NEW GLOUCESTER — Remote-controlled aircraft filled the sky above a field in New Gloucester Sunday for a fly-in and demonstration.

The buzz of tiny engines came from all ends of the field as scale replicas, helicopters and even a foam Superman soared over families and enthusiasts who came to watch or just talk shop.

Carved out of an old blueberry field at the Waterman farm, the Sky Streakers remote control club, which has been flying since the 60s, has called the field home since 1976.

Property owner Alice Waterman watched from under a tent. “When they first started,” Waterman said, “I never bothered to come out.”

Perhaps it was the many buzzing aircraft or the smell of hot dogs, hamburgers and pulled pork, but Waterman eventually made it out for the festivities.

Carl Jackson, President of the Sky Streakers, said he became hooked as a kid and has been flying for 22 years. It’s a passion that even led Jackson to attain his pilot’s license.

He still rents a Cessna 172 from Twitchell’s Airport for fun and to maintain his minimum hours to keep his license.

“When I first started, I was really the only kid out here,” Jackson said. He said he saved his allowance for a year and a half to purchase his first trainer for $125.

With his first purchase in mind, the club began a youth program to help kids get involved in aviation. “Since then,” Jackson said, “we set up a dozen or so kids with equipment.”

Standing in front of a sizable aircraft, complete with a replica of himself at the stick, Jackson said, “People see large aircraft and get intimidated but getting started is reasonable.”

Jackson describes the club as a great, family-friendly activity in which everyone can be involved, “From eight to 80,” and beyond.

Bob Heyner, the 84-year-old vice president of the club, has been flying with the Sky Streakers for only about five years, but said “I’ve been involved in flying (aircraft) forever.”

A former Air Force pilot, Heyner flew B-25s, tankers and an array of aircraft throughout his career. “I flew everything big and old,” Heyner said, laughing.

Meanwhile, two aircraft performed acrobatics above the field, streaming smoke for effect. In another part of the field, children were handed a dual control that allowed them to take partial control of some of the bigger planes.

“I started as a kid,” David Skillings said, looking over his large scale Carbon Cub. That would be about fifty years ago for Skillings, who said he likes to build his own aircraft rather than buy kits.

When asked about cost, Skillings wasn’t giving anything away, “I don’t want to tell you,” he said, “My wife reads the paper.”

Putting things in perspective, Skillings likened the cost of flying the larger aircraft like his to buying a used snowmobile or a cheap motorcycle.

Having been involved in remote-controlled aircraft since his childhood, Skillings has been around since before hobbyists could Google radios and buy kits off Amazon.

Skillings actually built his first radio to control his aircraft, noting how much technical advances in electronics have driven down the price. Advances in remote control aircraft have also made it easier to create personal drones, something Skillings sees as serious but of little importance to the club.

Although modern remote-controlled planes can outfly the line of sight of a controller, Skillings questions how a personal drone would fare out of sight.

There was a time when Skillings used to control planes from the air as well, flying a seaplane out of Twitchell’s Airport in Turner. Content now to pull maneuvers from the ground that would turn a veteran pilot’s stomach, Skillings enjoys the community of the Sky Streakers.

Many of the more savvy controllers are not content to merely soar above the field according to Skillings, and take their aircraft on the road for competitions. He said competitions held all over the country score on maneuvers, and routines — many copying the same aerial routines real pilots perform.

Although there is a lot of prize money to be won, Skillings said, “My fingers aren’t smart enough to do it anymore.”

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