GALLERY: Local RC plane club welcomes community members to new field in grand opening celebration
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IDAHO FALLS — The Desert Eagles RC Flying Club welcomed hundreds of community members to its new flying field on Saturday, with members showcasing their planes and skills.
The club completed the new flying field in August, after working with the city to lease the property early this year. The group had been looking for a new permanent location for a few years, as the land where they flew was county property and served as its gravel lot. The previous location was south of town on South 45th Road West, near the Wild Adventure Corn Maze.
Stu Eddins, president of the club, said that working with the city, he was eager to ensure that the club’s dream of a new flying field became a reality. He said that, from the city’s Parks and Recreation department to its legal department, helpful people guided the club on whom to talk with and what documents they needed.
“They were just overly eager to get us out here and get us working. It’s just been great,” Eddins said.
RELATED | A new home: Local flying RC plane club invites public to new flying field grand opening
The club’s new home base is now located within Noise Park at 8433 West Arco Highway, where club members welcomed many community members at the field’s grand opening.
The event began at 9 a.m. and lasted until 1 p.m., as community members checked out the new field and flew alongside club members.
Christian Eddins, great-grandson of Stu, was there with his grandparents and got to fly for the first time.
While shy, he told EastIdahoNews.com it was a bit hard and confusing, but he did a good job on his first go-around. Despite the difficulty, he lined up to fly again as the event went on.
EastIdahoNews.com spoke with Desert Eagle Member Jim Williams, who flew his Extra 260 RC plane, which is 40% the size of a real Extra EA-260 aerobatic plane.
Williams said the new field has opened up the ability to fly planes like his — or even smaller ones, which can be an essential step for new beginners. This is because the field uses turf, which the club purchased from a soccer field in Utah, rather than the grassy field at their old location.
The new location also removed the decibel limit, meaning larger engines can be used. Another bonus for club members: The height restrictions have been extended, allowing members to fly to 700 feet.
At Saturday’s event, Williams said he enjoyed seeing individuals and kids taking part in the buddy flights, during which a club member helps fly some of the training planes.
“This is an amazing turnout today,” he said. “This was a nice opportunity for us to do a lot of the training flights.”
Stu told EastIdahoNews.com he thought the community turnout was fantastic. “Everybody is impressed with (the new field), and it’s easy to look at and see that it’s just a nice place to fly,” Eddins said.
Here is a look at how community members and club members celebrated on Saturday:
