Tri-County R.C. Club of N.J. Hosts Annual Turkey Fly

While it is unlikely to see an actual turkey soaring across a clear sky, remote controlled airplanes were well in flight Sunday, Nov. 14, at the Tri County R.C. Club’s Turkey Fly at .

The annual event features food, fun, and a hearty helping of friendly competition for members of a local club with a long history.

In fact, the club’s 1968 founding pre-dates its current president, Mike Forbes of South Brunswick. When asked about the origin of Tri-County’s name, Forbes admits, “It’s intentionally vague.”  

While the majority of the club's 85 members hail from Middlesex and Mercer counties, some members are from Somerset and northern counties. The club is sanctioned by the Academy of Model Aeronautics and all members belong to AMA.

East Brunswick resident and club member John Zangrando, has been flying RC planes since 1982. On Sunday, he joined in the festivities with his model Escapade, four-cycle engine, which has a 70 inch wingspan.

“It’s a very good hobby. It keeps you out of trouble,” he said. “When I was younger, most of these guys flew with control line airplanes – that’s with the wires. Then remote control came out in the 70s, and that’s when most people started doing this versus the control line.”

He explains that while the club has existed for over 40 years, members have used Heavenly Farms in East Brunswick only for the past five years. Another field is located at Edison Field by Middlesex County College.

After proper instruction, trainees can eventually qualify as intermediates, then as pilots, capable of handling solo flights in various models. The ultimate level is instructor.

One brave club member gave this Patch writer a chance to fly one of the planes with the use of a buddy remote system. Shyamal Sheth of Old Bridge is a pilot in training who encountered head instructor Alex Szemere flying in a field, learned about the club, and decided to join. (According to Szemere, I did pretty well, even though I death-spiraled twice.)

“The one thing about the club that we’re most proud of is our instruction program. We have five or six instructors. Most clubs don’t have one,” said Forbes. “There’s no charge for instruction of course. It’s in our constitution that we’re not allowed to charge.”

While the Turkey Fly is a casual get together, Forbes also adds an element of competition with a spot-landing contest. The prizes are more or less the gold, silver, and bronze of poultry. Whoever lands closest to the marker receives a free turkey, second place claims a chicken, and third place walks away with a cornish hen.

Sunday was a windy day for some of the models, and heavier gas engines seemed to be faring better in the conditions. Some members prefer building their RC planes from kits, while others prefer all-ready-to-fly (ARFs).

“Model airplanes is a pretty sophisticated hobby,” said Joe Plotnick, vice-president of the club and a Monroe Township resident.  “Right now we use gas powered planes, electric planes and helicopters. These planes can be pretty dangerous.”

Shortly after explaining the AMA’s safety standards, a loud whirring is heard from the field and a helicopter plummets to the ground and shatters.

The RC pilot is Bryan Ambroziak of Jamesburg, who Forbes says is a very talented and daring pilot. This time, however, one of his tricks went fowl – Turkey Fly pun intended.

“The gear stripped out, and I couldn’t control it anymore,” says Ambroziak as he carried the broken pieces of the fuselage from the field. Although the repairs might cost him, he makes light of the incident.

Forbes examines the wreckage and says that he will be nominated for “Crash of the Year.” It is an actual award in the club and a special honor.

Flying RCs can be a costly hobby. “The entry level to get into the hobby is about $350,” said Plotnick. “So it’s not exceptionally expensive to get in, but you can spend a lot.”

“Some of the real lunatics - with the giant scale stuff -  they actually have miniature jet engines," added Forbes. "Some of those guys are up in the $5-$10,000 range."

While no such planes were present at the Turkey Fly, one club member, who prefers to go by “John Doe” (he says in case his wife is reading) has a helicopter setup which ran $1,500.

The club boasts a diverse membership of various ages and some women members. It is also a family-oriented hobby that parents pass down to children.

Adrienne Mezey, a junior at Spotswood High School, has flown planes for five years with her father, also a club member. Over the years, the family has collected a wide assortment of models. “Our garage is like an airplane hanger,” she said.

Charles Bissette, an 85-year-old World War II Navy air crewman, a retired South River High School art teacher, and a native of Greensboron N.C., is one of the earliest members of the club.

Upon moving to New Jersey in the early 1970s, Bissette became a licensed pilot of a Cessna airplane. He shared the story of a harrowing experience in which he narrowly avoided a midair collision with another airplane.

“I thought it’s about time to give [the Cessna] up and get more into models,” Bisette said with a smile.

His wife Rachel, a stained glass and mosaic instructor with the East Brunswick Department of Recreation, joins him to witness the air show. She says the club members eat, breathe, and sleep airplanes.

While eating an airplane may be tasty, (if you're a Transformer perhaps) a bowl of Mike Forbes’ famous turkey chili is much more delicious. He has spent years perfecting the recipe, and it’s a hit among club members, along with a cup of hot apple cider.

The club hosts four or five events throughout the year, and holds monthly meeting. They are also involved in local charity endeavors, most recently hosting a fundraiser which raised $450 for Camp Daisy, a program for special needs adults and children in East Brunswick. The event included an auction of RC plane gear.  

“The last three Camp Daisy events that we had an auction, almost everything was sold to non-members,” said Forbes.

Therefore the charity events also help to spread the word about Tri-County R.C. Club, which actively seeks new members.

Pilots can be seen regularly on Sunday afternoons at the Heavenly Farms location. They are a friendly group and encourage interested persons to stop by, ask questions, and consider joining. 

For more information visit the Tri-County R.C. Club on the web at www.tcrcnj.com.