In 2010, the Franklin County Radio Control Club had dwindled down to six or seven members. At the time, only two members were active flying members and their home airfield at Turners Falls Municipal Airport had become overwhelmed by vegetation and lack of care. The club decided to host a Father's Day Fun Fly to introduce more people to the hobby. The first year of the event, the club saw "way more people than expected" show up. By the following Tuesday, 14 people showed up to the group's regularly scheduled meeting who wanted to learn more about flying. Since then, the club has grown almost four times larger, with 23 members, 20 of which are actively flying. This year, the club hosted their eighth annual Father's Day Fun Fly at Turners Falls Municipal Airport on June 16-17. The event featured flyers showing off different miniature aircraft, from model planes and helicopters to drones. There was also extreme combat flying and races, special guest flyers, including national champion Dean Lampron, was at the event to show off many unique skills and abilities one can learn flying radio-controlled aircraft. Spectators were able to practice on a computer simulation, learning how to pilot a miniature aircraft. After practicing on a computer simulation, spectators were able to try flying through buddy box. Club vice president, David Korpieski, stated that the club chose to have an event on Father's Day due to the hobby's popularity among men and the event allows fathers to "pass the craft" onto their children. For more information about the Franklin County Radio Control Club, visit FranklinRC.com or find them on Facebook.
