June 6, 1926 to January 27, 2022 Hal was a designer, competitor, friend, father, grandfather and great-grandfather. Founding member of Checkerboard RC Club in 1972 For as long as he can remember, Hal Parenti had been fascinated with the idea of flying. At the young age of six or seven, he purchased a 10-cent Comet Models kit and pestered his mother to help him build it. By the age of 10, he was able to build a Phantom Flash and fly it in front of his house on the streets of Chicago. As his skills advanced, he moved up to…
Author: e_sharp
October 29, 1947 to August 18, 2022 Nolan was a brother, uncle, great uncle and a friend to many. He served honorably in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War and was stationed in Panama from 1968 – 1970. Nolan joined Checkerboard RC Flying Club in the mid-1990s. He flew 40 size fixed-wing aircraft; most memorable was his Piper Cherokee. Nolan was a dear friend to so many of our club members. He came to the field often to show his support for the club, helped keep the field in tip top shape and to visit with his friends at…
ChicagolandFPV Racing at Checkerboard August 14, 2022 We were back at the Checkerboard field to take advantage of new elements that give us some very dramatic elevation changes and make the course really fun and challenge flyers to new types of obstacles. Of note, the launch and giant double-dive gate required you to pilot your quad up to 30-40+ feet forming a smooth spiral through it. Once you get it right, the flow feels fantastic. We had an interesting final as 2 of the participants were flying spec class quads because they will be racing at the Illinois state fair…
Drones are a large part of what Checkerboard is these days and we did not want to just cater to drone racers, but to make the park open for freestylers and people wanting more diverse obstacles and fun challenges. Along with other race style elements, we’re slowly building out more FREESTYLE specific obstacles that will make this an even more appealing place to spend your hobby time. We therefore started work on some obstacles to achieve this. We started with a double dive gate that was 16 feet high made of 3/4-inch conduit that was 8 feet square. Unfortunately, this…
In mid May, a First Lieutenant from the Civil Air Patrol (CAP) Illinois Wing – Group 2 contacted our club to ask if we could do a demonstration flight for a group of their young cadets. The Civil Air Patrol is the official auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force and a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Their mission is “Supporting America’s communities with emergency response, diverse aviation and ground services, youth development, and promotion of air, space and cyber power.” The CAP Magnus Composite Squadron youth group we met with is headquartered in North Riverside and has a facebook website at https://www.facebook.com/ILWG.Group.2/?ref=page_internal…
Joseph Dan Lake September 3, 1966 ~ April 7, 2021 Dan will be remembered for his thoughtfulness and generosity to all. Those who knew him will remember his warmth and kind heart. His contagious smile and willingness to help everyone…veteran pilots and rookie pilots alike…were such assets to our Checkerboard RC Club. Throughout his life he balanced his family, friends and successful businesses. He was a brilliant man that was so technically savvy and always eager to learn more. His love for electronics and tinkering with high-tech gadgets made him who he was. His greatest passions were his children and the love…
As President of Checkerboard RC Club of Forest Park Illinois I’m proud to announce that our club has reached a milestone not often attained. On Saturday, October 1, 2022 Checkerboard RC Club will celebrate its 50th Anniversary. Our 50th Anniversary Celebration will take place from 11 AM to 1 PM at Miller Meadow Model Airplane Flying Field (1st Ave, Cutoff North of Cermak Rd., Forest Park, Illinois), the home of Checkerboard RC Club. The celebration will feature food, fun, raffles and flying demonstrations. For more information please email checkerboardrcclub@gmail.com. Our celebration is not only to acknowledge this momentous occasion but…
At foamboardflyers.com we offer tips and resources for the foamboard R/C modeler. If you are looking for something different in the hobby, this might be the thing.