Dennis Brooks, Club Vice President
The November meeting of the Robson Ranch Drone Club focused on the construction of the monument/tower at the front gate, from conception to completion.
The Drone Club meets on the fourth Monday of each month (other than August and December) in Room 104 of the Creative Arts and Technology Center from 7 to 8 p.m. If you have a preference for a different time, Contact Dennis Brooks at 940-262-3555. All who have a drone, are interested in drones, or just want to see the presentations are welcome.
The presentation in November was a photo tour of the conception to completion of the entrance tower with wells, sign, and flower beds. We started with bare grass, went to foundations, to the tower construction, to the wells, and finished with the flower beds and lights. We expected the west well would be a fountain, per the original drawing, but it was converted to a flower bed. We saw the foundation formed and the tower framed and covered with green board. The metal roofs were added (top and entrance), and the sides were covered with rock up to the window level, which is covered with a stucco-like material. The foundations for the east and west wells were poured with a plethora of vertical rebar rods. Concrete blocks were added to form the wells and sign wall. Rock coatings and the sign wall finish were applied to the wells. Lettering went on the tower and sign wall. An extensive flower and vegetation bed swept out from across the entrance road, around the construction, back to the pond, and across the road again to contain both large entrance tree bases by the bridge.
Over the past three years, Steve Simpson and Dennis Brooks have made regular drone flights to record the steps as the project progressed. We now have a striking tower with a sign at the main entrance to the community. At night the reflected lights on the tower and sign can be seen from the I-35W interstate over a mile away.
We reviewed the six types of drones and controllers used over the years to build the photo library of hundreds of photos and videos. Some of the challenges, such as wind, moisture, heat, cold, and timing, were covered. The culmination of this project, covered in slide presentation and video, was also presented to Robson representative Rhett Hubbard here at Robson Denton.