Flying Site Case Study #5
"Good Things Come to Folks Who Pester City Officials Incessantly for 18 Months."
Bob Schumann, was part of the indefatigable force behind the successful effort to get a new flying site for his long established club. In December of2006, Bob's longtime flying club had to vacate a flying site it had had for more than 20 years. The club knew the site was going to be lost, and the flying site committee had been talking with private, city, and county agencies for several years in an effort to obtain an alternate site.
A chance conversation with a city council member opened what was thought of as a door to using city property for a flying site. This quickly closed when it was discovered that flying model aircraft in that city's parks was against the law and carried a $2,500 fine for doing so!
This was the start of an 18-month-Iong quest to change the law to allow the flying of model aircraft in the city parks, thus solving the club鈥檚 flying site problem.
When you, as a group, want to change a law, the governing body takes a hard look at your motives. The fight seemed uphill. The club members suggested allowing the flying of silent, electric-powered model aircraft in the city park, particularly the park covered by the bond issue. They convinced two members of the city council to champion their cause.
A disappointing moment was changed into a positive one when the desired 213-acre park site was again denied to them, but a 40-acre wilderness park was put on the table for discussion. We found a 45 x lOO-foot paved parking lot in that park and arranged a flight demonstration for the city people.
The club rose to the occasion and put on a terrific 陆 hour demonstration and three-on-one talking session that swung the city over.
