About Us

Monthly Meetings

Our club meets the first Tuesday of each month to plan club activities which can include local and invitational competitions, family picnics or dinners and to conduct such business as is necessary. There is often discussion of current model materials, suggestion on building and flying conducted by members with the expertise in such areas. Occasionally movies are shown, and lot of hangar flying both before and after the meetings.

Facilities

We have a well-maintained 900 foot-long grass runway, an open shelter with picnic tables, charging station, and ample room for event stands and parking. The airstrip is surrounded on all sides by farmland, making our club field a safe place to fly model aircraft ranging from micro-to-giant scale. Our members fly electric, nitro (glow), and gasoline powered aircraft- although there is some restriction on combustion engine hours of operation due to noise concerns.

Field Layout

Below, you will find a map of our club field safety zones. If you plan to fly at SMAC, please take note of areas restricted to parking, pilot flight line, and the no fly zone.  As stated elsewhere, a current AMA membership is required to fly at SMAC. All members of SMAC are also required to be members of AMA. AMA membership provides liability insurance, a subscription to "Model Aviation" a monthly modeling magazine and access to AMA Sponsored competition events.

In addition, you should be registered with the FAA UAS program and have your UAS identification number on each model you fly, according to federal law.

Constitution and By-laws

Click on THIS LINK to read our foundational documents.

Click on THIS LINK to view our current club officers.

Club History

Compiled by Roger Dillion

Edited by Ken Petry

The Springfield Model Airplane Club was formed in January 1973, to meet the need for modelers to share their collective skills and talents and to provide an organizational vehicle with funds to maintain a flying site, offer training to newcomers, and to offer a common ground to those interested in modeling to further enjoy their hobby interests.

SMAC is a chartered Academy of Model Aeronautics (AMA) (charter number 1346) and enjoys the distinction of being Chapter #3 in the United States.  

Original Club Crest

In May 1976, SMAC leased enough land to create a flying field directly behind our (at that time) meeting place and the Hobby Shop. There were many members, and we had a good time flying for hours on end. As the club grew in size, so did the needs for a larger field.

In 1988, Bob Laybourne, one of the founders of SMAC helped the club to procure a site next to the Hobby Shop, where we enjoyed many hours of flying through the year 2000.

In the spring of 2001, SMAC began construction of our current flying site which is located on Spence Road, just west of North Hampton, Ohio and north of State Route 41. The new site boasts a grass runway of some 900 feet in length with ample parking for flyers as well as guests and spectators.

SMAC also has the distinction of having another club within itself. In 1989, members petitioned the Society of Antique Modelers (SAM) for a chapter number. We are known as SAM 68 and since that time have hosted a number of SAM events with modelers coming from all parts of the state and country.