Dare County Radio Control Flyers

Steve Smith, Jim Shiels, Stephen Yanacek, and Robert Yanacek met today at our field for another fun-filled day of flying. With temperatures in the low-60s and winds between 5 and 8 miles per hour, many flights were flown by each member without any difficulties or mishaps.

Stephen Yanacek led off with a flight with his AeroScout S, followed by Jim Shiels with one of the UMX planes he brought to the field. Steve Smith flew his Ugly Stick a number of times making adjustments to his flaperon mix.

Today was a big day for Robert Yanacek as he finally had a opportunity to take-off and land a number of times under the supervision of flight instructor Steve Smith.

Following flight operations, all four members turned to field maintenance activities and removed small trees and brush in the area that we plan to build our new storage shed.

Seven of our club members and one guest met at our field today and enjoyed a great day of flying. With the winds between 4 and 8 miles per hour and unlimited visibility, many planes were flown today without difficulty or mishaps.

Stephen Yanacek soloed today with his HobbyZone AeroScout S, then performed a second solo flight. Our guest, Destin Tomblin, performed a flight with the club's HobbyZone J-3 Cub, and a second flight with Stephen Yanacek's AeroScout S under the supervision of flight instructors Steve Smith and Peter Fynn. Jim Davis performed a good flight with his Sig Four-Star that he converted to electric power this past winter. Peter Fynn then treated everyone with a scale flight of his large PA-12 which ended in a superb landing. Grant Dick flew his F4U Corsair once again thrilling all with his aerobatic skills, followed by Steve Smith with at least one flight with his Ugly Stick nitro-powered monoplane. Jim Shiels brought and flew number of smaller electric-powered airplanes—all of which performed well. Grant Dick, Jim Davis, and Peter Fynn ended the day's flight operations with flights on additional aircraft that each brought to the field.

Five of our club members and one guest met today at our field in Manns Harbor to fly their planes, however our efforts to open the 2021 flying season was cut short due to increasing wind speeds.

Steve Smith arrived at about 9AM and performed at least three good flights with his Great Planes Kunai sport glider. Robert Yanacek was next into the air with his E-flite Valiant which once again proved to be a great flying plane. Steve Smith then flew his nitro-powered Ugly Stick that he received from the estate of our late-member and friend, Lynn Lockrow. Peter Fynn then flew his Tiger Moth, unfortunately by that time the wind had picked up considerably and his flight was a very short one that ended in a very good landing thanks to his skill as a pilot. Grant Dick then flew his F4U Corsair in an attempt to overcome the 16 mile per hour winds with pure power. Grant made it look easy, however following a successful landing it became obvious that further flights in such winds would most-likely result in crashes.

Despite the limited number of flights preformed, we had a good time nonetheless.

Seven of our members attended and hosted a Club Fly and cookout event on November 7, 2020 at our flying field and it was a great success with 18 guests in attendance.

It was a perfect day to fly with temperatures in the 70s, unlimited visibility, and winds about eight miles per hour.

All guests desiring to try their hand at flying a radio control aircraft were able to do so, thanks to the skills of our three flight instructors, Jim Davis, Steve Smith, and Grant Dick. Our instructors utilized the club's two trainer aircraft and Robert Yanacek's very popular E-flite Valiant 480E, and all of our first-time fliers performed very well and without incident. Those flying for the first time today included Sabrina Henry, Peter Yanacek, Abigail Longano, and Avery Garberina.

About noon, our members and guests were treated to a lunch of hot dogs and refreshments thanks to the efforts of Stephen and Peter Yanacek who manned the grill. Grant Dick then thrilled those attending with his superb skills piloting his electric-powered F4U-1D Corsair. His demonstration included low-level high speed passes, stalls, inverted flight and the usual aerobatic rolls and loops. Jim Davis also performed a number of parachute and candy drops with his nitro-powered Piper J-3 Cub to the pleasure of our younger guests. Our newest member, Stephen Yanacek, was also able to conduct a maiden flight with his HobbyZone AeroScout S under the supervision of flight instructor, Grant Dick. Jim Davis' flight with his B-25 Mitchell unfortunately was short-lived, due to the loss of an engine on takeoff, however the aircraft was recovered intact with only minor damage.

Overall, we had a great time flying, socializing, and sharing our passion of radio control aviation with all those in attendance.

We had a great day of flying at our field on October 24, 2020! With ideal weather conditions, seven of our club's members began flight operations at 10AM. In addition to our members, we had 15 guests of all ages visit with us, and everyone wishing to try their hand at flying a radio control aircraft were given an opportunity to do so, under the supervision of our seasoned flight instructors Jim Davis and Steve Smith.

To the surprise of some of our older members, the young first-time fliers performed incredibly well and without any incidents or crashes–which we suspect was the result of very well-developed hand and eye coordination provided through their familiarity with video gaming. Regardless of the reason, we were all very pleased to offer our first-time fliers the experience and thrill of radio control flight!

Our next event at the field will be held on Saturday, November 7th at 10AM. Once again, we will be flying a variety of model aircraft, offering free flight instruction to those wanting to give it a try, and will be providing free hot dogs, soft drinks, and chips for those attending.

We had a great time at our Club Fly on October 10, 2020. Despite the overcast weather conditions, the wind velocity was only about 8 miles per hour–ideal for flying. Seven aircraft were at the field today, both gas and electric powered. Jim Davis, Robert Yanacek, Steve Smith, and Stephen Yanacek attended and flew many flights. We also had the pleasure to meet Curt Merrill and his young daughter, who joined us at the field today to learn about the world of model aviation.

Under the supervision of our flight instructors two new pilots, Stephen Yanacek and Curt Merrill, had the opportunity to fly for the first time today, and one of our beginner pilots continued his training. All three flew well without any incidents or crashes.

Our next flying event at the field will be on Saturday, October 24th, beginning at 10AM. We encourage all those interested in learning more about flying radio control aircraft to come out to the field or contact us.

On September 7, 2020 Jim Davis, Steven Smith, Jim Shiels, and Robert Yanacek met at our flying field to perform some maintenance and enjoy the remainder of the day flying.

Our day began at 9AM with Robert and Steve cutting and trimming the grass on the field and surrounding areas. Both Jim Davis and Jim Shiels arrived about an hour and a half later and evaluated our building that is used to store our mowing equipment for repairs and improvements. Robert also installed a replacement windsock–a much needed repair.

Flight operations commenced about noon, with each of our members taking turns flying various aircraft. Under the watchful eyes of instructor Jim Davis, student pilot Robert Yanacek also performed a maiden flight on his E-flite Valiant 480E.

Local residents interested in learning more about model aviation, our club, or desiring to learn to fly a radio control aircraft are welcome to contact us for additional information.

Dare County Radio Control Flyers held their annual Christmas party at the Thai Room in Kill Devil Hills with a total of seven members and guests attending.

Attending to kickoff the 2019 holiday season were Lynn Lockrow, Steve Smith, Dave Ahearn, Robert Yanacek, Sharon Davis, Jim Davis, and Ron Patten.

We invited the girl scouts from Troop 2603 in Kill Devil Hills to come out to our model airplane flying field to demonstrate what these flying model planes are all about.

We gave demonstrations of gas and electric flight, plus a drone too! We set up a buddy box system and let everyone have a turn at flying a model airplane. The weather did not cooperate and it was windy making flying a little difficult. However the girls did very well and all had fun. Lunch consisted of grilled hot dogs, chips, brownies, water, and sodas.

We had a great turn out, despite the windy weather. There were 13 girls from the scouts and three adults—Amy, Ashley and Danielle. This was a great day for the flyers to end the 2017 flying season.