Lazy Eight Radio Control Model Airplane Club to host 37th annual air show this weekend

Jun 02, 2024

The Lazy Eight Radio Control Model Airplane Club will host its 37th Annual Air Show this weekend.

JOHNSTOWN – The Lazy Eight Radio Control Model Airplane Club will host its 37th annual air show this weekend.

The air show will run from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. There is a suggested $5 donation cost, with children under 12 admitted free. The event will take place at the club’s flying site, located at 144 Knoblauch Road in Johnstown, behind Roger’s Family Orchard.

“Depending on the weather, we’ll have 75 to 80 different planes,” said club member Ronald Chizek. “They’ll be all different sizes and shapes, from planes that are a couple feet in wingspan to maybe up to 10 feet in wingspan.”

Pilots from throughout New York, New Jersey, New Hampshire and Vermont will be flying at the air show, Chizek said. Planes with a variety of different kinds of engines will be featured at the show, such as glow engines, which run on alcohol, and larger engines similar to a two-stroke chainsaw engine.

Concessions will be available throughout the event, and Saturday there will be a silent auction. All proceeds from the silent auction will go toward the club’s annual scholarship, which is given to a local high school student pursuing a career in aviation or STEM.

“They do all kinds of maneuvers with the panes,” Chizek said. “They can do anything in the air that a real airplane can do, and sometimes more because they don’t have to worry about the G-forces.”

Weather and wind conditions play a factor in determining if model planes can be flown, Chizek said. The annual event usually sees 400 or more spectators, and parking is free.

“Our field is quite unique; on the other side of our field is a big farm field, so it’s a pretty picturesque setting,” Chizek said. “Bring the kids, bring the family, bring your lawn chairs. It’s a great time, and a lot of fun for everyone.”

Model airplanes have been around for many years, Chizek said. Radio control planes have been in use since the 1940s, and have developed into more complex, digitally controlled planes.

The club has been around since the early 1960s. It also teaches people about planes and how to fly them. This weekend’s event is a good opportunity for anyone interested to learn more about the hobby, Chizek said.