Fairfax Station Connection

Robert Freas of Fairfax Station can’t fly his model aircraft in his backyard. In fact, he has to drive to a field about 50 miles away for a facility that meets Academy of Model Aeronautics standards for planes like his. The fixed-wing fliers Freas and members Northern Virginia Radio Control (NVRC) club pilot can go up to eight feet long.

Since the club was founded in the 1950s, members have had difficulty finding and maintaining their own airfield in Fairfax County. But at the Jan. 27 Board of Supervisors meeting, the board unanimously approved the club’s proposal to build a model aircraft facility on the western portion of the I-95 landfill complex in Lorton.

NVRC previously worked with the county to establish a field at Poplar Ford Park in Chantilly. However, the field’s proximity to the Manassas battlefield and an equine facility to the south make it less suitable for larger aircraft. Also, only four to five planes can be in the air at one time, so having another facility was important to the health of the club.

Having a facility that can accommodate larger planes would also allow the club to host acrobatic competitions, a rarity in Northern Virginia.

“It’s been kind of a draught,” said Don Mason of McLean, former president of NVRC. “We have a million people, but don’t have this kind of recreational facility.”

The NVRC leadership has been working with Fairfax County for the past three years to reach an agreement with the I-95 Recycling and Disposal Facility to use the site, a 290-acre landfill that closed in 1995.

The space is zoned for recreational use in the county’s Comprehensive Plan, but the club was required to get special exception to the plan in order to move forward.

THE LANDFILL sits in Supervisor Hyland’s (D-Mount Vernon) district and he made the motion to approve the proposal.

“I’m thrilled we finally found a way to do it,” he said on Jan. 27.

Since the motion passed, unanimously, Freas (past president and currently treasurer of NVRC) said the next step is submitting a site plan for the facility. Though the airfield itself is largely just that, a field, the plan will also include a storage shed, shelter pavillion, mobile toilet and a 25-space parking lot.

The club is responsible for building the lot set at 25 spaces to accommodate one out of every three members using the facility, going up to 75. They’ll be able to use the field only on weekends, from 9 a.m. to sunset, or until the recycling facility closes.

“It’s not a big effort to start with,” said Freas, “then we can actually use the property at that point.”

Don Mason of McLean is another former president of NVRC. He said working with the county has been “long, arduous and tedious,” but appreciates the help and guidance they’ve received from county administrators.

“I think that’s the nature of the beast when you’re trying to build something on public or private land,” said Mason. “Everybody gets to have a say; the process is there for a reason. The Fairfax County officials we’ve been dealing with have been fantastic. They’ve been supportive and guided us when we’ve had hiccups.”

FREAS’ GOAL is to submit the site plan by the end of February or early March. Then, Freas and Mason have been told, it typically takes about 30 days to process such an application. It could be months before any actual construction takes place, but the club is optimistic nonetheless.

“It’s great to be able to reuse the property like that,” said Freas. “It’s a win-win all the way around. Everyone’s excited.”

“People that belong to other clubs in the area, further out west, that live in Fauquier, Woodbridge and Lorton, are sitting on the edge of their chair,” said Mason, “waiting for this to open up to also fly large airplanes.”