CHRISTINA EICHELKRAUT / PVT Merl Troxel, member of the Pahrump Valley Model Aviators club, kneels next to his remote-controlled P-51D Mustang. Troxel tweaked the engine of his model a bit to reflect the speed of the long-range World War II figher plane more accurately. CHRISTINA EICHELKRAUT / PVT Joe Kaulick, foreground, watches one of the R/C planes fly by at the field used by the Pahrump Valley Model Aviators Club while other members look on and discuss their models. Advertisement

For one Friday afternoon the seemingly perpetual desert wind had died down and the sun semi-successfully fought off the January chill.

It was a perfect day for flying, and the flight line at the Pahrump Model Aviators' field in the desert off of Simmons Street was, for all its scaled-down size, thoroughly impressive.

The remote-controlled planes, ranging from three to six feet long and with proportional wingspans, included everything from smaller, battery-operated aircraft to planes large enough to need real fuel to fly.

There were "ARFs," which meant planes built from kits that are "almost ready to fly," and a few that had been built from scratch, from the blueprints to the engine.

But just because a plane is an ARF doesn't mean it can't be modified.

Merl Troxel proudly pointed to his P-51D Mustang with its checkered engone cowling and explained why he had replaced the engine with which it orignally came.

"It was a fast-flying airplane, therefore I didn't want it to be a slowpoke," he said matter-of-factly.

And don't let the size of the planes fool you: they get literally hundreds of feet into the air, easily soaring several lengths above a telephone pole.

Troxel's plane, for example, is about five and a half feet long and boasts a 7-1/2 horsepower engine.

This underscores the fact that while R/C planes are an enjoyable hobby, they're not exactly toys.

Since planes can have propellers that turn at speeds ranging anywhere from 8,000 to 15,000 rpm, safety is a primary concern.

As Troxel wryly put it, "Those propellers will bite and can put notch in your fingers."

And just as with full-sized aircraft, engine trouble can happen, resulting in potential crash landings (the controller will call out "dead stick" when that happens to warn other pilots on the field of falling debris).

"One of the rules that's inevitable is that you don't have to take off, but you do have to land," Troxel pointed out.

Since flying the planes is a lot harder than it looks, as this reporter was given the chance to find out firsthand, it's necessary to undergo some training before you get to fly on your own.

The trainer (and treasurer) for Pahrump's local chapter of model aviators is Arlen West.

West hooked up two remote controls with a trainer cord, giving him the ability to take over the plane on a second's notice by releasing a button on his control.

And that was a good thing, too, because it only took a few seconds for this reporter to realize just how easy it is to let the plane get away from you.

The spring-action stick controlling height and direction only took the slightest touch to make a huge difference in where the plane was headed, and it's all too easy to over-control and end up with the plane so high it's nearly out of sight.

Literally, a few millimeters of moving the control can equal tens of feet for the plane in the air.

That meant a simple left turn (which is further complicated by the fact that, once turning, the controls become backwards a little) took several attempts to complete successfully.

Another thing to watch out for is not flying into the sun, which can get you into some real trouble.

So new fliers generally spend some time with West on a trainer cord, who ably ensures they learn to fly on their own successfully.

Another good reason to be trained is the investment put into the planes.

Kits can cost anywhere from $100 to $1,500, and while building them is part of the fun, it's hard to enjoy the flying if you're constantly making repairs.

Once a ground pilot is ready to take to the skies on his own, however, a whole new horizon of flying can open up.

The Pahrump Valley Model Aviators are a chartered club of the national Academy of Model Aeronautics, which has 170,000 members nationwide.

The AMA holds competitions in categories that include everything from races to pattern flying.

The local chapter would like to host some of these events as well, but are currently hampered by lack of their own flying field.

The field they usually use, in the desert off Gamebird near Simmons, is BLM land that is often torn up by ATVs and trucks.

The club makes due as best it can, using a length of chain-link fence to grade the field, but no sooner have they smoothed it out than they find it torn into shreds the next day.

Richard Semerjian, secretary, said about 20 acres are needed for a viable field.

"If we had our own field, than the national headquarters would insure it," Semerjian explained. "We could fly on one acre, but we need enough room to ensure our planes don't damage other people's property."

And a field to fly on wouldn't suffer from lack of use. According to Semerjian, there are about 45 people who fly model aircraft in Pahrump.

Once a person gets hooked, more often than not it becomes a lifelong hobby.

Eddie Keefe, 80, started flying rubber models when he was 8.

"When radio came along, in the '50s, I got into racing and pattern flying," he explained, standing by a Twin Star he had built from scratch.

Bill Holt bought his first plane at a dime store 50 years ago and still has about half a dozen planes today.

Brian Hanscom, one of the club's younger members at 17, got an R/C plane as a birthday present and since then has significantly expanded his collection.

"It's fun just to be able to sit out and fly your own airplane, to be able to do what you want with it," Hanscom said.

He also enjoys building the planes because "you get excited when you get it done, and have this plane to fly."

If you are interested in joining the Pahrump Model Aviators, you don't necessarily have to buy and build a plane right away.

The club has a loaner plane and West will give you a shot at flying it. All you have to do is go down to the field and check it out for yourself.

Provided the field isn't torn up and it's not too windy, about every Saturday some members will be out there flying.

Regular meetings are also held the second Saturday of each month at 9 a.m. at the Desert View Regional Medical Center in the lower level across from the cafeteria.

For more information, call Semerjian at 775-751-0612 or check out the club's Web site at www.pvmodelaviators.com.