Model aircraft enthusiasts hold show at Cape airport

Something about the way the F-16 jet rose vertically, then swooped into a series of twists, turns and rolls drew awe-struck gasps from spectators.

The humming of other aircraft soon filled the air, and the sky came alive with the dips and dives of colorful planes, gliders and helicopters.

The tight maneuvers and death-defying plunges might be the envy of many veteran pilots. But the men and women controlling these aircraft had the great advantage of flying from the ground.

"We treat it like it's a full-size air show," said Rick Renfrow with the Southeast Missouri Modelers Association in Cape Girardeau. "Some of these planes can go up to 200 miles per hour, and it's really something to see."

'Challenge and satisfaction'

The association's 2003 Radio Controlled Air Show brought model aircraft enthusiasts from Missouri, Arkansas and Illinois to the Cape Girardeau Regional Airport on Sunday for a day of exhibition flying.

Some call it a hobby. Some call it a sport. Either way, Tom Boulnois of Charleston, Mo., said working with model aircraft isn't easy.

"It's the challenge and satisfaction of taking a pile of wood and building something that flies," said Boulnois, who became active in model aircraft in the early 1980s.

Boulnois was one of 30 pilots from the tri-state area who participated in Sunday's show. He's a member of the Show Me Air Kings demonstration team and flies one of the most popular aircraft in the group's exhibition -- Snoopy's doghouse.

The Show Me Air Kings' demonstration includes a pyrotechnics reenactment of the Pearl Harbor attack using World War II-era Japanese and American warbirds with paratroopers that are dropped from the bottom of the planes.

"We suffer a lot of casualties with the parachutists," Boulnois joked.

While most of the show's participants have dabbled in model aircrafts for many years, the intrigue and admiration on the faces of some of the younger audience members was unmistakable.

Six-year-old Daniel Drury of Cape Girardeau clutched a white paper airplane in his hands, but his attention never strayed far from the sky.

He averted his eyes just long enough to point out his favorite craft, a small black and yellow plane dubbed a "bee."

"I like how they hover, but it's all kind of neat," Daniel said.

Ten-year-old Josh Drury, Daniel's brother, is an even bigger fan than his younger sibling.

"The stunts are the coolest, especially the rolls," said Josh, who has helped his father build two model airplanes and has flown one by himself.

"I've crashed once or twice, and it's pretty scary," he said.

Upcoming anniversary

The show also featured rides -- in full-size planes -- for children ages 8 to 18 by the Experimental Aircraft Association as part of the national Young Eagles Program.

The program is part of a national EAA initiative to give 1 million young people the experience of flying by the 100th anniversary of Orville and Wilbur Wright's Kitty Hawk flight this December.

"Many of these kids have never been on a plane before, and it's important to expose them to that," said EAA member Ernest Chiles of Jackson. "They always have a great time."

The local EAA has given rides to more than 160 children this year, including about 15 on Sunday. For more information about the free flights, call Chiles at 243-8489.

cclark@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 128