Sky Knights soar over Sandy air fields

By Darrell Jackson

The Sandy Post, Jan 5, 2009, Updated Oct 30, 2009 (1 Reader comment)

Sandy Sky Knights

Dale McDonald's 1916 replica at 1/6th the scale, flies over the Sandy air field.

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Flying radio-controlled aircraft has been growing in popularity for a number of years, but for the Sandy Sky Knights, it has been part of their lives for over 45 years.

The Sky Knights, a local chapter of an Academy of Model Aeronautics Association (AMA), is a club that helps promote the production, development, education and advancement of modeling activities.

“It’s actually more than that; it’s a way for all of us to get together and learn about the models and gain camaraderie with our fellow members,” said Sky Knights president Dale McDonald. “It would get boring, if you flew by yourself, so the friendships and camaraderie keep us coming back.”

The Sky Knights have been in existence since 1962, starting with a couple of members, and growing to more than 75 this year. There are eight AMA charter clubs in a 25-mile area of Sandy with a combined membership of more than 500.

“Our club started in Portland and has moved to Sandy because of the local flying air strips out here,” McDonald said. “Our club has members from around the local area, but there are numerous clubs around.”

A radio-controlled aircraft is a model aircraft that is controlled remotely, typically with a hand-held receiver within the craft.

The Sky Knights meet to fly their planes and instruct each other on new designs and technology that can help improve their planes. Planes can range in size from small (a 10-to-12-inch wing span) to very large (more than 100-inch wing span) and can be exact replicas of planes that have flown around the world.

“You can spend from $100 for a small, beginning kit to some planes that have engines alone that are over $3,500,” McDonald said. “Once you get started, it can get pretty pricey.”

McDonald said he has been building and flying planes for more than 24 years and has spent well over #35,000 on all models from cars to planes.

“The cars are more expensive, but all in all it keeps me happy, so I try not to worry about how much I have spent.”

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