GREENVILLE — Model airplanes and a helicopter filled the skies over Greenville on Labor Day as members of the Darke County Aero-Modelers Association gathered to enjoy a hobby that has connected generations of aviation enthusiasts.
The association has been part of Darke County since 1968, according to club President Dean Hurd. One of its founders was Dan Weaver of Weaver’s Bike Shop, which also sold hobby supplies.
The club operated for many years south of Wayne Lakes along Weaver Fort Jefferson Road before moving to its current Greenville facility in 2000.
Hurd said the association has approximately 25 members and welcomes anyone interested in model aviation.
“We offer membership to the club, which gives you access back here,” Hurd said. “You also have to belong to the AMA, which governs our club as far as rules. We have to be in compliance with the FAA.”
The club has authorization to fly its aircraft as high as 1,400 feet, something Hurd said many model aviation clubs do not have.
Members participate in several forms of model aviation, including radio-controlled fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, electric and fuel-powered planes, giant-scale aircraft, pattern flying, 3-D aerobatics and pylon racing.
The club’s grounds include grass runways, a grass pit area, covered shelter, safety fences, setup tables, startup stands, workbenches, windsocks and a designated spectator area. The gated facility also has fire extinguishers, a first-aid kit and portable restrooms.
Maintaining the flying field requires considerable work from members. Hurd said five regular volunteers, assisted by other members, mow and care for the property with equipment owned by the club.
“We have our own mowers,” Hurd said. “We don’t get anything from the city.”
The well-maintained flying field looks considerably different from the property members first encountered.
“This used to be nothing but scrub trees, thorn trees and bamboo about 7 or 8 feet tall,” Hurd said. “We planted over 800 pounds of grass back here.”
Hurd visits the field about four times a week. He and fellow member Steve Blakeley frequently fly on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, while most weekends attract other members to the facility.
For Blakeley, model aviation has been a lifelong interest. He began flying at age 16 and will turn 69 in December.
“I’ve been doing it pretty much my whole life,” Blakeley said. “Before I flew radio-controlled planes, I did control-line and free-flight planes. I started building little rubber-band planes when I was in grade school.”
Blakeley’s father flew control-line model airplanes and introduced him to the hobby. Blakeley later shared that interest with his son, Travis Blakley, who began flying at age 7.
Originally from North Star, Blakeley raised his children in Greenville. After living in the South for approximately six years, he returned to Greenville in 2015.
Blakeley now owns about 50 model airplanes and has built many of them himself.
Club Treasurer Mike Csaplik also represents a family tradition in model aviation. The Iowa native, who now lives in Union City, Ohio, has been flying for 37 years.
“I’m a third-generation pilot,” Csaplik said. “My grandma, grandpa and great-uncle flew back in the ’50s, and then my dad and then me.”
Csaplik operates a YouTube channel called “@The R/C Barn,” where he promotes traditional model-airplane construction and older aspects of the hobby, including nitro glow engines.
“I’m a traditional builder,” Csaplik said. “I’m trying to get people to build more and enjoy the old side of the hobby.”
Thomas McKibben of Versailles brought a model helicopter to the field on Labor Day. McKibben has flown model aircraft for 19 years and regularly visits the facility on Mondays and Fridays.
He said flying a helicopter is enjoyable but requires constant concentration.
“It’s intense,” McKibben said.
McKibben also praised the fellowship among club members.
“There are a bunch of good guys out here,” he said.
Another member, Dick Sexton, is a retired U.S. Marine originally from Brownsville, Texas. Sexton moved to the area after retiring from the Marine Corps and now lives in Greenville.
Sexton first flew model airplanes in 1971 but stepped away from the hobby for many years. He returned approximately a year ago and considers himself a beginner again.
“I love it,” Sexton said. “I try to come out every day. I enjoy coming out when somebody else is here, but I’ll come out by myself and fly.”
Hurd said model aviation can be a good activity for families. Experienced club members are willing to train newcomers and help them learn how to operate model aircraft safely.
“We have enough guys out here who are willing to help teach people how to fly,” Hurd said.
The association invites area residents to visit the field, watch members fly and learn more about the hobby. Spectators are welcome at the facility.
The club will hold its annual picnic on Saturday, Sept. 12. Members are expected to arrive between 9 and 10 a.m. and remain throughout the day. The club will provide meat and drinks, while members will bring covered dishes.
“Anybody is invited,” Hurd said. “We don’t turn anybody away, and we have more than enough food for everybody.”
Although warmer months attract more activity, members do not necessarily put away their aircraft when summer ends.
“We try to fly year-round as long as the weather is decent,” Hurd said. “There are guys who fly in the wintertime and all year-round.”
For more information about the association or learning to fly, call Dean Hurd at 937-467-6900.
