After saturated grounds and the threat of heavy rains forced the cancellation of their annual air show Sept. 24 and 25, members of the Southwest Area Park Aero Modelers weren't about to let last weekend's strong winds deter them.
Blue skies were nowhere to be seen as two dozen pilots gathered at Southwest Area Park in Baltimore Highlands Oct. 1 and 2 to fly their remote control airplanes.
Despite cool temperatures and foreboding dark skies, pilots sent their aircraft into the skies to perform aerial stunts, such as loop-de-loops and barrel rolls, then navigated the occasional strong gusts of winds to land their planes safely.
The planes, with wingspans of up to 22 feet, occasionally wobbled in flight as they battled the conditions at altitudes of several hundred feet.
Considering the planes typically cost about $1,500, losing control in the wind can be bad news.
"The wind's a little screwy because it's coming out of the corner, but it's not a bad day," said Alex Popp, who has flown for two years.
Popp had to abort his initial landing attempt before finally being able to bring in his aircraft, which has a 12-foot wingspan.
"When I was bringing it in, it has such a big wing that when the wind gets underneath it, it wants to keep flying," said the Dundalk resident.
Art Vail, an Arbutus resident who helped organize the event, said that even though wind gusts generally didn't exceed 10 mph Saturday morning, the direction of the wind made flying a challenge.
"If the wind's blowing straight down the field, be it north or south, 15 to 20 (mph) we'll let you out," Vail said as he worked on his red, white and blue Super Decathlon plane with a 9-foot wingspan.
"Today, the wind is quartering, coming out of the northwest," he said. "Fifteen (mph) and a quartering wind is pushing it."
Many of those who attended last weekend's Ron Konkus Memorial Fly-In and Family Fun Weekend belonged to the Southwest Area Park Modelers. The club, which has 130 members, usually puts on two events like this per year.
"The biggest thing we do it for is promotion of the hobby and the club," said Vail on the annual event, which this year honored a former member who died earlier in the year.
Not having the opportunity to use the park's 275-foot paved runway or the 600-foot grass runway as originally planned on the last weekend in September was a disappointment for some.
"(On Sept. 24 and Sept. 25), as crappy as the weather was, I must've gotten 30 to 35 phone calls," Vail said. "People were like, 'Are you still having it?' They were really disappointed."
Last weekend's conditions presented an enticing challenge for some pilots.
"Down here, it's never smooth. You might have two days a year down here where it's perfect," said Nick Coggiano, a Linthicum resident with 35 years experience flying remote control planes.
"Otherwise, we're on top of a hill, there's nothing but wind," he said. "It makes it some fun. It's a challenge."
The pilots managed to escape the morning of Oct. 1 without any accidents caused by the weather.
There was still some carnage, though.
At 11:10 a.m., for example, Bob Kelliher's plane crashed nose first only a few seconds after flight.
Pilot error when preparing the plane for takeoff caused the crash, not the weather, however.
Crashes due to pilot error are common, said the Glen Burnie resident, who noted he has crashed about 20 planes in the 15 years he has been flying them.
"It happens. If I was really worried about it, I wouldn't be in the hobby," said Kelliher, who brought some of his 30 planes with him. "I'll probably get back out there and fly some more."