Flying Site Assistance - 2004/02
Western Region Coordinator
Wes De Cou Coordinator, Western Region Districts VI–XI
- Voice: (480) 460-9466
- Cell: (480) 296-9515
- Fax: (480) 460-9434
202 W. Desert Flower Ln. Phoenix, AZ 85045 E-mail: wesdecou@cox.net
Eastern Region Coordinator
Joe Beshar Coordinator, Eastern Region, Districts I–VI 198 Merritt Dr., Oradell, NJ 07649
- Tel.: (201) 261-1281
- Fax: (201) 261-0223
E-mail: joebeshar@juno.com
Finding—Preserving—Maintaining
Remember my column from a few months ago in which we discussed the process of developing a network within your club? Within the past 60 days I’ve been fortunate enough to see two examples of just how well such a network can work.
In the first case, the formation of an association of clubs helped create a situation in which our sport/hobby was showcased in front of a very large live crowd for a two-day period. In the second case, the networking expertise within a single club led to significant newspaper publicity as well as a series of televised “teasers” followed by a three-minute spot on FOX-10 News in Phoenix, Arizona.
Approximately two years ago I received a telephone call from Joe Martin in Ventura County, California. Joe is a member of the Conejo Valley Flyers and was interested in trying to form an association of clubs to deal more effectively with the county Parks and Recreation Department. After a few meetings with Parks and Recreation personnel and meetings among the various clubs in the area, the Ventura County Regional Model Aeronautics Association (VCRMAA) was formed. Joe Martin served as its first president.
Fast-forward to July of this year. I received a call from an employee of Sugarman Communications, a public-relations firm handling the Grand Opening of Playa Vista, a large residential development being built on the old Howard Hughes airport property in Santa Monica. The question she had was whether AMA could put together a model aviation flying event to be staged during the grand opening weekend. The idea was to highlight the aviation heritage associated with this historic site.
After a visit to the site and meetings with the appropriate Playa Vista officials, a tentative flying activity was added to the calendar of events for the Grand Opening. As is sometimes the case, construction on the site proceeded faster than anticipated. As the event grew near, the area we had chosen for the flight demonstration started to look suspiciously like a group of new housing units.
This called for a very short-fused switch to Plan B. After a single telephone call I was able to enlist the wholehearted support of Joe and the VCRMAA. With no more than a few days’ notice, Joe visited Playa Vista, met with the local officials, and was able to set up a static display at a high-traffic area in the complex. For the two-day event we had a great display of scale model aircraft from the Hughes era as well as some examples of trainer-type aircraft. Members of the various clubs comprising the VCRMAA did an excellent public-relations job for AMA. U-Haul gave VCRMAA a good rate on a van used to transport the aircraft, and Rich Hanson, vice president from District X, was gracious enough to cover the U-Haul costs.
A static display — so what, you say? Here’s what: during the open house I was privileged to meet Steve Soboroff, president of Playa Vista. It seems that the lead architect on the project, Edwin Schlossberg of the firm ESI, had included an aviation park in his drawings. Steve asked if I could meet with him and Ed for lunch to discuss the possibility of long-term model aviation activities on the development, in keeping with the historical aviation heritage of the property.
During the luncheon meeting it was determined that electric-powered or hand-launched model aviation activities would be a great fit with the open-space policies of the development. Perhaps two sites would be needed. In addition, I was treated to a tour of the old hangar in which the Spruce Goose was housed to determine whether this venue would be suitable for a long-term indoor flying site, perhaps even hosting large AMA-sanctioned events.
This was a large residential development asking for model aviation as an educational and recreational activity on site — a win for Playa Vista, its residents and friends, and a win for model aviation. My sense is that the quick response from the VCRMAA was the key to getting the Playa Vista folks to see the possibilities for a creative recreational activity with historical significance on the site.
Thanks to:
- Joe Martin, VCRMAA president
- Andrew Carlson and Mike Ambarian of the Ventura Comets
- Wesley Minear Sr. of the Conejo Valley Flyers
- Rich Cox of the Camarillo Condors
- Rudy Bustamante of the Valley Circle Burners
The second case involves the Sun Lakes Model Airplane Club in Arizona. In great “use the available resources” style, member Greg Coomans talked to his next-door neighbor, a television news producer for FOX-10 in Phoenix, about an upcoming Open House/Fun Fly the club was planning. Greg’s boundless enthusiasm got the producer thinking, and before long the producer had scheduled an early morning shoot at the club field to hype the fun-fly.
A few quick e-mails got the members in motion. As the news van rolled into the field parking area, there were 20 or more models lined up, a large number of members, and a few airplanes in the air. For the next hour the club got invaluable publicity in the form of a few 10- or 20-second teasers, followed by a full three-minute feature on the upcoming event.
Club president Tom Tilley handled the live interview with his customary aplomb, answering questions from FOX-10 weatherman John Carroll. A little history of the club and a lot of information about the open house reached the public that morning. The result was great attendance at the best open-house event anyone in the club could remember.
More than 50 kids of all ages got to fly using the buddy box under the watchful eyes of club instructors. The club provided a barbecue feast to attendees at no cost to guests, and there were some nice demonstration flights to help pique the interest of spectators. While all of this was going on, the club fun-fly was taking place as well. Good food, terrific demonstration flights, and a little nose-to-nose competition made for a great day at the model airfield.
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
