The Aviation Board, who manages both airports in Fort Wayne, has given persmission to use ground at Smith Field, our regional airport named for aviation pioneer Art Smith. The airport is pretty run down and, more than anything else, they want activity. We're going to do our best to give them just that. Although we have three areas from which to choose, we've picked the one along the main road for maximum exposure.
Now for the problem. There may be some grass, but the weeds are up to a foot tall, and the ground is very rough. Since part of the land between runways is growing soybeans, our area may have had the same use in the past. It obviously needs improved before much CL flying is going to be done. As many as a dozen of us are meeting next week to discuss what we are currently doing, the chartering of an AMA sanctioned club, the field itself and what to do with it. Probably we'll begin with just one circle, in grass. It would be nice to have a hard surfaced circle, as well, but first things first.
The weeds need knocked down, and the ground needs leveled (badly) and seeded. How would accomplish all that? Roundup to knock down the vegitation? A tiller or some other tractor-drawn equipment? What type(s) of grass (in Northern Indiana) would lend itself to being cut short without burning out? In the process, when should it be rolled?
We feel fortunate to have the ground to use, especially at a time when so many flying sites are being lost. We'd like to do a good job of establishing the site and taking care of it. Thanks for whatever advice you can give.
"Doesn't play well with others"
Denny Malott
I was fortunate enough to borrow a JD 410 backhoe to make our circle after trying in vain to mow (hack) & scrape out a circle with a drag & pickup. No way. After I got the hoe I scraped all the brush etc. out of the way & started moving dirt from the high side to the low side, moving rocks, stumps & roots as I dug 'em up (thousands of 'em!) & watering the whole time to keep the dust down. The ground looked fairly level before we started & it was, only a few feet higher on one side than the other. Didn't look like much, but it turned out to be tons & tons & tons of dirt! Ours is 150' in diameter & could stand to be 160'. I'm enlarging it a bit for next year. We rented a ditcher & put in 7 underground sprinklers, six in a hex pattern & one in the middle, all run from an automatic timer. We seeded it with leftovers from several guys lawns. After driving around on the dirt with the 14 thousand pound hoe for weeks (I had to learn to run it!) the dirt was really hard, so we pulled a spring-tooth around in circles before we planted. I think the grass would have come in faster if we'd loosened up the soil a little more but I'm not sure how we could have done it. It was a lot more work than I though it was going to be, that's for sure. I worked on it all last summer when I really wanted to be flying, BUT IT WAS WORTH IT! Now I can (& DO) fly whenever I want! 846 flights since Jan 1 this year & counting. AND, we now have some of the R/C pilots flying control line on a regular basis! AND, since it is adjoining the R/C field, I have the opportunity to put a handle in anyones hand that shows any interest at all! Don't forget to make room for the pits! If you need more input email me.