i think it was about 1997 that jim brown "landed" his pattern plane in the power lines. with the engine still running, he turned off his transmitter and began to walk toward the lines. the engine went full power, and the airplane proceeded to twist the lines setting off large sparks, which ignited the underbrush. we had a couple of shovel and lots of boots so we had the fire contained in a few minutes. SCE came out later and restored power. It still makes for a good story!!

My two cents is that the difficulties faced by clubs in So Cal has much more to do with rising real estate values than anything else. The land is just too valuable, and that was cause for the loss of Mid Air Square, El Toro, 4th St in Ontario, Highland, etc. Land that would not have appealed to a dirt farmer twenty years ago is now home to a growing population of half million homes - with no end in sight. Without long term leases - such is being negotiated for the new field by Irvine Lake - clubs are subject to the whims of the landowners and even after a long residence, theri stay can be over pretty quick.

P