RC Event Planning
Pulling off a successful modeling venue
Pulling off a successful modeling venue
I’m often asked “How do you plan a successful event?” That is, what goes on from the day I get an idea to the day the gates open? Just the other day, someone had asked me if I’d be interested in doing an event on their home field in the Southeast. By the time I finished with my grocery list of requirements, my friend basically said, “Fuhgettaboudit.” So here’s a scenario of taking an idea for an event right up to the first day of pilot arrivals.
REQUIREMENTS
The very first thing I ask is, “Will the event will fit in the location?” That is, where will everything fit in place? Let’s say that we are expecting 60 pilots. Is there room for all 60 to park their vehicles and trailers near where they will pit from? Good. Now, if you are expecting spectators, do you have room for a few hundred cars? Is the parking area solid enough so that if it rains you don’t have a mud hole? Great. Sixty pilots most likely will bring a significant other, whether that person is a spouse, caller, or helper. Playing the averages, you can expect at least 65 percent of the pilots to have a friend along, so the base attendance has just increased to about 100 folks. Now, are we going to feed these people? Great, and how about the spectators? OK, so do we have a clean spot for food vendors to set up their operations? Oh, the club will take care of it? Great, and they have experience in having 30 or 40 people come all at once at lunchtime for something to eat? If not, then let’s get looking for food vendors. If we have reached this point, I’ll take it for granted that the event is a go, so we should apply for the Academy of Model Aeronautics (AMA) event sanction.
OK, we’ve got a great field to fly from; it’s safe and has plenty of overfly area. We’ve got plenty of space for our pilots and their trailers, and a designated area for spectators to park. Are you charging admission?
$10 a carload, or maybe just $5 a person? Do you have some club members to stand by the entrance to accept the entrance fee and make change? And of course, you figured on a relief crew, right? I mean you don’t expect two people to stand there all day, do you? Yes, I provide a shade tent for our people at the gate, and we do provide chairs for them to sit and rest, and we do have an alternate on site to replace someone if they get too hot or just too tired. Oh yes, and because we are charging an admission fee to spectators, we also must comply with the law and provide spaces for handicap parking; these spaces must be close to the action so as to shorten the distance from the cars to the viewing area.
THE BASICS
Well, let’s see, has anybody thought of where to place the porta potties? That is potties with an S because with a hundred pilots and crew and a few hundred spectators, one pottie just ain’t gonna cut it! Just to be safe, let’s get two regular units and one handicap unit. And when we order the toilets, plan on one “clean-out” service, say Saturday morning, to have them all refreshed. Those holding tanks only accommodate about one and a half day’s usage. And let’s not forget we’ll need someone designated to keep those units stocked with tissue.
It seems that we’ve pretty much got it all taken care of now. I mean, if we really wanted to be a class act, we could spring for the $400 to have a dining tent put up so that patrons and pilots can sit and eat in comfort, out of the sun and dust. Good idea? Great!
FLIGHTLINE MANAGEMENT
Heading up to the business end of the site, let’s see what we need to do to make the pilot areas work. Of course, we’ll need some sort of tent or structure to house the registration table. And a PA system would sure be nice so that we are able to make announcements. Let’s put someone in charge of setting up the PA system, amplifiers, and speakers and check them out beforehand so that we don’t have to fuss with them during the event. Of course, a person to handle the announcements or to keep the spectators informed of what’s flying would be a cool treat. Don’t forget some sort of large umbrella for that announcer area to keep the guy from frying!
Perhaps the next thing to address is something to act as a barrier and to designate a viewing area to help protect spectators. We should also think of how we want to protect the pilots from any airplane having a mishap while taking off or landing. PVC pipe is a great material to make a structure, with some orange construction fencing tie-wrapped to keep it in place. And while we’re on the subject of keeping pilots safe, are we going to have a flightline crew to help announce departures and arrivals to help avoid any possible collisions? Even two guys would be useful. Oh, one more thing: If our site is one that is friendly to belly landings and is wide open enough that we can easily get to downed aircraft, some sort of “crash cart” is essential. A Gator or similar vehicle works great. If jets will be in attendance, we really should have some sort of firefighting equipment on a trailer towed behind the crash cart to help extinguish any small flames. It’s also a great idea to notify the local police and fire departments that you are hosting an event, offering them the names of two contact people, cell-phone numbers, and the address of the field.
Well, I think we’ve about got it! Other than the procedural stuff, like whether you allow guys to taxi back after landing or wish them to clear the runway ASAP, I believe the event is about ready to open for business. Of course, we must get some road signs put up in strategic areas to inform the public when and where this show is taking place, and we’ll make sure that the area where the people collect the admission fee is far enough inside the property so as not to cause traffic problems, with cars stacked up waiting to get in.
And we did think of making the entrance road wide enough to allow emergency vehicles to enter or exit while a line of cars is stacked up, right? Great, then as far as I can tell, we are all set to rock and roll. Have a great event!