Triple Tree sets ambitious 2024 plan

It is preaching to the aviation choir to write that Triple Tree Aerodrome at Woodruff, S.C., is one of those special places in our general aviation world.

Countless thousands of pilots and aviation enthusiasts have enjoyed the 400-acre site dedicated to expanding the passion for aviation. Most visitors marvel at the manicured 7,000-foot grass runway and the spacious grounds, as well as great fly-ins and conventions for the general aviation and radio-controlled aircraft communities.

But Triple Tree, officially SC00, is far more than a unique fly-in destination.

It is a year-round center for a wide range of programs that promote aviation, radio-controlled flying, and on-site and statewide school aviation educational opportunities.

For an organization with a nationwide impact on aviation, you might be surprised to learn that Triple Tree has only three full-time employees. The man at the top is Robb Williams, a long-time aviation educator with a laser-like focus on improving everything about the organization he leads in the South Carolina upstate.

Facilities manager Matt Crain and Special Projects Coordinator Anthony Phillips are the other two full-time guys at the helm.

Joining them are thousands of volunteers who range in age from pre-teen to 100.

The volunteer program at Triple Tree even includes the man who cuts all the grass.

He is Dick Schliesman, former chief pilot for Michelin Tire. He was among the top group of volunteer workers who contributed more than 500 hours of their time to Triple Tree in 2023. That group also includes Triple Tree founder Pat Hartness and his uncle, 100-year-old John Hartness.

Triple Tree is the life’s work of aviation enthusiast and successful businessman Thomas Patterson “Pat” Hartness. He was involved with model aircraft from an early age and followed the flying example of his parents, both aviators with the Civil Air Patrol.

He purchased the property that is now Triple Tree in 1997, and over the years the layout of a grass runway, camping facilities, main hangar, and educational classrooms emerged. Hartness, now 83, established the Triple Tree Aerodrome as a 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization and in 2012 he and his wife Mary Lou gave the land to the non-profit as a gift.

Williams came to the organization six years ago from success leading the Aerospace Center of Excellence at SUN ’n FUN in Lakeland, Florida. Since then, Triple Tree has recorded significant advancements in its aviation education programs, its fly-ins, and in the RC field.

The annual Joe Nall Week for RC enthusiasts, held this year May 10-17, and the weeklong Triple Tree Fly-In, slated for Sept. 23-29, 2024, are nationally-known showcase events.

More than 80,000 people visited Triple Tree for all the events last year and Williams is pushing for a larger total this year.

“Our focus this year, as always, is on our core events,” Williams said. “We have five radio-controlled events beginning with the Frosty Dog in early January and the crown jewel is Joe Nall Week in May and concluding with the Nall in the Fall Oct. 4-11. Our general aviation calendar of five events opened with the Chilly Chili Fly-In on Feb. 3 and concludes with the Triple Tree Fly-In Sept. 23-29.”

While full of fun, the events are fundraisers for Triple Tree and its programs, according to Williams.

The money from fly-ins and donations are the “life blood” of the Triple Tree budget, he added.

According to the organization’s 2023 annual report, total revenue was $1,219,283 and expenses $1,205,738. Nearly all the money is spent to support the educational programs and a wide-ranging maintenance and improvement program to fine-tune the physical plant.

Donations from corporate and individual donors amounted to 35% of the Triple Tree 2023 income and event fundraisers accounted for 64%.

All education programs at Triple Tree are contained within the Aviation Centered Education (ACE) program. The elements of ACE include reading programs for kids in grades K-5, two summer camps each for exploring RC and general aviation, cooperative projects with schools throughout the state, field trips by students to the facility, and outreach to schools by the volunteer aviation and educational professionals who lend their support to Triple Tree.

Every year, there are also multiple $2,500 scholarships granted to help youths 16-20 get to their first solo.

“Triple Tree is one of the leading providers for aviation scholarships in our region,” Williams said.

“The summer general aviation and RC camps are highly popular,” he continued. “Doug Adomatis at Greenville Technical Charter High School is our summer camp coordinator. Two years ago we had about 10 kids in camp and last year there were over 40 in camp. Also, AviCom, a statewide aviation program, held its state championship in February. It’s a state championship for simulated flying and this is its second year. The 2023 winner was Phillip Simmons High School of Charleston.”

“Something else we have done is create a South Carolina Education Alliance,” Williams continued. “We give teachers more to use in the classroom and this has been well received. To date more than 30 high schools in South Carolina have joined this unique alliance to grow aviation opportunities in South Carolina.”

Williams said the benefits of the Alliance include “informing students about existing aviation programs and future careers, providing opportunities for students to demonstrate their skills to future employers and their peers, and gives students a flight plan for life by developing skill sets that will help them become productive global citizens.”

The full range of ACE programs is listed on the Triple Tree website at TTA.aero/ACE.

Also In The Works

According to Williams, a top initiative in 2024 is developing a very large multipurpose building to be called the Flight Deck building.

“The building will serve as a gathering place during events and have the ability to host large scale venue rentals and help with the increasing educational programs,” he explained.

Another 2024 initiative is “camp and fly.”

“You can come here for a designated week in the summer and fly your radio-controlled aircraft or fly in your general aviation airplane and enjoy 400 of the most pristine acres in the United States,” he said.

Visitors at the February Chilly Chili Fly-In saw one of the major winter improvements at Triple Tree. The shoreline around Lake Montana on the property has been sculpted and shaped to deal with an erosion problem.

“We are looking to do a 40-foot expansion on the back of our learning center,” Williams added. “And we are also upgrading the windows on the welcome center and retrofitting a propane truck to be a water truck.”

“We have to balance the books, but Triple Tree is not about that,” he continued. “At Triple Tree we make money to keep the lights on, pay for fertilizer, and keep our mowers running, but our bottom line is different. We are in the people business and airplanes just happen to show up. Our success has been and always will be relationships and that special feeling that can only be found at Triple Tree.”

For more information: TTA.aero