MAAA Wingspan

WING SPAN AUGUST 18 The Pakenham and District Aircraft Radio Control Society (P&DARCS) was established in 1966 operating on Crown land near Dandenong, about 30kms Southeast of Melbourne for about 12 years. In 1978 the Club moved to a 102-acre property some 55kms Southeast of Melbourne and due to superb initiative, the members formed a co-operative to purchase land for Club use. Members are required to purchase a $1,400 parcel of shares in the co-op to become full Club members after a probationary period. Shares are sold to an incoming member when a full member leaves the Club. P&DARCS currently have 172 members. The facility development has been funded entirely by members. It is easily accessible by Melbourne’s Monash freeway. It boasts three grass runways, 30mwide by 150m, 170m and 200m, an air-conditioned clubhouse with kitchen facilities, multiple 12-volt DC charging points, toilets and shower, shade structures and an excellent overfly area with very few trees. The Club has installed three shade shelters. The Club received a MAAA Field Improvement Grant five years ago which was used to purchase good quality topsoil to top dress the runways and improve the surface. The soil in the area is very expansive and prone to cracking when it dries out in summer, hence the need for good soil. Some 20 years ago the Club installed a runway watering system on two of their runways and purchased water via a tanker to run the system to reduce cracking. There is no access to running water. During the drought in the early 2000s the government made the purchase of water for irrigation illegal, so the Club spent approximately $60,000 of its own funds over four years installing 500,000 litres of onsite water storage plus a water harvesting system to collect surface water during the winter. The original watering system needs replacing and the Club hopes to install a newmore effective system in the near future, which requires less maintenance. Naturally funding is the problem, but as we own it, we are here for the long haul. During a recent safety audit of the facility several open pipe junctions were identified in highly trafficked areas which could possibly cause injury to persons or vehicles. They were also a very big eye sore. P&DARCS MAAA Field Improvement Grant