Big Sky RC Meeting Minutes
May 05, 2026
President Dan Woods brought the meeting to order at 7:07 PM at the Stadium Sports Bar and Casino with 6 members in attendance.
Secretary Don Gilles read April’s meeting minutes and they were accepted as read.
Treasurer Darrell Anderson read the Treasurer’s report and it was accepted as read.
** First – a thanks to the Stadium Sports Bar and Casino for letting us use their meeting room! And to John Sandy for bringing doughnuts!
Old business:
Dan Woods opened with an update on preparations for our Spring Thaw race on 16 & 17 May. Dan has ordered the winners trophies and said that Jason Naranjo & JD Buck were planning on working the track this coming Friday. Dan also said that Matt Permann is refilling the water tanks. John Sandy volunteered to cook the burgers & dogs for Saturday & Sunday’s lunches.
New business:
Dan Woods let us know he sold the lawnmower that was donated to the club last year for $250. Dan will be using this money to buy the new shelving for the shed.
Don Gilles let everyone know it’s prep time for spraying weeds out at the club. Don briefed the spray types we typically buy and asked for a handout. Don Woods made a motion to allot $300 for spray and materials, motion passed.
Don Gilles informed members that the Pilot’s Line, the Safety Line and the end of runway “X”s are quite faded and need repainting. The Pilot and Safety Lines are each 80′ in length. The end of runway “X”s are in a 45×45 configuration. After much discussion it was thought we might also paint the 500′ runway dashed center line. Jerry Knight is going to check with a friend about possibly getting some paint donated – issue is TBD at this time.
Don continued with some more maintenance items – some of the shingles on the frequency board roof were blown off during this winter’s wind storms. Darrell Anderson volunteered to take a look at the roof and decide whether or not we should reshingle or put on a metal roof. This item is TBD for now.
The next item from Don’s list was lawn mower maintenance. Both mowers were last serviced two summers ago so it’s time for fresh oil & filter. This was approved via the Club President’s slush fund as a minor purchase item.
Exhausting as it was…Don continued to ask for more stuff. Gravel. As discussed at the last meeting, we need to fill in some mud holes in our driveway and need some fill around the new outhouse to bring the concrete back in grade with the parking lot. John Sandy made a motion for $1000 to purchase the gravel and have some existing funds remaining for other projects that might arise as we prepare for our summer events out at the field. Motion passed.
Probably old business but it ended up being discussed in new business – the old outhouse will be going up for sale. John Sandy relayed that Steve Woodhouse will probably not be coming to take it to his farm. Dan Woods will be taking some photos of the old outhouse and will put it up for sale on Facebook. Seems there’s always somebody looking for a place to squat and ponder.
Finally, somewhere during all this chatter, Dan Woods appointed Don Gilles as our new Field Marshall. Dave Grosse has decided to step aside and relinquished his role. As Field Marshall is a non-elected position, the club president may fill the spot with a volunteer. Now just for the record…Don may not have voluntarily volunteered.
Thanks to all attendees, the meeting was adjourned at 8:12 pm.
Donald Gilles
BSRC Secretary
AMA Club 400
FYI:
Club meetings are the first Tuesday night of the month at the Stadium Sports Bar and Casino, 7pm.
Club lunch is every Friday, noon at Arby’s.
Wednesday night is our designated “get-together” night for club flying.
Paris Gibson Gym Indoor Flying: Done till next fall/winter
Upcoming Events:
– May 10 – Mother’s Day
– May 16-17 – Spring Thaw R/C Off Road Racing, Great Falls, MT
— Memorial Day Weekend is May 23-25
– June Wednesday Night League Racing ( 27 May to 01 July, 6 Nights )
– June 6 – Club Fly, Great Falls, MT
– June 20 – Float-Fly, Wadsworth Park, Great Falls
– June 21 – Father’s Day
– July 11 – Open House, Great Falls, MT (Full RC Complex will be open to the public)
– July 25 – Summer Heat R/C Off Road Racing, Great Falls, MT (one day event)
– August 8, Float-Fly, Missouri River, Great Falls, MT, across from Elks Riverside Park
– August 22, Club Fly, Great Falls, MT, BSRC Field
– August 29, Steve Woodhouse Invitational Flying Event, Woodhouse Farm
– September 12-13, Fall Fury R/C Off Road Racing, Great Falls, MT, BSRC Track
– September 19, Club Fly, Great Falls, MT, BSRC Field
– October 3, Leo Sommerfeld Memorial Fly-In, location TBD