Lawton Area Fun Flyer Society’s Year of Success
Aeromodeling prosperity in the heart of Oklahoma
by Larry Kruse
For some period of time, flying RC in the Lawton–Fort Sill community of southwest Oklahoma was an informal affair. Pilots would show up at the old modeling field located on the Fort Sill Army post, put their airplanes in the air when they felt like it, and go home when they were finished.
It wasn't always that way, though. In the 1980s and early ’90s there was an AMA (Academy of Model Aeronautics) chartered club in Lawton that was fairly active, and it even sponsored some fun-flys and contests. Age, military deployment, a mobile population base, and waning interest took a toll, and the club disbanded. It was replaced by individual RC pilots who flew from the Fort Sill strip at their leisure.
That scenario changed radically in late 2007. The U.S. Congress passed the Base Realignment and Closure Act, which expanded Fort Sill's troop-training role. Within a few months, base officials declared the old flying site off-limits. In December of that year the field was torn up to make room for new construction projects. The several modelers who flew regularly at that location were literally homeless.
At that point, several outcomes were possible—the most likely was that model flying in the Lawton–Fort Sill area would languish further because of the lack of a flying field. However, that was not to be.
Ken Isaac, one of the more active modelers and a community moderator for the RC Universe website, took it upon himself to contact as many area aeromodelers as he could. He invited them to a meeting at his computer shop to discuss what could be done.
Surprisingly, more than 20 modelers showed up at the initial gathering, having learned of it by word of mouth. Many of the fliers had never met and did not know each other, even though they had been sharing the same runway at different times.
There was a wide range of discussion topics at that meeting, but it ultimately came down to the need to form a club and work cooperatively to obtain a flying site. AMA flying-site assistance and information services became part of the discussion. Jerry Knight, a local small-business owner, volunteered to make contacts about property that might be available.
At a second meeting in early 2008, Jerry reported that 80 acres of ground just west of the city of Lawton could be leased for a five-year period at a nominal annual fee. He cautioned that the land was a rough pasture and that a great deal of work would be needed to turn it into a flying site.
Excited by the prospect, individuals at that meeting committed to form an AMA-chartered club and pledged enough money to cover the lease for the first year. They also began calling in favors from friends and acquaintances to volunteer for the dirt work and leveling that would be required.
In February 2008 good fortune smiled on the newly chartered club, which was resurrected under the old club's name: the Lawton Area Fun Flyer Society, or LAFFS. That luck came from a neighboring club in Elk City, Oklahoma, which is slightly more than 100 miles away.
The Elk City Flying Aces had decided to replace the runway they had been using for several years. The runway covering, called Petromat, is a heavy polypropylene fabric used primarily between layers of asphalt in road construction. The Elk City group simply rolled up the old surface, which was still in usable condition, and laid down a new runway.
The old runway surface became a gift to the LAFFS, and its members jumped at the opportunity to install it. As the dirt work and leveling of the new flying field was being completed, several pilots drove to Elk City and trucked the rolls of runway surface back to the new site.
Ken Isaac, who had become LAFFS' first president, scheduled a club workday as soon as the Petromat arrived at the field. The turnout was amazing; nearly every member of the new club’s 28-person roster showed up—some with their families in tow.
The task of laying out a runway 450 feet long and 45 feet wide was difficult. The main challenge was to seamlessly anchor the several pieces of runway fabric to the ground and to each other. To accomplish that job, more than 6,000 six-inch wire turf staples were driven through the fabric and into the soil. In the meantime, the heavy material was tightened and smoothed in anticipation of the first takeoff and landing of a club member’s model.
Once the Petromat was down and secured, a couple of additional workdays were planned. A barrier fence was put up for spectators, and the old runway markings were painted out.
Ron Hipp, LAFFS' first vice president, volunteered to install a new lockable entrance gate. Jerry Chinnow fabricated and installed a protected bulletin board for club announcements, contact information, and items for sale.
Steve Jakubiszyn built and donated six heavy-duty starting stands and a transmitter impound station. He also constructed an access ramp to a storage trailer that Corky Fain acquired.
Throughout the past year and the entire process of forming a club, acquiring a field, and getting it to a serviceable stage, the key words for the LAFFS have been "volunteer" and "donate."
Plans for the future include:
- Replacing the Petromat runway as it ages.
- Building shaded areas for spectators and pilots.
- Grading and leveling a shorter crosswind runway for days when winds are not from prevailing directions.
For now, though, LAFFS has just celebrated its first year of transitioning from nothing to something. The club is thankful for the hard work, dedication, and selflessness of its members and their families—and the generosity of the Elk City Flying Aces.
LAFFS has proved itself to be a unique and special group whose members are not content to sit on the sidelines and count on someone or some agency to provide for them. They are capable of using existing resources, including the AMA, to help accomplish their goals.
Although the second year of flying from the LAFFS field might be more pleasurable than the inaugural for the club’s charter members, nothing will compare to that first year of unparalleled success!
To learn more about LAFFS, visit the club’s website.
Larry Kruse [email protected]
Sources
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
