Join the Cumberland Tree Project -- your support is needed!

[Steve P]

Thank you to all who have already committed to this project during the summer soaring event in Cumberland. Below is the information on how to submit your donation. Work begins soon, so kindly make your contribution at your next convenience.

FOR NEW FOLKS: If you are reading this, we knew you would help support the group effort!

Highpoint Aviation, the site of the Cumberland Soar For Fun events, has a long and storied history tracing back to the day Maynard Hill and his support team used the site for an altitude record attempt in the fall of 1967. Since 1992, Jim Dolly has continually invested in access, improving the site, adding infrastructure to what today is one of the nation’s premier RC flying sites enjoyed by hundreds of hobbyists each year.

While everything about Highpoint Aviation has continually gotten better thanks to Jim’s personal dedication and the support of so many over those 55 years, the tree line between the flying field and valley has continued to grow and grow and grow! While none of these trees is majestic nor are they valuable timber, those trees and scrub are hungry for airplanes and have significantly altered both regular flying and slope soaring.

Time for a big, bodacious project! That’s where we need your help.

A group of twenty-one (21) people who fly at the annual Highpoint events have come together to collect initial funds for a project that will greatly improve the situation and restore flying access to the valley. They have each kicked-off this effort with individual contributions of $250. They want to do this for Jim and for all who have come to love flying at Highpoint. Together, they have raised the base amount to make the project possible and secure the contractor.

Now your support is needed! Like so many fundraisers, each additional contribution will permit more yards of tree line to be trimmed down or removed. It’s really that simple, the more the better. The more people contributing, the more enjoyment for all! The more people contributing, the longer lasting the benefit of the project.

Please help! Join your flying friends by contributing $250 to the tree removal project and help us all restore the lift and save our planes.

Your support is truly important to maintain this pristine flying destination. Once completed, all contributors will be listed by name on a large framed photo permanently on display in the Highpoint hangar and showing a before and after photos of the improvements you helped to achieve.

Thank you in advance for you kind contribution! Work begins on October 24th!

Donations may be made directly to Jim Dolly via PayPal, check, or cash. PayPal Jim Directly at jdolly@atlanticbb.net

Jim Dolly
800 Nemacolin Ave
Cumberland MD 21502

From the front porch looking at the core project area....



Area to be removed....



Overview, blue area is first to be removed, red and green areas will be removed with help from your additional donations...

[lenb]

Thank you to the large group of folks donating today.

And a GIANT thanks to the couple who doubled the donation, you know who you are and you're rockstars.

Len

[JimD]

Let me start by saying how much this amazing outpouring of support is appreciated!!! Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!

In order to keep this as transparent as possible, a list of donations will be posted and updated here:

Up to $250:

1. Steve Richman

$250+:

1. Stephane Ruelle
2. Burt Pickhard-Richardson
3. Len Buffinton
4. Gunny Bumburs
5. Bill Liscomb
6. Bob Morrow
7. Matt Lupri
8. George McDuffie
9. Steve Pasierb
10. Peter Schlitzkus
11. Rick Shelby
12. James Stovall
13. Tom Pack
14. James Noel
15. Bruce Devisser
16. Dave Harris
17. Tom Mavaro
18. Kevin Kremer
19. Alfred DeRenzis
20. Joe Nelson
21. Gary Hobday
22. Chris Woodward
23. Tim Kirkessner
24. Gordon McLean
25. Thomas McPherson
26. George Burnley
27. Jeff Duhaime
28. Terry Dwyer
29. Al Mangani
30. Don Chamberlain
31. Dean Gradwell
32. James Arrup
33. Mark Yothers
34. Conio Sessa
35. Tom McLeod
36. Duane Jenkins
37. Robert Vollmerhausen
38. Juan Baracaldo
39. Steve Kremer
40. Ed DeRossi
41. Les Powell
42. Joseph Melchiorre, Jr

$500+

1. Pete Appleby
2. Bert Garrison
3. Mike Lachowski
4. The Model Box

Current Total $12,700

[mlachow]

Any thoughts on the towline tugging tug treeline trees down the one end of the field?

[JimD]

yes, we hope to cut those back too if all goes well with the main plan.

[mlachow]

It will be interesting to see how it works out. We might finally have some place on the east coast where we could set up an F3F course.

[mlachow]

Go team Cumberland.

[Steve P]

$11.95K! Boosting this back up to “today’s posts.”

[mlachow]

Who will push it over 12K?

[JimD]

When Len and I first considered this project, we reserved the contractor for October 24, 2022. When the funding came in so quickly, we decided to see if the contractor could move up the start date. As of today, the contractor now has us scheduled for October 10th with the possibility of and early date should any of his other scheduled projects be changed.

[mlachow]

Can't wait for that infinity field look.

[JimD]

The contractor was able to bring his equipment to the field yesterday afternoon and get started. He was wanting to see how the ground was going to be (soil or mostly rocks) and how steep the slope of the ground was going to be. First step was to start in the middle and work his way down over the hill. You can begin to see that "infinity" edge taking shape! Contractor is going to work all day tomorrow but will probably proceed in stages as he has time after that. Still, this is almost a full month earlier than what we thought it was going to be.

[Steve P]

Love it when a plan comes together!

[Soaranator]

Wow!!!!!!!

[JimD]

By the end of the day yesterday, the area pictured here had been enlarged to about double this size. It is impossible to take a photo that captures the scale of this project. This area is about straight downhill from the center of the airfield and is relatively "flat" compared to land under the trees looking straight ahead. This area has reasonably good soil and few rocks, so we should be able to seed it and then keep it mowed. I've dubbed it the "slope slot" and believe many great slope flights will be had here!

While $12,200 is a good sum of money, this project area is huge. We are trying to get the largest area cleared in the most cost-effective way. The contractor delayed his next job so he can stay on our project while we have dry weather the next three days. Plan is to get the cleared area seeded before the rain comes this weekend.

[stevekremer]

That looks amazing!

[mlachow]

Great progress. Once they get the first few days done, can you show us what was done on the original drawing? It will be nice to be able to hand launch slope ships. Right now the only thing I could get out there was an F3b model. You might be able to launch even the really big stuff that normally requires aerotow.

[JimD]

The project area was divided into two parts (see Yellow line). Blue zone was divided in half with north half and red zone added together for Phase 1 work. The south half was added to the green zone for Phase 2 work.

As of this evening, the entire Phase 1 work area has been cleared. The contractor says we are within our budget for this percentage of the work.



The next picture was taken looking north (standing where the Black Dot on the Yellow line is located). As you can see, the ground has been cleared and smoothed. A cover crop of seed will be applied tomorrow. The northern point of the Red zone triangle ended up being rounded out enlarging it a bit. The White truck is parked where the road exited the woods and entered into the open.