Welcome
to OCMA
Updated August 1, 2026
Hello all, hope you’re staying cool!
There’s been talk of retrofitting the Irvine Lake dam for years. The project is about to start.
The Irvine Ranch Water District will be installing an above ground potable water main line from Santiago Canyon Hwy alongside Haul Rd and ending at the lake end of the flats. The Helopods that OCFA was going to install on our site between the containers will now be on the flats fed by the IRWD Water Main. The project calls for a concrete facility which will also be on the flats fed by the IRWD water main.
Construction of the pipeline will begin this August. Be prepared for traffic and lane closures on Haul Rd. The field will remain open.
I’ve spoken with the project manager, impact to OCMA will be minimal while pipeline construction is underway. I also requested water to our field but this is a temporary, above ground water main and it is not likely they will branch off to us. But it never hurts to ask.
The project is expected to last several years. Their current plan is to start emptying the lake this October. They expect work to only be done during the dry months, which lately has been most of them. El Nino may have a say in this but that remains to be seen. Expect more traffic on Haul Rd for the duration of the project, at the completion IRWD will remove the water main. We will remain open for flying.
Keeping you all in the loop.
OCMA BoD
Photos
Warbirds & Classics 2026
Pictures were taken by Brian Metz, Donna Travers, Jaime Diaz, and Deana Denlinger.
Photos of Warbrids and Classics 2025 by Deana Denlinger
A message to the membership of OCMA from your Safety Officer.
As most of you may already know, I was voted on and confirmed as the newest safety officer for OCMA. As you’ll hear me say repeatedly, the 3 most important aspects of membership are having a safe and fun flying environment, following, and adhering to the rules set forth by OCMA and the County Parks administrators, and keeping the field open to our club by not making any egregious mistakes that would invite negative scrutiny by the parks commission.
Bearing this in mind, OCMA has a set of rules which members have signed a waiver confirming their having read and understanding of the rules. The rules can be informative, such as where to find certain pieces of information, or flight boundaries, onerous, such as having proper identification on your flying device, or even rules for disciplinary action. But the rules are written and are updated as necessary in response to both external and internal events.
Keeping that in mind, it is anticipated that all members will fly in a safe
and friendly manner that allows both themselves and fellow pilots to enjoy
flying at our site. The job, duty, responsibility (you pick) of the Field
Marshalls is ensure that the rules are followed, point out when rules are
broken, suggest corrective action, and discuss the event with the person flying
at the time.
When approached by a field Marshall who has input into a particular event
they witnessed, the Marshall should inform you of what they saw, investigate
why it happened and then anticipate that the event will not be repeated intentionally.
You should anticipate a friendly demeanor from the Field Marshall. We anticipate
a friendly demeanor from you as well. A response such as ‘You’re wrong’ or
‘It wasn’t me’ is not appropriate. We anticipate a simple, ‘thanks, I’ll improve
on that’ is all it takes. Marshals are volunteers trying to keep the flying
environment safe and fun. If you see a Marshall videotaping you, it may simply
be a case where they are trying to show you what they and others are seeing.
Don’t jump to conclusion that you are in trouble and being picked on. And
you are always welcome to come to a board meeting to complain about the behavior
of any field Marshall. That is your right.
With all of this in mind, let’s all have safe and fun flying together. See you at the field!!
Thank you
Dave Kadonoff
OCMA Safety Officer
kadonoffd@gmail.com
Follow the link below. For current weather at the field select Haul Rd station.
What is required to fly at OCMA 2021 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