Fauquier Aero Recreation Modelers

Bealeton, Virginia

AMA Club #1654

An AMA 'Gold Leader' Radio Control Flying Club

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The FARM club was chartered on May 7, 1982.

The Early History of the FARM Club
as recalled by Phil Coopy

"In 1982, I was a member of the NVRC Virginia Air Show Squadron show team and living in Calverton, close to Warrenton, VA. I saw an advertisement in the local paper placed by the Fauquier Recreation Department recruiting someone to teach construction and flying of model airplanes as part of the local adult education program. After seeing the ad in several successive issues and not wanting to lose the opportunity of having more local flyers, I volunteered to lead a program.

"I put a program and cost together and presented a plan to Parks and Recreations. The department advertised and collected about twenty applications. With the fees collected, at the local Manassas hobby shop, I purchased twenty Eaglet kits, engines, radios, covering, construction materials, and required accessories.

"We met once a week in the evening at the high school cafeteria. With kits in hand, and each using a ceiling tile as a building board, and step by step, most of the applicants completed their airplanes over a period of about six weeks. I checked out most of the projects by flying them in the school ball field and taught the basic safety protocols.

"The original idea of forming a club came from Parks and Recreation but, we had to do it on our own because the county could not sponsor us because of the liabilities. They offered us the use of the community center for meetings so we got together, elected officers, and applied to The Academy of Model Aeronautics for a sanction as The Fauquier Aero Recreation Modelers (FARM). And in May of 1982 we were given an AMA club sanction. Our original president was Joel Bossard (the early club members are listed in the image below). I had declined to act as a club officer because I was already an officer in NVRC and also flying weekends on the Virginia Air Show Team. Later I became involved in drag racing with my boys so my weekends were tied up with other things limiting my FARM participation for several years.

"As I recall, at first, we flew at the high school ball field but neighborhood objections soon shot that down. We moved our flying to the athletic field at H. M. Pearson Elementary School on RT 616 in Calverton, VA. At the time, Pete Rawlings stepped up and did a wonderful job of assuming the club flying instructor task. He also had a basement hobby shop business which helped us along with supplies. And from there we moved to Fox Farm at Opel, VA. After flying there for a couple of years the property owner asked us to look for another place. I advertised in the local paper and as a result Don Rhynalds contacted us and offered us the rental of his private airfield."

List of FARM members as of Sep 01, 1983
provided by Bill Varney.

Here is an image of the original document:

FARM List 1983