RC Flyers ready to take off in Windsor

By Nadine Armstrong

The Hants Journal/NovaNewsNow.ca

The skyline above 528 Wentworth Road has seen a new species take flight this spring. It’s been well over a year in the making, but the Avon RC Flyers Club has made a smooth landing and is ready to take off again for the 2008 flying season.

Local model aviation enthusiasts now have an approved airfield, and club president Chris Foley said Windsor has never seen anything like this before. He hopes the club’s Grand Opening Fun Fly June 21 will attract more potential pilots.

There is no age limit on learning to fly, and current members include both youth and seniors, Foley said. However, there is a process to “getting your wings.” With wingspans of six to 10 feet, learning to control a model aircraft from ground takes skill and patience. “If you can't orientate the controls you won't land or if you do it will be in pieces,” Foley said.

To join the club, new members first must register with the Model Aeronautic Association of Canada (MACC) and attend ‘flight school.’ The Avon Flyers have several flight instructors who are trained to examine the planes and ensure they are safe to fly and give new membership the basics of straight and level flight.

“These are small things, but important things,” Foley said.

Safety first

“We need to ensure everyone can have a safe flight,” Foley noted, “and that starts with a safe plane.”

After that, the fun begins, he said.

“Once you get your wings, that’s when the real learning begins.” Some members enjoy the aerobatics of the hobby and some love to build -- but the big attraction is the flying. Flight levels range between 300 and 500 feet and, with practice, it’s as close to the real thing as you can get.

“It’s trickier than you think,” Foley said.

Flight instructor Mike Skerritt has been flying model planes for 15 years -- and admits to crashing a few.

Skerritt noted that it’s important to understand factors like wind speeds -- which only comes from experience and proper instruction.

Attention to detail is crucial while flying. And at that height, the planes they are easy to loose sight of.

“You don't dare take your eyes off them when you’re flying -- or when you look back, they're gone,” said member Les Beazley, a retired recreational pilot who understands the challenges of the radio-control sport. “It takes a lot of experience and practice to get it right,” he said. “You smash them up and then put them back together, and after a while you get better at it.”

Inexpensive hobby

A typical model airplane can cost upwards of $500, but Foley said it is a relatively inexpensive hobby that virtually anyone can enjoy. “The theory behind rc (radio controlled) flying is that in the summertime, you fly; in the winter, you build.” Constructing a balanced model takes time and precision to get it right.

“We can show everyone right from scratch, right out of the box, how to build, maintain and balance their plans,” Foley said.

The club field is open to members pretty much every day of the week and Foley says flyers from outside the area will often stop by with their planes, as well. “If they see ours up in the sky, they know we are there.”

Everyone is welcome to the open house event and Foley said any member of the public can come and watch, but you must be a card carrying MAAC member to fly.

“You don't need to have your own plane to attend; this is just about having some fun.” He expects to see a few hundred in attendance over the weekend, and camping on the site is permitted.

There will be free hotdogs and sodas that day and families are welcome to bring their own portable barbecues or picnics, as well.

Those interested can see the club website for more details at

www.geocities.com