Model Airplanes

With the stunning backdrop of the Organ Mountains, the City of Las Cruces’ Old Foothills Landfill (OFL), at 555 S. Sonoma Ranch Blvd., is a hub of activity not only for year ‘round green waste recycling and clean-fill acceptance, but also for citizens who utilize two onsite recreational venues – a model airplane park and a small archery range.

The closed 150-acre landfill is home to the “nicest model airplane park anywhere in the region” according to Jerry DeLong, former president of the Mesilla Valley model airplane Club (MVMAC), providing the perfect open space for flying in a stunning setting. Now in addition to the large paved parking lot, bleachers for observers, and shade structures, the newly-repaved runways (each measuring 600 feet by 100 feet) make it even better.

The model airplane park is possible at the OFL thanks to two City departments and MVMAC. Las Cruces Utilities (LCU) operates the closed landfill, Parks and Recreation oversees maintenance and upkeep of the two recreational venues at the OLF, and MVMAC manages day-to-day activities at the model airplane park.

New, as of the third week of November, the airfield has refreshed pavement ready for more radio-controlled high-flying adventures. With a capable pilot on the ground the planes perform aerial tricks high in the sky creating smoke trails, doing aerobatics and

Article source: http://krwg.org/post/repaved-runways-model-airplanes-help-citizens-fly-high

A recreational drone operator whose device smashed into a U.S. Army helicopter in September flew undetected into a no-fly zone over New York set up to protect President Donald Trump and the United Nations.

The National Transportation Safety Board on Thursday said the drone flew in air space closed because of the visit by Trump, highlighting gaps in safety and security protections involving the devices that are the size of a medium pizza box. Moreover, the pilot was in Brooklyn but the drone was 2.5 miles away, offshore of Staten Island, violating a rule that operators must keep drones in their sight.

“This incident reveals a soft underbelly of drone safety: we’re putting very sophisticated drones in the hands of unsophisticated operators, with no training, certificates, or knowledge requirements,” said Kenneth Quinn, former chief counsel for the Federal Aviation Administration who now works at the law firm Baker McKenzie.

The incident highlighted the need for drones to be treated more like traditional aircraft, such as requiring them to send an identifying radio beacon so they can be tracked, Quinn said. The current situation is “a recipe for disaster,” he said.

The crash occurred on Sept. 21 as light was fading in the evening. The Black Hawk helicopter suffered damage to one of its rotor blades, but was able to land safely. The collision was the first confirmed midair impact in the U.S. between a manned aircraft and one of the millions of drones sold in recent years. Reports of safety incidents involving drones

Article source: https://www.insurancejournal.com/news/east/2017/12/15/474422.htm

By Alex BryanSuburbanite correspondent

COVENTRY TWP.  To build a model airplane takes precision, patience and a whole lot of enthusiasm. Constructing the replica aircraft was one of Coventry resident Todd Fisher’s favorite ways to pass time as child. It’s perhaps that same attention to detail, care and enthusiasm that enabled him to foster a piloting career that has logged more than 8,500 hours of flight with an exceptional safety record.

Beyond his thousands of safe and successful hours in the sky, Fisher has worked a considerable amount of time as an aviation educator, safety seminar presenter, and as a weather officer at local, regional and national hot-air balloon events, among other careers in aviation. It’s this impressive résumé that earned Fisher the Federal Aviation Administration’s Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award. The FAA grants the honor to a pilot who has “followed and continues to follow the precaution and awareness of safe flight operations” and who has “maintained safe flight operations for 50 or more consecutive years of piloting aircraft,” according to the administration.

Fisher accepted the award on Nov. 18.

Aviation was always near to Fisher both in distance and in curiosity. He grew up within sight of the Findlay Airport and remembers picking out several books in his school’s library on topics such as early pilots, air mail and barnstorming – public displays of flying feats performed by stunt pilots often at barns or rural areas.

As a young man, Fisher’s father garnered his own interest in aviation, taking

Article source: http://www.thesuburbanite.com/news/20171215/coventry-pilot-not-slowing-down-after-50-years-of-safe-flights