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Entertainment

Frequent fliers

Spring Hill will be buzzing Saturday with owners and admirers of radio-controlled aircraft.

By LOGAN NEILL
Published April 1, 2005

WEEKI WACHEE - Anyone wanting to gauge Peter Christ's interest in radio-controlled model airplanes need only peek inside the garage of his home.

Model plane fuselages rest along every wall. Wings for the aircraft hang in neat rows along the rafters, making it a challenge to pass through without a bump on the head.

"It's a bit of an obsession," Christ says as he moves gingerly through the collection of nearly 500 miniature aircraft. "I can't help myself. When I see something I like, I get it."

That has been true for 50 years, says the 73-year-old. His mammoth collection includes quarter-sized replicas of legendary war birds: P-51 Mustangs, P-38 Lightnings, B-17 and B-25 bombers. He also has passenger planes, jet fighters, helicopters and gliders of just about every imaginable shape and size. In addition, Christ has about 300 radio controllers and an inexhaustible supply of gas and electric motors with which to power the aircraft.

As enjoyable as collecting is for Christ, the real fun is in the flying, which he does several times a week at the Hernando Aero Modelers Club field at the Sand Hill Scout Reservation in Spring Hill. The buzzing of tiny gas engines gives Christ a thrill like no other.

"It's not any more difficult than driving a car," said Christ, who will join dozens of fellow model plane enthusiasts Saturday at the Scout Reservation for the Hernando Aero Modelers spring air show.

"You crash a lot in the beginning, but you eventually learn from your mistakes," he said. "If you don't bang up your plane too badly, it'll survive. Once you get the hang of flying, then it gets interesting."

Christ said he has been interested in flight since he was a kid. After high school, he eagerly signed up for the Air Force, but was turned down for physical reasons. Not long after, he bought his first radio-controlled plane from a Cleveland hobby shop. The lumbering midwing craft made of balsa and plastic was difficult to control for a beginner, and he spent more time fixing it than he did flying it. "Back then, radio-controlled planes were still primitive. You didn't have the lightweight motors and servos you have today," said Christ. Over the years, he stayed tuned to every new leap in technology, and even had a few innovations of his own.

Once he retired from the banking business, Christ began to devote every available moment to his growing collection of planes.

Christ says he has no idea how much he has invested in his hobby. His planes run the gamut from $25 starter kits to huge quarter-scale, quad engine aircraft worth thousands of dollars. His prized model is a B-25 replica, a balsa wood behemoth with a wingspan of more than 12 feet that he seldom flies to preserve its pristine condition.

"I'm something of a purist when it comes to planes," Christ said. "A lot of people are into the aerobatic stuff and making models fly in ways that real planes don't, but not me. If it doesn't do it in the real world, I won't make it do it when I'm flying it."

Some of Christ's replicas are capable of reaching more than 100 mph, which he insists makes them more than toys. To illustrate, he shows a 4-inch-long scar he received four years ago when a propeller exploded, sending a fiberglass shard deep into his left upper arm.

"That's a pretty rare occurrence in this hobby," he said. "One of the nice things about radio control is that the people involved are very responsible and cautious about everything. And that's what makes it fun for me."

Logan Neill can be reached at 352 848-1435 or lneill@sptimes.com

WHAT: Hernando Aero Modelers radio-controlled plane air show.

WHEN: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday.

WHERE: Sand Hill Scout Reservation on State Road 50 (2 miles east of U.S. 19), Spring Hill.

ADMISSION: Donation of $3 for adults and $1 for children (second adult in car is free).

INFORMATION: Call 597-0143 or 688-2237.

[Last modified April 1, 2005, 00:36:19]