On any given day, the skies above County Roads J and 16 may be crowded with giants.
Opdyke Park is home to The Hillside Aeromodelers RC Flying Club, who maintain the area and mow the grass. And from that grass, their model airplanes routinely take off.
The models vary in size, with some being small enough to fit on a shelf at home, while others are almost as long as their owners are tall. Some run on gasoline and others on batteries. But all of them serve the same purpose, to take over the skies above.
The Hillside Aeromodelers RC Flying Club meets monthly, on the second Saturday of each month at 2 P.M. Members of the group also enjoy flying their planes in the park at their leisure, and the public is always invited to stop by and see what’s going on.
What was going on September 6th was the groups second annual “Giants Over Hillside” event. From 10:30 A.M. to 5:30 P.M., 18 members of the Flying Club were on hand, displaying their giant model airplanes and demonstrating their capabilities. This event was strictly for the bigger models, which was convenient given the strong winds blowing that day.
As required to fly in a public park, the group obtains insurance for its planes. This insurance is provided through the Academy of Model Aeronautics, or the AMA. With the price of plans ranging anywhere from $150 to $1,200, a little insurance is probably a good idea.
The Flying Club, 30 strong in total, encourages anyone interested in model aeronautics to stop by and ask questions. Their true goal is to spread the joy that can only come with flying a model plane.
It seems there just might be a little more room for giants to hover above Opdyke Park after all.