THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, September 21, 1994 TAG: 9409200125
SECTION: ISLE OF WIGHT CITIZEN PAGE: 06 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY LINDA McNATT, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: ISLE OF WIGHT LENGTH: Long : 131 lines
STRAPPED SECURELY INTO the cockpit of her sleek, blue and white aircraft, the leggy blonde pilot - statuesque by any terms - negotiates dips, flips and aerial acrobatics. It looks like she's an expert at the stick of her small plane, but Barbie is a pilot that would make only Ken's heart spin.
The real pilot is several hundred feet beneath the plastic doll in the cockpit of the model plane that looks so real. And it's the man on the ground who's maneuvering a remote control radio transmitter that enables Barbie to show off like a stunt pilot in a high-tech aeronautics show.
``You get hooked real quick,'' said Warren Doyle, vice president of the Isle of Wight Radio Control Club, a man with six model planes in his personal hangar. ``If you've been involved for more than a year, you've got more than one plane. The fun thing about the hobby is that there is so much range. You can do anything you want to do.''
This weekend, from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, model planes with miniature pilots from across western Hampton Roads will converge on the remote, agricultural field near Carrollton that is the home field of the Isle of Wight fliers.
Three model clubs - Isle of Wight, the Southeastern Virginia Radio Control Club and the Gloucester Area Modelers Association - will participate in the second annual Tri-Club Fly-In. The event will feature fun flys and competitions, with all-day food and an auction. All benefits go to the Children's Hospital of The King's Daughters.
To some, dallying with dolls and toy planes in a secluded field off Virginia Route 10 might seem like child's play. But the kids in this local field on a late summer afternoon are from 13 to 70. And they all have a love for the model planes in common.
``You get that little pump of adrenaline every time it goes up,'' Warren said, grinning as he stared through the clouds at his plane and its pilot.
Thirty years ago, flying remote control airplanes meant rubber bands and little more than rudder control, said Eddie Israel, the club's senior member.
``Today, they are scale models built like real airplanes,'' Israel said. ``It's harder to fly models than to fly the real thing. When it's coming at you, all of the controls are reversed. In a real airplane, you can feel what's happening. You can't with these. You've got to have patience.''
``It takes real hand-eye coordination,'' said Arnold Smith, the club's safety officer.
Being in charge of safety, Smith said, is an important job, since tiny propellers spinning up to 14,000 revolutions per minute can be dangerous, and the crafts can fly at speeds up to 200 miles per hour.
``You can fly as far as you can see it,'' Warren said. ``The law says straight out on the horizon at a 45 degree angle for five miles. Straight up - it's indefinite. You can fly to the moon. There is no limit.''
Every club member must also be a member of the Academy of Model Aeronautics, a national group. And members must prove their ability to fly in front of the club's safety officer. Before they are approved for membership, they must be capable of putting their planes through a variety of maneuvers and getting out of tight situations.
``Once you join a club, you have to be recognized as a pilot by the instructor,'' Smith said. ``You have to be a recognized pilot, and there is a visual inspection of each aircraft. We make sure everything is in good working order.''
Just like with the real thing, crashes are dreaded by all the fliers. The plastic pilots aren't in danger of expiring, but the model planes, purchased in various degrees of construction, can be expensive.
The expense depends on the size of the plane and the degree of construction it's in when purchased. An ARC kit, for example, means that the plane is ``almost ready to cover'' and would cost less than an ARF kit, ``almost ready to fly.'' The more put together the models are, the more expensive.
You can purchase a small glider and a control unit for as little as $150, but power planes start around $400, said Steve Daum, with five planes in the hangar, two under construction. You can spend up to $2,000 and more for luxury crafts with wing spans of up to 100 inches.
``It's a kit when you buy it, a kit when it hits the ground,'' Israel said, chuckling. ``Right now, I have five and two in ICU. What goes up - comes down. The ground flew up and hit my airplane.''
That's exactly what happened to William Austin, at 13 one of the club's youngest members.
``I lost it in the sun - ripped the whole front out,'' the youngster said as he showed off his new plane, still without a pilot.
``I've got to decide who I want to put in there,'' Austin said, grinning.
Because the planes are noisy and attract crowds, it's getting more and more difficult to find places to fly. The Isle of Wight club is lucky to have 60 acres of farm land, and the local club, with about 40 family memberships, attracts fliers from the Peninsula to Virginia Beach.
``This is an excellent flying site,'' Smith said. ``It's a wide open area, and the community has been real responsive to us. There aren't that many flying fields around.''
The planes are controlled by radio waves on a frequency band assigned specifically to remote control aircraft. Operators use 50 bands, much like citizen band radio, to negotiate the planes through the skies.
Casual observers frequently mistake the little planes for the real things, and birds often fly along for the ride.
``We have one buzzard who flies with us most every weekend,'' Daum said. ``We call him `Old Showoff'.''
The fly-in was started last year as a way to promote the hobby in a positive light, Smith said. The club wanted to raise money for a specific charity and agreed on the Children's Hospital. Last year, they raised $800. This year, they hope to raise even more.
Pilots pay landing and flying fees, and the clubs also raise money with the auction and food sales.
The event is free and open to the public. And it's a family affair.
All you really have to do is watch out for the high spots.
``I pulled out of a power dive six inches too late,'' Israel said, excitedly explaining his latest air disaster. ``It hit a plowed field and exploded.''
The model plane field is on Riddick Road (Route 604), just off Virginia Route 10. Look for the sign on the fence. MEMO: For more information, call Ruth Austin at 255-4405. ILLUSTRATION: Staff photos by JOHN H. SHEALLY II
Mark Chaffin, left, and Arnold Smith start a radio-controlled
airplane while William Austin retrieves a plane.
Warren Doyle checks out his radio controller, which enables him to
send his airplane up into the sky to perform stunts.
Arnold Smith keeps his eyes to the sky, following a radio-controlled
airplane.
A hand-painted pilot is at the ready in a radio-controlled Stinger
aircraft. This weekend, from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturday and
Sunday, model planes with miniature pilots from across Hampton Roads
will converge on the remote, agricultural field near Carrollton that
is the home field of the Isle of Wight fliers.
by CNB