The Tulsa Glue Dobbers, Inc. was established in 1947, and is believed to be the oldest, continuously chartered, R/C (radio controlled) flying club in the country.

When you join the Tulsa Glue Dobbers, you must also join the AMA because AMA membership provides necessary liability insurance required by the club as well as the City of Tulsa from whom we lease our field. You may obtain both TGD and AMA applications at Model Works or at our web site mentioned above.

Joining the Club:

     Within a couple of weeks of submitting your dues and application, you should receive your membership card and a year sticker for your frequency clip from the club secretary. Shortly thereafter, you can pick up your frequency clip at Model Works and place the sticker on it. All members receive periodic mailings of our club newsletter, The Super Glitch. To save expenses, the Glitch is published each month on our web site for your information and enjoyment, but we only mail a hard copy every few months as very important news comes along.

 Meetings:   

     Club meetings are held on the fourth Tuesday of every month except December. Starting time is 7:00 pm. Currently, during the cold weather months meetings are held at Martin Regional Library located at 26th and Garnett. Summer meetings are held at the club field. Members should check the web site to determine where meetings have been scheduled. At the meetings, all aspects of club business are discussed and voted upon including field improvements, rule changes, flying and non-flying events, and safety concerns. We also try to have a program of interest to all members.  Club officer elections and special club awards are voted on at the November meeting. All members are encouraged to attend meetings and voice their opinions. After all, this club belongs to all of its members.

The Leroy Rogers Award:

The Leroy Rogers Fellowship Award is awarded annually to a member(s) who has demonstrated exemplary fellowship toward fellow members and to the general public and/or who has made outstanding contributions to the betterment of Tulsa Glue Dobbers, Inc.™ during the previous year.  Click here for more information about the Leroy Rogers Award.

The Field: 

The Glue Dobbers flying field is located 2817 S.  Lynn Lane Avenue in Tulsa. The seventy acre site features a 50 x 450 foot asphalt runway, large enough to handle practically any model aircraft. A 70 foot wide grass strip runs parallel to the asphalt and is adequate for larger model planes with large wheels. Since moving to this facility in 1998, the club has added improvements such as sun shelters, spectator seating, a separate helicopter pit and pilot station area, a club house with electricity, heat and air, and aircraft assembly/starting tables. A well stocked first aid locker is available as well as a properly serviced Porta-John. Padlocks to the front gate, the club house, and the first aid locker all use the same combination code which is given only to members.

Frequency Control:

All FM transmitters used to control model aircraft broadcast on channels 11– 60 in the 72 MHz band reserved for our hobby by the FCC. The new wave of ready to fly “park flyers” often broadcast on channels 1 - 6 in the 27 MHz band which is also used by some R/C cars operated across the street at the TORC car track. This leads to the possibility of radio interference which may cause a crash. We encourage anyone using the 27 MHz band to turn on their plane’s receiver before the transmitter to observe whether the plane is receiving someone else’s signal. TORC members exercise the same safety procedure.

We carefully control the use of channels 11 – 60 on the 72 MHz band by using a frequency control board. Pilots must use their frequency clips (issued with memberships) in order to reserve a channel for their flight. If two transmitters are broadcasting on the same channel at the same time, a crash is likely. So, when arriving at the field, be sure to reserve your channel before turning on your transmitter. The board has a position on a horizontal rod for each channel and the frequency clip attaches with a clothespin. If a channel is already in use, place your clip below the active clip on the vertical rod, seek out the other pilot, and agree to carefully take turns in the upper, active position on the frequency board. It is even a good idea to stow away your transmitter when sharing a channel and it is not your turn, so that you will not absent mindedly forget about the conflict. The latest transmitters operate on 2.4.MHz and cannot possibly interfere with anyone. Users of these radios need not reserve a specific frequency, but  we require that they identify themselves as TGD members by placing their clip on their transmitter when flying. 72.MHz will continue to utilize the frequency board as stated above.

Common Sense and Courtesy:

Our hobby has some potential hazards that are best avoided by using common sense and courtesy. Listed below are some examples:

  *  Starting your engine under the sun shelter or with the exhaust and prop wash aimed at people nearby is messy and dangerous.

  *  Running an engine with children or friends in front of or beside the prop is dangerous. Always remain behind the engine as much as possible.

  *  Flying low passes along the runway is discourteous when another pilot is doing close-in hovering or 3D maneuvers, and hovering over the runway or near its end is disconcerting to someone trying to fly the pattern, shoot touch and goes, or land.

  *  Verbal communication with other pilots is vital to safety. Some such calls are “landing,” “on the runway,” “clear,” “dead stick,” “full scale approaching,” and “Oops, sorry about that” are always appreciated.

  *  Helicopter pilots have agreed to fly south of the frequency board and east of their pits when fixed wing aircraft are in the air. Fixed wing pilots are required to fly east of the deadline at all times and should never fly over the heli area. These recommendations still leave the possibility of choppers crossing over the deadline and interfering with take offs and landings of fixed wing planes. Courtesy and care should keep all parties happy.

Official Club Rules:

For a hobby as potentially hazardous as R/C flying, you will find remarkably few rules in effect at the field. However, all members are expected to follow all of the rules all of the time.

You should consider the posted rules as the minimum needed for safe flying. For the record, here are the rules:

1.  Access to the field area enclosed by the safety fence is restricted to Tulsa Glue Dobbers members and their guests.

2.  AMA Membership is required for flying, except for the introduction of a guest to radio controlled flight by a Glue Dobbers member employing a functioning buddy box and cord.

3.  The Tulsa Glue Dobbers Field is open from sunrise until one half hour after sunset. However, glow or gasoline engines may not be started or run for any purpose until 8:00 am.

4.  The Frequency Board must be used at all times.

5.  There shall be no flying of fixed wing aircraft west of the north south line described by the inner edge of the runway nor shall any aircraft be flown south of 31st street or near the ballpark complex to the north.

6.  There shall be no taxiing to or from the pits unless the aircraft is positively controlled and restrained by hand.

7.  Effective mufflers are required on all engines of .20 cubic inches displacement and larger.

8.  Each Glue Dobbers member is responsible for removing all trash he or she creates from the field, and upon being the last member to leave the field, lock the clubhouse, the first aid box, and close and lock the gate.

9.  No alcoholic beverages shall be used or consumed on the premises.

10.  Certain members are designated as “Safety Officers”. They are responsible for conveying the safety rules of this club and the AMA. In severe cases of possible injury to others or equipment at the field, the designated officer may ground the flyer.

11.  Any and all rules of the City of Tulsa Parks and Recreation Department applicable to all City Parks and/or this Park in particular shall be observed by Glue Dobbers members, their guests and the general public while visiting.

12.  All Academy of Model Aeronautics field and flight rules and regulations apply to the Tulsa Glue Dobbers Field and flight operations at the field.

Getting Started:

Learning to fly R/C aircraft is easier and less expensive than ever. Your first plane should be a “trainer” type that has a high mounted, flat bottom wing. Planes like these are more stable and easier to land than other designs. You may buy a pre-owned plane, or build from a kit, but the local hobby shops now have “almost-ready-to-fly” (ARF’s) kits that can be assembled in a few hours, and are excellent bargains. Some even come with an engine and full radio equipment that can later be used on your second airframe when you graduate from your trainer plane. You will also need the following:

• A glow driver to provide engine ignition.
• Glow fuel; typically 5 – 15% nitro content.
• Either an electric starter or a “chicken stick.”
• A fueling hand pump or bulb
• A spare glow plug and propeller.
• A plug wrench, small screwdrivers (standard and Phillips) and some paper towels and Windex.

The cost of all this stuff varies, but you should plan on spending around $350 - $450 getting started. If you want some advice before opening your wallet, come out to the field and ask members for their advice. Opinions are plentiful (and free).

Trying to fly without instruction almost always ends in disaster. Most Glue Dobbers are happy to help beginners at any time and one needs only show up and ask for help with a new plane. If you prefer an appointment, go to our website and obtain the phone number of one of our introductory pilots. Typically, an instructor will fly a student’s plane to a safe (high) altitude, allow the student to practice maneuvers, and then land the plane afterwards. Using a “buddy cord” to link the trainer to the trainee is the best plan but not necessary. Students who spend time on computer simulators learn the fastest, but remember that many of our members learned without simulators. After a session or two, the instructor will let you taxi and take off, and then ultimately you will be guided towards your first solo landing, a moment we all remember forever.

Using an instructor will greatly reduce the odds of damaging your new plane while you are learning the basics. However, since even the most experienced pilots can plant a spinner occasionally, there is no guarantee that your plane will survive training without damage. The instructors volunteer their time and experience------please don’t blame them if an unfortunate accident occurs. They feel as badly as you do. Think positively; when you do have your first unplanned encounter with the ground, you will have the opportunity to start a new hobby---model airplane repair!

Competition and Fly-Ins:

Competitions in Pattern Flying, Quickie Racing, and Fun-Flying are sponsored by various clubs throughout the warm weather seasons. Most clubs hold “Fly-Ins” which are like big open house weekends that give you a chance to fly off of a different runway. The largest event sponsored by The Tulsa Glue Dobbers is the annual Heatwave In The Heartland held each summer. Any current AMA member may enter their jumbo sized aircraft (80” mono, 60” biplane, or ¼ scale) for airborne and static display. The Jumbo brings in flyers from across the region, and it usually features great door prizes, a candy drop for kids, raffle planes, beautiful scale warbirds, and wild 3D demonstration flights by some of America’s top pilots. 

Conclusion:

So what’s it all about? Its about having fun and sharing the fun with friends. There’s not an R/C pilot anywhere who can’t reel off a dozen great stories that start like “There I was at eighty feet when…” or tell you every detail about their first solo flight.

This hobby combines diverse interests such as aerodynamics, engineering, electronics, meteorology, and woodworking. There is always something new to try, a new design, or a new maneuver. You might start with an ARF, and ten years later find yourself scratch building a ten foot B-17 with four engines. It is certainly a hobby that lasts a lifetime.