Compiled by club members (06/2011); Reformatted by JS (12/2012)
The Beginning
The early history of the RAMS club is actually an interesting sidebar of the history of old Wright Field itself. During World War II, Wright Field (now WPAFB Area B) saw tremendous buildup, including a large triangular concrete runway complex with the longest leg being 7000 feet. Full scale flight operations were ceased at Wright Field after 1963 and moved to adjacent Patterson Field (now WPAFB Area C). The wide open space and unused paved runways at Wright Field were naturally attractive to model flyers.
In the late 1960s, before the official club was formed, a small group of modelers operated radio control aircraft informally at Wright Field near the current site of the National Museum of the United States Air Force (NMUSAF). One of these modelers remembered that the B-36 that is now in the Museum was parked on the end of the runway near Woodman Drive and Springfield Pike until it went into the “new” Museum. The NMUSAF began moving to its current site starting in 1970.
In late 1968, several of the flyers in this group decided to formally establish a club as part of the WPAFB community. Captain Ron Van Putte led the effort to organize and establish the new club. Capt. Van Putte was an aeronautical engineering instructor at the Air Force Institute of Technology from 1964-1969. Mr. Don Lowe and Dr. Bill Lehn were also key founding members, then working as aerospace engineers at WPAFB. After an initial meeting with the base commander, the approval was given to begin planning for a formal radio control model club.
A clipping from the WPAFB newspaper, The Skywriter, dated 20 Dec 1968, announced the formation of the new club:
“MODEL FLIERS START W-P AIRPLANE CLUB Radio-controlled model airplane enthusiasts will have an opportunity to form their own club on the base. All Military and civilian personnel, and their dependents, are eligible to join, according to Capt. Ronald Van Putte, who is spearheading the organization. Persons interested in organizing such a group- for radio controlled only- should contact Donald Lowe, 52132; Maj Frederick Stark, 52388; or Dr. William Lehn, 54365. A meeting date will be announced in the near future.”
The base commander stipulated that only base military and civilian personnel be allowed to participate. Furthermore, to be consistent with base regulations, the commander requested a club constitution, by-laws, and flying rules, and Capt. Van Putte insisted the base require membership in AMA to fly radio control aircraft on base for safety and liability reasons. Once the base commander granted permission to formalize the club, it took several months to get all the documentation together and approved through base administrative offices including the Moral, Welfare, and Recreation office.
Request letter, dated 17 February 1969, from Capt Van Putte, complete with attachments including proposed Constitution, Bylaws, and Club Operating Instructions.
Reply from the Staff Judge Advocate office, dated 25 Mar 1969, requiring membership of at least fifteen persons and quarterly meetings to be held.
Subsequent revision and approvals, culminating in base commander approval, dated 13 May 1969, for flying on the base, including four other letters of approval.
The club constitution and by-laws have remained mostly unchanged from their original form, a testament to the hard work of Van Putte.
Establishing Early Field Operations
Per the original USAF approval documentation, the initial operating location was specified as closed runway 05/23 on the old Wright Field runway complex. (See Figure 1.) As evidence of the unique circumstances in operating an RC flying site on a military installation, note in Appendix A that the original operating instructions include a telephone call to the Patterson Field control tower to obtain clearance to operate radio control models!
As mentioned above, the NMUSAF was constructed on this runway starting in 1970. In the spring of 1971, in order to move away from the growing NMUSAF complex, the club requested approval to move to runway 00/18. A letter dated 19 May 1971, with attachment, shows a request to move to accelerated runway 00/18 with the flying area to the north of the accelerated runway intersection with runway 16/34.
Shortly thereafter, WPAFB began planning to construct Loop Road for base automobile traffic, with portions of the road along runway 16/34. As can be seen in Figure 1, Loop Road eventually ran right through the 1971 to 1972 flying site location. A March 1973 memorandum (Appendix B) indicated a new flying site farther to the south along runway 16/34 had been approved and would go into effect pending roadway construction. This location served as the RAMS flying site for over thirty years, from 1972-2005. Note this memorandum includes a signature block of then RAMS President, Major Dick Rutan.
Figure 1. Aerial View of Wright Field, circa 1997-1998, looking southwest. The Club Grows and Evolves
The early documentation shows that there were approximately 25 persons interested in forming the new club. It appears that these were a mix of civilian employees and military stationed at WPAFB. Many of the civilian members were also involved with other clubs in the Dayton area, primarily the Western Ohio Radio Kontrol Society (WORKS).
The club records from the 1970s and 1980s show that membership typically ranged from 50 to 70 persons. The club membership has been quite dynamic in its history. This is a natural result of military life, wherein airmen undergo frequent change of duty stations. Over the years, a core of civilian membership has kept the club operating, and welcomes a new batch of military members almost every year. New members are often young civilians, officers and enlisted personnel just beginning their careers. The RAMS club is extremely proud of its heritage in fostering a lifelong interest in aviation and aerospace for these future USAF leaders.
One of the requirements from the original documentation was that club meetings should be held quarterly. There is ample evidence in the records that the club did hold quarterly meetings, focused typically on the evolving operating instructions for flying on base, as well as safety and security. It appears that sometime during the early 1990s, these meetings were occurring only once per year. This policy continues today, with a yearly membership meeting to confirm AMA currency and discuss the past year’s safety and security concerns.
Other notable events in RAMS club’s history include:
1980: Guest flying was first approved. Until then, only club members were allowed to operate RC aircraft. The bylaws were updated to allow guest flyers with appropriate AMA membership to participate.
1981: The operating instructions reflect coordination with WPAFB laboratory testing for the first time, with “no-fly” days identified. This reflects the evolving multi-use nature of the field behind the NMUSAF, which includes laboratory testing, training, museum sponsored events, etc. RAMS has maintained successful coordination and noninterference with these activities. Also, first mention of dues and club budget. The original 1969 club constitution specifies that no finances would be involved, but obviously this has changed over the years.
1983: First mention of a frequency control board. It’s apparent that the club practiced frequency management via the “word of mouth” method prior to this. A new frequency control board was developed that year and is still in use today.
1984: The fence appears. As security concerns evolved at WPAFB, the base decided to erect a fence around the field behind the NMUSAF, which would (and still does) restrict access to the RAMS flying site. This was a critical moment in the longevity of the RAMS club, as security and official USAF business have always been a priority on the field. Much appreciation is owed by the members to the club officers at the time (D. Koger and R. Pinkus), who were able to successfully negotiate with base officials to maintain access to the field via a locked gate entrance. The locked gate has been a challenge over the years, but RAMS has always maintained the security of the field with high priority.
1991: 72 MHz narrow band adopted as the standard transmitter specification per AMA policy.
1993: Weed control begins. The concrete runway areas where the club operated had typically been maintained by the NMUSAF, but budget cuts forced the Museum to scale back maintenance. Weeds began to emerge in the cracks between the concrete runway surface which eventually made model takeoff and landing challenging maneuvers. This forced the club to undertake a weed control program every spring, and became one of the clubs largest expenses.
1994: WPAFB real estate office requires license to operate. Per a new policy established by the base real estate office, RAMS was required to establish a license with the base to use the field, which included a requirement for additional liability insurance for the base itself. This appears to be the first year that RAMS became a fully chartered AMA club (#2434) and purchased site insurance through AMA.
2001: Club membership opened to on-site contractors. Until this time, only civil service employees, active duty military, and retirees were eligible to be RAMS members. As the base workforce evolved, it became clear that on-site contractors were a significant part of the “Air Force family”. Hence, the club bylaws were updated to allow on-site contractors to be eligible for membership.
According to Ron Van Putte, the original RAMS club intent was simply an organization to enable personnel the privilege to legally operate RC aircraft in a designated area on base. Unlike many other active RC clubs, RAMS have never been very active in the social aspects of aeromodeling. However, over the years the club has supported RC static and flying demos during WPAFB community events, such as 4th of July celebrations and mall shows. Also, some club members have been active in supporting various RC events hosted at WPAFB, including; the Dayton Ohio Giant Scalers, AMA Fun Flys, WWI Dawn Patrol, and SAE competitions. The membership has also been actively involved with other local RC clubs in the Dayton area, including WORKS, Springfield Model Aircraft Club (SMAC), Dayton Wingmasters, and the Miami RC Club.
Recent History
In 2005, the club again addressed its flying site location. The club had operated from the corner formed by runway 16/34 and the taxiway of runway 09/27 for over 30 years, with an excellent track record of safety and cooperation with base and Museum operations. However, with the advent of larger and faster models, including turbine powered models, some of the membership felt the flying site should move to main runway 09/27 in order to avoid over flight of the base roadway traffic. The club officers researched the base license, contacted laboratory and museum representatives, and the membership voted to move to the current location along main runway 09/27. This runway was recently repaved to support possible delivery of one of the space shuttles to the NMUSAF. The result is no doubt one of the best RC model flying sites in the world.
In the past decade, the fenced area behind the NMUSAF has become a very popular location for a wide variety of activities. This includes laboratory testing, military reserve training, and NMUSAF sponsored full scale and model aircraft public shows. Throughout all this activity, the club has been exceptionally cooperative.
Starting in 2004, the club voted to hold an annual summer picnic and fly-in. This has been quite popular, and remains the only other formal gather meeting beyond the annual membership meeting. Picnic pictures can be viewed in the photo gallery at www.fly-rams.com. Notable Membership
The club heritage includes some famous names in RC and aviation. Here is a list (with short bios) of those notable members. •
Ron Van Putte – Ron was the principle founder of RAMS in 1969 while he was on active duty at WPAFB, instructing aeronautics at the Air Force Institute of Technology. Ron has been active in aeromodeling and AMA throughout his career. Ron wrote an aerobatics column for the AMA Model Aviation magazine for 20 years. He served as AMA District V Associate Vice President, was a member of the AMA Special Interest Groups Committee, and was Vice President of National Society of Radio Control Aerobatics (NSRCA).
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Don Lowe – Don was also one of the founding members of RAMS in 1969. During his aerospace engineering career at WPAFB he pioneered and developed remotely piloted vehicle technology. He was both a former Vice President and President of AMA. Don competed and judged in aerobatic competition for years, and received the AMA Meritorious Service Award in 1996.
Richard (Dick) Rutan – Records show that then-Major Dick Rutan was stationed at WPAFB from 1972 to 1975. He served as the RAMS Club President during this time. Of course, Dick has achieved an amazing record of accomplishment in full scale aviation, including the global circumnavigation in the Voyager.
Dean Koger – Dean was a club member, placed third in the AMA Nationals FAI Pattern class, and participated with the World Champion US FAI team that year.
Ken Bonnema – Ken has designed and published several competitive pattern ships over the years, including the Jester biplane (1967), the Brushfire (1978), Zlin 526 (Model Aviation, February 1980), and Reed Falcon (1984). Ken is currently retired from the Air Force Research Laboratory after 30+ years of service. (See Figure 2.)
Steve Rojecki - Steve has been flying RC airplanes for over thirty years. Steve flew RC pattern for many years and finished in the top 10 at several AMA Nationals and US F3A team trials during the late 1980s. Steve was also a competitor in the Tournament of Champions, placing first in 1984 with Ken’s Reed Falcon design. Steve was a past president of RAMS for several years as a young USAF officer.
Figure 2. Photo of Ken Bonnema with his Brushfire design at the RAMS flying site.
Record of Club Officers Year 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010
President Cpt R. VanPutte Maj S. Kianka Maj S. Kianka Maj R. G. Rutan Maj R. G. Rutan Maj R. G. Rutan ?
Maj J. Williams Maj J. Williams Maj J. Williams Lt S. Rojecki Lt S. Rojecki LtC P. Smith LtC P. Smith Col B. Krawitz LtC D. Koger LtC D. Koger ?
Col W. Neudigate Col W. Neudigate Col W. Neudigate Col W. Neudigate None Maj G. Butkus LtC P. Misuinas LtC P. Misuinas LtC P. Misuinas LtC P. Misuinas LtC J. Fiene Col W. Neudigate Col W. Neudigate Col W. Neudigate LtC C. Fisher LtC C. K. Fisher LtC M. Pilkenton Col G. Fike Col G. Fike LtC M. Pilkenton M. Pilkenton M. Pilkenton M. Pilkenton M. Pilkenton
Vice President Cpt P. Freedman Cpt P. Freedman Cpt P. Freedman D. Sedlock D. Sedlock D. Sedlock D. Sedlock D. Sedlock D. Sedlock D. Sedlock ?
R. Lach R. Pinkus R. Pinkus R. Pinkus R. Pinkus R. Pinkus R. Pinkus R. Pinkus R. Pinkus R. Pinkus R. Pinkus R. Pinkus R. Pinkus R. Pinkus R. Pinkus R. Pinkus R. Pinkus R. Pinkus R. Pinkus R. Pinkus R. Pinkus R. Pinkus R. Pinkus R. Pinkus G. Kretzler G. Kretzler G. Kretzler G. Kretzler G. Kretzler G. Kretzler G. Kretzler
Secretary/Treasurer Maj T. Stark M. Richardson M. Richardson M. Richardson M. Richardson M. Richardson ?
G. Gaugler G. Gaugler G. Gaugler Maj M. O'Brian Maj M. O'Brian LtC D. Cline G. Meyer R. Hoffman Maj M. Sanders 2Lt R. Clausen 2Lt R. Clausen 2Lt R. Clausen 2Lt R. Whorton 2Lt R. Whorton Lt C. Good Lt C. Good Lt C. Good A. Tewksbury A. Tewksbury A. Tewksbury A. Tewksbury A. Tewksbury A. Tewksbury R. Nolin R. Nolin R. Nolin R. Nolin R. Nolin R. Nolin K. Numbers K. Numbers K. Numbers K. Numbers K. Numbers K. Numbers Appendix A Original RAMS Club Approval Documentation
Appendix B Notification of RAMS Flying Site Relocation
This page is a text transcription of the original document, made automatically and may contain errors. .