Boys (and girls) and their toys: Model airplane pilots gather in Cape

When Ashleigh Heath flies, adults stop and take notice.

Heath, 14, is a rarity among radio-controlled airplane pilots, most of whom are male and much older than the ninth-grader who stood next to a small asphalt runway Sunday morning at Galaxy Park, putting a plane through its paces at the second annual Mid-America 3D Hobby Shop Fly-Low-In.

It's her skill rather than her age or gender that makes Heath stand out among her fellow pilots.

"She's better than I am," said Mike Schulz of Crystal Lake, Ill., as Heath's red, white and blue plane skipped, soared and spun overhead.

About three years ago, Heath -- who lives near Detroit -- began flying Air Hogs, which she described as "these little Wal-Mart toy remote-control things that don't do anything. You have no control over them, pretty much."

Matt Fouts, right, of Hornersville, Mo. flies his radio-controlled RC 91 aircraft with his father, Todd Fouts, Sunday, June 30, 2013 at Galaxy Park north of Cape Girardeau. (Fred Lynch)

Heath soon upgraded her aircraft and eventually began building her own planes.

"I wanted one that would actually fly and do what I wanted to, not just have a mind of its own," she said.

Her hobby could lead to a profession: Heath said she is considering a career in aerospace engineering when she is older.

In the meantime, she spends her summer traveling to shows -- events in New Jersey, Ohio and Minnesota are all on her calendar for the coming weeks -- and practices at home during the school year, using a computer-based flight simulator or taking advantage of Michigan's cold winters to fly her planes over a frozen lake.

Phil Hagler of Cape Girardeau, standing president of the Southeast Missouri Modelers Association, said the event -- which drew 42 pilots, including participants from Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Michigan, Florida and Louisiana -- was part of a summer series of gatherings for 3D airplane owners.

Schulz, who helped promote the event for the website 3DRCForums.com, said 3D planes are different from other model airplanes in that the wings do not provide any lift.

The planes fly "nose up, tail down," relying on their propellers to keep them airborne, he said.

Troy Pogue and Josh Price drove seven hours from the Fort Smith, Ark., area for the event.

Pogue has been flying radio-controlled airplanes since the mid 1980s and ran his own hobby shop for several years.

"I grew up on airplanes. My grandfather was a World War II pilot, and then my dad, he got his pilot's license, and I just kind of carried on with my dad," he said.

As Pogue spoke, Price steered an orange-and-white plane through a series of aerobatic maneuvers.

Like real airplanes, models can crash as a result of catastrophic mechanical issues. On Saturday, one of Pogue's planes caught fire in midair, he said.

"The fuel line got against the exhaust and ignited," he said.

Fortunately, the damage was minimal.

"It wasn't anything we can't go home and fix in just a couple of hours," Price said.

Price knows about crashes.

When he was 11, his dad bought him a plane for Christmas, thinking it would be a fun way to spend time together. Father and son ended up with more quality time than they'd bargained for when the plane crashed on its maiden flight.

"Christmas Day, he went out and crashed it, so we spent the next two nights, all night, rebuilding a new airplane," Price said. "I was hooked ever since."

Pogue and Price said they travel to 3D airplane events all over the region.

"It's just running around playing. Boys and our toys," Price said.

epriddy@semissourian.com

388-3642

Pertinent address:

Galaxy Park, Cape Girardeau, Mo.