I am not buying it, and nor should you. I am not talking about the water, but the huge amount of fertilizer being supplied by some of the board of directors.

I have taken the time to talk directly to the people that actually know the facts of the present water situation from the XC Ranch to CSS as well as the history of it. I am not interested in being divisive, or just complaining, but I am interested in having honesty, especially from those who can influence the direction of our club into the future. I have also reached out to some of the BOD that I consider friends to try to understand their point of view, and got not one response of substance.

We have been hearing from one of the board of directors that we cannot have a grass LZ because there is not enough water in the summer to keep it green, and that the ranch chooses swimming in the pond instead of watering the grass. This is completely false. The only times the XC Ranch had to shut off the water to the LZ was because there was a problem with the plumbing at the LZ. That is a problem for the club to solve, not the XC Ranch. I may not have been flying at AJX as long as some, but I have flown here most of the time since we had a grass LZ and I enjoyed landing on it – even during some of the driest summers on record. I also heard that the ranch raised their price for the water from $500 to $1800. Well, it was the club that offered the increase, not the Ranch demanding it, and that happened in 2010!!!!

Yesterday we were told that a dirt LZ is twice as hot as one with Astroturf. That is completely opposite of reality. This is just the beginning of what appears to be a miss-information campaign from the BOD.

Now, we have a vote that has been designed to get a minority result. This can be fixed simply by eliminating two of the four options.

I have no personal animosities towards anyone on the BOD and I only wish the best for this club, this flying site that I hold dear, and those that run their businesses teaching free flight for future generations.

P.S. In my search for the facts, I was reminded of something wonderful. There are a number of members of this club that have given selflessly so much to make what is my favorite flying site and Andy Jackson’s dream come true. These are humble, hard working and giving people that are not out tooting their horns. Thank you all, and thank you XC Ranch for continuing your efforts to making this a dream flying site that attracts pilots from around the world, despite the pushback from a few.