CASA

The Casa Grande RC Flyers made many changes to their flying field in 2018. Membership has increased which has allowed the club to make improvements to their field. Some of the changes to the airfield included:

• A new remote weather station installed in January that allows members to see real-time weather conditions
• Two stainless steel sun shades over pilot tables
• A large steel storage unit
• Approval of an increase to the weight limit for aircraft used at the field from 10 to 20 pounds
• A new runway, a donation by the former Palm Creek flying club
• Addition of 120-volt AC power
• Increased charitable events including weekly "combat" airplane dogfights on Thursday mornings and a new "Fly in For Hospice"
• Over the last six years, the club has been able to donate money to charities such as the Casa Grande Food Bank, the Wounded Warrior Project, and the Valley Humane Society

The Casa Grande RC Flyers is an Arizona nonprofit corporation chartered and their goal is to promote interest in model aviation and give back to the Casa Grande community. The year 2018 was good to the Casa Grande RC Flyers so let the growth continue in 2019.

The Casa Grande RC Flyers held their annual National Model Aviation Day event on Dec. 8. The event was held at the clubs airfield in Casa Grande. More than 150 people attended the event and the event was free to the public. The club's new food service, Twisted Entree from Casa Grande, served meals from their menu. Tools and supplies to make the event more space were donated by Home Depot, Lowes and Norris RV and all of Casa Grande. The event benefited the Casa Grande Food Bank and the club members collected cash and food items. The clubs vice president, Ron St. Pierre, offered free first-person-view airplane rides to guests. The club's next major fundraising event, Fly In For Hospice, is scheduled for Saturday, Jan. 12.

The Casa Grande RC Flyers will host an event on Dec. 8 to celebrate National Model Aviation Day. The event will be from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the clubs flying field off of Isom Road. The event is free but donations of non-perishable food items or cash will be accepted to benefit the Casa Grande Food Bank. The club has been hosting this event for six years, as long as the club has been in existence. The members of the club will be flying fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters and drones. The public is encouraged to come and learn more about the hobby of RC flying. The club will also have their second swap meet of the winter season the morning of Dec. 8. Twister Entrees, a new food vendor, will be onsite serving breakfast and lunch for visitors. Over the last six years, the Casa Grande RC Flyers have raised money and provided needed items to charities such as the Casa Grande Food Bank, the Wounded Warrior Project and the Valley Humane Society. The club will host the "Fly In For Hospice" event on Jan 12, 2019 and profits will be donated to Hospice Charitable Fund of Central Arizona.

The Casa Grande RC Flyers appeared in the news because members met with city officials to provide their annual update about the clubs activities, community service and field improvement plans. The club officers were in attendance at the meeting and they shared plans the club had to install sun shades over the pilot tables and the placing of a 20-foot-by-8-foot metal storage unit on the club's leased land.  The storage unit will be used to store the club's equipment, safety gear and other club items. The club also requested at the meeting that the field lease be amended to allow model aircraft up to 20 pounds to be flown. Currently, the limit is 10 pounds. The higher limit will allow for members to fly different types of aircraft including helicopters and drones. The club also informed the city in detail of the latest efforts regarding their work with the Casa Grande school system to educate the students on the principles of flight. They updated the city on the club's list of charitable organizations assisted because the club added Hospice this year. The club was awarded the AMA's highest honor by being named a "Gold Level Leader Club" for their community service and field facilities.  

The Casa Grande RC Flyers visited Palo Verde Elementary School to give lessons about the principles of aviation. Alan Friedman, club president; Nancy Friedman, club treasurer; and Ronald St. Pierre, club vice president, presented the program, “Drone - Summer of STEM” that was geared towards students. They answered the students questions about flight and model aircraft safety. The presenters asked the class how many students owned drones and found out that many students raised their hands. The club also covered the rules for the safe use of drones. The presenters covered a range of topics including all drone safety flight rules as well as lithium ion battery safety procedures to prevent the batteries from exploding. The vice president, Ronald St. Pierre, also flew a drone and a 3-D fixed wing aircraft for the students. The AMA would like to thank the Casa Grande RC Flyers for teaching students about model aviation.  

The number of women joining the Casa Grande RC Flyers is increasing. When the club was created several years ago, it consisted mainly of men. In 2017, one women joined and in the recent months, an additional six women joined. Nancy Friedman took up flying RC aircraft from her husband, Alan. Alan is the club president and associate vice president of the Academy of Model Aeronautics. Alan encouraged her to give RC flying a try using a flight simulator in their home. From there, she decided to take lessons to better understand the hobby. After a few lessons, she had mastered the controls and moved on to a model plane that requires more skill and experience. The Casa Grande RC Flyers is an AMA sanctioned club and an Arizona nonprofit organization. The club was awarded the AMA’s highest honor by being named a “Gold Level Leader Club” for its community service and field facilities. The AMA would like to congratulate the Casa Grande RC Flyers for getting women into the hobby.  

The Casa Grande RC Flyers will begin raising money for the Hospice Charitable Fund of Central Arizona next winter. The clubs board recently decided to add the Hospice Charitable Fund of Central Arizona to their list of charities to give back to. Currently, the club raises money for Casa Grande Food Bank and Valley Humane Society. The club’s events are free to the public and act as fundraisers for these local charities. The club has several events throughout the year. On Saturday, Jan. 12, 2019, the club will hold its first annual Fly-In and club swap meet to benefit Hospice Charitable Fund. In addition, they will hold their sixth annual National Model Aviation Day celebration and swap meet on Saturday, Dec. 8 to benefit the Casa Grande Food Bank.  On Saturday, March 9, 2019, the club will hold its sixth annual Air Show and swap meet to benefit the Valley Humane Society. The club hosts their events at their award-winning flying field on Isom Road across from the public shooting range. The events start at 9 a.m. and conclude at 1 p.m. To learn more about the Casa Grande RC Flyers and their events, click here.

The Casa Grande RC Flyers airfield located in Casa Grande, AZ recently installed WeatherLink, a new weather monitoring station. WeatherLink offers real-time information about current weather conditions which include temperatures, rainfall totals, humidity, wind speeds and direction. The data that the station collects can be accessed by anyone interested in the area’s weather conditions. The data collected is available to users on the website WeatherLink.com and on a smartphone application, WeatherLink 2.0. A press release from the Casa Grande RC Flyers club stated that the monitoring station will be used by pilots who fly RC planes and drones at the flying field. It will also be used by police and shooting enthusiasts curious about conditions near the gun range. The city of Casa Grande provided a large flagpole that was installed at the airfield to accommodate the weather station and maintains it. The weather monitoring station is one of many improvements that the club plans to make to their field. The club plans to add sun shades for the pilot tables and another runway to their RC airfield. The AMA would like to congratulate the Casa Grande RC Flyers on their new additions to their field!

The Casa Grande RC Flyers has recently been awarded a $175 Club Recognition and Reward Grant. Casa Grande RC Flyers club has been featured in The Robson Ranch Views monthly from Jan. to March and the April issue of the AMA Magazine. Casa Grande RC Flyers is an Arizona nonprofit corporation that raises money for local charities. Membership is open to anyone wanting fly or learn to fly radio-controlled aircraft. They also offer free lessons taught by any of nine AMA certified instructors. The club has about 156 members that include local residents and winter residents. Club members have visted area schools, 4-H groups, science nights and festivals to teach youth about aviation. The AMA Foundation thanks the Casa Grande RC Flyers for spreading awareness and the messages of our organization to all ages in their community. For more information: https://www.casagrandercflyers.com/communityservice.html The AMA Club Recognition and Reward Program was established to encourage clubs to promote model aviation. The AMA offers clubs cash incentives for positive local media coverage for a public event, public service, club announcement, or other coverage. Click here to learn more about this program.

The Casa Grande RC Flyers held their 2nd annual air show on Saturday March 11, 2017 and enjoyed a record number of attendees at the club field.  This year’s air show benefited the Valley Humane Society who received many needed items as well as cash donations. The show featured pilots from Horizon Hobby and Hitec/Multiplex, a pilot from the Eloy airport who flew helicopters, and an internationally known aircraft pilot and designer from Arizona City.  People from around the valley filled the bleachers to watch the pilots perform amazing stunts during the two-hour event. The Casa Grande RC Flyers is an Arizona non-profit corporation and chartered club of the AMA whose purpose is to promote model aviation and support the Casa Grande community. Club members teach classes at area schools, participate in fairs and 4H events, and offer free lessons to individuals who wish to learn to fly model aircraft.  Details about the club and their activities can be found on their website:  www.CasaGrandeRCFlyers.com