Red Barons touch the sky

It started out as a boyhood dream - being able to touch the sky by flying. It developed into a love affair that for some has lasted for decades. That’s the way flying been for many members of the Red Baron Flying Club.

As if reliving that dream again, a dozen or so members of the club gathered along a runway at the Sleep Train Amphitheatre on Wednesday to fly and watch airplanes buzz overhead, spin into loops, twist into flips and soar against the brilliant blue Yuba County sky.

“That’s what the most fun is - coming out with a group of people, flying and telling tales,” said Mike Saras, club president.

These aren’t just any planes they’re flying. They are small-scale, radio-controlled aircraft. Well, some of them are small with a 2-foot wingspan, but others can reach 8 feet across. They can fly several hundred feet in the air and, depending on the plane, can range more than a mile.

Club members say it’s a hobby they want to share with others, and are willing to teach people during an Open House & Fun Fly event Saturday and Sunday at the club’s runway at the Sleep Train Amphitheatre. The goal is to gain new members, Saras said.

The club is leasing land from the amphitheater. Members built a 630-foot-long runway to accommodate all sorts of radio-controlled airplanes.

Gary Smith of Sacramento drives to Yuba County to fly whenever he gets the chance.

“It’s a 36-mile drive one way, but it’s worth it,” said Smith, who doubles as the club’s safety officer. “We have fun. That’s the name of the game.”

Members range in age from 8 to 80 and include men, women, boys and girls.

Drinking alcohol is permitted, but a member may not fly after consuming any alcohol for safety reasons, Smith said.

“You have to have your faculties about you,” he said.

Flying the aircraft is a bit of a challenge for a newcomer. Pilots operate the aircraft with two joysticks, similar to that of an Xbox or Nintendo system. But the aircraft are not toys at all, Saras said. They range in price from $300 and up.

Some club members build their own aircraft. Don Stroot of Roseville is one of them.

“For us, flying is incidental to building,” he said. But he still enjoys flying, he said.

Newcomers don’t need to build their own plane and don’t even need to own one for the event. Trainers from the club will let newcomers use their aircraft during the weekend’s event to see if they’d be interested in joining.

“As long as you’ve got use of your hands and eyes, you can fly,” Stroot said.

For more information, visit the club’s Web site at www.redbarons.org.

Appeal-Democrat reporter Daniel Witter can be reached at 749-4712. You may e-mail him at dwitter@appealdemocrat.com.