Help Save Fisher Road LZ!

[davidtheamazing1]

We are looking for a volunteer to step up and secure a landing spot for this great ridge.

The idea is that we should try again to approach landowners to understand where they (he and his wife) are coming from. Perhaps taking them out for lunch and if appropriate, an offer of some renumeration might help us secure landing permission?

I noticed that a house/field is for sale in the valley, just a little ways down the street. At 10-1 it is probably too far of a glide, and I have no idea about the suitability for landing. But it's certainly better to have something close plus... wouldn't it be great to fly "home"?

Asking price for 164 Blackberry Dr is $155,000:
http://www.trulia.com/for_sale/15537_zi ... 9_xy/x_map

If somebody thinks the house would be worth checking out, maybe we could see if anyone in the club would/could make it work as a potential place to land?

Thanks for this history (from Mark):

The big issue was to check for horses in that field prior to landing. Also,
we typically stopped by and let them know before flying for the day. I'm
not 100% sure, but I think that the family's name was "Osborne".

Here's a Google-Maps link that takes you to the center of the old primary:

http://maps.google.com/maps?saddr=East+ ... sz=17&z=17

The owners apparently got annoyed during a Pulpit Fly-In that was relocated
to Fisher (because of the wind direction). The Fly-In was a great success, but
the landowner apparently 'had enough' as a result of that event. There weren't
any actual issues during the Fly-In... It might just have been too many people,
too many vehicles. The stated reason for prohibiting use of their fields
was that it was too upsetting to their horses. But that might simply have been
a convenient excuse to just get rid of us...

(I will send more background info to anyone who could investigate further)

[mingram]

I resurfaced the idea of remuneration at a club meeting last year. I planned to make a visit to the landowner a few months ago, but when I asked other PG pilots more familiar with the history and relationship I was told that they just don't want us there.

We've received permission to land at small farms farther south, but that means we only fly when it's definitely soarable.

Another option we kicked around was purchasing forested land closer to the LZ and then have a logging company clear it to help offset the cost. I talked with Bedford County GIS and found out who owns the parcels, but haven't taken that any further. When I landed out from my XC at the Pulpit a few weeks ago I was picked up by a couple who own a railroad and forestry company that said they could help with getting the property cleared.

Attached image credit to Ben Brooks.