Dream Flying Field
It can still happen today! In a seemingly rare climate of cooperation between local fliers, citizens, and the administration of a small town in South Dakota, a dream flying field was created that's the envy of the surrounding region. The new site is spurring public interest in RC flying for miles around. THE PAST 20 years had found the model fliers in the Beresford, SD area flying from a nightmarish assortment of fields. Control Line models were flown from school parking lots, Radio Control from football fields, golf courses, shooting ranges, private airstrips, and abandoned roads. Some of the local fliers traveled the 35 miles to Sioux Falls to join a club and fly from a "real" field. But most had given up the hobby or become inactive because a suitable site wasn't available close to home. Finally, during the latter months of 1988 veteran modeler Roger Lang approached the mayor and city council of Beresford. Explaining the modelers' needs, he inquired whether some land could be found that would be usable as a flying field. Their response was tremendous, and Beresford now boasts of a municipal flying field and an AMA chartered club.
Arrowplane
When the first Competition Fun-Fly (CFF) models arrived on the scene, I thought that I needed one. My flying skills with a trainer had progressed to the point where I could do a touch-and-go with confidence. I reasoned that I needed a model that could do several touch-and-gos in a few seconds - and a dozen rolls in the blink of an eye. However, CFF models used carbon fiber and other exotic materials. They demanded a computer radio. And I needed (really needed) a Pattern trainer, an Old-Timer model, and a float airplane. So I let the urge to have a CFF model simmer on the back burner for a couple of years.
