What the heck is this?

flyingcheesehead

flyingcheesehead

Taxi to Parking
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Feb 23, 2005
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UQACY, WI
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iMooniac
Received in an e-mail from my brother with the above subject line:

http://tinyurl.com/l5m8ee
Seen while flying into SJC... I'm pretty sure I saw something flying in the area. Google Maps isn't much help - it shows up as unlabeled green (eg park), and all I can tell from Street View is that there's an RV park nearby, though it seems like most of the roads that approach it are gated (ala park maintenance roads).
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I'm pretty sure I know what it is. But do you?

(If there's anyone who knows that area, I'd also be curious to know if I'm actually right!)

In a couple of days I'll post the message I sent back to him.
 
Looks like a VERY nice RC airplane runway/club to me. Fancy setup they have there.
 
My guess.... Too small of a field for your typical GA aircraft but I would say ultralights and or gliders. There are a couple of winged vehicles in the image.
 
BigAL said:
Looks like a VERY nice RC airplane runway/club to me. Fancy setup they have there.
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Hmmm. i could not see this from the home computer network but I can see it from the office.

I agree it is an RC airplane runway/club. I see these around Chicago a lot.
 
I didn't notice the planes there by the "club house"(?) until John mentioned it. Plenty of cars, but not many planes visible....unless under the canopys.

That place sure would have been nice to have when I learned, had to give up that hobby as it was too expensive. Now I own a plane and am work'n on my PPL.....it's cheaper.:rofl: I'm not the brightest star in the sky.:rolleyes:
 
ive heard stories of glider pilots approaching model airplane fields and getting a bit confused by the miniature runway with miniature buildings and miniature windsocks.
 
tonycondon said:
ive heard stories of glider pilots approaching model airplane fields and getting a bit confused by the miniature runway with miniature buildings and miniature windsocks.
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I do not know if it is still there. But coming into runway 9 at C81, Mike A's homefield, there is a RC runway a away on the final approach course. The first time I was landing at C81 I caught sit of a plane right undeneath mine and it freaked me out! I thought I had a real near miss with someone in the pattern. Then I saw the medal airplane strip and started to put it all together. Did you notice on Kent link of the field the yellow X's? I'll bet those fields get their fair share of piloted airplanes doing an approach.
 
tonycondon said:
ive heard stories of glider pilots approaching model airplane fields and getting a bit confused by the miniature runway with miniature buildings and miniature windsocks.
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Somewhere I saw a video of a glider (1-26??) landing on an RC runway.
 
There was one in Havasu IIRC, but it had numbers. LOL.
 
That's what I thought, too. Here's the message I sent back to him:

Well, a few things to take note of:

1) The yellow X's at either end on the centerline. That's the signal to pilots of "real" airplanes to "DON'T LAND HERE." The other markings are clearly nonstandard, but there are some private fields that use nonstandard markings - Just not THAT non-standard!

2) The length of the "runway" is only just a hair over 500 feet, so only a very few airplanes could possibly get in and out of here anyway.

3) There *are* some airplane-shaped objects near the "clubhouse" at the northwest end of the "ramp" area near the parking lot. Two of them, yellow. Note their size relative to the cars. Not sure what the green things in that area are, though.

So, my bet is that it's a radio-controlled airplane field. If you look over near the runway, extending from either side of the central taxiway is a path that has 6 "boxes" on it, 3 on each side. I think that's where the pilots stand.
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tonycondon said:
ive heard stories of glider pilots approaching model airplane fields and getting a bit confused by the miniature runway with miniature buildings and miniature windsocks.
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For some reason that reminds me of a story of Diane and Michael landing at Buttonwillow. :D
 
smigaldi said:
I do not know if it is still there. But coming into runway 9 at C81, Mike A's homefield, there is a RC runway a away on the final approach course. The first time I was landing at C81 I caught sit of a plane right undeneath mine and it freaked me out! I thought I had a real near miss with someone in the pattern. Then I saw the medal airplane strip and started to put it all together. Did you notice on Kent link of the field the yellow X's? I'll bet those fields get their fair share of piloted airplanes doing an approach.
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Yep! It closed when the home developer bought that farm. There are still no houses there.

Imagine being a low time student and seeing a plane fly cross ahead of you on final. They made an effort to keep the RFC planes clear of us.
 
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