===  New Field Progress Report # 3  ===

SLIDE 1 - Before getting to the new stuff, several folks have asked me how to find the plot of land "The New Field Committee" is looking at so they could go get a "first hand" look at it.

These first few slides will help you find the particular area and site we are looking at.

Here you see a Google Earth photo of the Fort Smith area…   You can't see our present Flying Field because it's just out of the picture at the bottom.

SLIDE 2 - is the same photo. Looking just to the left of that red oval you can see the city of Barling... and just to the southeast of Barling you can see Chaffee Crossing - the old Fort Chaffee Area.

Inside the red oval, you will see the two treatment ponds that we will use as a reference in the following slides.   The property that we hope to get is north of the larger of the two ponds -- about where the yellow arrow is pointing.

SLIDE 3 - is a larger picture of the same area.

1. You can see the two sludge ponds…
2. And the property we are looking at... it is inside the yellow square.

To help orient you -- the blue arrow is pointing to downtown Barling and the purple arrow is pointing to Highway 59, that runs north and crosses the Arkansas River at Lock & Dam 13.

The area at bottom center and bottom left is "Chaffee Crossing", formerly Fort Chaffee.

SLIDE 4 - is the same view of the area as slide 3, except we have "panned" north about a mile.   Notice Highway 59 going north to Lock & Dam 13 and the Arkansas River looping down at the top of the picture.

The section of property we are looking at is still shown within the yellow box.   The yellow box incloses all of the 90 Acre plot of ground we are looking at.

While we are looking at this view, let me point out a few things:

• First...   the proposed route of I-49.   This is as near as we can tell, since I-49 hasn't been built yet, but we do know where I-49 will cross the river, and we also know where the bridge over Highway 22 will be since it is already under construction and the pillars for the overpass are in place.
• Secondly... The 90 Acre plot is about 2650 feet from where I-49 will be at the closest point.

• And about 3700 feet from I-49 at the bottom of the plot.
• The Northern edge of the plot is 3760 feet from the River.
• And, as SLIDE 5 shows, actually, those distances will be about four or five hundred feet further because if this all works out we will only be clearing about 30 acres in the lower right corner of the 90 acres -- as the blue area shows.
• We would still have the other 60 as an over-fly area that will be accessible to us.

But… back to how to find the place...   I'm going to blow this up even more in Slide 6 and pan back to the south...

SLIDE 6 - What you see here is a close-up of Highway 22 and "Chaffee Crossing", just east of Barling.   The yellow arrow lies on Highway 22 and is pointing East.

Just above the yellow arrow is a section of the OLD Highway 22, before it was widened, straightened and upgraded.   If you were traveling from Barling, going East on Highway 22, when you get to where the yellow arrow is, you are at the junction of the section of old highway 22 and the present one.

If you were sitting in your car at the arrow and looked slightly to your right, you would see where the old "Main Gate" into Fort Chaffee was located - it is now the road into "Chaffee Crossing".

At this point turn LEFT onto the section of old Highway 22 and you will see, directly ahead of you, a junction with a gravel road that runs north.   There used to be a "Fort Chaffee Game Preserve" sign there pointing north to the gravel road.

SLIDE 7 - Turn onto the gravel road and go north on the gravel road to the first intersection.   It will be about 70 yards to that intersection.   Turn right at that intersection onto another gravel road and travel EAST down that gravel road to the first pond and turn left.

SLIDE 8 - Depicts the path to what we hope will be our new flying field from the intersection that you turned EAST on going toward the first pond. The orange line depicts the route as you go East toward the first pond, then turn North.

After turning North, continue to the first road going East and turn Right (EAST).   The first pond will be on your right and a Pine grove will be to your left.   The road will turn NORTH again before reacjomg the second pond.

After the road turns NORTH continue until you see the road turn to the right again.   There will be an O.G. & E. pole at that corner.   Instead of following the road to the right, TURN LEFT and STOP!

And there is the field! - - - Well... Actually you will see a lot of trees.   But use your imagination…..