Flying Site Case Study #6
AMA member Mike Simi called and E-mailed to say he was actively pursuing a site on the old
Naval AAS property.
Mike had been looking for an alternative to his current flying site, one plagued with high winds in the late summer months. While he no longer lives in Alameda, Mike grew up there, and was aware of the potential for a site at the naval base.
He had gone as far as having conversations with people involved with the City of Alameda Planning Board to assess what he would have to do to get the job done. He was put in contact with the property-management group that works on the base for the city. The initial response from the group was positive, but some of the lessees along a proposed site on an 8,000- foot runway were skeptical, and that site was scrapped.
At the same time Mike was making his initial contacts with the city, he started a thread on RC Universe to see if anyone else shared a passion for flying at the site.
Enter Dan Ayala: a computer-savvy modeler. Dan volunteered to put up a Web site and really get the ball rolling. Dan and Mike began an intensive effort to get final authority to fly on a great piece of what was a taxiway and parking ramp in front of the old NAS terminal building. At the same time, they formed and chartered the Alameda Hornet Squadron RC club.
There were plenty of obstacles along the way. An unfortunate confrontation with a headstrong tenant who spoke for no one but himself yet claimed to speak for nearly everyone on the base led to the statement that model aviation wasn't wanted on the base and would never happen.
This was quite an unpleasant episode for a modeler and his spouse, and the confrontation led to a call from Dan's wife Soraya to the mayor of Alameda. Afterward the mayor instructed the property-management group to "make it happen!"There were (and still are) strange but bearable restrictions regarding time of use on the new site. There were delays because of the requirement that the site-owner insurance certificate be "letter perfect." There were boards and individuals to satisfy--quite a stiff breeze!
Dan and Mike were not to be denied. They complied with every request, whether or not it seemed to make sense. Every document was completed to everyone's satisfaction and the proposed site became a reality.
The club has formed an alliance with the Alameda NAS Museum, which is housed in the old terminal building. In a "one-hand-washes-the-other" scenario, the club will participate in "work days" on behalf of the museum, and has committed to making donations to the museum fund. In return the museum offers its parking area and use of their meeting rooms. In addition the club is reaching out the tenants to ensure they understand the safe and fun hobby of model aviation.