Trees & horses photo by Becky Hart
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Gary Jones’ radio-control planes zoom in Pocatello skies By Dianna Troyer When Gary Jones first piloted his model Stinson Reliant SR-9, with its 100inch wingspan, the takeoff didn’t make him nervous. But the eventual and unavoidable landing of the 29-pound plane made his stomach flip-flop and his knees knock, because he was afraid it might crash. “I had about 1,000 hours into building that plane,” he says of the model he bought from a fellow pilot who never had time to complete it. “It was a winter project. After it was built, I didn’t fly it for two years. Finally, I worked up my courage and decided it was either going to fly or not, so I took it out. After I fly it, I wait about a week or so until my knees recover from knocking.” Gary, president of the Eastern Idaho Aeromodelers, flies a couple of hours each morning at the club’s runway near the Pocatello Regional Airport. He even flies in winter, if it’s not too stormy, using his seaplane that has landing gear enabling the plane to take off and land on snow. “I retired in 1999 after 38 years with Union Pacific Railroad, so now I have plenty of time to do this,” says Gary, who was a manager in the maintenance and ways shop. Gary is often joined by other club members, who call each other “Orville” or “Wilbur” or “Crash,” depending on their flying skills. “It’s a friendly club, and someone is always willing to help novice pilots,” Gary says. “It’s been around for 30 years, and we have about 40 members.” He invites people who are thinking about flying radio-controlled planes to come to the club’s monthly meetings the last Thursday of each month at the field at 7:30 p.m. during spring, summer, and fall or at the Marshall Public Library at that time during winter when it’s too cold to meet outside. Gary is also an instructor and is glad to show people how to fly before they invest in a plane. “We have a trainer plane for those who want to try and see if they like it. There are two radio controls, so if the flyer gets into trouble the more experienced pilot can take over. Taking off is easy. The hard part is learning to land gracefully. And if you’re going to fly in Idaho, you’ll learn to fly in windy conditions.” Learning to fly can be tense, but with experience and confidence, Gary says flying is actually relaxing. He tells beginning pilots to plan to spend about $400 for a ready-to-fly plane, a radio, and accessories. Pocatello pilots will share their model aeronautical enthusiasm with each other and the public during a fun fly June 26-28 (Continued on page 42)