MALVERN – A small yellow model airplane glided peacefully through the air, about 50 feet above a wide, open field. Soon, a smaller model plane with red wings flew up behind it, bumping it from beneath. The yellow plane was sent spiraling, crashing nose-first into the field.

And with the plane’s destruction, onlookers cheered. 

More:PHOTOS: ‘Flite Fest’ takes off in Malvern

“Oh, you got him!” a man shouted into a microphone while dozens of model planes circled above. “Whoever got that one, come see me. We’ve got a prize for you.”

The spectacle, aptly named “Combat,” is part of Flite Fest 2022, the largest electric flying event in the world. For four days in the summer every year, model plane enthusiasts come from all over the country and the world to buy, build, display and fly model airplanes.

But flying model planes isn’t the niche, expensive pastime that some might assume. In fact, one of the event’s organizers said, it’s the exact opposite. 

“It’s not just a hobby,” said Josh Bixler, president of Flite Test, the model plane company that runs the event. “It’s a lifestyle, and it’s something that can give you a career path and something that can be beneficial in schools.”

Bringing families together

Bixler, 43, explained that he and his wife created the family-operated Flite Test after they observed a trend of disconnect within families. They wanted to give parents and children a way to express their common interests through an activity that was fun, challenging and rewarding. 

More:Flite Test bringing remote airplane manufacturing to Stark County

The idea for a model plane company came from Bixler’s own experiences with his father. When he was 7 years old, he said, he and his dad spent months building a model airplane. When it was finished,

Which RC planes are best?

Kids start flying with paper gliders they make themselves, then move on to balsa wood gliders that go farther and stay aloft longer. When kids first get into powered flight, some begin with tethered aircraft they fly in circles around themselves, changing only speed and altitude. Radio-controlled airplanes cut the cord and replace it with radio waves sending flight instructions from a handheld controller. 

If you are looking for an RC for a beginner, take a close look at the HobbyZone Carbon Cub RC Airplane. This plane is capable of loops, rolls and upside-down flight when pilots become more skilled.

What to know before you buy an RC plane

Airplanes and drones are both capable of flight, but each has a different purpose. Therefore,  don’t buy one or the other thinking they are the same thing.

Airplanes

Airplanes are fixed-wing aircraft with horizontal and vertical stabilizers at the rear. Airplanes use puller or pusher propellers to convert forward thrust into speed.  

Drones 

Drones are hovercraft that use the downward force of three or more propellers to allow the drone to hover in place. This is what makes them excellent video camera platforms. 

How much experience does the pilot have?

When flying a powered aircraft hundreds of feet away from you, things can go wrong even when the pilot is an experienced one. The package on that good-looking RC plane may say “ready to fly”, but is the pilot ready too? Before your RC airplane starts its first flight, make sure you:

• Understand the rules and regulations governing the flying of RC planes where you live.
• Ask the company that insures your home and cars what sorts of policies will protect you in the event your RC plane damages someone else’s property.
• Find a large open