44

M

ODEL

A

VIATION

Best

of the

West

2

0

0

6

An

F-117

stealth

fighter with

twin JetCat Titan

turbines, owned by Lou

Vadino and piloted by Joe

McBride. Unfortunately it made

an unscheduled landing. Shirley

Brenon photo.

LIKE THE PHOENIX rising from the

ashes, the Coachella Valley RC Club east of

Palm Springs, California, restored its flying

facility after a microburst/twister zeroed in on

its field in October 2005. In addition to

restoring the damage, the club members also

upgraded their facility in time to host the

California Radio Control Jet Association’s

2006 Best in the West Jet Rally, which took

place April 20-23.

The site restoration was not a one-man

job. It was a group effort that required a great

deal of organization, cooperation, and

problem-solving techniques.

Just three years ago the club members

were enjoying their flying park’s comfortable

amenities, complete with a view of the Santa

Rosa Mountains and the snow atop Mt. San

Gorgonio. However, on the morning of

October 17, 2005, club Secretary/Treasurer

Dick Knapp learned that all the club’s hard

work had practically been destroyed by an

unusual weather phenomenon.

According to Dick:

“Over the weekend of October 15-16 a

series of storms moved through the Coachella

Valley, accompanied by heavy rain and winds

up to 35 mph. On Monday I went to check out

the field.

“When I pulled into the parking area I was

astounded, as two of our five sections of

shade structure had been totally destroyed.

by Shirley Brenon

This giant dual-turbine A-10 won Best Finish and Markings for pilot Billy Edwards

(West Hills CA). It uses JetCat P120 turbines and a JR radio. Judie Ruzek photo.

and the runway was covered in water and

mud. On the downhill side of the runway

there was severe erosion of the desert sand."

The members were notified of the

destruction, and then-club president Murray

Ross called an emergency meeting of the

board. It drew up a battle plan, and the

members dug into their pockets for funds and

began work.

With all the work ahead of them, the

hobby of flying or building airplanes took a

backseat. Soon an armada of heavy equipment

began to arrive on the property. The din of

Caterpillars, Bobcats, skip loaders, and water

trucks, manned by members, replaced the

sound of model engines as the parking lot was

The 2.5-inch-diameter

pipes that supported the

structure were snapped off

at the base and one was

partially torn loose from the

concrete pad.

“All the remaining posts

were also bent and some had

started to crack at the weld. Also,

the tables were blown over, their

tops broken, and every chair that had wheels

under it was blown out into the desert. A

small building that was to house a men’s and

women’s toilet was blown off its railroad tie

base and rolled some 30 feet.

“In addition, the heavy rains had totally

overwhelmed the runoff water control system

Fast jets, high winds,

and great company