MARINE CORPS BASE HAWAII -- An F-22 Raptor’s engines start up and it makes its way to the runway to prepare for take off. The engines roar and the aircraft screams by as it becomes airborne.
This is not the scene at an Air Force base where Raptors are based, but rather here at West Field. And, the Raptor is not a live one — it’s just a model.
The Paradise Flyers Radio Control Club gathers at West Field every Sunday to fly their Raptors, along with a vast array of model airplanes.
“This is the biggest number of turbo jet pilots in one club in the whole United States,” said Mike Youngling, club president. “We have around 18 guys who are certified to fly these things.”
Club members gather from around the island to show their skills at handling their models in the air. Approximately 65 percent of the Paradise Flyers are military, including active duty, retirees, and Department of Defense employees, said Peter Davidson, club vice president and founder.
“I founded this club 10 years ago in order to give the guys on this base new talent and things to do on their weekends,” Davidson said. “We have taught hundreds of guys over the years to fly and it’s a very entertaining hobby.”
Davidson said he began the club while working at Firestone when a couple of his coworkers, who were former Sailors, were talking about flying model planes. From there, Davidson approached the base commander and operations to see if they could fly on base. Everybody agreed to allow them to meet here, and his passion for flying was sparked once again.
“I fell in love with these things a long time ago,” he said. “I was sitting on a lake in Washington and I was watching this plane land on the water. I then realized that it was a radio-controlled airplane and it was all down hill from there. It’s an addicting hobby. You start out with one thing and then you get another that’s bigger, faster and better.”
Youngling took his high school love for flying model airplanes a step farther.
“I think the models are the thing that got me interested in joining the military,” the Air Force major said. “They’re the reason why I became an Air Force aviator. These models teach you a lot of things that carried over for me such as aerodynamics, dynamics and humility when you crash.”
Paradise Flyers Club members are showing their talent next month during the Blues on the Bay air show, where they will fly their models for spectators everday before and after the show.
“We’re excited and anxious to support the show and the base since they’ve been so gracious to host our club,” Youngling said.
The club offers an instructor who teaches people interested in flying the models free of charge every Sunday.
“It was cool but it takes a while to get a hang of it,” said Trevor Vanderpool, a student learning to fly the models. “Down is up, up is down. It just takes getting used to in order to really learn to fly these planes.”
Both Youngling and Davidson hope that more people begin to show up to fly with their club.
“The purpose of this club is to give the guys on base something to do and to teach them a new hobby,” Davidson said. “This club is for them and anyone else who is interested in flying. It’s free to join and free to learn to fly these aircraft.”
Youngling also said the Hawaiian weather should be another reason people should want to come out and fly with them.
“Hawaii is an awesome place to fly,” he said. “It’s not like the mainland where you can only fly five months out of the year because of winter. Here you can fly throughout the year and there are people that are really jealous of us because we can do that. If anyone is interested they can just show up here on Sunday. We welcome anyone of every age to come out an fly with us.”