Well, I've now visited my local flying field twice now. First time, 3 people were there, 2 of the 3 were leaving, and 1 was flying. The second time, it was empty. I have to say however, I'm not very impressed. I'm actually disappointed a bit. The guys I talked to when I visited the first time, mentioned a membership fee of about 180 bucks (100 deposit, and around 80 per year), and I'm not sure if this inclued the AMA (is that right?) membership or not. This sortof worries me a bit.

Here's a description of the field..... Drive off the highway, down a long paved road with trailer parks, then the road turns into a very long gravel road, through swampy woods, then finally ends at the field. The field is nothing more than a cleared out stretch of land, with a fence on one side where you park, and a covered picnic area. The "flying" side of the fence has some tables for setups, and a few places for pilots to stand when they are flying. There's also a very tiny shed located beside the covered picnic area. The landing/takeoff strip is mowed grass.

What I envisioned of a flying field included a clubhouse, where you could buy refreshments, gas for planes, maybe even some parts and accessories. And a paved parking lot, and maybe even a paved runway, that isn't so far out in the boonies you feel you need a horse and buggy to get there. A bit more organizarion, such as newbie signups for instruction, maybe even some competition registration....you know a clubhouse (sortof like a golf course), with someone there with an actual telephone that works there at least on weekends or something.



I just find it very hard to shell out 200-300 bucks to some place just cause they have people to fly with......sometimes. I can't help feel my money would be better spent someplace else for membership.


Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to insult the field (I'm sure alot of work still went into getting it going), I'm just wondering if I'm getting ripped off by the price. Heck, I figured I could just go there for instruction for free lol, then when I'm ready to solo fly, then I'd join.


Thanks in advance

Some would consider that a luxury as flying fields are getting scarce. If its the best you have then you can join or not join. Factors such as a lease, upkeep etc all go into dues.

We are very lucky, we have a paved runway, club house with a kitchen (though its only staffed during events), mens and ladies bathrooms and a very nice pavillion to setup planes, picnic tables, paved runway and taxi way et all. No onsite hobby shop though, that would be cool. Our dues are 20 dollars to join and 36 dollars per year which I find rather reasonable considering what we have and what other people are paying. One of the things that allows this is we are leasing the land for 1 dollar per year provided we do most of the maintenece and any improvements.

AMA is generally not included w/ club membership dues but is usually required to fly.
http://www.gatewayrc.org

That is really all our flying field is. Right off of the road is a dirt parking lot, a fence between that and the pits, 2 shed, a few picnic tables and a fence between the pits and the runway. I love that place!

Well you could drive over here to Burlington and join my club its $25 to join $75/year and you need AMA $58..our annual swap meet is this saturday jan 28....we have two fields one is 6 miles out of town the other is 22 miles and they are both pretty much what you described.. they do have portapots at them,,one you have to drive through a corn field to get to the other is on a closed landfill.. half a dozen flight tables and a covered shed with a few chairs in it.....I have heard of a few set up as you described but never seen one....Rog

I'm not going to comment about the price at your field as I don't know what kind of charges they have, they may have a huge rent bill. As far as you are concerned I think you have visions of grander that most of us only dream about. The only club I've seen that even comes close to what you discribed I wouldn't want to have to pay for or help with the upkeep.
Most fields are just that fields with a few extras that the guys probably had to work for. Check out the expences and see if they are out of whack, if they aren't, pay up, if they are look else where " IF " you can find another club. " There are no free lunches. "
Good Luck !!! ENJOY !!! RED

haha Barracuda, I used to live in Orange Park! I went to school at OP middle lol. I lived behind Toys R Us in some apartments back there. That's where I learned to skateboard (before it became a punk sport) haha. I miss that place alot at times, but I'll never miss Blanding Blvd!! Good god that thing is a nightmare.

As for the rest, if that's the case, then I suppose it is a good field lol. Love to move back to OP to use that field, but that isn't going to happen hehe. Heck, what's wrong with just going to a park or some local school afterhours and flying on a football/soccer field (as long as you're flying electrics)? Or course, that's after learning to fly..... Actually that might even be better, cause then you'd get people that would see you flying and they'd want to do it, so they'd look into it, then eventually you have more people in the area flying/wanting to fly, and perhaps a very nice field would get started! :P

Well, they certainly aren't turning a profit, so it costs what it costs. Most clubs explore every option they can to reduce the membership rates before finally settling on a price. Explore your options and then decide if it is worth it to you.

I spend $150 per year.

I can almost guarantee that AMA dues are not included and why should/would they be?!?

You want a field out in the boonies, so the neighbors are not always angry about the giant balsa muskeetos flying around!

A hobby shop/snack bar? Now your talking dues of several thousand dollars a year, as who would have to pay for the inventory and pay a staff to run?

It certainly is within your rights to find out what the dues are paying for. Does the club own the property, are they buying it, or is a land purchase a prospect for their future.

If you have investigated all the local club venues and this is your only choice, you may be faced with this being the best you can hope for.

My local club uses the corner of a center pivot irrigated field from a local farmer. It is a grass strip, which I prefer anyway. We have a shelter with picnic tables and work benches, a lawn mower storage shed and outhouse. I'm in hog heaven for $50.00 for the first year and $25.00 thereafter.

You will be safer in the future, if you see something first, before you let your imagination run wild! I think what you have described is very typical of club fields. There are some which are far better and some which are far worse.

Bring the tools and possibles you might need for minor repairs, a cooler of beer, pop or Perrier water and enjoy a day at the flying field like the rest of us do and the flying field will turn into being one of your favorite place on this Earth. However, you might be asked to mow on occasions (another one of my favorite pastimes).

Vhayne,

Don't be disappointed in the least. ANYPLACE you can fly safely with AMA insurance at your back is a luxury. I belong to a great club with a very nice field. By 'nice' I mean a paved runway, shaded pits and a very large pilot area with 10 plane stands for start-up/range check. There is no fresh water and we share a portable toilet. (There is a Heli area and a car track too, but I dun get out there much, not my demographic). Fees are $250 first year and $150 annually after that, and it's a BARGAIN. How many golf courses will let you come out and play at-will for a one time price of less than $300/yr?

Typically the 'field assessment' fee is a one time first year 'donation' to help pay back the club which has shelled out lots of money to do improvements on a, let's face it, piece of land which is usually good for little else. As has been said, flying sites are harder to come by every year. Try hanging out a few times and get to know some people. It's true that some clubs are poisoned by bad politics, but people in this hobby are generally like those in any other hobby. We love to talk to interested people about the hobby we love to occupy our time and money with.

I am currently looking for an additional club to join closer to my home, but I have been spoiled by my primary field and have become a bit persnickety, (always wanted to use that word in a sentence), with regard to field quality and 'people-quality'. I have narrowed it down to two sites within 10 miles of my home. WOW...I am blessed to have that many choices in CA where Real Estate prices are so ridiculous.

Remember, the air above the site is the reason you are there in the first place. Consider the rest a bonus.

Have FUN!!

There are tons of hidden costs in operating an airfield -- I'm not at all surprised at the fees at your club

My club membership fees are $100.yr with MAAC membership extra ($75/yr). We fly off grass -- one 350' runway & one 200' cross-wind runway. We only pay $200 yr to lease the land (an incredible deal) but our fuel bill for grass cutting is ~ $500/yr & upkeep on the two lawn tractors is about the same. Then there is fencing, sun-shades, barbecues, lighting road grading, etc. etc. etc.

Our club dues are $135. When you figure the land lease and the club has to pay AMA dues also for club insurance. We have a paved runway. taxiway and pit that all require maintenance. There is grass to mow and therefore mowers to maintain. Once or twice a year we have to get the outer areas bush hogged and this past year we coughed up $1400 to have a bull dozer come in and do some work. There are tables and a shelter to maintain as well as a fence. Vandals stole our windsock last year and destroyed all of our signs. This needed to be replaced.
We have a relatively small club and this fairly well eats up our budget. Heck, even a portajohn costs over $800/yr.

Yep, no free lunches here either.

Totally understand the reason for the fees. It just surprised me I guess. Heck, I just need to buy some nice stretch of land, make it into a field, charge a nice fee so that it's all being paid for, then after 10-15 years or so, shut the field down and throw a house on it, after the land is paid for. :P I'm kidding of course hehe.

I forgot, that my clubs biggest expense is mowing 2 fields weekly for around 7 months and for you guys with the super low rates..I pay $75/year and it is $25 to join.....2 years ago it was $30/year and $5 to join..and I bet AMA rates arent going down either....Rog

Man, I wish I had joined 2 years ago. Think I can get a discount if I join on Saturday? Oh, btw, remember that Slow Stick I've been mentioning for so long? I flew it for the first time last week, works great!

$25 to join,$36 a year for membership. We have three long metal tables to set-up planes on, a radio impound station & two benches all of which are under an awning. We have a paved runway & a port-a-party Oh yea we also have a new cyclone fence separating the pit area from the flite-line. AMA membership is required & is each of our own responsibility to maintain our AMA membership.

The other three clubs in our area are pretty much the same kind of a deal, only one has a grass runway, & the fees/dues aren't as reasonable.

"Heck, what's wrong with just going to a park or some local school afterhours and flying on a football/soccer field"

That idea is so "far out", I'm not even going there, electric or not! Don't fly over anything (or anyone) you can't afford to hit.

"a cooler of beer,"
Drink it fast, you'll stay at our field about 2 minutes. Ever read the AMA safety code?

Dr.1

Our club has it pretty good from what I've seen. 1000' east/west runway, and a shorter north/south runway. Both are grass, but from what I've seen they're kept in excellent condition. A series of tables to setup the plane, some simple bleachers for spectators, a large shed for storage of maintenance related stuff, attached the shed is a pavilion covering a concrete area with some seating and the frequency board (facing the e/w runway). Small pavilion on the n/s runway. No electricity (generator used during events) or running water (ye olde porta potty). Between time zone shifts in the summer tuesdays are instructor nights, and there's a group of instructors that work very hard to help you learn to fly. All this for $60/year plus AMA membership.

Farmland surrounds the field. North and west we have soy crops, which have the advantage of being fairly low plants. East and south are corn. For the record, neither is particularly fun to try to walk through. I've heard the farm fields use pig manure to fertilize too, but haven't had the chance to experience that. (Then again, I drive by MSU's research fields every day to/from work, and you can always tell when it's fertilization time there).

i found this club in the ama directory in winston-salem. dont know if its close to you.
http://www.modelaircraft.org/ClubZip...=winston-salem

a grass strip!luxury!where i fly we have to park up,walk 1/2 a mile uphill through the woods to reach what is laughingly called a flying site,we have a realistic strip of 80 feet by 30 feet!there is a lot of heather around the strip but we take off and land from dry ground with a lot of stone and gravel on it,we are not allowed to make improvements because it is a 'site of special scientific interest',in other words there's a lot of rare flowers and animals around the site,it has been said that if you can take off and land there you can do so absolutely anywhere,it eats aircraft,there is never a mild crash,they are always bin-bag jobs.

[quote][where i fly we have to park up,walk 1/2 a mile uphill through the woods to reach what is laughingly called a flying site/quote]

With a plane and a field box! THis sounds too much like work!!!
--Rich

I don't even have a club, or a field. We just have a loose group of guys, most of which don't really know each other, and we fly anywhere people let us. We have a field next to a guys house, about 500' long and about 150' wide, thats our runway. boarderes by a house on one side, and trees on the other. It opens up to a large field, about 150 acres, soybeans. Theres also a provate grass airstrip I hear rumors about, but have never been able to find the owner. You should feel lucky you have a club, as they are getting rare. I wish I had one.

There are Two clubs in my area, both have grass runways. Both are easy to get to...

--Rich

Whenever you do find or establish a club, it is important to preserve it and try to get along with the neighbors. They are the ones that will get you kicked out if you are found to be a nuisance in THEIR eyes. Try to keep the noise within reason and don't fly so early that you wake them up on the weekends. We have been at our field 29 years now w/o any complaints. We also don't fly before 9 AM.

A cooler of beer! thats my kind of club.
only problem is i can see some of these cougholdcough guys who take things a little too serious getting their panties in a bunch it you want to pop a top while your enjoying your afternoon.
now i agree you don't need to be wasted and flying deadly projectile,but one or two never hurt .

good luck finding a club where you can fit in.

Yup, "one ore two never hurt", NOT!!! People who say things like this with respect to flying, riding motorcycles, or any other activity requiring coordination and good judgement are so out of touch with reality it's scary.