control line flying circles

[Andrew Ruggiero]

All,
I have been thinking about getting back into speed and racing. I live in Kansas City and do not believe there are any circles closer than St. Louis. Is there anyone in the KC area that are participating in these events? Is there a local place to practice.  I know about the grass field for combat in Lees Summit but that will not work for racing or speed.

[Dave_Trible]

Hi Andrew.  We haven’t had a paved flying circle in the KC metro for at least 40 years.  Topeka lost theirs a few years ago.  We all fly off grass- us Kansans in Shawnee next to the Kansas river.  The closest paved circles are Wichita, St. Louis, Springfield, Mo. and Omaha.  You are welcome to grow some “grass legs” and join us!

Dave

[Dan McEntee]

All,
I have been thinking about getting back into speed and racing. I live in Kansas City and do not believe there are any circles closer than St. Louis. Is there anyone in the KC area that are participating in these events? Is there a local place to practice.  I know about the grass field for combat in Lees Summit but that will not work for racing or speed.

  Hi Andrew;
    Have we met before? Have you ever been to Buder Park? I just have a foggy memory of meeting some one from KC that came to watch one year, probably several years ago. We are still here and so is the speed circle. We have our Speed contest coming up in May the weekend after Mothers Day.

   Type at you later,
    Dan McEntee

[Andrew Ruggiero]

I know about the St. Louis field. I believe it is the same park we competed at in the 1970s..?  I lived in Cincinnati then. Plenty of circles in that (Cin/Day) area even today. Dan, I have not stopped by St. Louis since I competed, so that was not me.
I moved to KC in 1997. I had other hobbies including RC, since my control line days.  I, just in the last few years, have visited family and old friends in Dayton and stopped by a couple of contests including the NATS to watch a bit. The bug kinda bit me. I have a brand-new Lathe Mill combo that i'd love to put to work on engines.  BUT no field is a big problem. 
I thought there wasn't any circles here but recently heard a rumor there might be. That is the reason for the post.

[Dan McEntee]

  Well, it is a bit of a drive here from KC, but if you were to get yourself to a point where it was worth it to drive here for a weekend of test flying, and stay at a nearby camp ground or some other cheap lodging, I don't know why that can't be done.. The way things work here is that our club dues are $15 a year and there is a $35 yearly permit that the County Parks Department requires. The funds from the permit got help maintain the facilities. If you require the pylon, that can be arranged. We have the two day contest in May, and have been holding the 4day F2A World Cup contest in September, plus some Fox .35 Speed and Perky events here and there. There are several camp grounds within a short drive, lots of hotels to sort through to  find the cheapest, and probably some reasonable bed and breakfast places. you may not have anyplace for a few quick flights, but if you plan it well, you could always make a weekend of it to test fly. There may be some one else in the same situation in your area also that you could share expenses with. If you have a smaller car with good fuel economy and some one to share expenses, it might be worth your while. The speed circle is always there! Think about that for a bit.
  Type at you later,
  Dan McEntee

[Motorman]

Some of the best races are run on grass.

[Dave_Trible]

I know about the St. Louis field. I believe it is the same park we competed at in the 1970s..?  I lived in Cincinnati then. Plenty of circles in that (Cin/Day) area even today. Dan, I have not stopped by St. Louis since I competed, so that was not me.
I moved to KC in 1997. I had other hobbies including RC, since my control line days.  I, just in the last few years, have visited family and old friends in Dayton and stopped by a couple of contests including the NATS to watch a bit. The bug kinda bit me. I have a brand-new Lathe Mill combo that i'd love to put to work on engines.  BUT no field is a big problem. 
I thought there wasn't any circles here but recently heard a rumor there might be. That is the reason for the post.

There were two paved concrete circles in the past in Kansas City.  Most famous was the concrete circle in Swope park built in 1962.  About 1975 it was buried under ten feet of dirt and since,  a soccer sporting complex stands upon it.  The second was a smaller asphalt circle built later to replace it in Riverfront park up north.  About a year later the park was found contaminated with some nasty chemical, the park abandoned and I suppose the circle is under whatever underbrush is there.  That, along with the mass closure of the many hobby shops in the area was the death nell of most CL modeling in the area.  It never really recovered. 

[john e. holliday]

You know I have driven all over the KC area with my job(now retired). taking granddaughters to their jobs and shopping.  In the industrial areas I see big exspanses of pavement.  Some have fences and some wide open. When JJ, my son and I were getting the boys plus Emmy for racing in Denver we found a gentleman that owned or rented the business of the parking lot.  He gave us permission as long as nobody got hurt.  Yes it was tight for mouse racing but it worked.  With out a club of several members to back me up I haven't tried to find the people responsible for these areas.  Maybe you can look around and get permission from one of these with requirements to protect them.    

[Mark wood]

In Wichita, we have paved circles and fly regularly. There's no active speed or racing but our smaller circle has provision for a pylon. I have considered running my sport jet but am a bit reluctant to. My understanding is there was a fairly strong racing contingent here back in the day. It's a three hour drive from KC.

[john e. holliday]

I have attended many contests at the circles just south of Wichita.  You can see them from I-35 on the east side.  I have been told the circle at the Beechcraft field is still there.   

[Gary Mondry]

It is not.  The area was sold off and developed.  There’s a Red Robin in that spot today.

[Fred Cronenwett]

These are the events we have planned for 2022 at Buder Park

We have two fun fly's planned - June 4-5 and Aug 27.

https://lafayetteesquadrillecl.wordpress.com/lafayette-esquadrille-cl/control-line-contest-st-louis/

Fred Cronenwett

[Mark wood]

The Wichihawks have a fun fly planned for may 14-15. We're planning on doing few fun "events" and hopefully having some help coming to teach us all how to fly stunt the right way. With enough interest and help we'll hold a stunt event towards fall timeframe.

[Jim Kraft]

My earliest remembrance of control line was at Swope Park in the mid 40's. Watching guys crank ignition engines and watch them fly. I have been in love with the hobby ever since. My parents use to take us to the park many weekends during the summer for picknicks. I would drag them to the flying circles where there were usually 4 to 5 planes in the air all the time. This was in that grassy area at the entrance to the park.

I have had this thing for ignition engines since those days. I have far to many, but enjoy running them on the test stand just to listen to them bark and watch the prop go around. I have loved flying them in both old timers with a radio, ( to old to chase planes ) and control line. I ran an Anderson Spitfire yesterday in my back yard. My neighbors are all working people and are not home most days.

My memories of those days in Swope Park are slightly fading. And I probably remember them greater than what they really were. But who cares. They are my memories. The tenacity of some of those guys who would crank for hours to fly one flight.

Toward the end of the 40's glow came out, and modeling changed forever. Some ignition engines could be converted to glow with no problems. Others blew cylinders off and broke rods and pistons.

Just a few of my memories of the early days of control line when it was huge. Swope Park was heaven to this young lad. The world has changed so much since those simpler times. When we moved to a small town of 3500 people there were about 15 of us who flew in ball parks, school yards and city parks.

 I use to have two flying fields where I live now, one a half mile away and another in a private park where the care taker took a liking to me. Both are gone. One has been converted to crop land, and the park changed caretaker who will not even allow RC cars there.

Well, get me on the computer and my fingers run my mouth off. LOL.

[dale gleason]

Hey Jim,

Similar, but, a little different....we lived in Burkburnett, Dad stationed at Sheppard (they had SA-16 A's out there, not a whole lot of water to float them in though....). 

One day, we stopped at a ball diamond in Burk and listened to some loud racket being made by some guys running a very loud airplane that flew in circles.

They broke a prop, packed up and departed. I covered the grounds and found a large wooden prop blade which I pocketed and cherished.

That event led me to realize there was more than just 74 Fighters and AJ Hornets....there were "Gassies"!

I was hooked.

dg

[Jim Kraft]

Why is that. I had two brothers who could care less. They thought I was a nut. They had no interest in model airplanes at all.

[Steve Helmick]

Hey Jim,

Similar, but, a little different....we lived in Burkburnett, Dad stationed at Sheppard (they had SA-16 A's out there, not a whole lot of water to float them in though....).  dg

They had some SA-16's (Grumman Albatross) at Maxwell AFB (Montgomery, AL) while we were there in the early '50's. I guess they kept them far enough from the Gulf to be safe from hurricanes, but close enough to be a bit too late to be useful?    Steve