The picture you see below was captured from a map that was generated by a new and FREE software release from Google. The software is Google Earth and can be downloaded from

www.earth.google.com

Be aware that it is 10 + meg in size so if you are using 56K stand by for a long download. But, if you are using a DSL or Cable or the like with high-speed and good bandwidth, you can get it in just a few seconds. I downloaded it at home last night at right around 560Kbps speed so it came in pretty quickly.

It is a program that rivals Mapquest in it's capabilities.. will give you directions from point a to point b with all sorts of other information. Worthwhile to take the time to download.

I put this message in this forum because I have seen maps of flying fields in this forum and thought it would get the most and best exposure here. The picture below is of our fields (the last one is our old field at Renault Vinyards.. the area was converted over to a golf course which caused us to find the other two. Turns out we had the better choices with both of the other fields. They are all located in Atlantic County, New Jersey. The field on the upper left is Strawberry and is a regular full-scale 3000 foot grass runway that belongs to the NJ Department of Forestry. They land their air-tankers that they use for forest fires in the NJ Pinelands. They allow us to use it when they are not using it (obviously) which is most of the year. That purple line to the left is the route line that the software put in the picture. It is along NJ State Route 322, the Black Horse Pike in Mays Landing, NJ.

Riverbend is a smaller park area with about 800 feet of workable flying area and runway surrounded by pine trees.


DS.

We have been beta testing this for a few months now. If you go to

http://maps.google.com/

You can get all of the same info and not have to download the software. Just put in the address you want to view, click search and when it zooms to it, click satellite and if a real time view exists you will get it.

The software is also very good so take our pick.

Unfortunetly there is no real closeup of our flying field

I <3 Google Earth. I'm a database nerd anyway, so I've been watching their progress with this since they first acquired keyhole. It's a tremendous piece of software, and imo, knowing the folks at Google, will become the ultimate search engine within a few years.

Here, for your enjoyment, is the field our club flies at, image from Google Earth:


LatLong is 35 59' 34" N 86 37' 9' W

Great info from both Bubba and GB. I was just introduced to the software yesterday and have been enjoying it. I even took the photo's I posted above and put them in our newsletter this month. I'm sure not many of the people in our club have seen that before so they will definitely enjoy it.

DS.

[&o][&o]

They don't have our area photographed yet.

Ken

Here's the Propmasters R/C field on Plainfield road in Naperville, IL.

Cheers,
Neil.

Here's a location that some may recognise, too

I have occasionally downloaded maps of our flying site and surrounding area so we could look for a lost airplane. They are very handy.

Bill

There's a cool idea. Now why didn't I think of that! (I know why....[sm=spinnyeyes.gif]

I'll store that idea for the future.. hope, of course, that I never have to use it!

DS.

Ah yes.. Muncie!! I know that because I was just looking at that view to put in our newsletter. Several of our club members were there to compete in the RC Pattern events. One flye, Dave Lockhart, came in 4th in FAI!!

DS