Group grows impatient with Hempstead over aerodrome

There are only two places in Nassau where Ken Casser can enjoy his hobby flying radio-controlled model airplanes and helicopters: fields in Wantagh and Port Washington.

The Port Washington aerodrome has been closed for two years. So Casser, 60, of Manhasset, drives every morning to Wantagh to join fellow hobbyists.

Casser is part of the Port Washington-based Hempstead Harbor Aero Modelers Society, a group that spends mornings before work flying their planes and copters. With open space limited on Long Island, they're eager to return to their home aerodrome and are growing impatient with the Town of North Hempstead, which took over the 160-acre property from the county.

Two years ago, the town was under a consent decree with the state Department of Environmental Conservation to remediate the site, a former landfill, because of methane leaks, said town Councilman Fred Pollack.

Pollack said the remediation work is complete and that the resurfaced runway is sitting unused. "All we need is for the town to open the gates," Casser said, adding that his group is eager for the aerodrome to appear soon on a town board agenda.

It's hoped the aerodrome will open sometime this month, Pollack said, once state approval comes through.

Pollack said he would like to set aside some of the aerodrome property for a nature trail. That's an idea Casser supports.

Meanwhile, the Hempstead Harbor Aero Modelers Society continues to pay for insurance for the closed aerodrome, said the group's president Roy Coniglio, 59, of Port Washington. They're also going to build a pit area where hobbyists can work on the planes, he said, showing off a model.

"This has cost the Town of North Hempstead not one penny," he said. "We're not asking them for money. We understand it's not a top priority for them. We're a relatively small group."

On a recent foggy morning at the Lufbery Aerodrome in a far-flung corner of Cedar Creek Park in Wantagh, Coniglio, Casser and other members of the group showed off their flying skills.

"They're not toys," said Paul Yovino, 59, of Roslyn Heights, as he watched Casser fly a model helicopter. "This is a real man's hobby."

Because the radio-controlled aircrafts can fly at more than 100 mph, safety is a priority. They explained there's always a "controller" on site, who has flown at least a year with an advanced permit, to maintain safe conduct. A permit is needed to fly in the aerodrome, and the group offers free training.