Deekshith D V
Pics: Dayanand Kukkaje
Daijiworld Media Network - Mangalore

Mangalore, Sep 21: They have a unique hobby. They gather at Maryhill every Sunday with their colourful radio controlled airplanes and helicopters to fly them in the sky. They are the members of the RC Hobby Club.

There are around 10 to 15 youth who enthusiastically gather at Maryhill helipad every Sunday at 8 am to fly their radio controlled aircraft. Instructors in the group train their pupils to fly these aircraft and also to operate radio-controlled motor cars.

Vishal Rao, a civil engineer and one of the members in the group, said, “I joined this group five years ago. This hobby circle was started by Rajaram Shenoy, J P Rao, and Rajesh Mangalore.”

He also said that flying RC planes improves hand-eye co-ordination and increases concentration. “It is also a great stress buster. In the process of tuning models to fly perfectly, one can practically learn about science and physics. The aircraft are classified into electric and engine planes. Electric planes use motors whereas as engine planes use small internal combustion called glow engine which work on special nitro fuel. Working with engine planes gives one practical experience in operating such engines. One learns how to tune the engine by adjusting the carburetor needle,” added Rao.

Vishal also runs ‘Kinetic Hobbies,’ a shop exclusively reserved for radio controlled airplanes at Manasa Towers.

There are doctors, engineers, chartered accountants, and other professionals who are involved in this thrilling adventurous sport. The team also travels to various places.

Vishal has created a sea plane which takes off from the water and lands on water. “Building RC airplanes will help improve creativity, improve knowledge about aviation, and nourish the desire to be a pilot. If children are exposed to this hobby at the right time, they might become pilots or display interest in the aviation industry,” he added.

The Club has been actively involved in this activity over the past five years.

J P Rao said that he learnt of this hobby in the Middle East in 2001 and got an opportunity to train with the defence forces on ‘unmanned target air flying’. Stressing the need for safety and caution, Rao said that the one who operates the aircraft should ensure adherence to safety pre-requisites with regard to public property, because safety is a primary requirement. He also stated that their team carried a fire extinguisher along to avoid any fire mishaps.

Nithin Raj Kotian, with a background in commerce, tried to build his own airplane model along with his friend Jaison D’Souza after reading newspapers. He said, “In order to acquire knowledge or to learn something, you need to have the passion and zeal. When we built the airplane, we failed in the initial attempts. For a few days, we almost gave up but somehow persisted.”