McGILLS ULTRALIGHT FLIGHTPARK

McGILLS ULTRALIGHT FLIGHTPARK EAA CHAPTER 55
McGill Airfield/Flightpark History Part - One

McGills Airfield: This was a series on the History of the McGill Airfield as relived by Clyde McGill.

The first landing strip in Little Deer Valley (that area between the Hedgepeth Hills on the South, Deems Hills to the North, Skunk Creek on the East, and New River on the West) was constructed in 1946.

In the Fall of 1945, after the end of WW II, Clyde and Millie McGill, with their two young children Judy and Gary, returned to Arizona from Burbank, California, where Clyde was employed by Lockheed Aircraft. They had made plans for several years to make a move to the desert property they had purchased in 1941. The airstrip was always an important part of their planned improvements, in part to replace the small runway on the farm that Clyde had used before going to California.

They spent several months on Clyde's parents farm near Glendale, building a rather primitive type well rig to drill a well, having a road built over the saddle to the West, and buying a small house trailer to live in. The actual move to the desert was April 1st, 1946.

The well rig was moved out in the next few days, set up and drilling started. The operating engine was a 1913 Model T Ford engine that Clyde had modified some years earlier to power a Pietenpol Scout that didn't get built! It was not without problems, but the well was drilled to 250 feet, a 1912 windmill near Glendale was purchased, removed from a 50 foot tower, and the tower dismantled. The mill was reinstalled on 25 feet of the tower and set to work pumping water for the McGill household from the new well. Now the Airstrip could be started.

Now the airstrip was started. It was laid out with the SE end near the north foot of the hill just east of the old adobe house, and the NW end passing close by the north end of the hill nearest the present diagonal runway. It was about one half mile in length with no obstacles to flight at the NW end.

At this time the runway was surrounded by almost virgin desert, only wood hauler trails, and few of those. Property lines mostly not marked. Clearing the strip involved mostly removing greasewood (Creosote Bush) and some rocks and bush hummocks. The new jeep and roll over scraper were quite helpful.

One of Millie's cousins, flying a little Ercoupe, was first to land. The humps were still not leveled and his rather short coupled tricycle gear gave him quite a ride! His only comment was "Well, it was easier than getting here on your roads!"

Dragging and floating put the strip in nice shape, and in the next few years it hosted a good number of visitors, sometimes old friends and sometimes curious flyers passing over.

In 4 or 5 years many changes were happening in the area. Irrigation wells drilled, desert giving way to farming, roads built, power lines run, and the airstrip mostly gone with fences crossing parts that were left. Clyde and Millie had cleared about 10 acres partly were the strip had been, and planted corn and milo maize, getting irrigation water from the waste of adjoining fields. Crops were grown for a couple of years before the water source dried up.

In 1956 something happened that would change things radically. Near tragedy spurs a new runway!

Sometime in 1956 Clyde's cousin from California had made arrangements to fly down to Arizona in a Fairchild 24 and land near the McGills. He was directed to land on a duster Strip on the South side of the Hedgepeth Mountain parallel to Union Hills Road (now the ABCO shopping center), after giving the McGills a buzz fly by to signal for a pickup. Near sundown the Fairchild 24 buzzed over and Clyde and a brother went to pick them up. A shock met their eyes--the 24 was on its belly--almost one half mile of high voltage power line down, yet the pilot and his passenger were without serious injury! It was indeed a miracle--they had landed directly into the sun and did not see the power lines. Unbelievably the prop hub penetrated the 3 wires so that 2 wires were on one side of the shaft, and one on the other side! The plane had an NACA cowling and all 3 wires contacted solidly, the landing was sudden and rough! The landing gear collapsed, the plane slid forward 60 feet, then the wires pulled it back about 30 feet. They got out and climbed over the wires, thinking it was a fence! The wires were steel and did not break, poles broke and transformers were shaken off. The sub-station was fairly close and circuit breakers were heard to kick out 3 times before power was dead. Had they been a few inches higher or a few inches lower it would have probably ended in tragedy--flipping over or under with a great possibility of fire and/or electrocution. The decision to replace the McGill runway was made that night!

A NEW RUNWAY IS BUILT AFTER NEAR TRAGEDY IN 1956

The replacement airstrip was laid out basically from east to west and this time was all on McGill property. A fence had been constructed along the east end of the property to allow cattle grazing on the adjoining pasture. So the strip was from the fence on the east and to the mountain on the west just shy of one-half mile in length and with a slope of about 20 feet from east to west.

Good friends and the only neighbors, Duke and Mary Medigovich, had a road grader of a pull variety which Clyde borrowed to cut the airstrip. The little jeep tried valiantly to pull the grader, but in vain. Duke observed the problem and showed up in short order with his Diesel Caterpillar. Duke drove the Cat and Clyde rode the grader and the Strip was soon a reality.

An interesting, and kind of an exciting time, was when the Television series, "Route 66" chose McGill filed on which to produce a segment of one of their episodes. It was the one guest starring Michael Rennie and Dorothy Malone, along with the regulars, Martin Milner and George Zaharius, in a crop duster sequence. They hired a local crop duster, with his Stearman, who flew in. George and Marty drove in their famous little Corvette. A greyhound bus, sound truck, property trucks, and many private cars were on hand. Filming soon began, Rennie was the pilot, and action was dialogue. The director needed the Stearman moved and told the duster pilot, who in turn spoke to Rennie, came back and said he discovered that Michael had been an English Fighter pilot with thousands of hours, and that he didn't need a double for a taxi shot!

Time for shooting was going fast. The sun was getting very low and the director was getting very nervous. At just this moment Charlie Bombardier, one of the old flying gang, happened to fly over and naturally curious about the unusual activity on the field, started circling overhead, which immediately stopped the shooting! The visiting airplane was really messing up the sound track! By this time the director was jumping up and down, shaking his fists at Charlie and screaming imprecations. Finally Charlie either realized he was not welcome or just got bored and flew away. The filming was finished just before all light was gone and soon all was quiet and serene on the McGill field again.

In 1946 the new runway in the desert at McGill's place was an attraction for the local pilots to explore. Old friends soon discovered that Clyde and his family had returned to the area, and new friends were made. Sometime in the late 40's three planes landed one day, and the pilots wanted to arrange to tie down for a couple of months or so. They were told of bad storms and meager security, but they were not worried. They returned in 2 or 3 months and fortunately the planes were still okay. They departed with thanks. We did not learn until later that the state had passed a new license and tax law on aircraft and they were trying to avoid it!

Early Spring 1956 ---skipping over a ten year period. The McGill's are now living in an adobe house, the runways are being used less often. Still no telephone, but promised soon. Clyde employed by USAF at Luke.

This Saturday started normally enough. Twelve year old Gary was promised he could use the Jeep to backfill the telephone cable trench. In the afternoon a friend flew in with a 4 place aircraft to see if Clyde could install an antenna for his radio. However the project was longer than he had anticipated and dark was closing in. He was adamant on flying it out when it was finished although Clyde had repeatedly offered to drive him home. Now it was pitch dark and he asked Clyde to get behind him on the runway with the car lights so he could see to take off. It was a fiasco! The dust and dirt from the prop was so thick that Clyde could neither see the plane nor the ground in front of him! It was crazy, but the plane did get airborne before either collided with anything! It was a nerve wracking experience. Gary went in to take a well needed shower, and Clyde and Millie decided to sit in the front yard in the dark and relax for a bit. Little did they know how short a time they would have to relax! Just a moment later they were jolted by almost simultaneous sounds--a small cry from Gary and the electrifying buzz of a rattler!

Gary thought it would be fun to sneak out the back door before his bath and come around the side of the house in the dark to "boo" his parents! He forgot the rules about not going out in the dark without shoes or a light. He was barefoot, and the snake struck him on the instep! It was the beginning of a nightmare of activity, racing to the hospital, obtaining medical attention and the concern for his recovery. It was a night and experience that will not be forgotten!

McGill Airfield/Flightpark History Part - Two

McGills Flightpark: This series on the History of the McGill Airfield as told by the Ultralight Pilots Association (UPA) and the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) Ultralight Chapter 55.

Brief History prior to the Ultralights:

Privately owned property of Clyde & Millie McGill until it was sold/taken by Maricopa County Flood Control in 1979.

Established first Airfield in 1946

Reestablished new Airfield in 1952

Owned and operated by Clyde & Millie McGill from 1946 to 1979.

During 1979 the property was purchased from Clyde & Millie McGill by Maricopa County Flood Control.

THE ULTRALIGHTS:

During 1979 the Airfield (Approximately 160 acres) was put under an open lease with the Ultralight Pilots Association (UPA) that could be terminated in 30 days for any reason that Maricopa County saw fit.

During 1983 & 1984 the Airfield was being managed by the Caldwells who operated an Ultralight Flight School on the premises. Due to numerous problems with the Caldwells and a general lack of reporting to Maricopa County the County considered terminating the lease with UPA. Bob Caldwell was the President of the UPA during this time also.

In the summer of 1984 the UPA was disbanded due to financial problems and a possible law suit over the last Greater Arizona Ultralight Air Race. The remaining members met and decided to form an Expiremental Aircraft Association Chapter.

In August 1984 15 individuals formed EAA Chapter 55. Algia King was elected President, Robby Samson Vice-president, Alan Rosson Secretary, Gary McGill Treasurer, and 3 Board members. Robby Samson was appointed as the Flightpark Manager at this time and tasked with working with Maricopa County to save the McGill Airfield/Flightpark for Chapter 55 members.

After initial contact with Maricopa County they indicated that they were willing to allow Chapter 55 operate the Flightpark under the UPA agreement, until a new agreement could be finalized.

After 30 months of negotiations with Maricopa County, EAA Chapter 55 was able to secure a Ten Year use agreement with Maricopa County for the McGill Flightpark in April 1987. This document was to be the impetus to allow construction on the Flightpark.

By this time Robby Samson had been elected President of the Chapter. Robby had developed a Ten Year construction plan for the Flightpark. A number of methods, contractors, and suppliers had been contacted in reference to Hangar and Shade construction or kits. Without ownership of the land Chapter 55 could not borrow to build, so other avenues were investigated.

During this same time the construction plan was submitted to Maricopa County who approved the site plan and the overall plan. Next step was to take the plan to the City of Phoenix. The City of Phoenix said "that area is not zoned for that kind of operation". The plans were rejected and we returned to Maricopa County for help. Maricopa County contacted the City of Phoenix who tried to tell Maricopa County Parks and Recreation Department what a "Park" was and that Ultralights did not belong there. After several months of arguing Maricopa County finally prevailed and a "Special Permit" was issued by the City of Phoenix to Maricopa County.

We thought that the "Special Permit" would make everything OK, so the Site Plans and Construction Plans were again trotted down to the City of Phoenix only to find out that they had to go through Developmental Services. Now of course Developmental Services wanted the Site Plan and Construction Plan done on a "big" set of blue prints submitted like some huge Contractor might do, so they gave us a manual 3 inches thick and said "go redo your plans according to this". We took our plans and went back to Maricopa County. Maricopa County intervened again and got Developmental Services to understand that we were like homeowners, just a small Non-Profit Association.

Robby was introduced to Gary Craddock who had been an Ultralight Pilot for many years. Gary was with the Flagstaff Fire Department at that time, but had been considering retirement. After numerous meetings between Gary and Robby they were able to reach an agreement about Gary building hangars on the flightpark with his own money, and leasing them to the flightpark for the purpose of renting them to members. Gary Craddock was then introduced to the Chapter 55 Board. Several of the board members expressed concern over obligating the entire Chapter (80 members) for the 10 - 12 members currently using the Flightpark. It was decided by the Board that the Lite Flyers Hangar Association be created to take on the financial obligations and the daily operations of the Flightpark. The Flightpark Manager would act as the Chairman of the Board of the new organization.

The Lite Flyers Hangar Association was formed in January 1989. After paying the Attorneys to form the Association the Chapter turned over the remaining funds collected for the flightpark, which amounted to approximately $90. With an $1100 Liability Insurance policy looming the following November many people believed the flightpark could not survive.

Not only did it survive, but we finally got permits from the City of Phoenix, the first contract for a 4 place hangar was signed and started. A new diagonal runway had been built for the prevailing winds. The ten year construction plan was finally put into effect.

After three years as President of the Chapter, in October 1989 Robby turned the reins of the Chapter over to Leo Parent, so that he could concentrate on his other duties as the Flightpark Manager.

In December 1989, after paying the insurance bill the Lite FLyers Hangar Association still had $690 left in the account, not bad for starting with $90 and having to pay $1100 insurance. All of this without raising the tie-down fees at the flightpark, which have been $15 since 1985.

In December 1989 at the annual meeting of the members of the LiteFlyers Hangar Association Robby Samson brought to the attention of all attending that he and the Chapter President had reviewed the credentials and the insurance paperwork of an Ultralight Instructor that was interested in moving to the flightpark. Because of previous problems with Commercial/For Profit individuals many of the members did not want this to occur. In fact when the new ten year agreement was signed with Maricopa County most people believed that commercial operators were not allowed. It was pointed out that a commercial operator could be allowed under control of the Association. After a lot of discussion and comments, the members were informed that the decision to allow the instructor was already made by the Board of the Lite Flyers Hangar Association. The plan was to promote the EAA, help the flightpark with its development, promote safety through training, and providing the flightpark with free check rides of unknown individuals to determine their ability prior to allowing them to use the flightpark. No FBO fee would be charged since the instructor was to help the flightpark with its goals.

Things deteriorated shortly after the instructor moved to the flightpark. Initially only minor things like; having a J-Jon brought onto the flightpark without any consultation or coordination. When asked about it the instructor said "I'm going to pay for this as part of my operation". After paying for two months and then nothing for several months the flightpark had to pickup a $212 past due bill to bring the account current.

During the next two years from December 1989 through December 1991, numerous meetings have taken place. Discussions about the various promises, the responsibilities, rule infractions, etc were discussed. Somewhere during this time the instructor also assumed that the verbal contract from the Lite Flyers Hangar Association included allowing him to rent aircraft to others on the flightpark. The subject was not mentioned originally and the instructor never asked he just did it. Additional promises were made at each of the meetings but with little to no results.

In September 1991 the instructor decided to change his status from Part-time to Full-time instructor without notifying the Chapter or the Flightpark of the change and whether or not it might effect his use of the flightpark.

The instructor was asked on several occasions for his instructor and insurance paperwork. Recently the instructor's attorney provided a copy of a letter from the USUA verifying the instructors status through February 1994. Still no insurance paperwork.

The Lite Flyers Hangar Association along with urging from the Chapter Board, met on January 10, 1992 to decide what course of action to take. When the meeting was over, the board had decided to terminate the "Verbal Contract" that allowed the instructor there in the first place, since his continued use did not meet the original criteria established when he was allowed to use the flightpark, and under the current conditions, his continued operation was placing the Lite Flyers Hangar Assn, EAA Chapter 55, and Maricopa County at risk. Because of the problems associated with the instructor all members were being placed at risk of losing the flightpark. Once again the basic conflict of For-Profit and Non-Profit have collided. In order for this or any non-profit association to survive and protect its assets the members and the governing boards must always keep a watchful eye on anyone wanting to use them FOR-PROFIT.

This situation is still not fully resolved as of the writing of this history, but it does sit with attorney's which are the only people to profit from this sort of conflict.

If the members of EAA Chapter 55 do not value the flightpark that has been developed for their use, or care about the many hours devoted by the people that have given of their time over the years so that this could be possible, then maybe the flightpark should be allowed to close. The instructor will not gain control of the flightpark, but could cause enough damage to cause Maricopa County to terminate the use agreement. Once this flightpark is lost Maricopa County will not consider allowing it to happen again!

The short court battle conculded with the court deciding in the favor of EAA Chapter 55 and ordering the instructor to vacate.

The next few years saw the return of some sense of order.

In 1997 Gary McGill (yes the same Gary McGill that grew up on this property) took over as Flightpark Manager.

In 1999 Maricopa County Parks was approached about renewing the Use Agreement. Initially everything seemed favorable. Within two weeks of the in person meeting the Chapter received a letter indicating exactly the opposite that NO Renewal or Extension would be made available and that existing date of April 14^th, 2001 would be the final date. After some negotiation Maricopa County extended the date by one year to April 14^th, 2002 to allow enough time to search, find and move our facilities.

The last Chapter Meeting was held at the flightpark on April 13^th, 2002 in a very similar manner to which they started. No shade or buildings of any manner only dirt runways and now some concrete slabs to show that once there must have been buildings there.

For those fortunate souls that knew the McGill's and were blessed with the fellowships that grew there, count your blessings and memories that cannot be taken away by any government organization.

Truly an end of an Era has occurred and now the only Public Ultralight Flightpark Facility spanning nearly 23 years ever in the State of Arizona is a thing of the past, never to be repeated