Club searches for new airstrip

By Kath Gannaway
MEMBERS of the Melbourne Radio Control Aircraft Club look like having their wings clipped if they can’t find a new flying ground.
The 30 or so ground-dwelling pilots were sent into a spin a few weeks ago when they were told the Wesburn farm property from which they had flown their model aircraft for the past 29 years was being sold and would no longer be available.
“We need a few clear acres of flat paddock with a large area to fly over,” said club member John Willis.
“We have had an excellent relationship with the farmer over many years but unfortunately the new owners want to build a home on the land so we simply can’t stay.”
One of the great things about flying model airplanes is that the generation gap is non-existent.
It really is Boys’ Own Annual stuff with members ranging from dads and their sons to 50-somethings getting a new lease on their inner-boy to veterans.
Mr Willis is keen to point out, however, that although the club doesn’t have a lot of female members, anyone is welcome to join in the fun.
He said the models typically had wingspans of four to five feet and ranged from trainer-types for learning, up to scale models of planes such as World War II Spitfires, Tiger Moth bi-planes and just about anything in between.
Radio control aircraft have all the same controls as the real thing, but Mr Willis said in many ways they were more difficult to control than the full-size plane.
“You don’t get that seat-of-the-pants feedback as to what your control inputs have achieved to the aircraft’s attitude,” he explained.
Add the complexities of left/right, reverse and what Mr Willis calls the third dimension of up and down – not to mention flying off water, and you tend to believe him when he says it can be quite challenging.
“Younger people in general tend to learn more quickly than the mature-aged student, something to do with the hand to eye coordination and all those computer games,” he said.
“Typically a person will learn to fly in three to 12 months of Sunday afternoon lessons, which are very rewarding and a lot of fun with a good bunch of friends.”
The club meets on Sundays from 10am to 4pm, weather permitting, and while its Wesburn site has a dam to accommodate float planes, Mr Willis said it was a bonus rather than an essential requirement for a new site.
The club can also supply references.
“If anyone in the Yarra Valley or surrounding area thinks they might have a suitable site, they can contact club president Gary Hanger on 9777 0262. We would love to hear from them,” Mr Willis said.