The highway is close and that field doesn't have the recommended AMA clearances (it is owned by the park district not the clubs). Pilots there know as long as you fly short of the trees off the approach end you stay clear of the highway...and don't have to climb said trees to get your plane after a landing attempt. There's been some talk of moving the runway to parallel the highway as the open field beyond the runway is huge. But that costs money which the park service doesn't have much of.
I'm so glad to see the first panther fly, and even happier it flew smoothly and came back down in one piece. Looked like you'd flown it a hundred times, not zero. Maybe it's time for a nice shiny new set of gear...you wouldn't want the nose strut to break off, dig in, and have that beauty flip over.
Lets see the rest of them fly!