GUELPH/ERAMOSA听鈥� The Guelph Gremlins Model Flying Club is looking for a new home and if they don鈥檛 find one before next season, they鈥檒l be grounded.
The club formed in 1946 and members have been flying their model planes from a farmer鈥檚 field in Everton for some 38 years.
But the farmer has sold his farm and the club is looking for a new place for its 40 to 50 members to fly their model planes.
鈥淎ll we need is a 100 by 500-foot strip of open space and a place to park cars,鈥� said Frank Basso, club secretary, adding the property should be away from residential sites.
鈥淭here鈥檚 farmland everywhere but I understand that people don鈥檛 necessarily want you on their property.鈥�
The club is prepared to pay the going rate to rent a strip, which they calculate to be about $200 an acre.
鈥淲e have the field this year but we need something else for 2026. It would be ideal to get it in the fall. Then we can plant some grass,鈥� he added.
These planes aren鈥檛 toys, even though as hobbyists, that鈥檚 what the Bassos call them.
鈥淥ur member鈥檚 models cover the spectrum of aviation from the pioneer days of flying to the helicopter and jet age of today,鈥� reads the description on the club鈥檚 website.听
鈥淭he models vary in scale and realism, from basic trainers to exact scale replicas of actual aircraft.
“They vary technically from quite simple to very sophisticated models.
“They might be scratch-built, kit-built, or ARF, and wingspans range from one to twelve feet.鈥�
Some are so large they have to be pulled on trailers to get to the site.听
Whatever their complexity, they are all flown remotely with the pilot firmly on the ground.
鈥淧eople like to bring the planes they鈥檝e put together. Flying our model 鈥榯oys鈥� around is fun to do with other people,鈥� Basso said.
鈥淲e also run training and hold Fun Flying Days,鈥� said Basso鈥檚 son and club president Mike Basso.
鈥淎nd we hold drives for the food bank.鈥�
Model aircraft flying is governed by the Model Aeronautics Association of Canada and all pilots are required to have specialized liability insurance.
The club offers training for new members and puts them through the tests to get their 鈥榳ings.鈥�
鈥淵ou can get into it for a couple hundred bucks or you can go really expensive,鈥� Frank said. 鈥�$200 or $300 will get you going.鈥�
You might not have ever heard of this sport but the two Bassos say there鈥檚 a 鈥渕assive鈥� community, especially in the United States.
The club has members ranging from teens to octogenarians.
The father and son team spent the winter building a model helicopter together and were looking forward to getting it off the ground this season, which runs May to October.
The Guelph Gremlins hold monthly meetings in Guelph from October to May.听
Anyone interested in joining the club or with land to offer can email frankbasso@gmail.com.听
More information about the club can be found at .
