Welcome to OCMA
Updated January 23, 2021
The Field is open
Hello Everyone!
We want to thank everyone for the overwhelming gratitude and support for
OCMA and getting the field open. Temporary changes were well received and
“manageable” was the best description I heard.
Considering a drive thru anything was a first for OCMA, we think it went quite
well, with a moderate rush first thing and a steady flow from then on. By
11:00AM nearly half of the current membership completed the 2021 Key exchange/waiver
process. There were only a few issues that prevented the exchange, I have
forwarded those all to Membership and they will be addressed ASAP.
As I listen to the rain outside, although it was a lot of last minute hard work, it was a good move to bump opening day to Friday.
Sunday’s Key exchange/Waiver
The 2021 locks are on the field and Santiago gates now. The field is open for everyone who has been through the exchange process. If you are attending the Key exchange tomorrow, Sunday, PLEASE do NOT show up early, you will not be able to get in until we open the gates. You CAN NOT park or wait on Santiago at all! Official hours for the key exchange are from 8:00AM thru 11:00AM – we will open the gates as quickly as we can.
To keep Haul Rd clear, we will be directing you into the Little Oaks parking lot, cones will mark the entrance. Randy McElhattan will give you a Waiver and pen then guide you into the lot. The Little Oaks parking lot is on the right as you are nearing the flying field gate. Once you have completed the key exchange and waiver, the field is open to you. We are still Social Distancing at the field, so if pit spaces are full, you are welcome to drive through and check out the field but please do not get out of your car.
We ask everyone to be considerate of your fellow members and wear a mask at the field.
Thank you and see you at the field!
OCMA Board of Directors
reopening process and other useful information
Good news, we are about to reopen the field. We have completed the temporary work necessary to mitigate identified trip hazards in the pit area. Please understand that our goal all along has been to reopen the field as quickly as possible. As stated in our Zoom meeting, the initial letter and subsequent refusal of solution from the individual(s) locked OCMA into an irreversible course of response and action. This cost everyone use of the field in the interim.
While we have been able to identify and correct the immediate hazards, we are not allowed to alter the property. Our field is in and is considered as Wilderness Area. That means there are natural and continually changing hazards just by the nature of the land and wildlife.
Please understand these changes we made are temporary and should not be confused with long term improvements or upgrades. We have long range plans to address the pits while keeping them as safe and user friendly as possible. Unfortunately from this point forward, there will be a fence of some type separating vehicular (parking lot) and pedestrian (pit) areas.
OCMA remains dedicated to providing and maintaining as nice of a facility
as possible, while promoting the hobby in as safe and friendly an environment
for the Recreational use of Remote Control Aircraft as possible.
There are a few very important facts that everyone needs to recognize, understand
and accept in order to join OCMA and fly at Bob Swenson Memorial Field. Due
to the uniqueness of the property, intended use, specified conditions in the
lease, and OCMA management, Bob Swenson Field may not be suited to everyone.
The property is a unique parcel of Irvine Ranch Open Space Land & OC Parks,
which OCMA leases from the County and comes with equally unique conditions.
It is private property in a “multi use” area of Black Star Wilderness Park;
access is by permit for specific use only. That permitted use is the Recreational
use of Remote Control Aircraft.
As lessee, OCMA is responsible for management among which duties is to issue that permit. It is called OCMA general membership, your permit is your OCMA membership badge and must be worn on your person while on site. Having this permit grants you to the intended use of the property, specifically the Recreational use of Remote Control Aircraft, nothing more. Having and maintaining your OCMA membership has specific conditions. First of which is you agree to fly Remote Control Aircraft in accordance with OCMA By-Laws, OCMA Waiver, OCMA Flying Field Safety Rules, FAA regulations and AMA safety codes. These items are routinely covered in our annual safety meetings.
It is every member’s duty to familiarize themselves with and follow the OCMA By-Laws and Flying Field Safety Rules as posted on the OCMA Website, which are always current.
Much of how OCMA and the Field operate are long standing procedures. Put
in place long before any of the current Board of Directors took office but
have been fully respected. These procedures have been observed and approved
by our Lessor while vetting OCMA and expects OCMA to continue following them.
Some of these procedures include:
- Annual Mandatory Safety Meetings
- Understanding, signing and respecting the annual Waiver
- Securing the field, keeping the gate closed and locked during normal operation
– in our case we use a unique keyed lock for which blanks are not publicly
available.
- No signed waiver means no gate key and no access as a guest or otherwise.
- Heavy use of the locks typically wears out 4 or 5 of them during the year.
New locks are required annually.
Due to the Covid-19 restrictions, we are unable to fulfill our typical annual
safety meetings. However we are still expected to provide a signed waiver
for every OCMA member. Locks are changed annually as a normal function. During
that signing, we will exchange 2020 gate keys with 2021 keys. In lieu of the
annual safety meeting it is highly recommended every current and potential
member read, understand and agree to follow OCMA By-Laws, Flying Field Safety
Rules, FAA Regulations and OCMA 2021 Waiver before signing said Waiver. As
stated in the last line of Article 10.3 of the OCMA By-Laws, “It is the duty
of every member to familiarize him or herself with the most current rules
before engaging in any activities at the modeling facilities operated by OCMA.”
None of these By-Laws or Rules are open for debate, it is up to you to read,
understand and agree to follow all of them. For most this is nothing new or
unusual, simply nothing more than a formality. Some may find these By-Laws
and Rules unacceptable. We understand and will gladly refund your 2021 membership
fees while wishing you well at your new flying site.
We expect to open the field this coming weekend and are working out the details.
We expect a fairly large number of members and will do our very best to perform
this while respecting Social Distancing. To save time there will be a picture
of the 2021 Waiver on the OCMA Web Site for your review. We expect this process
to be a “Drive Thru”, you’ll be given an identical 2021 Waiver hard copy and
if you didn’t bring one, a new pen after you first enter, you may keep the
pen. Only the waiver handed to you when you enter will be accepted once signed
and verified. This signed and verified 2021 Waiver will be kept on file once
accepted. Following Haul Road you will be directed into the second station.
Here you will hand in your 2021 badge, signed 2021 Waiver and 2020 Gate Key.
All will be verified on the spot at which time your 2021 Membership Badge,
with 2021 sticker if not already in place and your 2021 gate key will be returned
to you. At this time your 2021 membership has been formally accepted and the
field is open to you. We are still operating under Covid-19 Social Distancing
Guidelines with a limited number of members allowed on site. All 2021 badges
have been mailed out as your 2021 applications started processing. We will
not complete this process without your 2021 badge, please make sure you bring
it with you on that day. A properly completed waiver and 2021 badge is required
to obtain the 2021 key. No-one, member or guest is permitted on the site without
having the verified, completed waiver on file.
We will start the Key Exchange and Waiver Signing process on Friday, January 22, 2021, with a second session on Sunday, January 24, 2021. Additional sessions may be necessary which will be scheduled and announced ASAP. Social Distancing respected, OCMA is still obligated to obtain signed Waivers and 2021 key exchange. The field will be open and available for normal operation starting with the first session.
Key Exchange and Waiver Signing Sessions:
Friday, January 22, 2021 from 8:00AM thru 11:00AM
Sunday, January 24, 2021 from 8:00AM thru 11:00AM
OCMA Board of Directors
OCMA 2021 Renewal Notification and Updates:
As we start the renewals for 2021, we want to share some information regarding the change to the annual fee for OCMA membership. We have been absorbing increasing operating costs every year while the annual dues have not changed for many years. Fees for trash service and porta potties have increased substantially over the last few years due to increases in fuel costs and regulatory fees that are passed on to us. There are new costs for our site permit and increasing insurance costs while also needing to build reserves to support upcoming and future projects such as resealing the runway and saving for future pit upgrades.
With this in mind the dues for 2021 are increasing effective November 1, 2020 to $125 annually. The initiation fee for joining OCMA is still $50. This will enable us to continue providing the premier flying site everyone enjoys.
For 2021, the renewal and new membership requirements must be met when submitting your renewal or new membership: Please read this carefully!
You Must have and provide a copy of your AMA Full Membership with an expiration date on or later than December 31, 2021. Park Pilot memberships do not meet our site insurance requirements and will not be accepted. If your AMA membership expires any date prior to December 31, 2021, you will need to renew your AMA for an additional year or contact AMA to add a yearly renewal that extends your expiration date to December 31, 2021 or later.
You Must have and provide a copy of your FAA Registration that has an expiration date in 2021 or later. If your FAA Registration expires this year you must renew your FAA Registration through the faadronezone.faa.gov website. The link for this can be found on the OCMA website.
Renewals with all required forms and payment must be submitted by December 31, 2020 to be valid. Postmark by December 31, 2020 will be valid for renewal.
To join or re-join after December 31, 2020 you must submit all required documents, application, and payment of $175.
Any membership application received without the correct payment amount or missing any required documents will be returned to the sender. Any membership returned as incomplete or missing documents or insufficient payment will not be considered received by the deadline unless the complete form, correct documents, and payment are re-submitted by the deadline.
The membership renewal period for 2021 expires as of Thursday, December 31, 2020.
You must have your 2021 badge to fly effective January 1, 2021 or when the field reopens once the above mentioned work is completed.
Your OCMA Board of Directors
We are still required to follow Social Distancing Guidelines. The following temporary restrictions are still in place:
Temporary Field Restrictions to honor local Social Distancing Guidelines (revised)
Limited number of Pilots
Fixed Wing: 20 pilots at any one time, assuming 1 pilot/family
per pit space
Rotary Wing: 6 Pilots/Family Units, one per defined pit space
Face Masks are Strongly Suggested
Local city Guidelines for Social Distancing outside
is “Masks are strongly suggested”
Please show your consideration for your fellow OCMA members and wear a mask
at the field. The majority of our membership is in the High Risk category.
Field Gate Warning!
The field gate is a single point of contact for everyone
entering and leaving the field. The field gate must remain closed or physically
manned at all times. We do not have the manpower to man the gate during hours
of operation. PLEASE MAKE SURE YOU BRING WHATEVER IS NECCESSAY TO WASH or
DISINFECT YOUR HANDS
Hand washing station at the fixed wing pit/restroom area
No events, BBQ’s or other Social Gatherings.
Any congregating under canopies MUST respect 6’ separation.
Pilot Stations are sufficiently spaced at 10’ and greater; all 5 pilot stations
may be used.
OCMA BoD
What is required to fly at OCMA 2020 and beyond:
- FAA Registration Card on your person
- FAA Number displayed on your aircraft which you intend to fly
- Wearing your OCMA Membership Badge
Safety Officers, Field Marshals and BoD Officers have the authority to verify. Aircraft not displaying the proper FAA number will not be allowed to fly until they do. We are assuming you all have your AMA information inside your aircraft which has always been required by AMA.
Air space boundaries!
It is extremely important that we all fly within our defined airspace AT ALL TIMES. There have been a number of occasions recently that our aircraft have been observed well outside our boundaries. By that I mean over the river to the north and up the valley well past our eastern boundary. If you have difficulty judging this, please use a spotter. Fly within the tree line to the west and east, use the oak tree across the field as your northern boundary. Using this as your guide, you will be flying inside our agreed airspace. A map of our airspace ison the bulletin board at the field and at the link below.
Bob Swenson Memorial Field
5305
Santiago Canyon Road
Follow Blue Diamond / Haul Road to the end.
Field GPS Coordinates: 33deg 46'18.07 N, 117 deg 41'52.79 W