Easter fliers

Although not initially intended to be an Easter event, the annual fun fly had model airplanes taking off on Sunday.

Members of the Lakehead Aeromodellers and North of Superior Fliers flew everything from planes to helicopters at the Sports Dome. About 20 people came to fly during the two hours that the clubs booked.

Stephen Robb, vice president of Lakehead Aeromodellers, started flying RC airplanes four years ago. He worked at the Cascade paper mill until 2006, but said he decided to retirement and thought to fly model airplanes as something to do.

Robb said the club usually met eight times during the year at the Sports Dome and it was only by accident that he booked the club get-together on Easter two years in row.

"Easter is usually a holiday but when you’re retired it has no meaning at all," Robb said. "We’re all friends here. You get to see people you don’t see on a regular basis. It is hard to explain but everybody has been apart of a group that gets along well but doesn’t have to spend all day together."

Robb said the club needed some place to fly their planes during the winter and the Sports Dome made the most sense.

Fliers performed gravity-defying moves such as hovering or flying upside down. Robb called it 3D flying and mentioned there are many differently styles of flying.

"I think the appeal of (flying model airplanes) is trying to do (those moves) without wrecking your airplane," he said. "There is also slow flying airplanes that just sit out there and just relax."

Dennis Smilsky moved from Ignace five years ago and became involved in flying model airplanes. He first started building and flying them with his son.

From RC aircraft, he moved onto flying ultra-lite airplanes. He built the single passenger airplane in his basement, which about 340 pounds and had a wingspan of 33 feet. He said it is like flying an aluminum lawn chair.

"It is gorgeous up there," Smilsky said. "It is very lite so you feel the wind gusts. Now that the (ultra lite) is gone, sold it to a guy in Michigan, flying RC planes is the next closest thing to it."

Smilsky said when flying he tries to be as close to perfect as possible when flying. It is something he said he takes pride in to perform aerial maneuvers flawlessly.