Some are powered by quiet electric motors and light-weight batteries. Flying little airplanes is so addicting that some guys have assembled an air force of their own.

Pete Ferguson says, "I brought 15 airplanes with me to the show, and I own approximately 28." The military is just now starting to do what kids have been doing for years; flying airplanes by remote control. These guys were kids, thirty years ago, when they first started flying model airplanes, first with string, and then with crude radio transmitters that worked the basic control surfaces.

Flying little airplanes can become so addicting that some guys have assembled what amounts to an air force of their own. Pete Ferguson says, "I was 11 years old when I started flying, first with line control and then later on with radio control." For the next two days, the ground pilots gathering from all over the country plan to put on what they describe as an unforgettable spectacle. The Black Hills Huck Fest is being held along Dyess Avenue three miles north of the Interstate.

Events are being planned for each of the next three days including what is being called the "Thousand Dollar Throw Down" on Saturday afternoon when pilots will be performing over the top maneuvers and crowd-pleasing stunts, just to out-do each other. The organizers are hoping more than one hundred radio-controllers will be flying their airplanes during the Black Hills Huckfest going on through Sunday.

Al Van Zee.