Need ideas for finding a flying filed? PLEASE HELP!
 

Our club has lost our flying field and we need suggestion of how to
find another one. We have tried:

1. putting lease flyers in farmers mailboxes
2. mass mailing of lease flyer to potential sites
3. working with the county parks and rec people
4. contacted the landfill people
5. adds in newspapers
6. community service work to get our name out (elemenetary school presentaitons and flight demos, Boy Scout flight training, Youth Ranch demos, etc ... )
7. mall shows
8. added a community service link to our web site to advertise our work in the community
9. we invite the county commisioners to all of our community service events to demonstrate what an asset we are to the community
10. contacting sod farmers
11. contacting small local airports
12. placing lease flyers in local businesses including feed stores, farming equip stores, resturants, etc...


Does anyone have more ideas, I running a bit low of ideas.

RE: Need ideas for finding a flying filed? PLEASE HELP!
 

Call, don't e-mail, Jay Mealy at AMA HQ. Part of his job is flying site assistance. He has considerable experience helping clubs obtain and maintain flying sites.

RE: Need ideas for finding a flying filed? PLEASE HELP!
 

I did, told him everything we were doing and the only additional thing he added was doing charitable work.
Other than that he said we were doing everything he would suggest.

RE: Need ideas for finding a flying filed? PLEASE HELP!
 

Flyers in mailboxes has very little effect... except to potentially get the post office mad at you. (its gotta have a stamp if its going in the mailbox.)

If a flyer is on my door or car windshield or some flyer is mailed to me... I don't even look at it... it goes in the trash.

To gain permission to fly at a farmer's field or the sod farm or where-ever... you need to wallk up to the owner and talk to him in person. Have a plane n your car to show him if he asks to see one. Be ready to give a demo flight. Be ready to answer questins and provide the AMA's info about insurance coverage.

The mall show is a good way to get new club members... not a great way to find a new field.

If there is a resevoir nearby, you can usually contact the Army Corps of Engineers and gain access to a flying site. It may be a place that is subject to annual flooding... but its a place to fly. The land near a resevoir is essentially useless for building on... but a day or a week underwarter doesn't hurt the runway much.

RE: Need ideas for finding a flying filed? PLEASE HELP!
 

Eagle, When you make the fliers and talk (key is to talk to them) to the airport people do you give them the advantages they will see over and above the money you pay in rent?

Small airports usually are unmanned having modelers there will provide more manned hours reducing the vandalism. Also with more manned hours if someone does get hurt the probability of having someone there to get help form is greater. As an added bonus modelers know silly little things like don't smoke around planes, you don't push just anywhere on a plane to move it, etc.. Many small airports do not have sanitary facilities, saggest you would never restrict the use of the clubs port-o-john.

Farmers will see less crop damage due to birds. Also have someone on hand to help with emergency's and also provide more attended field security. The rent would cover the taxes on a much larger parcel of land.

By doing this you become a partner and if you go away they loose much more than just those toy planes.

Just my two cents

Joe Felice

RE: Need ideas for finding a flying filed? PLEASE HELP!
 

Don't expect people to respond to your written materials. You need to talk directly to possible site owners. Drive around and look for land that is open but not in use. Maybe a farmer has land that isn't good for crops and is sitting unused. Go ask them. We got our site from the Wyoming Honor Farm (Prison) because it is a parcel of farmland that cannot be used for anything else.

RE: Need ideas for finding a flying filed? PLEASE HELP!
 

I read about your story and have visited your web site ....VERY nice!

RE: Need ideas for finding a flying filed? PLEASE HELP!
 

Talk to someone who manages county land. Also look for Federal land and State land and BLM Land. Don't just talk to the secretary either. You need the person in charge. G'luck!

RE: Need ideas for finding a flying filed? PLEASE HELP!
 

Just curious what type of response have you received from that list such as the landfill, county park, farmers, etc. Are you getting a flat no or just not getting a reaction?

Is your field completely gone? In other words do you have a place to fly where you can invite the local paper to take a few pics and watch you guys fly? A story in the local paper about how you guys are looking to lease property may bring some people forward to help.

RE: Need ideas for finding a flying filed? PLEASE HELP!
 

Landfill: director of operations said no because he is dealing with angry residents over the new transfer station int he area

County Parks and Rec: they are looking for us, nothing found yet

Farmers: here are the issues:
1. noise
2. safety
3. not wanting a lease
4. not enough rent (we could spend about 1,000 to 1,500 per year)

RE: Need ideas for finding a flying filed? PLEASE HELP!
 

Please forgive if these suggestions appear to be mute for you, i.e., "been there done that".

Why do you have to insist on a lease? We here in Clarksburg have had our field for over 30 years. It is a recovered coal strip mine on the top of a hill. We have no lease. What we do have is the good graces of the owner that has lasted over 30 years and 2 generations. There is another club in our area, Fairmont, that has the same arrangement and have been there almost as long.

Someone above made a suggestion that sounds like the way to go. Canvas the farms and large landowners. Be ready to assure them that safety is paramount in this hobby and that you have more-than-adequate liability insurance available to cover the land owner. If you have a copy of your previous field site insurance bring that with you. Let the owner know you will abide by their wishes when it comes to noise, e.g., not fly before noon on Sunday. Try to convince them that your presence on their land may even be benificial, i.e., keeping birds away from their fields. Most import, assure them you will be responsible for the upkeep of the property you utilize.

RE: Need ideas for finding a flying filed? PLEASE HELP!
 

Perhaps you could visit the local FSA office which should have information on all Conservation Reserve land in the county. This may give you a point to start. In the midwest there is a lot of land in CRP. I know of several places where RC Clubs use the CRP land for assisting the farmer in various projects he may need help on. Fixing fence,Mowing helping with hay etc. My problem is I have a whole bunch of land and a nice runway but no one to fly with. Darn
I don't know if this will help but it may be worth a try.
Good Luck

RE: Need ideas for finding a flying filed? PLEASE HELP!
 

I know this is a repeat - get a hold of the local Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and see what they have available.
We've just renewed our lease for another 20 years at around $300/year. Easy people to deal with - emphasize the community aspects of the club.
Other agencies are the bureau of Land Reclamation, Army Corp of Engineers, local military base, local airport, forest service.....
Maybe a local business will let you use their large parking lot on Sundays - not likely but worth a try if they have plenty of vacant land next to it.
Good Luck!
KW_Counter

RE: Need ideas for finding a flying filed? PLEASE HELP!
 

great ideas guys ... I am following up on ALL of them. Keep the idea comming, this is great!

RE: Need ideas for finding a flying filed? PLEASE HELP!
 

WHEN it works... then not having a lease is OK...

When it doesn't:

http://www.268skykings.org/lost.htm

No lease.. and one of the guys does some STUPID LITTLE THING that ticks the landowner off... your field is HISTORY. You could have been there 2 weeks or 20 years... No lease... its his land and he can boot you.

RE: Need ideas for finding a flying filed? PLEASE HELP!
 

good point about the lease ... it is always better to have it

plus, you are more likely to invest money in a field you know you are going
to have for a while

RE: Need ideas for finding a flying filed? PLEASE HELP!
 

Don't forget the DNR, Dept. of Natural Resources.
Find a local crop duster and find where he flies out of.
Again, talk to some local farmers, you'd be amazed at how many of them are pilots, own planes or ultralights, and have thier own strip. At least around here.

And I'll repeat, do everything in person.
Good luck.