Aerial photos of our site available at http://uterc.org/node/238 .

Our AMA charter club field is located 24 miles -- about a 30-minute drive -- west of Salt Lake City, and only 15 minutes from the Salt Lake Airport. The runway is packed, salty soil, with some hardy patches of grass here and there. Prevailing winds tend to be from the north or northeast, though from time to time you may experience a stiff south wind flowing toward the lake from Rush Valley, particularly in the fall. If you are a sailplane enthusiast, you will find that thermal activity tends to be quite strong when the weather is warm and the wind is low.

There are restaurants, a motel, camper hookups, and showers within 2 miles of the field. An excellent dirt-track R/C car raceway, the world-class Miller Motorsports Park auto racing track, and a kid-friendly pool are just 10 miles to the southwest.

If it has rained much in the past 48 hours, the club field may be muddy. In the winter, the field remains wet much longer. Please exercise caution and restraint in these kinds of conditions, and possibly reschedule your visit for a dryer time. The wetlands around the Great Salt Lake abound with mosquitos and biting flies during the warmer months of the year. A Deet-based insect repellent is strongly recommended and very effective at preventing bites. If you forget, we usually have some extra in the clubhouse.

Basic field rules (more detailed rules may be found at the field and voted on as needed):

1. Park your vehicle on the south side of the field behind the starting stands and flight fence. Please drive along the edge of the field; do not drive straight across the field to the pits.
2. The usual AMA safety rules are in force.
3. If other aircraft are flying, or upon the request of any member, please restrict hovering and 3D flight to the eastern end of the field to reduce the chances of mid-air collisions with those who are "in the pattern".
4. The fence is for protection of those in the pits and parking area and does not indicate the flight line. Stand forward of the fence, and do not fly closer than 25 feet from any other individual.
5. A spotter/helper is recommended if the field is busy, and required during club events.
6. Our field is 16 miles from the Salt Lake City International Airport. Small aircraft frequently fly VFR along Interstate 80 between SLC and Wendover at 1000-2500 feet AGL right over our field. Please observe a flight ceiling of 400 feet AGL when full-scale aircraft are overhead.
7. Please drink responsibly. Observe the Safety Code by not drinking for 8 hours prior to flying.

The buildings and commercial vehicles on this site are strictly off-limits. Please do not enter or remain on, in, or around any structure or vehicle not located on the club field.

Due to lease requirements, Ute R/C Association members must accompany non-member guests. AMA or MAAC (Canadian AMA equivalent) membership or accompanying AMA Intro Pilot* instructor is required to fly. Guests are welcome, and should coordinate a time to fly with a Ute R/C member pilot using the forum on this web site. If you are a guest pilot attending a fun-fly, please arrive on-time and present your AMA or MAAC card to any arriving club member to enter. Be sure to coordinate with a member to let you out, too!

Directions to the site from Salt Lake City:

1. Head west on Interstate 80
2. Take the Tooele exit (exit 99) onto highway UT-36 towards Tooele City.
3. After about 1 mile, turn right onto Hardy Road. This is the road just before you reach the Chevron.
4. Follow Hardy Road for 1.5 miles to the locked gate. Membership or accompanying Ute member required beyond this point. Please lock the gate behind you.
5. Bear left at the fork in the road. This road will meander right again shortly; we refer to the scrubby area in between the two roads as "the greenway".
6. Proceed beyond the buildings. At this point, you might think you have run out of road. The road continues, but you must wander a little left to resume on it once beyond the buildings. It is now unpaved and somewhat rough. You should see the old salt basins to your immediate left.
7. You will reach an unlocked, chained cattle gate. Be sure to leave this gate in the condition you found it (open or closed) to keep the cattle-owners who sometimes graze nearby happy.
8. The first salt basin to your left is flyable, but frequently quite soggy.
9. Our field is the second basin to the left. At this point, our wind sock and clubhouse should be clearly visible. Please drive only near the edge of the basin to avoid sullying the runway.

Enjoy your stay!

If you have Google Earth, you can use the attached KMZ file to locate the field. It's a free download, and makes mapping flying sites and vacations much easier.

* For more information on becoming an Intro Pilot and obtaining 60-day coverage extended to non-members flying at our chartered club field, see http://www.modelaircraft.org/PDF-files/917.pdf. We do not currently have any participating AMA Intro Pilots in the Ute R/C Association.