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he was unable to procure a permanent site; he has since returned to his duties as president. Metz began by soliciting local municipal governments, but the areas offered had problems such as excessive wind, access problems and noise concerns. Another member, Ron
Vincent, offered his help. Vincent had assisted in procuring land and building a site in his native
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Much work remained as the site was littered with garbage, wrecked automobiles and discarded tires. Metz began telling his story in earnest and before long, donations from developers and large corporations began coming in. Members donated money, furniture and the monumental amount of labor needed to
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program to promote careers in aviation and aeronautics and works closely with students who have demonstrated an interest in same. "Fun Flys" are held throughout the year, generally one Sunday per month; guests with no previous radio controlled flight experience can actually fly a large, easy to see
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On May 9, 1999, the club organized their first formal meeting in literally years to discuss its future. Presidency of the club was offered to Dan Metz, a radio control enthusiast who had flown with the club for fifteen years. Metz agreed to serve for the next three years, agreeing to step down if
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By the early 1990s, the central and western areas of the
Coachella Valley were growing at a record pace. Many of the club's previous flying fields were either built over or were considered private property. Finding areas that were free of interference from buildings and power lines was becoming
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The 600'x70' (183x21m) runway, pit area and parking area were completed in May 2002. Extensions added later brought the runway to its current length of 865' (263.65m). A combination control line and helicopter pad was added in late 2007 when the stretch of Avenue 54 leading to the property was
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in an unincorporated area off Avenue 54 and Pierce Street near
Coachella. The site not only had ideal flying conditions, but an ideal arrangement as well with an initial twenty-five-year lease at only US$ 1 per year with renewal options for another twenty-five years at the lease's expiration.
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organization works closely with the area's school districts via its "Delta Dart" program which teaches young children the basics of flight as well as the basis of model construction. Delta Darts, provided by the
Academy of Model Aeronautics, are rubber band-powered free flight models made of
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and are built over full-sized plans in the same manner as a larger model plane. A friendly competition is held to see whose Delta Dart will fly the farthest. Younger children can participate in the construction of "catapult gliders." These are made of sheet balsa stock and are more easily
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radio. Model aircraft were allocated only one frequency, 27.255 MHz, meaning only one plane could fly at any given time. These early advances insured that the club would continue to grow, with hobbyists meeting at almost any open area that was available at the time.
201:, capable of speeds up to 150 miles per hour (240 km/h). A 35 foot (11 m) extension was added to the north end of the runway and a 30 foot (9.1 m) extension added to the south end in January 2009 to better accommodate the "Best in the West" event.
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Club members and guests who operate model aircraft at the club's field are required to hold current AMA membership in addition to club membership. No AMA membership is required to participate in "buddy box" activities with an experienced instructor.
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assembled. These are launched in much the same way as firing a slingshot, i.e., by attaching the nose of the glider to a rubber band on a wooden handle, pulling back and letting go. At the high school level, the club works with each school's
187:. As mentioned in the opening paragraph, the Coachella Valley Radio Control Club has been the site of the "Best In The West Jet Rally," a national meeting of model jet turbine enthusiasts which in turn receives national press coverage in
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The onset of World War II in 1941 brought the practice to a temporary halt, resuming after the war at other open sites around the area. The immediate postwar era would see three major developments in the hobby, namely the development of
156:. Since the club is located on public land, maintenance is conducted in part by the Coachella Valley Parks and Recreation Department. Other maintenance and operational costs are offset by annual dues of US$ 200.
54:"Gold certification" means that the club has met certain strict guidelines of safety requirements within the AMA rules as well as a high degree of both safety and quality regarding the facility itself.
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increasingly more difficult. 1992 saw the club's move to their fifteenth official site with the lease of undeveloped land at Avenue 58 and Monroe Street in the unincorporated Vista Santa Rosa area.
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Airport. That site, between
Eisenhower Drive and Washington Street south of Avenue 52, is today a part of the La Quinta Cove residential district. It lies almost directly at the foot of the
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clear and develop the site. Member Larry Eaks, a wheelchair user, actually drove the water truck necessary to reduce the amount of very fine
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The
January 2009 running of the "Best in the West" saw national sponsorship for the first time. Sponsors included model manufacturers
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148:. A flagpole was added to the area next to the dedication plaque in 2008 and was dedicated with a flag which had flown over the
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The Bureau eventually offered a site encompassing 240 acres (0.97 km) - or one square kilometer - alongside the
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clubs in the United States, one of the oldest non-profit service organizations in continuous existence in the
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regarding the possible use of federal land. These sites had problems of their own, primarily because of
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Other offsite work includes charity flight demonstrations and Delta Dart contests at the
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at that time. At least one Fun Fly near the end of the year is held as a fundraiser for
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Pit area of the club during the 2009 "Best In The West" event. View is to the south
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model aircraft enthusiasts began meeting on a weekly basis at the now-defunct
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Reprint of the Best In The West article from the
November 2006 edition of
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paved by the county; the pad may also be used by slow-flying
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The club traces its roots to 1938 when a loose-knit group of
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Habitat incursion and encroachment on Native
American land.
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Official website of the
Coachella Valley Radio Control Club
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and both flight demonstrations and public presence at the
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http://www.modelaircraft.org/clubdetails.aspx?club=2458
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Organizations based in
Riverside County, California
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318:http://www.modelaircraft.org/mag/Aug09/toc.htm
164:The Coachella Valley Radio Control Club as a
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366:Non-profit organizations based in California
39:, United States. It is one of the oldest
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51:gold-certified clubs in the country.
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225:Jacqueline Cochran Regional Airport
118:United States Bureau of Reclamation
29:Coachella Valley Radio Control Club
90:engines and early, single-channel
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381:1938 establishments in California
376:Organizations established in 1938
346:Clubs and societies in California
197:, USAF (Ret.) who entered his
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327:Index of August '09 issue of
179:and very stable model via a
49:Academy of Model Aeronautics
37:Riverside County, California
356:Model aircraft associations
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251:http://www.coachellarc.com
361:Radio-controlled aircraft
16:U.S. model aircraft club
217:Palm Springs Air Museum
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386:Coachella, California
223:Regional Air Show at
150:United States Capitol
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122:Desert Bighorn Sheep
72:Santa Rosa Mountains
47:and one of the few
323:2011-06-15 at the
304:2011-06-15 at the
256:2007-12-04 at the
221:Jacqueline Cochran
129:All-American Canal
116:and contacted the
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195:Robert E. Thacker
103:Later development
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351:Coachella Valley
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308:AMA charter page
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273:. Archived from
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45:Coachella Valley
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325:Wayback Machine
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329:Model Aviation
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288:Model Aviation
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210:Model Aviation
190:Model Aviation
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160:The club today
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154:Mary Bono Mack
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96:citizen's band
82:flying, small
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41:model aircraft
31:is based near
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58:Early history
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279:. Retrieved
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84:nitromethane
80:control line
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146:park flyers
138:particulate
64:free flight
340:Categories
281:2007-10-04
239:References
227:in nearby
271:"Page 44"
181:buddy box
166:501(c)(3)
86:-powered
68:La Quinta
33:Coachella
321:Archived
302:Archived
254:Archived
229:Thermal
206:E-flite
114:Oregon
171:balsa
199:F-15
176:ROTC
88:glow
27:The
35:in
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