CLIPBOARD

At the end of almost every school day, Dave Wilson used to head straight for Mile Square Park in Fountain Valley. He spent his weekends there, too, learning to fly remote-control model airplanes with his dad.

Because the park was just a few blocks from his house, it was easy for Wilson to squeeze in extra practice time. He entered local flying contests and eventually reached the international level.

Wilson is still flying model airplanes, but not just for sport. He trains military personnel to fly remote-piloted vehicles, used for reconnaissance and bomb-sighting missions. The planes are equipped with computer-enhanced cameras, which spot targets and monitor troop movements. Remote-piloted vehicles were used aboard the battleship Wisconsin in the liberation of Kuwait and by the Marines to patrol the Saudi-Kuwaiti border.

Wilson credits the countless hours he spent at Mile Square Park for putting him on the road to a unique career.

“The park has one of the best flying fields in Southern California, and I was lucky to live nearby,” he said.

The field was a military landing strip from the 1940s to mid-1970s, when it was acquired by the Orange County Department of Harbors, Beaches and Parks. The asphalt runways and grassy fields were left intact. Today they are used by remote-control hobbyists of all kinds. On weekends there are radio-powered model cars, planes, rockets and all-terrain vehicles blasting off, racing around tracks, climbing hills and practicing landings from almost every corner of the field.

Wilson’s father, Ken, still lives by the park and is active in the Orange Coast Radio Control Club. About 70 to 100 members gather at the park every weekend to perfect their flying skills. Regular visitors know them as “the guys in the blue and orange hats.”

The club, which has several military and commercial pilots among its ranks, provides flight instruction and workshops on how to build and maintain model airplanes.

“We have men and women of all ages, but what we enjoy most is showing neighborhood kids how to fly and getting them involved in something constructive,” Ken Wilson said. “It keeps them out of trouble.”

Noise from the plane’s engines sometimes annoys residents. But E. Parker Hancock, supervising park ranger, said, “We are always monitoring the situation, and the club has devised ways to keep the noise down. (Hobbyists) are very conscientious because they don’t want to lose their flying site.”

Mile Square Park serves as the focal point for the neighborhood and is used from dawn till long after dark.

“The joggers and walkers show up just as it starts to get light,” said Hancock, who has worked at Mile Square since 1974. “Many of them live around here and have been coming nearly every day for years.”

Politicians on the campaign trail stump for votes here, and the park has been the site of several demonstrations, including a rally sponsored by anti-war activists.

On weekdays, office workers bring sack lunches to the park, taking time to feed the birds along the shore of the park’s two man-made lakes before heading back to the office.

During late afternoon, the activity level picks up at the park as local youths take to the soccer fields and baseball diamonds.

The park is also populated by at least 15 red foxes that seem to thrive amid all the human activity.

“Most of them live in a culvert that runs through the park,” Hancock said. “They raise their young there in dens.”

The foxes also frequent the sand traps at Mile Square Golf Course, occasionally surprising golfers by popping up seemingly from nowhere.

A recreation center operated by the city of Fountain Valley is situated in the park, just off Brookhurst Street. Gymnastics, baton twirling, basketball and aerobics are offered here, as well as instruction in dance, crafts and computers. Local seniors meet here every Wednesday and Friday from 8 a.m. to noon.

The neighborhood, developed from the early 1960s to 1980s, is home to two city-run parks--Plavan Park on Warner Avenue and Allen Park, adjacent to Ethan B. Allen Elementary School. About 360 students attend the school.

“It’s a nice quiet neighborhood,” said Douglas Hawkins, who grew up in the area. “Having Mile Square Park close by makes it a great place for active people.”

Population Total: (1990 est.) 3,961 1980-90 change: +0.2% Median Age: 33.1

Racial/ethnic mix: White (non-Latino): 72% Latino: 7% Black: 1% Other: 20%

By sex and age: MALES Median age: 31.2 years FEMALES Median age: 35.0 years

Income Per capita: $27,833 Median household: $89,328 Average household: $95,417

Income Distribution: Less than $25,000: 6% $25,000-49,999: 13% $50,000-74,999: 41% $75,000-$99,999: 25% $100,000 and more: 15%