[stuntbuddie]

This was in the local news paper on the event.




TRURO – It’s a bird, it’s a plane ... no wait ... it’s a miniature aircraft competition.
Model airplane lovers from across the Maritimes were in Truro this past weekend for the second annual miniature aircraft competition hosted by the Miniature Aircraft Society of Truro (MAST) at its field on Marshland Drive.

“Oh it’s great! It’s just like flying a plane by proxy,” said Dan Thibault, a member of MAST and a participant in the competition.

The Bible Hill resident, like many other miniature aircraft pilots, was drawn to the hobby because of an interest in flying.

“I’ve always been fascinated with planes and air shows so it’s perfect. My father was in the air force so I grew up around this sort of thing,” he added.

The electronics engineer technologist has been flying model airplanes for eight years now and enjoys every minute spent at the field.

“I’d say the best part is assembling the planes,” said Thibault. “You buy them in a kit that’s about 90 per cent pre-assembled but it’s still a lot of work.”

The 45-year-old also enjoys the competitive aspect of the hobby.
“You get to hang out with great guys who all share the same interest,” he added, “which in the end pushes you to do better.”
Thibault’s years of dedication have taught him the fundamentals of the popular hobby.

“As you learn about the aerodynamics of the aircrafts you progress onto bigger planes, bigger engines,” he explained. “Also I’ve learned a fine attention to detail, which in turn carries over to the real world, like my job for example.”
For Greg Ettinger of Belmont, the best part of the hobby is the camaraderie between competitors.

“Everyone helps everybody else,” said Ettinger, 35, also an electronics engineer technologist.

20-year-old Colin Bell is proof that miniature aircraft competitions are not only for older, or the retired, an assumption that is often made.

“I flew my first plane when I was six,” said Bell, who lives in Bedford. “My father and grandfather and I would fly them off the land at our cottage.”
Bell has worked hard to hone his craft and was recently named top miniature helicopter pilot in Canada, and ranks eighth on the international scale.

During a break in the competition Bell entertained the crowd with his raptor 90 model helicopter, shooting it from side to side and sending it high into the sky.

“I don’t really have an ultimate goal,” said Bell. “I just like to have fun, but I guess I would like to be first in the world at some point.”

As competition wrapped up on Sunday, Bell placed first in the sportsman category of competition, while Ettinger was first in the basic level.
Mike Sebastien of Moncton was the winner of the intermediate level