Spreading their wings

Editor’s Note: This continues our Celebrate Community series on Santa Rosa County nonprofit organizations that improve residents’ quality of life.

MILTON — Northwest Florida Modelers Inc. seeks to expand the practice of radio-controlled model aircraft building and flying in Santa Rosa County through both public display and education.

NFMI members — who meet 7 p.m. the first Tuesday of the month at 1900 J.E. Hall Center, 30 E. Texar Road, Pensacola — fly radio-controlled airplanes, helicopters and quad-copters also known as drones. Their aircraft, which come from kits, operate on electricity, fuel and some craft have turbojet engines running on real jet fuel.

“There are small airplanes that weigh less than a pound and would fit in your lap, up to airplanes weighing 50 pounds and up, with wingspans as large as 10 feet … Probably about half of our club flies scale models (scaled-down replicas of real aircraft), and the rest fly models that are designed as radio-controlled airplanes, with no full-size airplane equivalent,” club member Patrick Niven said. “It isn't uncommon to see a member come to the field with a WWII fighter, a helicopter, a WWI biplane, a glider and a jet and fly them all in one day.”

The group formed in early 1970, flying in Bagdad Field in Milton and then Ellyson Field in Pensacola. The club lost those two sites due to changes by the Navy, but with growth over the years — from 10 to 200 members — members picked up use of Spencer Field, Saufley Field, Blue Angel Recreation Park, Holley Field, Pace Field and Santa Rosa Field, according to information the club provided to the county. However, the Santa Rosa County fields only allow some availability with use limited by the Navy, Niven said.

Currently, the club seeks to add a location in Jay at the Jay Transfer Station for a more permanent home; it tasked member Frank Papasavas with securing it as chairperson of the executive committee for development of new flying sites. The Santa Rosa County Board of County Commissioners discussed the matter Monday.

“I support this project. I met with Frank and the modelers. The Jay transfer area is underutilized,” District 3 Commissioner Don Salter said. There are many opportunities for recreation at the station, Salter said, adding he was willing to support the NFMI’s needs there with his district’s recreation funds. Commissioner Bob Cole offered to add District 2 recreation funds as well to support the project.

The club is an Academy of Model Aeronautics-sanctioned group that provides a safe flying environment through strict, nationally recognized guidelines members must follow for design, safety, and training of model aircraft flying, according to Papasavas. Being an NFMI member also means joining the AMA.

One of the reasons for being a part of the AMA and flying in NFMI-designated fields is for safety. There are pilots who either don’t know or ignore the Federal Aviation Administration’s rules for radio-controlled aircraft, so it helps everyone to keep aircraft contained to one general area, according to Papasavas.

The NFMI also offers a flight-training program using certified flight instructors to teach people who are new to RC models. The program covers four lessons: how to turn and maintain level flight, how to set and hold headings, how to take off, and how to land.

To participate in the flight-training program, a student must be an NFMI and AMA member. The AMA website, at https://www.modelaircraft.org/joinnew.aspx, lists the adult membership at $75.

The NFMI membership application, available at www.nfmi.org, lists regular membership at $50 but free for youths with parental consent and AMA Youth Membership credentials as well as military members in training.

Both organizations offer senior discounts: $65 for the AMA and $35 for the NFMI.

This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: Spreading their wings