Glacier Girl

My Feedback: (4)

Hey guys and girls we're down in the Tampa area house hunting. I managed to sneak a couple of my little park flyers in the RV, but don't want to drive to an AMA field just to fly one of these. Can someone point me towards some Outlaw fields, schools, parks, etc, in the Brandon/Valrico/Plant City area???????

Thanks
Brad

Sailplane

[quote]ORIGINAL: Glacier Girl (Brad)

Hey guys and girls we're down in the Tampa area house hunting. I managed to sneak a couple of my little park flyers in the RV, but don't want to drive to an AMA field just to fly one of these. Can someone point me towards some Outlaw fields, schools, parks, etc, in the Brandon/Valrico/Plant City area???????
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Brad,

Except for college and my military service, I have lived in Tampa, Hillsborough County, Florida all of my life and I hate to tell you this; unless you know a land owner somewhere out in the country side with about 10 acres of land or more and doesn't have nosey neighbors, you are not going to have a chance in hell of finding a flying site as you have described in the quote above.

For the most part, in this area of Florida, flying at school yards and sports/recreation parks is not allowed. A neighbor or a cruising police officer is going to kick you out of the property and may even present you with a citation as a gift...!

High schools are usually busy with athletic activities until sundown, and even after that time period, they are using their sport fields (gyms, etc.) for practice and/or actual games. On weekends, for the most part, and especially Saturdays, the same activities and other programs are utilizing those same fields.

On Sundays, there are usually no school activities; however, the gates of the school and school yards are all locked up and no one is allowed to enter; and to me, this is a waste of my tax payer's money...!!! Here you have a situation where the public (tax payers) can't use the paved 1/4 mile running track for jogging or use the excellent baseball, softball or football fields.

In the elementary and middle schools there is little or no student activity in the school yards after school is let out in the afternoon hours. This is also a shame because some of these schools, especially the middle schools, have excellent sport fields as well as paved 1/4 mile tracks which have football fields in the area enclosed by the running tracks. Hey, football and ball fields make great areas for small park flyers.

Flying in picnic parks and nature parks is also prohibited, as far as I know. Once, I was flying a small EP park flyer (~32 inch wingspan) in a fairly, large grassy area of a combination picnic and nature park and I was told to leave.

In regards to outlaw fields, I have seen none. You have to realize that in Florida, there is no open range and that just about every piece of property, private or public, is fenced in. And the signs on the fences contain all sorts of "No Trespassing" notations from all sorts private ownership people and from all sorts of public agencies.

Even if you enter a field that does not have a fence, that plot of land is owned by a private individual or a public agency. And if you get lucky and a land owner gives you permission to fly on his land, and especially if it is a small parcel of land that can be seen from a road, you may be approached by a police officer and told to leave. You will, in all likelihood, be told that you are endangering life and property.

A few years back when the AMA was promoting park flyers and the use of ball parks and school yards as flying fields, I told them what the situation was in Florida, at least in my part of Florida, in regards to this type of flying. If you remember, the AMA conducted polls among its members regarding this type of flying in order to give the administrators of the AMA some guidance and input into the flying of small planes in parks and school grounds.

My volunteer job, which I have been doing for about the past seven years, takes me into all parts of Hillsborough County and surrounding counties, As yet, I have not seen anyone flying a park flyer in a park or school yard. Yes, there are plenty of them, but all of the ones that I have seen are flying in club fields like mine.

Here are two clubs that might give you reciprocal privileges:

http://www.can-amflyers.com/clubOfficers.html

http://www.can-amflyers.com/clubOfficers.html

Sincerely,

Ernie
Sailplane

Red Scholefield

My Feedback: (9)

Unless you have some urgent need to live in the Tampa area there are better choices for the modeler in Florida, Ocala for one. Top of the World with their own flying site - they have introductory packages for people interested in living there and a flying field maintained by the developer. Gainesville and Dunnellon are also active modeling areas with probably a lot better house deals than you will find in the Tampa area.

Eplane65

My Feedback: (16)

There are a number of flying sites including the Can-Am field in San Antonio. There are clubs in Dade City, Lakeland, Odessa and others. Sorry, I don't have detailed information about these, but you can find these clubs on the AMA website.

Sailplane

Eplane65,

You are correct...I'm a member of the "Florida Flyers" club out in Dade City, but I think that Brad is looking for a non-club flying site such as a park, school yard, ball field, etc.

Many thanks for your info,

Ernie,
Sailplane

Glacier Girl

My Feedback: (4)

Yep, ditto what Erine said. I just have a couple of little foamies in the RV, all my big stuff is in storage. Didn't want to have to run all the way to an AMA field for a couple minutes of flights.

Heck one of the birds is the micro Cessna, I fly it right from the RV.

Once I get settled in, I hook up with a local club, unless I find enough acreage I can buy just to build my own field, like I did up north.

But thanks anyhow.

Somebody told me about an area behind the Costco's on Causeway Blvd in Brandon. I'm going to go take a look see. It's only 10-15 mins away.