Thu, Jan 08 2009
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Published October 09, 2008 06:14 pm - Model planes prepare to crowd Hatbox Field By Travina Coleman Phoenix Staff Writer Looking up into the sky over Muskogee this weekend, you might see more than clouds.
The Three Rivers Area Model Plane Society (TRAMPS) will present the Hatbox Field Memorial 2008 IMAA Fly-In from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. today and Saturday at historic Hatbox Field. Approximately 100 giant-scale, radio-controlled airplanes, with wingspans of 80 inches and larger, will be circling the fields. The pilots will come from across the United States some from as far as Wisconsin and Illinois to attend the seventh annual event here. Mike Wise of TRAMPS said the free event is the biggest fundraiser for the group. “We call this the big bird event,” he said. “We had a very good turnout last year with close to 60 pilots. They pay a landing fee, and we collect the proceeds from that.” Wise said some of the planes flown at the show cost anywhere from $1,000 to $10,000. For Gaines Smith of Fort Gibson, flying model airplanes started when he was 12. It was an airplane attached to a string and he would swing it around and around. “The hobby is so diverse, you can never run out of things to do with it,” said Smith, 60. He’ll be flying an A-1 Skyraider — a post World War II single-engine attack aircraft at the fly-in. He said it was flown in Korea and was carrier based flying in Vietnam. “I modeled mine from the one flown off USS Midway in the early to mid-’60s,” he said. People like Smith buy a set of plans drawn proportionately to the real aircraft. He buys the equipment and builds it. It is flown with a “sophisticated radio system” and powered with gasoline, he said. “It’s a hand-to-eye coordination,” Smith said. Members of TRAMPS like Smith and Wise encourage people to come out to the largest group of planes like this in this region of the country. “It’s different, not something you see in Muskogee everyday,” Smith said. “There will be jets and guys here with 3-D airplanes hovering right above the runway.” People can’t really comprehend it until they see it for themselves, he said. During the event, a Spektrum DX7 RC radio system, provided by Model Works of Tulsa, will be given away from those making a $1 donation. 
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