This is definitely an inspired group of aircraft modelers from Minot, North Dakota.  This group of of radio controlled model enthusiasts were organized in 1973.  Living in North Dakota we are blessed with the abundance of airspace, but finding a place to fly has been a problem from the beginning said club member Ron Boen of Minot.

  "We've been all over the place," he said.  "We rented some land by the archery range behind the Trestle Valley, but there we sat up on a bluff surrounded by coulees, and if you got down into one of those coulees you had a crash because of the trees."

  MAM also rented land near the airport in Minot and the North Dakota State Fairgrounds.  The club kept getting pushed out of these locations by encroaching development.

  MAM has been in existence since 1973 and the club has had about 12 different locations where they tried to fly.  It was sad because the club was constantly developing a field and then loosing it.

  In January 1991 MAM purchased  the land on which we now have our flying field.

  "The bottom line is we've got about $10,000 invested in that field and paid it off in seven months." Boen said.    MAM later purchased another 40 acres of land adjacent to the flying field.

  "We didn't want anyone building a house right at the end of the runway, because that would end it for us again," Boen said. 

First building on the new site.  This 9'x16' building was used for concessions, storage and mower storage.

Our canopy building was the 2nd building.

MAM flying field in 1999.

Another picture of the MAM flying field in1999.

Mike helps a youngster earn his wings.

  The MAM flying field now consists of 55 acres of land of which we actively fly on 15 acres. The remaining land is leased and provides an annual income for the club. We are actively engaged in continuing improvements on our flying site. We currently have a concession/meeting building, a canopy building with picnic tables, a large metal shed for field maintenance equipment, and recently a bathroom and shower facility has been added with running water for our entire field.  Our pit area has tables with electricity for working on aircraft.  We maintain two 600 ft. grass runways.  There is a large area for parking RV’s with electric hookups and sewer dumps. 

Left to Right:
Kneeling: Lanny & Linda Wade, Ron &Sharon Klusmann, Jimmy & Mark Vajda, Betty & Beth Vajda, Anthony Steinke, John Nelson, Ron Barthel, Maynard Kuebler.
Standing: LeRoy Slorby, Jerry Orth,Arlene & Joe Perry, Bev Cushing, Bev Vajda, Gene Rogers, Doyle Chester, Sylvia & William Kickert, Lorraine & Earl Schneider, Judy & Dick Winje, Steve Tucker, Michelle Schoneberg, Ron Boen, Jim Kraft, Charlie Cushing and Roger Lee.

Fun Fly, June 2008

  We have about 60 active members from varied backgrounds including retirees, active businessmen, active and retired Air Force personnel, high school and college students. Membership in the club is open to anyone with an interest in radio controlled model aircraft.

  The club has instructor pilots to help newcomers with the intricacies of radio-controlled flight. In addition members are always happy to help beginners build their own models. A wide variety of aircraft models are flown by the members of the club: scale models of aircraft from the beginning years of flight to the present, trainers specifically designed to help modelers learn to fly, gliders, stunt models, fun fly models, both gas and electric powered, helicopters and jet planes. Some members even fly planes of their own design.