A salute to Northwest Florida Modelers, Inc.
Flying Site Assistance by Tony Stillman, Flying Site Coordinator
On Saturday, May 2, 2015, the Northwest Florida Modelers, Inc. hosted a special event. The event was to honor a former club president who worked to find and secure the flying site for the club, and to honor the club’s first president.
The Northwest Florida Modelers, Inc. was formed and chartered by the AMA in approximately 1970. The first club president was Gordon Dey, a former commander in the US Navy who flew helicopters in the Vietnam War. Gordon helped to establish the club whose first meetings were held in members’ homes.
In mid-1995, Rae Fritz, club member and past president, began a 10-year search for a new club flying site. This involved phone calls, letters, and personal appearances on behalf of the club. A landfill on the west side of Pensacola, closed and covered in the 1960s, was identified as a possible site location. Pine trees had reclaimed the space.
A closer inspection of the site revealed problems and the EPA was contacted to investigate. There were some issues with construction waste and creosote contamination, so the site was declared a Superfund site and work began to clean it up. Rae remained involved until the project was completed and the EPA returned control of the site to the county.
It was hoped that obtaining the site would be easy, but that was not the case. Government and EPA red tape raised its ugly head, but Rae was not dissuaded. He wrote more letters, including one to then Florida Governor Jeb Bush, who quickly promised to help.
In a matter of days, Rae received a phone call from the EPA asking how they could help the project move forward. Sometimes, it just takes getting the right people involved.
With the EPA issues resolved, Escambia County Solid Waste department assisted in turning the site into a usable flying field. The site was configured for RC aircraft—complete with a paved runway, a paved Control Line circle, and an area where sailplanes could be operated on the southern part of the site. The landfill was placed under the control of the parks department.
A lease between the county and the Northwest Florida Modelers, Inc. was drawn up and signed, and the Escambia County Model Park was born. On May 7, 2005, (10 years later!), Rae’s efforts were rewarded with the official dedication of the new RC flying site, which was named Fritz Field in his honor.
On May 1, 2015, the club held a 10-year flying site anniversary celebration in honor of Rae, who had recently passed away. Rae’s widow and many other family members attended, along with Escambia County Commissioner Wilson Robertson. The club worked hard to make this an outstanding event, with a free lunch catered by Sonny’s Barbeque. There was even a local steel drum band playing for the crowd. It was a great way to celebrate Rae’s life, and I am sure he was looking down on the scene with a big smile on his face.
See you at the field!
