Southside flying club pushed out by sale of Greenwood property

A decades-old flying club in Greenwood is on the hunt for a new home after the farmland it rented for years was sold and rezoned.

The Indianapolis RC (Radio Control) South Flying Club first took flight in February 1972, and it had been renting four acres of land at the northwest corner of Worthsville and Griffith roads from a Greenwood family since 1975.

The sport of radio-controlled flying combines model plane building and flying skills. The club has 62 members now, but it has had as many as 100 in its 49-year history, said Chuck Baker, president of the Indianapolis RC South club.

Indianapolis RC South is one of the oldest clubs in central Indiana. During warmer months, those driving by the field on Worthsville Road could spot people of all ages — from 8 year olds to 90 year olds — flying model planes almost every afternoon and evening.

But the club will soon lose its flying field. The four acres are part of a 152-acre property that was sold to Premier Land Company to build a new subdivision.

The Fishers-based developer plans to build 175 single-family houses and 83 attached two-family duplexes on the property, which had to be rezoned to residential from agricultural to move forward. The Greenwood City Council approved it in December.

RC South found out about the property sale when the public notice sign for the proposed rezone was placed on the property in December, Baker said.

Despite the short notice, club members weren’t surprised the land was being redeveloped, given the recent history of development east of Interstate 65, he said. Baker knew the flying club would lose its land at some point.

“They put the interchange in, and you know, the warehouses just started popping up like daisies in the last year or two,” Baker said. “We knew it was a matter of time, but we were hoping to stay as long as we could.”

Baker spoke against the rezone at a city council meeting, and received little response from the council members. He knew urban sprawl was inevitable, but he wanted to make the council and community aware of the club’s situation, he said.

Over the years, the club became more than just about flying model planes — it became a community staple.

Those who have belonged to the club include commercial and retired Air Force pilots, but also doctors and engineers. Some are just aviation enthusiasts. Often, membership is a family tradition, with many members’ children and grandchildren getting involved at a young age, Baker said.

The club participates in Aviation Day at the Indy South Greenwood Airport, and it hosts events where local school children learn about flying, as well as the engineering and technology behind it. The goal is for some of the students to pursue careers in engineering and technology, he said.

Its biggest event is the annual public RC Airshow, which benefits the American Diabetes Association. The club hosted the event for 34 years, raising more than $130,000 for the association, Baker said.

“That’s just a way for us to give back to the community and have people out so they can enjoy what we do for fun,” he said.

The club is still on the hunt for a new place to fly its model aircrafts, but it hasn’t had much luck yet. It was eyeing a piece of land west of State Road 37, but the property owner is being impacted by the Interstate 69 expansion, so the agreement is up in the air, Baker said.

RC South wants to stay in the Greenwood area because that’s where most of its members are. They hope to find a space soon because losing the club would be a real loss to the community it’s called home for nearly 50 years, he said.

“We’d really like to stay in the area we’re in to support the school kids, and we’ve even had senior citizens come out,” Baker said. “If we go too far away, we’ll probably lose a few members.”