Waimak plane club eyes take off
It takes quite a bit of skill and coordination, but with hundreds of years’ experience amongst the current members of the Waimak Radio Flyers, anyone interested in taking up radio controlled planes as a hobby would be in very capable hands.
The club was established in 2000, and over the last 18 years the membership has peaked in the high 20s, although it currently sits at 19, with an age range of between 45 and 83.
The club is affiliated to Model Flying New Zealand, the body which governs model aeronautics nationwide.
President Derek Wratten said the club was keen to recruit more interested members, whether they be model aeroplane enthusiasts or novices.
Members were keen to share their skills with new people, offer advice on purchasing a model plane, and even give some flight tutoring so prospective fliers can work towards earning their wings badge, he said.
Because most model planes are now electric, there is very little noise associated with them, and the newer controls are touch screen and capable of programming individual planes and flights.
‘‘It’s actually more difficult than flying a plane, because you are not sitting in it,’’ Wratten said.
‘‘It can be very disorientating when the plane you are controlling is coming towards you — it’s all back to front. Some pilots even have difficulty picking it up.
‘‘It’s also tricky depending on the weather conditions — in the wind, because the planes are so light, you need to correct all the time.’’
The Radio Waimak Flyers have been meeting at their current site, Kendall Pk in Kaiapoi, for the past two and a half years. Before that they were based on North Eyre Rd, however once this was sold for dairying the group was left without a flying site. The committee approached the Waimakariri District Council who facilitated the move to Kendall Pk.
Vice-president Bryan Penwell said the council had been really good to the club and had even emptied out a shed so it could be used as a storage area for them.
The group meets every Wednesday and Friday morning at Kendall Pk, from 9am to 12pm, as well as coming together for a monthly barbecue on the last Wednesday of each month.
Anyone interested in joining is invited to visit on a Wednesday, or contact Derek Wratten on 03 352 3867, or Bryan Penwell on 03 327 2415.