The norm is that there is no such thing as normal. Change happens whether we want it to or not. Our little flying club, which used to meet in members’ basements, has grown and established itself as a permanent entity in the community, and after 25 years, I for one think it is time to find a permanent home. We have the ability to raise funds and the talent to build our own facility. What we don’t want is to burden ourselves with debt or create a monster. What we do want is a place, simple and comfortable, where we can hang our hats, park our airplanes at the front door, and get together formally (monthly meeting) and informally for flying and conversation on weekends or nice summer evenings.

During the winter months, I am fascinated by the number of people that come to the airport every weekend regardless of the weather. Many times, flyers have told me that the airport is their home away from home. We all need a place to “get away from it all” and to know that when we get there, we are among friends that share a like interest.

I remember, like it was yesterday, one Christmas Eve about six years ago when the weather was in the 60°F range and it was just before dark when several of us were out and about helping one of our winged comrades do a couple of things in the building of his hangar. One of the chaps there said: “I should be home with my wife and family, but my mother-in-law just swooped in on her broom this afternoon, and I just had to get out of there.” A few days later, the weather went into the dumpster, and another fellow likened the weather to being: “As cold as a mother-in-law’s kiss!”

Nothing against mother-in-laws, but they are good targets for the occasional smile (in the USA, with the hunting laws the way they are, they are just plain good targets).

What I envision is a year-round place where members and their families can come on evenings, holidays, and weekends and find other like-minded folks. I envision park-like landscaping, barbeque pits, a fenced playground, and nice facilities that any of us would be proud to bring our significant other to. The building itself would have a large comfortable area for meetings, a smaller (but tastefully decorated) informal area for weekend and evening hangar flying sessions (complete with a dry-erase marker board for those who want to express themselves graphically), and a dark theater-type room with a large screen TV where flying movies could be watched on those days that are too foggy or cold to actually go flying.

The large screen TV should be on wheels so it could be used for audiovisual during club meetings or at the typical “rust remover” sessions. A screened balcony could grace one end of the building for those summer days and evenings when the best thing to do is sit around and judge other people’s landings. For this sport, it would be recommended to have the clubhouse at an airport: flying club, airport… makes sense to me! We could decorate it to reflect the rich heritage of our club, complete with pictures of members and their completed projects – kind of a rogue’s gallery of our roots and present. Current and past presidents’ pictures could hang in appropriate places to scare any rats or rodents that may try to move in. Think of the fun we could have with that!

We could have late spring, summer, and early fall meetings as evening fly-ins. The meeting break could be spent checking out everybody else’s stuff with prizes for the best and most hilarious comments and suggestions.

A fridge stocked with quality sandwiches, snacks, and tons of butter tarts (made by a caterer) and soft drinks would make the clubhouse a destination for other pilots. A large commercial-type coffee pot could be fired up all weekend long, and since pilots are very good on the honor system (Lakeland, Oshkosh, and Arlington are examples), a reasonable fee could easily be collected for the snacks and coffee.

If the clubhouse were on the south or north of Calgary, the drawback would be for those that are far away, but the advantage would be more opportunities to “fly to the meeting.” We have members on the north as well as the south, so choosing the location would need to be based on what is available. I don’t think that any of us would want to burden our group with land purchase and the building of runways, as did the Q-Nim glider club (Black Diamond).

As to possibilities for a location, I would like to throw our hat into the ring as Indus Winter Aire Park. It takes 20 to 25 minutes to go from our airport to the Armory where we meet now, so driving from the North would add a bit less than that time – no turning off the Deerfoot. There is even discussion on twinning 22x to make the trip even faster. A highway sign could give the club exposure to traffic passing the airport, letting them know we exist and that fresh blood (new members) are encouraged and meeting times. Already, loads of people around Calgary know of our airport and where to find us, besides we are out of the “high rent” districts.

We are planning on putting in a well and septic field. What the club would do is round up materials and build the building. Our airport is established with the Province as well as Transport Canada and will always be here, even if Dad and I disappear like Steven Fost did in Nevada (aliens probably got him). We could commit to the club that if anything were to change regarding the availability of the land and use, the building would be purchased from the club; thus, the club would never come up on the short end for their time and materials. I expect the best way to minimize taxes would be to build the building without a basement or permanent foundation. We would likely heat it with propane and have a beautiful and efficient wood-burning fireplace (more elaborate than the highly popular “Garrett” models) in it for the wintertime heat source.

Nothing like being able to toast your weenie (lunch time too) by an open fire on a chilly winter day!!

Flying and talking about flying is the way a lot of us deal with stress and get the “between our ears” computer operating in “safe mode” after a stress-filled day or week. With a nice facility to bring our family to, we can slide in more opportunities to be around airplanes and do what we all do best – B.S. and fly!