Oldtown Valley Flyers to hold Public Fly Day
The Oldtown Valley Flyers club airfield at the corner of Wilkshire Boulevard and Arrowhead Road features a 600-by-80-foot airfield to accommodate the largest RC planes.
Those who have always dreamed of piloting a plane can do so, in a sense, at the Oldtown Valley Flyers Public Fly Day on Saturday, Aug. 17 at the club’s 4-acre airfield in Wilkshire Hills, just across Arrowhead Road from the Massarelli Baseball complex.
Club President Robert Draman said club members will be available from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. to serve as flight instructors and co-pilots as people use club planes to learn to fly radio-controlled model aircraft.
“The whole point is to celebrate the hobby and share it with the public,” Draman said of the event that started in 2013. This will be the fourth event hosted at the club’s location in Wilkshire Hills.
In its nearly 40-year history, the club has been situated in Gnadenhutten, Dundee and New Philadelphia, where its Oldtown Valley Road location gave the club its name.
Draman said he expects several accomplished RC pilots to perform flying demonstrations, which could include some stunt maneuvers.
“We’ll also have a flight simulator for people to practice on before taking to the sky,” Draman said.
Using the buddy system, a “buddy box” allows members of the public to take over the controls while an accomplished RC pilot is right there, ready to take over if needed.
The RC model planes used by club members are built to scale and span all types of planes. The website says club members fly everything from electric flyers and drones to helicopters and giant scale models with gas-powered or glow engines.
Draman said the club recently added a 30-by-15-foot strip of geotextile fabric to the airfield to make for smoother landings and takeoffs. The 600-by-80-foot field provides ample room for the largest RC planes.
Born to fly
Draman was brought up around aviation. In fact, his father soloed in a real plane the year Draman was born. “For me, flying was just a part of life.”
The same is true for club member Seth Pleskach of Dover, a real-life pilot for Spirit Airlines since 2011.
“I’ve been an RC pilot since I was 8 years old,” Pleskach said. “My grandpa, who is 95 now, and I have been building and flying RC airplanes since then, and it is the whole reason I am a pilot now.”
Prepare for takeoff
Membership in the OVF is not required for participation in the Public Fly Day. But for those who get bit by the RC bug, memberships are certainly available, and they cover the entire family.
A one-year membership is $70 for families, $40 for seniors and those with disabilities, and free for those under 18, although junior members must maintain a youth membership in the Academy of Model Aeronautics, which runs $15 a year.
Draman said the OVF chose the Wilkshire Hills location, hoping people would see them flying their planes and stop to ask questions. They did, and the club of 30 members has grown to nearly 50 RC pilots of all ages.
The Aug. 17 date coincides with the AMA National Model Aviation Day, just as it did last year. In the case of inclement weather, the event will be held Sunday, Aug. 18 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Guests are encouraged to bring camp chairs, sun umbrellas and coolers with refreshments if desired. A number of fast food and other restaurant options are close by.
A farewell for missing men
Draman said the club will hold a brief ceremony to honor three members who passed away in the last 18 months. They are James Gowan, former club vice president; James McCoy; and Ed Wentworth.
The OVF club is located at 10141 Wilkshire Blvd. NE near Bolivar, and parking is available. Call 234-804-6764 or email oldtownflyboys@outlook.com.