Dave Doughty
Most retirement communities offer a variety of activities for their residents to enjoy, including swimming, crafts, woodworking, sewing, other club interests and, of course, golf and pickleball.
At least one active adult community goes a step farther with a club and facility for radio-controlled (RC) modeling. The RC Club at Robson Ranch in Arizona offers members the opportunity to fly RC aircraft and race RC one-tenth scale trucks.
To the best of our research, the Robson Ranch RC Club is the only retirement community to offer both flying and racing for RC enthusiasts. Though RC flying clubs are not uncommon, recent AI and Google searches revealed that no other retirement communities offer such facilities.
The Robson Ranch RC Club was founded in 2010. As the community grew, so did the club, which now enjoys membership of nearly 120 resident members. In 2016, the club added off-road short course dirt track truck racing. The RC park now includes a banked oval racetrack and a slalom-like road course complete with jumps. Racing alternates between the two layouts.
These facilities are located on property adjacent to the ranch and were designed and built primarily by club volunteers. Robson Communities continues to support the club and provides heavy equipment and materials as needed.
The RC truck racetracks provide a shaded pit area for drivers, a computerized timing/scoring system, a public address system, and spectator seating areas. Racing is by skill level divisions with awards for the top three finishers (by points) in each division at the end of the Winter and Summer racing seasons.
The club also provides two airfields for flyers, which include shaded pit areas, pilot stations, an information board, and spectator areas. The facility is a Federal Aviation Administration Approved Remote Identification Area (FRIA) and a charter club of the Academy of Modeling Aeronautics (AMA).
Flying is generally an individual activity, but occasional skill-based competitions are conducted. These include aerial combat, bomb-drop, landing closest to a target, and pylon racing. Annually, a Top Gun award goes to the pilot who earned the most points in these competitions. The club provides free flying lessons by instructors certified by the AMA.
A common garden area consists of artificial turf, native plants and a handicap accessible porta-potty. Located just north of the Ranch, golf cart access is easy, and parking space is mostly ample for carts and other motor vehicles.
A seasonal Drag Racing program was instituted in 2025. The club stages racing at the Community Arts Center parking lot. Complete with electronic timing and scoring, this new program has sparked much interest and participation.
The club has a social life too! Several times a year members gather for potluck picnics, ranging from grilling hot dogs to an annual BBQ Ribs competition.
Finally, the club has both a website and a phone app for sharing information. The website, RobsonRanchRC.net, has many awesome photos and videos of racing and flying at the Ranch.