Revamping our club

[WayneBrown]

We are recreating our club as a plank tolerant heli club, and throwing out some cash for land improvements.
Fishing for dates to hold event(s) next year, Easter is historically Masters Golf week in Augusta, no rooms available anywhere.
Looking to possibly pencil in May/June 08 for a multi-day event.

Land clearing is ongoing for the 'camper area' and night fly spot, and expanding the field.
Date suggestions anyone?

[ErichF]

Think you guys could maybe host a little FAI contest in April? We seem to have a hole in the contest calendar for FAI, since B'Ham fell out this year. Good way to make a couple bucks for the club, and for us to have a place for a quiet little contest. We just need a place, not a whole lot of support. We pretty much run the contests ourselves. Someone to run a scoring computer is about all we need.

[WayneBrown]

can you get me dimensions of the overfly area, and any requirements for the field? It's been long enough since I really saw the FAI routine that I have concerns our place may be too small.
R-L I think is ok, out might be tight, You have a need to be up this way anytime between now and then?

[ErichF]

Wayne,

I attached a field layout schematic. The field doesn't have to be very deep at all, say a few hundred feet. End to end, you should have a couple hundred yards of overflight.

I will be driving up to Atlanta in a couple weeks, but I will have three other guys with me from work, and doubt I could make the detour.

[WayneBrown]

we meet most of those requirements already, including sun to rear at noontime.
I'm willing to explore this further. One day soon I'll get my CD application off, actually now that I think of it I'm calling AMA and see about faxing it in.
I remember with pattern events we had poles to define the sight lines, is this required for F3C, or are painted lines accepted?

[ErichF]

No poles. The only painted line is the 20M centerline extending out into the field from central pad, the flag to flag line, and the halfway marks between the pad and the end flags. The circles are also painted.

Post this in the contest forum to get some more opinions on a contest date.

Cheers,

[BarracudaHockey]

Erich how many pilots show up to something like this? How many days do you need?

Wayne I usually have my Jacksonville event on the weekend before Memorial Day, one day, open flying.

[ErichF]

Not many, it's a small group of masochistics. :lol:

My contest usually has 13 contestants, but hey, that's more than the Cub Fly-Ins draw around here. We've had contests with as few as 9 pilots, and still did our own judging.

Don't worry about food or any of that junk, either. We can have someone make a food run for lunch. It's about the easiest event a new CD can hold, and I can attest to that, as that's exactly what I did in '06.

[WayneBrown]

Here's the latest; our club charter expired in 2000. Needless to say we are scrambling to get up to speed, and hold new nominations and elections.
This in addition to clearing off underbrush and cutting the overfly area to enlarge the overfly area.
So far we are understandably overwhelmed, but prioritizing and overcoming.
Andy, is your event a competition, or a non-rulebook event?

[WillJames]

Sounds like you are making it nice Wayne. Looking forward to visiting sometime.

[BarracudaHockey]

Mine is an open flying non rulebook.

I have some limitations to deal with, no nitro before 9 or after dark M-Sa, and no nitro before 10 on Sunday so it makes multi day events a chore, some people are packing by 10 to get on the road by 12 on Sunday.

First year 37 pilots, last year entry fee included lunch and I had 58 guys show up. http://www.gatewayrc.org/clinic.htm

[WayneBrown]

We are in the country. Most folks are firing up tractors before daylight anyway, so a few choppers would go unnoticed.
I've actually started cutting grass an hour or so before dawn to beat the heat, and was made to feel that I slept in. :)
Multi-day events should not be a problem for us, especially if the trailer folks want to setup a compound. (Already set aside and cut regularly)

[WayneBrown]

update:
We are a charter club again, 4012 is our number.
Just got my Contest Director appointment from AMA, so we are good to go.
Planning is underway for at least one multi-day event.