Corps and its contractors. Many of the concrete pours began before daybreak and continued until dark. Bob Hoover took on the electrical design and initial installation.
Corps funding was exhausted before the work was finished and the club used its treasury and raised dues to remove trees, plant grass, stripe the runway (courtesy of the club's then-president, David Dingman), and move its equipment building (thanks to current president, Ken Knotts).
Club labor was used to maintain both fields. Randy Martin solicited material donations from Home Depot and Builders First Source, and then led a group to construct new engine-run stands.
Another group, led by Gary Nelson, wired the breaker box and all outlets in the shelter. Will Campbell had a new frequency board made. A local aerospace firm made a large donation for grass in an area to be used by the company.
Including that, the club spent more than $65,000 to move.
As this is being written in April, the Thunderbirds have been flying from the new site for three months. Reception has been excellent. Membership has increased and procedures are being established.
For most members, it is an additional 16-mile drive, but well worth it for the increased safety, security, and the opportunity for a long future at a world-class facility.
We have had two formal events and both have gone well. By the time this is published we will have had five more.
The Thunderbird club plans to continue its long history of contributions to the advancement of model aviation. Its 50th anniversary celebration will mark a new beginning at a new field, and with many new members.
Modelers and the public are invited to our Open House/Air Show on September 30 starting at 10 a.m. Directions and a map to the field are on the club website listed in sources. All types of models will be shown and flown including sport, scale, aerobatics, jets, electric, helicopters, warbirds, and pylon racers. There will be refreshments. So join us and enjoy this hobby/sport and our new field with us.
—Ken Knotts
SOURCES
- Fort Worth Thunderbirds: www.fwthunderbirds.org
Northeast Side Taildraggers
I was teaching my dad to fly his Eagle 2 during the summer of 2010. We were flying from a church parking lot (with permission) and over cornfields in Fortville, Indiana. Others began to join us, and by summer’s end, we regularly had eight or ten people flying during evenings and weekends.
The church leadership became concerned about liability, and although we assured them that we were all AMA insured, they politely asked us to find a new spot. Our numbers and our aircraft were beginning to outgrow the church site anyway.
We spent that winter looking for a more permanent and suitable place to develop a “real” flying site. In December 2010, eight of us met and formed the Northeast Side Taildraggers (NeST) RC Aviation Club. It was first chartered by the AMA in March 2011.
The flying site search became long, arduous, and disappointing. We learned how to use online county geographic information system (GIS) mapping systems to find—or attempt to find—properties and property owners.
We sent out dozens of lease request letters to farmers, municipalities, development contractors, churches, and other landowners. Most went unanswered; those who did answer were typically polite but apologetic. We thought we had a winner with a former landfill site, but it fell through.
Our club’s vice president, Mike Fuller, is a police officer who often works security in the local school system. He asked the administrator in charge of the grounds about allowing us to use a 40-plus-acre weed field behind one of the school buildings as a flying site. The administrator agreed, pending approval of the principal of the school connected to the property in question.
Mike and I made a presentation to the principal showing what we wanted to do. We offered to provide some science classroom interaction, hoping to get some students interested in model aviation. The principal was excited about this, and he agreed to let us develop the site. We clearly explained exactly what the site development would entail. Aside from an occasional cross-country practice or meet, there were no foreseeable plans for the property in question.
In June 2011, we graded the runway area and spread, sewed, and staked a 243-by-52-foot geotextile fabric for our runway surface. Although it was much work, we had a good flying site. Word quickly spread and by the end of June we had grown to 18 members.
In early July, the administrator who gave us initial permission to use the site claimed that there was a misunderstanding about the scope of what he had agreed to allow us to do on the site. Although we had documentation showing otherwise, he had made up his mind and gave us until mid-September to vacate.
We folded up the fabric runway in September, and reseeded the “disturbed” area per our agreement. The club was devastated. Lesson learned: get the detailed land use agreement in writing, and get it signed by all parties in authority. Of course, the loss of the flying site stunted the growth of the club, and we remained at 18 members for the remainder of 2011. We were back on the quest for a new flying site.
Shortly after we vacated the school property, our club treasurer, Jay Taylor, was driving down a country road on the eastern edge of Noblesville, Indiana, and noticed a new fire station. The station sits on 10 acres and is surrounded by farmland. The firehouse and its peripheral amenities occupy roughly four acres, with the back half or more planted in “prairie grasses” that had been overtaken by thistle and weeds.
The fire department has a mulched walking/running trail that runs through the weeds, but aside from that it is vacant. Jay stopped in and asked the station chief about using the property as a flying site. Although he didn't give us much hope, the station chief did elevate the request to the city fire chief.
I was contacted by the city fire chief via email and exchanged several more emails with him describing in detail what we wanted to do behind the fire station. He placed our request as an agenda item on the city's Board of Public Works and Safety meeting for October.
We were given the opportunity to make a 15-minute presentation at that meeting, and judging by the blank stares and the sparse interaction, I was certain that we were going to be laughed at and escorted to the exit. To my elation, surprise, and relief, the board members briefly discussed our request among themselves and the mayor said, "I see no reason why we shouldn't allow this."
They gave us a few requirements including producing a copy of our club insurance certificate and gaining written permission from the farmer whose land we would overfly, but those things were minuscule in comparison to the task of gaining permission to develop the site.
The city attorney drew up a five-year agreement with us for our use of the property. We spelled out in our presentation and in the agreement exactly what the development would entail, including an illustration showing the fabric runway placement, parking areas, and the spectator area. We also agreed to create a small "green space" for public use.
We were blessed with great weather and an early spring in central Indiana and were able to start site development in mid-March. The fabric runway had been folded up and sitting on a trailer in my yard all winter. We were hopeful that it would survive a second deployment.
We staked it down and it was flyable by mid-April. The fabric held up wonderfully. Since then we've added roughly 50 cubic yards of mulch for our driveway and parking areas, seeded approximately 2 acres in new grass, purchased and erected a 20-by-20 steel carport shelter, lengthened our runway to 325 feet, and added safety fences, pit tables, and pilot stations. The site is looking nice!
We've been meticulous about maintaining our relationship with the fire department, the chief, and the city. The authorities have been cordial and flexible in allowing us to develop the site.
There are facilities outside the fire station that are used for training exercises. We have agreed to close the flying site during their training times to eliminate our activities as a distraction. Because the department staff only trains during "business" hours on occasional weekdays, we are not disappointed by this limitation. Last Memorial Day we hosted a barbecue pitch-in with the club members and their families, and we invited the firemen on duty to join us for a free dinner and airshow.
We deemed it our inaugural Fireman's Appreciation Picnic.
There was a light fire crew on duty that day, but they enjoyed the meal and the aircraft. We have written into our bylaws that any member of the Noblesville Fire Department can have a club membership dues waiver (with proper AMA membership in place).
As of the time of this writing, our club has grown to 39 members and we are adding new members nearly every week. We only lost two of our members from last year, primarily because of the additional driving distance. Local hobby shops are excited about our site and are promoting our club to their patrons.
The club is debt free and, although not wealthy, we are comfortable. We still have several things to do to finish development, but we've assembled a great group of members. We feel that we have partnered with a wonderful municipality with a progressive vision for our recreational activity and the potential educational benefits it can bring to the community. This process has been much work, but the results are worth it.
I should also mention that we were awarded $335.81 from the AMA through the 2012 Flying Site Development/Improvement Grant Program. Thanks AMA, and thanks to AMA Flying Site Assistance Coordinator Tony Stillman for his advice and encouragement during our tedious quests to find a new site.
—Jim David
SOURCES
- Northeast Side Taildraggers: www.nst-rc.com
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
