Fox Valley Aero Club soars with festival

Cliff Fullhart, a charter member of the Fox Valley Aero Club, makes it out every morning to the club's field, on Route 38, west of Peck Road, but he said it is not only the joy of flying that drives his consistency.

“I enjoy flying the big airplanes, but in all reality, I really enjoy flying models more," he said. "It’s more fulfilling, and you are always with people, talking to people about aviation. Whereas, when you’re flying an airplane, you are by yourself.”

The club was launched in 1974, and today has more than 200 members, as diverse in their occupation and talent as their numbers.

The comradery spurs people to travel across the country to attend events centered on model airplanes. The Fox Valley Aero Club is hosting The Windy City Warbirds and Classics event, one that demonstrated the bonds that people have to the activity as pilots registered from across the Midwest. The event runs through today.

For information, visit www.foxvalleyaero.com.

World War I models met with World War II model planes, allowing veteran spectators and participants to recall the days when they flew the full-scale airplanes.

“It’s really a great joy when someone comes up to you and say, ‘I remember jumping out of that plane, and it was perfectly good,’ and that’s kind of fun, getting to listen to their stories,” said Carl Buchhuber, a model airplane pilot from Maysville, Wisconsin.

While this weekend’s event was the first of its kind for Fox Valley, the club unites locally throughout the year fostering the learning and love for aviation.

John Fischer, a club member, said, “we are trying to emulate a larger Warbird and Classics event that is called the Warbirds and Classic Alliance. There are 200 members in the club, and they travel in from all over with one thing in mind – they all love Warbirds and classic aviation.”

On the Web

Visit this story online at KCChronicle.com to view video highlights of the Fox Valley Aero Club event.