With whining propellers and the flash of color in the sun, airplanes filled the sky above the Brookhaven Municipal Airport Saturday.

     The pilots, though, kept their feet firmly on the grass alongside a makeshift runway.

     Saturday was the second annual Summer Sizzler hosted by the Brookhaven RC Club for regional radio controlled airplane enthusiasts.

     Though they remain grounded, RC airplane flyers still experience something like the thrills of flight.

     “It’s a big adrenaline rush without a lot of danger to yourself,” said David Dussetschleger, president of the Brookhaven RC Club.

     Saturday’s triple-digit temperatures weren’t enough to keep regional RC airplane hobbyists indoors. There were about 25 planes on hand to hit the runway at last year’s event, and about that many or a few more were expected to see the skies this weekend.

     Mike Sauls, of Wiggins, was among those on hand to get some airtime.

     “There’s so much to learn,” said Sauls, describing the need to log many hours of practice. “It’s not just flying.”

     Dussetschleger agreed, explaining there’s much more to the hobby than flying. If you’re an RC aircraft enthusiast, you’re a one-person flight crew. You’re the pilot, the mechanic and the engineer.

     “You never can learn it all,” Dussetschleger said. “You’ve got to be able to tinker with gas engines, work with wood, and then fly it. It combines a lot of different hobbies.”

     Saturday’s RC flyers were utilizing planes capable of what’s called 3D flight, allowing a number of dramatic aerial maneuvers, including hovering the planes like a helicopter, only inches from the ground. Planes also flipped, rolled and turned through the blue skies in ways not possible with traditional aircraft.

     The Brookhaven RC club was formally organized about five years ago. Camaraderie is an important element of the hobby.

     “You can fly by yourself all day long, but the club makes it more fun,” Dussetschleger said.

     The club hosted its first local flying day last year. The event helps the Brookhaven club raise money for the Baptist Children’s Village.

     For beginners, the hardest part is learning the stick inputs on the radio controllers and having the patience to keep at it, Sauls said.

     “You don’t just learn it in a week,” he said.

     There are flight simulators that can help beginners master the basic skills.

     Sauls also said new RC hobbyists can spend some time at a trainer course in what’s called a buddy box. Someone inexperienced is paired with an experienced flyer, and both have controllers to the same plane in case something goes wrong.

     Sauls underscored the importance of learning from others and taking things slow.

     “Don’t do this on your own because you will fail and it will cost you a lot of money,” Sauls said.

     However, careful practice pays off.

     “It’s like riding a like a bike,” Sauls said. “When I’m out there I’m not really thinking about it. It’s almost intuitive.”