Come Fly in the Mountaineer State!

     A piece on page 9 of the March 2010 MA—“My Flying Field for Friends and AMA Members”—struck a chord, because the same scenario exists here in a small community in West Virginia. The Teter Airfield is a work in progress, with the goal of introducing people to RC models.
     The first fly-in was held September 17-19 this year. Its mission was to attract the public to RC flying and to promote AMA membership to those who fly and are not yet members. And activities are planned for 2011. But walking starts with the first few wobbly steps.
     The biggest problem was finding a place to fly—especially one that was close enough to home. This is often a daunting task, and it could leave people who are interested in RC with little opportunity to participate if they live a great distance from the site. And finding, building, and maintaining a quality airfield requires a lot of work and money.
     Three years ago, Ron Carpenter, who works for a general contractor building water-treatment plants, found himself traveling up and down the East Coast. That left him with little or no time to enjoy his hobby, which is flying RC airplanes and helicopters. Ron searched areas near his work site(s) and joined nearby flying clubs. (Thanks, AMA, for providing information about where to fly.)
     Ron wanted to provide an opportunity for those who find themselves in a similar situation to his and those who live nearby to enjoy the hobby. He lives in West Virginia, where mountainous terrain and trees present obstacles for the RC enthusiast. However, he found a piece of flat terrain on his father-in-law’s farm, and work began to make an RC flying field.
     The project started with laying out an airstrip, which measures 65 feet wide and 750 feet long. Then the dozer came in to level the site, preparing for seeding with a quality runway grass. Three run-up stands were constructed, along with an equipment shed and a covered viewing area.
     There will be no official club at the Teter Airfield. It will be open to anyone who wants to learn how to fly, enjoys flying, or wants to watch others fly. The focus is on providing recreational opportunities for the entire family.
     Each airfield user is required to be an AMA member and must purchase an annual “flight pass”—a portion of which one can “work off” by helping to maintain the airstrip. Flying at the site is governed by a set of airfield guidelines and AMA rules. The facility is an alcohol- and drug-free zone.
     Ron Carpenter is an unusual hobby enthusiast, in that he took it upon himself to construct a private airfield so that he could have a place to fly. But he didn’t give much thought to how much such construction would cost or what the annual maintenance costs might be.
     The facility is located near Buckhannon, West Virginia. If you currently fly RC and do not have a place to fly/call home, come out and visit the airfield! You can find it at www.mapquest.com/mq/7-xn9s or e-mail Ron at RCarpenter29@yahoo.com for information.
     Vendors are welcomed to attend scheduled fly-ins, which will be announced in the free airfield newsletter. Anyone can subscribe to the publication online or by sending $10 per year (to cover postage and printing costs) for a hard copy. MA

—Richard Whiting
mountaineer063@yahoo.com
District III

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