RC airplane club will host public fly day Aug. 12
The Oldtown Valley Flyers Club will hold a public fly day at its airfield in Wilkshire Hills on Saturday, Aug. 12 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Robert Draman, president of the radio control airplane club, said they wanted to hold the event in celebration of the 10th annual Academy of Model Aeronautics National Model Aviation Day.
At the event club members will serve as flight instructors to teach adults and kids age six and older how to taxi, take off, fly and land an RC plane. Guests can use club planes to learn.
This will be the club’s third event since making the move in 2021 to its current location on Wilkshire Boulevard. Back then Draman said the club was hoping its highly visible location would attract people walking along the Lawrence Township River Community Park Trail, and it has. The club’s membership has doubled in size in less than three years.
Draman also had hoped to attract younger members by hosting events that allow them to actually fly members’ planes. One of the young people who joined right after the 2021 open house event is 14-year-old Hunter Houze, who lives near the air strip.
“They had what they called a buddy system where an experienced pilot and somebody like myself each had a controller connected to the same plane,” said Houze, who attended the event with his grandfather Lyn Houze. “So, essentially, if you got into a sticky situation, they could take over.”
Houze won the top prize in the club raffle: a ready-to-fly AeroScout radio control plane. “So we signed up for the club, got a membership and we started flying. It’s a great hobby to have. The best part about it, in my opinion, is there’s really no age limit. It’s a hobby anybody can start and anybody can enjoy.”
Houze, along with club member Keegan Warner, recently participated in the national AMA Heavy Lift Challenge, which was open to students in sixth grade through 12th grade. The team was given a fictional scenario in which they had to modify an AeroScout air frame to carry and deliver as much water as possible to assist with wildfire response efforts.
“We accomplished the goal of doubling our payload,” Draman said. “We didn’t win an award, but it was a good learning experience.”
The club recently held its first swap meet in Zoar and also held a youth flying event at the Bolivar Library.
Spread your wings
“We are a family-friendly organization, and RC flying is a family hobby,” Draman said. “No matter how old or young, I think you can learn by coming to the event.”
Draman said the club also exists to help people enjoy the hobby, whether it’s dropping by and watching or actually trying to fly.
“We recently had a lady and her granddaughter stop by and watch, and the 6- or 7-year-old girl was just enthralled by it. When they found out they could come here and get a chance to fly a plane, the little girl said, ‘Oh yeah, I want to do that,’” Draman said.
Draman said those who plan to attend should bring camp chairs and maybe even sun umbrellas. Coolers with food and beverages are allowed. In case of inclement weather, the event will be held Sunday, Aug. 13.
Club memberships are $50 per year, $35 for seniors over age 50, and free for junior members age 18 and under. More information is available at www.oldtownvalleyflyers.org.
The Oldtown Valley Flyers Club is located at 10141 Wilkshire Blvd. on the corner of Arrowhead and across from the Massarelli baseball fields. The airfield has space to park including in the parking lot along the adjacent Lawrence Township River Community Park Trail.
