Model airplane fliers take off in Nanuet Suzan Clarke • The Journal News • January 14, 2008 NANUET - Dan Landis has been flying radio-controlled airplanes for 23 years. He never expected to make a career of it, but the skills that made him a champion competitor across the nation attracted professional attention. Now, Landis flies unmanned aerial vehicles - 1,000-pound aircraft with 35-foot wingspans - on U.S. military surveillance missions in Afghanistan. "I just never thought of this as a profession," the 24-year-old from New City said yesterday as he prepared to give a demonstration at the fourth annual Rockland County Radio Control Club's expo at the Pascack Community Center in Nanuet. "I just thought it was something cool that I enjoyed." Landis, who also flies actual airplanes, had dozens of adults and children gasping as he guided a remote-controlled plane through a series of spins and rolls, garnering applause when he brought the craft to a vertical hover, its nose up with the tail just inches off the floor of the community center's gymnasium. When his demonstration was over, spectators saw Airmont resident Richard Eimert's yellow remote-controlled triplane take to the air, followed by Wayne, N.J., resident Anthony Buzzoni's penny plane, a 3-ounce craft made of balsa wood and plastic wrap that was powered by a wound-up rubber band connected to the propeller. But the club's members weren't the only ones in on the act. Yesterday's free event was open to the community, and children got a chance to fly their own creations, rubber-band-powered models made of tissue paper and balsa wood, known as Delta Darts. The children had glued the planes together under club members' supervision. Tyson Maresca, 7, jumped up and down and pumped his fist in the air when his paper plane went farther than one of the other children's in one race. "Oh yeah! Oh yeah!" he said, grinning. Tyson's father, Michael, is president of the club. An engineer and chief executive officer who flies fighter jets for fun, Maresca got involved in the club through his 15-year-old son, Michael Jr., who also is an enthusiast. In addition to the annual public expo, the club holds other "fun fliers" throughout the year at the Clarkstown landfill and at Congers Lake Park, said Maresca, of Saddle River, N.J. Attendees took their time, moving slowly around the display space to check out scale models of helicopters, aerobatic airplanes, and contemporary and early models of passenger and fighter aircraft. Kathy Ricciardi watched as her son, J.D., 7, and daughter, Isabella, 5, threw their paper planes into the air, then chased them. "It's great," Ricciardi said of the family's first time at the event. "The kids love it. It's a lot of fun." J.D. agreed. "I like flying the plane, I like throwing it and flying it and building it," he said. "It's like, the best thing." For some people, membership in the club is a family affair. Dan Landis' father, Richard, is a member. Richard Landis, who has a private pilot's license, became interested in flying and model airplanes because of his father, Harvey, a member and World War II fighter pilot. Richard Landis said there were many benefits to the sport, chiefly among them the camaraderie among enthusiasts. Another upside is that it's a good family activity, he said. "It keeps them off the streets," he said of the sport's impact on his son and daughter. "When they get home from school, they don't want to go out. They go down to the basement and start building." For membership and other club information, visit www.rcrcc.com. View a special gallery of photos on this subject at LoHud.com Reach Suzan Clarke at snclarke@lohud.com or 845-578-2414.