The lush green runways and aircraft parking spots by the coast and rivers of Awatoto are the envy of a great many aero modelling clubs throughout the country — although the flight crew who make up Model Flying Hawke's Bay have had their damp moments.
Such as when the wholesite was submerged by floodwaters a couple of years back.
"We do in effect live in a drain," was how club president Lance Hickey put it.
"We do have to contend with some flooding, mostly minor incursions of water, but occasionally more severe with the resultant silt drop and damage necessitating remedial work on the field and access road."
But at this point in time the club's Awatoto Field venue is looking perfect for a spot of flying.
Hickey and his aviation colleagues are hoping to spark interest from young people who find the swapping of screen games controls for model aircraft controls appealing.
Like it is with any club, good membership numbers are critical, and with around 90 members on the books at this time Hickey said they were holding their own pretty well.
"But retention is the biggest thing so this is one way of putting the word out."
Over the past 20 years the Awatoto airfield has become an annual attraction for both spectators and model flying enthusiasts from around the country through the staging of the Warbirds Over Awatoto shows, which coincide with the Art Deco Festival.
The club's facilities and generally fine and fair conditions has also seen it host regional and national flying competitions, with a number of local members having competed nationally and even internationally.
The latest to leave their successful mark in the skies are the duo of Kevin Botherway and Jo Wurts who with other New Zealand team members recently won the World F5J competition for powered gliders staged in Slovakia.
There is always a wide and colourful range of aircraft at the club's open days.
As Hickey pointed out, the Awatoto site was unaffected by increasing regulatory restrictions on flying space and areas and the club had been a strong proponent on safety and compliance, as well as ensuring it was well controlled and set up to provide training for newcomers as well as a top-class facility for sport and competitive flying.
While it has been handling model aircraft for 25 years at Awatoto the club itself goes back a lot further, with its roots going back pre-war through the Hastings Model Aero Club which was later merged in with the Napier Model Aircraft Club to become the Hawke's Bay Radio Flyers which flew from a leased site at Roy's Hill off State Highway 50.
They lost the lease in 1990 so the search began for a new airfield and three years later the club got permission from the Hawke's Bay Regional Council to trial a clear and flat site between the stockbanks, near the Tutaekuri and Ngaruroro rivermouth.
They negotiated with the council and the local farmer who leased the land and were granted permission to develop it and operate from it.
The club borrow a grader and created a 400m access road from the end of Waitangi Rd and the stretch was layed with roading metal.
Since that early development club members had continued to upgrade access, fencing, shade shelters, seating, parking and keep the airstrips at the highest operating levels.
As Hickey said, there was plenty of dedication and devotion to the task involved — they did the work and they raised the required funds.
There was also devotion to the job from the council and the Ravensdown company which had allowed the club to build a tractor and storage shed on part of its adjacent land.
Effectively by the community for the community.
"This is a facility which we believe makes a significant contribution to our Hawke's Bay lifestyle and entertainment," he said.
"To this end we want to showcase the club's operation, what we do and give the local public an understanding of what aeromodelling in Hawke's Bay is all about."
There will plenty of colourful, and technically remarkable, aircraft on display and in the air, Hickey said.
From World War I bi-planes to World War II fighters and post-war aircraft — and the sound of jets will also be heard and their "pilots" will be more than happy to chat with spectators about what they are seeing.
