Founding Fathers
The Coffee Airfoilers Model Airplane Club was founded in 1959 and the first meeting was held on January 19th at Jim Robinson's Hobby Shop. Officers selected at the second meeting held February 2, 1959 were :
President: Mickey Collier
Vice President: Chet Tuthill
Secretary: George Schulz
Treasurer: Lt. C. Essmeier
Charter members who are still active club members as of the year 2001 are Mickey Collier, George Schulz and Lee Webster.
One of the first items of business at the first meeting, was the organization of a junior program. Another objective of the club was to promote all types of model flying, rather than emphasize any one phase. The Coffee Airfoilers emphasized contests from the very beginning and the first AMA sanctioned contest was held in 1959. It was a free-flight meet, how ever an RC pattern event was included for those who were affluent enough to afford the equipment.
The original name of the club was "AEDC Model Airplane Club", how ever it was later changed to the Coffee Airfoilers Model Airplane Club because airforce regulations prohibited the use of "AEDC" or similar names. At that time, the Airfoilers were part of the Air Force recreational services and membership was restricted to military, civil service personnel, AED contractor employees and retired personnel from any of these organizations. We found a way around the membership regulations by establishing an associate membership that provided all club privileges except for voting or holding office. This regulation has been changed and all members are able to vote and hold office.
I am not sure why Coffee was selected as part of the name since the flying site at that time was in Franklin County portion of the model field. Jim Robinson and others were flying RC models around the corner from where the current runway is located, long before the Airfoilers were founded. The entrance was off Harton Blvd. and most of the current field was grown up in scrub oak and blackberry briars. Lt. Essmeier was instrumental in getting the current flying area cleared at no expense to the club. He managed to get the use of some AEDC equipment and most of the work was done by the Army Reserve Unit in Tullahoma as part of an annual two week summer training.
Sometime between 1959 and 1962, the meeting place was moved to the Army Reserve Bld. at 411 S. Anderson St. where Mid South Uniform is located. Meetings were held there until the Army Reserve Unit in Tullahoma was disbanded in 1964. From 1964 until 1971 meetings were held at St. Paul's Church gym. In 1971 the meetings were moved to St. Barnabus Church where they are currently still held.
Over the 40 year history of the club, it has maintained an active interest in competition flying. One of the longest running events is the annual Free Flight Contest, which is the largest free flight event in the Southeast. This event has been held consecutively for the past 35 years. It is held at the AEDC airfield, a large open field with a 10,000 foot runway. Other major events include a spring and fall RC Sailplane contest and a fall Giant Scale event. Another event, the Float Fly, is held in both the spring and fall at Tims Ford Lake.
The club continues to develop the flying field that it has used since its inception. It currently sports an asphalt runway with a parallel grass runway, sun shelters, pit areas with work tables, picnic tables and a graveled parking area and entrance road.
The club membership is about 80 members each year. The club is open to all persons and maintains an instructor group to assist newcomers to the sport.
In its 40+ years of activity, club members have contributed much to AMA. These contributions include two District V Vice Presidents, an Associate Vice President, two Contest Board Members, an AMA Fellow and several active Contest Directors. One member is still active on the AMA Safety Committee.