Track Info - Please Help!!
 

I am trying to find out some information on the tracks that folks race at. For the last three years I have owned Flagstaff Hobbies and run onroad/offroad races here in Flagstaff, Az. There has been R/C racing in this community for as long as I can remember but we have never had a permanent home. We have been moving from place to place since the R/C racers unified to form a club in 1992 or 1993 (can't remember the exact date off the top of my head). What I would love to see is a permanent location to host our racing for the foreseeable future.

For those that are un aware, Flagstaff is a small mountain town surrounded by national forest land so going out and finding an affordable plot of land with reasonable access (much less utilities) is next to impossible. However, The City and County own many lots and parks that have unused space around the area. What I'm trying to do is get a census of how many tracks that you guys race at are city/state/county/federally supported? How many are just on gov't land? They can be temporary or seasonal facilities; international groups would be great too. Also if you could give me the names of the tracks or organizations that would be immensely helpful. I want to be able to go to my local gov't with a number of locations to show that what we would be asking from them is not unheard of and that it can better communities around the country.

Thank you so much for all of your time and help. Look forward to seeing you on the track sometime in the future!

-Cliff Beck

I don't know of an RC track, but Pima County Parks and Rec provided a portion of a park at the edge of Tucson for an RC flying field. You might contact Pima County, or Hobby Barn (520) 747-3633 to see if they know what flying club is based there.

Hey Cliff-
It's actually pretty simple...if you want city help, just go to the City Council. As we discussed before, the Finish Line club structure, with your backing, might be the best approach. Unless there is an avid RC racer already on the City Council (doubtful) then someone has to do the leg work to get things going....like we did back in the 90s.

If you are only interested in dirt off road, you might come across someone local that will let you use some of their property in the woods somewhere. Otherwise it's just beating the bushes till you find a spot for pavement or dirt....again, just like we did in the 90s.

Gary McAllister

I would suggest contacting RCTECH username Indyhobbies.com

His real name is Scott Black, and he recently worked the town council of Avon, Indiana (suburb of Indianapolis) to create an R/C fun run in one of their city parks. He has plenty of experience dealing with local governments in Indiana and he might have some good insight on how to approach your local municipality.

Here is a link to his website which includes links to the Avon, IN event this coming weekend.

http://www.indyhobbies.com/

Hope this info helps.

Thank you soooo much guys all this really helps.

Lonny - R/C airstrips provide the same info so I really appreciate that info.

Gary - I am currently working with the IRS to revive the club and its not profit status because as it sits the club is a revoked entity legally and will get no where in any government dealings, but this research is all part of formulating a wining strategy.

IndyRC - It sounds like Mr. Black is the gentleman i need to talk to haha. Thank you for giving me his contact info and the link.

Please keep the info coming if you have any!!!

You might consider contacting the town of Williams. In 2009 they were able to work with some agency in the National Forest I believe to open a shooting range. I would think that a similar arrangement could be made for RC.

Thanks for contacting me. I hope I can help. I think what really helped in Avon was that their parks department was looking for something new that other parks didn't have. In addition, they have motivated personnel that really want to so something cool. No "institutional laziness" as they call it...meaning people that don't want more to do, they want less.

The other thing that helped was showing several examples of other RC facilities that are owned by municipalities or their parks departments. I did a powerpoint that helped a lot in that case.

And, finally, it really is a pretty low investment. Driver's stand, pipe, watering equipment, etc. Compare that to a new softball diamond.

Scott

ScottE1776 - Thats definitely a angle I hadn't even considered, just figured the Nat. Forest wouldn't even be interested, so thanks!

Scott (theres too many Scotts in this thread already haha) - The whole reason for starting this thread was to get a census and info on other municipally supported RC facilities. Have a thread in the offroad section as well but no dice there. If you would be willing to share the info you have with me I would greatly appreciate that, maybe better through PM or email, let me know. I had thought of talking cost of said facility but didn't think of comparing it to something like a sports field or such. If they can see a large delta between the two it may be "easier" to sell the idea. I even have the dirt, tubing and will pay for backhoe work that might sweeten the deal. I fear I'm going to be fighting that "institutional laziness" (imagine small local community) but so it goes. I have not even approached the parks dept. yet so don't know that my reception would be. Thank you sooo much!

Keep it coming!

One thing that helped me to get the parks department into my/our world was to drop off several different RC magazines. Again, most people don't know anything about our hobby. Showing them that its a national pastime and that it supports the publications it does, is impressive.

People that don't tournament fish for instance, have no idea how huge of a pastime that is. Big $$$ too. Did you know there are MASSIVE scrapbooking conventions? I attended one in Toledo when I was there for another conference. People had FLOWN in to sit at tables in halls of hundreds of other scrapbookers and scrapbook together...really? LOL. The felt and Elmer's glue was flying!

Here is another thread I started looking for driver's stand ideas. I got quite a few nice photos of parks owned facilities this way that I used.

http://www.rctech.net/forum/electric...-have-one.html