Falcon offers many types of recreation for all ages. Here are just a few you may decide to pursue.Set your sights on swimmingWoodmen Hills Recreation Center East at 9205 Meridian Ranch Blvd. is open to non-residents. Non-residents pay a slightly higher fee than residents. Recreation center staff said that non-resident weekday swim classes cost $50 for eight lessons. The weekend swim lesson charge for non-residents is $36 for four classes.Open swimming is available weekdays from 6:30 a.m. to 8:15 p.m.; Saturday from 7 a.m. to 5:45 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 5:45 p.m. There is a $5 charge for open swimming.Call 719-495-2009 for fitness and swim class schedules and discount information. The center also offers child care.Flying highMembers of the Pikes Peak Radio Control Club enjoy piloting airplanes, from the ground. Model airplanes – flown by remote control.Member Greg Moore said, “The building of models requires spatial and logical thinking … and teaches one to measure twice, cut once. Not only does it teach those basic skills, it also teaches repair skills and basic engineering.”Flier Jim Murphy said the craft has evolved over the years, from the basic balsa wood kits. Today, radio control enthusiasts can purchase almost-ready-to-fly airplanes – just install radio equipment and motor. Murphy was preparing a Biplane Monster Pitts (from Carl Goldberg Products) for takeoff.”The costs today are a fraction of what they were 20 years ago,” Moore said. A beginner’s radio in the past costs from $300 to $400, he said. For the same cost today, one can purchase a pre-built basic trainer airplane, engine and radio.Flying remote controlled aircraft is challenging, Moore said. He also said he felt “great satisfaction” seeing his creation fly and respond to his input. “The feeling of skiing in waist deep powder is the closest thing I can compare it to,” Moore said. “Flying is not the easiest thing to do, and full scale pilots cannot believe we can do what we do … since we don’t have instruments to tell us what the airplane is doing. It very simply is fun.””Spectators are always welcome at our field and we do our best to be friendly and inviting,” said PPRC secretary Rob Waggoner. “In addition, I would say we get a new ‘pilot’ once a month or so and we have several people who can, and enjoy, helping out fledgling fliers.”The field is located off Judge Orr Road (between Elbert Road and the Peyton Highway).Visit http://www.pprcflyers.net for more information.Race to the finish lineIt’s not the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb but it’s close. PPIHC veteran race car driver Errol Kobilan has invented a way for others to share the experience of fast cars.The Pikes Peak Wax Track Raceway is an outdoor racetrack for group events. Kobilan built the track.”The track here is 550 feet long, and it’s a pretty slick surface,” Kobilan said. “The reason we like it that way is that it’s like dirt track racing. You know you’re always sliding through the corners and drifting through the corners. It’s just a lot more fun that way and it takes a little more skill to do it, and once you learn that skill, it’s really fun.”Since the drivers could be slipping and sliding at speeds of up to 20 mph, safety is a major consideration. Kobilan said the electric carts are Champ carts and they have a full roll cage. He also requires a helmet and gloves and the seatbelts are a five-point safety harness – two shoulder harnesses, two lap belts and a belt between the legs. “This is the same seatbelt system as any race car; whether you’re NASCAR or Indianapolis, it’s the same seatbelt system,” he said. “They’re real safe, plus (you’re) only going 20 mph, but it seems like you’re going a lot faster.”Races are set by appointment by calling 719-495-4694. The minimum age for a driver is 13 and drivers between 13 and 16 must come to a practice session. The cost is $25 plus a $25 damage deposit. Five dollars of the cost goes toward an award for the winner of the main event.The raceway is at 13030 Meridian Road.Feel the need for speed?Breanna McCrackin and Nicole Miller are giving the boys a run for their money at CRE Motorsports Park at 21430 Spencer Road (two miles east of the Peyton Highway). The girls are currently leading the boys in the junior sportsmen class.The girls said they practice about twice a week; Miller lives in Colorado Springs and McCrackin comes all the way from Pueblo West. Reaching speeds over 50 mph, the girls are the talk of the track.CRE Motorsports has racing carts of different sizes for different age groups. Track owner George Durdin said he has karts of different sizes for various age groups: 8-11 years old, 12-18, adult-racing karts. “These are all racing karts here,” Durdin said. “It’s not a recreational ride; it’s a racing rental ride.” He said the adult karts have Honda GX270 engines with 11 horsepower. Durdin said the adult karts go 45-55 mph; the teen carts are as fast, if not faster; and karts for the younger set go about 40-45 mph.Durdin said he emphasizes safety. “We outfit them in helmet, jacket and gloves. Everyone has to sign a release of liability,” he said.The outdoor, half-mile track is available for kart rentals and bring-your-own karts. It also has a nationally sanctioned racing program that runs April through October. Track hours are Monday through Friday noon to 6 p.m. and weekends 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. CRE also hosts the Rocky Mountain Mini Moto Club motorcycle racing events from April through October.For more information, visit http://www.cremotorsports.com.
