My club is about a half hour drive, and I think it's considered pretty close to most, but not all. I have friends in other states that drive 45 miles.

I keep a folding chair in the car and bring a cooler. There's almost always someone else there, if not a few people. I've become friends with these guys (it's a club!) and look forward to seeing whoever shows up, playing with the dogs, etc.

On weekends there are canopies, 20-40 airplanes, barbecues, etc.

A flight takes roughly 10 minutes, and with glow fuel or the proper electric setup you can get quite a few flights in one day. Space them out, tweak your plane, see what the other guys are doing and flying...

One thing I'll suggest is a checklist. 45 minutes isn't that bad, but it is when you've got to the field and forgot your ______ .