WINAMAC — Lewis Patton stood next to the landing strip with a controller in hand. As he moved the double-engine, turbine-powered scale jet model down the strip, he closed the pilot’s canopy.

He drove the jet all the way to the end of the landing strip to gain enough speed for take off.

“This is as real as it gets,” said Kenny Lone Eagle, a member of Winamac Aero Modelers, as he watched from nearby.

Patton, who is from Louisville, Ky. and is a company representative for Jet Central, announced, “I’m going to take off.”

Within seconds the plane was soaring through the air for approximately the next 6 1/2 minutes.

Winamac Aero Modelers sponsored its annual “Jets over the Heartland” in Winamac on Saturday. It is one of two main Heartland RC (radio control) events the club hosts.

Don Albright, field marshal and safety officer, said the event has been around for 10 years, but club members have flown model planes for much longer.

“We’re just flying turbine jets and having a ball for the spectators,” he said.

Several pilots took turns flying the scale jet models all day until sunset. The night was to conclude with a large fireworks show, Albright added.

Professional pilots came from seven states, many from Florida, and several countries including Germany, Austria and Venezuela.

The models are hand-built, some with the use of a kit and others with blueprints from scratch. According to Albright, some models can take anywhere from two to three years to complete.

“It all depends which ones you are talking about,” he explained.

Most of the models were able to fly up to 200 mph.

Albright said the club enjoys hosting the event each year because it is an opportunity to raise money for the club and allows the public to see what club members are up to.

Allen Booth, a Fort Wayne resident and president of Fort Wayne Flying Circuits, attended the event with his friend Sylvia Rose.

They’ve attended the event for at least five years.

“I’m into model airplanes and jets, so we just came down to watch and see what’s going on,” he explained.

He is always impressed by the quality of the aircraft. Booth, who owns several model planes and engines at home, hopes to complete a model and become a participant in the future.

The event attracted a crowd of spectators and close to 40 pilots, which is lower than previous years. Albright said three years ago, nearly 80 pilots attended.

“The economic downturn has affected the hobby like everything else,” said Winamac Aero Modelers founder Ralph Braun. “It’s harder to come up with the funding.”

According to Braun, it can cost anywhere from $4,000 to $30,000 to build one of the jet models. Once the investment to build the plane is made, it still costs a significant amount of money to travel around the country with the models.

Albright has to keep an eye on things and make sure everything goes right when the planes are flying.

“These guys are all professionals, they know what they are suppose to do and what they are not suppose to do,” he said.

Lone Eagle said the event is all about realism and speed.

“It looks like some of these rolled right off the aircraft carrier,” he said. “A lot of these fighter jets are close to scale. These are what the jets really look like. They are precision aircraft.”

Each model had actual jet engines and required jet fuel to run. The models were equipped with landing gears and some even had drag parachutes, to help slow down after landing.

Lone Eagle said the Jets over the Heartland is a national event and attracts major companies.

“These are the finest models in the world,” he said.

Braun had several jet models at the event. His largest model was an exact replica of his Braun Corp. company jet, which had a 14-foot wingspan. The model was built in Germany three years ago and is one of three that exists in the world.

Braun enjoys his collection, which is made up of several different sizes and styles of planes.

“It’s a hobby,” he said. “... I collect airplanes. I can’t get along with having just one. I have to have more than one.”

• Denise Massie is a staff writer at the Pharos-Tribune. She can be reached at 574-732-5151 or denise.massie@pharostribune.com