History of G.M.A.C. Field - How it came about!
There were three or four regular Control Line fliers at Reservoir and we used to fly at Reservoir Lake, part of the site for the Free Flight Australian Champs in Christmas 1949. Eventually the Council stopped us flying at the Park by planting trees – very effective!
Control Line flying was in limbo for some time after this and consisted of flying wherever we could until moved on because of the noise. My attempts to make usable mufflers were mostly unsuccessful as the engines in use for Control Line were not designed for easily made strap on mufflers and the extra tail weight needed to be added to keep the model balanced.
One day, in the middle seventies, I was looking for a place to fly and I came across a group of people flying Control Liners and they let me join in their aerobatics competition, which I won. This event occurred about eighteen months after the official formation of G.M.A.C. The Club remained a Control Line Club for some years and during this time we were hunted off three different flying sites.
Gradually Radio Control started to infiltrate our Club. Early Radio Control fliers I recall were Ian Slack, Elvin Winter, myself and Ron Mullinger. The areas we were using at the time were too small and the surrounding terrain too rough. At this time we flew Control Line at a small farm on the Eastern side of Plenty Road near Arthurs Creek Road turnoff and later on radio control planes on the site where RMIT site is today - on the playing field. This field had the disadvantage of a huge balsa magnet tree in the middle of it. This has since been removed and now is a very level cricket field.
Another place the Club flew was the hill to the West side of Plenty Road beside Donnybrook Road. By this time Control Line flying was falling by the wayside and the majority of Club members had changed to Radio Control. We held a Radio Control glider event in Kerr’s paddock at the Western side of this hill. A Hang Glider flyer asked if I could tow him up if he attached a rope to the tow bar of my HQ Holden which we did. I started to tow him and a large wind gust hit head-on and the lift from the Hang Glider lifted the rear wheels clear off the ground – extremely lucky no accident! Prior to this many members used the hill as a slope soaring venue.
Around about this time the Club had 70 – 80 members, mostly Radio Control fliers so we needed a new flying ground of which we could assume permanent ownership.
Various members searched around the countryside but could find nothing so a Club flying site idea went into limbo.
Sometime later, the then Diamond Valley City Council set aside a tract of land for noisy sports well away from any housing settlements. At that time the nearest houses were on the Eastern side of Yan Yean Road. This land was awarded to the Golf Club and the Archery Club, but there was a portion of land set aside for the Motor Cycle Club. They decided the land parcel was too small for their future development and moved to some land towards Whittlesea.
Our Club heard about this and decided to go to a Council meeting and request that this area be put aside for use by GMAC as their official permanent flying ground.
Russell Wright was President at this time and I was either Secretary or Vice President then. I don’t recall which. At the next Council Meeting I stood up from the audience and asked permission to speak. I outlined our noise problem with Model Aircraft and alerted them to the fact that they were essentially quieter than motor bikes. The land seemed going begging so could our Club have its use please?
There was a favorable reaction to this but they asked for a demonstration of our Radio Control activities before they would approve our use. A mutually suitable date was determined and duly we gave a demo. Present at the demo was Elvin Winter, Ron Mullinger, Graeme Greenaway, Russell Wright and myself. Hand launched Radio Control models were demonstrated and a take-off strip was cut out of the native grass with a motor mower. My big red Super Tigre 60 Aerobatic was able to take off from the strip and I did the demonstration flight. As we were about to leave Norm Thompson arrived.
At the next Council Meeting the flying field matter was brought up and we were granted the field. Thus GMAC flying field was born.
By David Kerr 2010
If you have any information or pictures about the History of the GMAC that you would like to share, please send the information by email: president@gmac.org.au
