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<font size=3>But as soon that bridge is built you guys will have a 15
minute drive to the flying site...... ;-)<br><br>
<br><br>
At 17:32 5/10/2009, you wrote:<br>
<blockquote type=cite class=cite cite="">On Mon, 11 May 2009 10:23:21
+1200<br>
"Ira Hemphill" <twohedwlf@xtra.co.nz> wrote:<br><br>
> If you'll forgive an outsider for asking a few questions about
things<br>
> I'm curious about that I'm not clear on. I was discussing what
I've<br>
> been reading with a member of our club's council on Sunday,
yesterday.<br>
> <br>
> That field looks like it's an hour and a half or two hour drive<br>
> outside of Anchorage? Am I correct in assuming that most
members<br>
> would live in the Anchorage, Eagle River area?<br><br>
You are correct Ira, driving out to this new field is basically an
all<br>
day affair for the majority of the club membership. It's an irony
of<br>
living in Alaska that although the state is positively VAST, very
little<br>
of the land is suitable for R/C use due to ownership, regulation<br>
(particularly sound ordinances in the Mat-Su valley just north of<br>
Anchorage), or a combination of topology or vegetation. Land in
and<br>
around Anchorage has gotten valuable enough recently that it became<br>
economically viable to fill in a 200 foot deep gravel pit and build<br>
houses on it.<br><br>
> Is the strip at Elmendorf currently the only permanent field?
Back<br>
> when I visited what must have been a fun fly there 20 years it
seemed<br>
> like a great field to me. I should have gotten into it back
then<br>
> isntead of waiting another 15 years and doing it in another
country.<br><br>
Currently Elmendorf is our only permanent field, it's paved and
quite<br>
nice for what it is. However, the field and flying rules have
changed<br>
quite a bit since you saw it 20 years ago. The field is on an
active<br>
military base and back then the general public could drop by the
field<br>
simply by telling the gate sentries where they were headed. Sadly
that's<br>
no longer the case and the general public is basically prohibited
from<br>
visiting the field. The field is also basically right off the end
of an<br>
active runway, so there is a 300 foot altitude restriction at the
field.<br>
20 years ago when most folks were flying .40 or .60 size planes,
that<br>
was less of an issue than it is today with 50 CC and up IMAC planes<br>
gaining popularity. <br><br>
The recent sound ordinance issues out in the Mat-Su valley have
taught<br>
the R/C community up here a hard political lesson. In order to
gain<br>
flying fields, we need broad community support. In order to gain
broad<br>
community support we need to be visible as a positive and beneficial<br>
group within the community. Unfortunately it's hard for us to
be<br>
visible to the general public when sequestered away at the Elmendorf<br>
field - so it's kind of a chicken and the egg problem. We've made
good<br>
progress with the Parks and Recreation department, and they are
willing<br>
to give us a letter of support as we approach other entities in the<br>
Anchorage and Eagle River areas requesting to use their facilities
for<br>
R/C activities.<br><br>
Sorry for the long winded explanation, the upshot is my current
first<br>
priority is getting the new field squared away from an insurance<br>
standpoint so people can fly there - spring is here and people are
ready<br>
to break out the planes. My second priority is getting the club
website<br>
back to a functional state. My third priority is pursuing a
publicly<br>
accessible flying site closer in to Anchorage with as few
restrictions<br>
as possible.<br><br>
> Here we have a field that has been leased continuously to our
club<br>
> since 1937, that's only 10 minutes drive from me. Another
about 45<br>
> minute drive that's even better belongs to another club.<br><br>
Count yourself as fortunate! Not only for having nearby fields,
but<br>
also for living in a beautiful country with filled with friendly
people<br>
:) We took a wonderful two week tour through NZ in a rented camper
van<br>
when my oldest daughter was around 2 years old.<br><br>
-- <br>
Tom<br><br>
_____________________________________________________________________<br>
<br>
| ,
|
Tom Simes - President<br>
---------(@)--------- Alaska
Radio Control Society<br>
--|--
AMA Chartered Club #1998<br>
'
president@alaskarc.org<br>
_______________________________________________<br>
AlaskaRC mailing list<br>
AlaskaRC@lists.alaskarc.org<br>
<a href="http://lists.alaskarc.org/mailman/listinfo/alaskarc" eudora="autourl">
http://lists.alaskarc.org/mailman/listinfo/alaskarc</a></blockquote>
<x-sigsep><p></x-sigsep>
Marty Hall<br>
Fairbanks, Alaska<br>
mjhall@alaskarcs.com<br><br>
The United States Constitution (c)1791. All Rights Reserved.
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