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Grand Island teen excels in field of radio controlled airplanes
Who says a plane can't hover six feet above the ground or fly upside down? Not teenager Brandon Larson of Grand Island. He's spent the past four years breaking down barriers in the field of Radio Controlled Airplanes.
You won't find these model air plane tricks just anywhere. They are some of the most advanced in the Radio Controlled Airplane flying field mixed with the free-stylings of 19-year-old pilot Brandon Larson. "The trickiest thing in this wind is probably the rolling harriers (the plane is) six foot off the ground there and it's all timing. You're constantly rolling and you get one little timing off and it could put you down, left, right or anything," said Larson. The daredevil maneuvers - cork screw falls and hovering just a few feet about the ground - kept crowds at AuRoRiN Days entertained over the weekend and an injection of smoke added a dramatic edge to the show. "The smoke I've seen it on the full scale planes and it looks really cool. The only thing I don't like about it is sometimes I can't even see my airplane," said Larson. But pushing the limits is what Brandon is all about. Something others in the field say is a product of his age. "He's been flying a shorter time than I have but he's a young kid. He can think of stuff like that. Us older guys we're just out there to have fun," said RC pilot Jay Haile. "I like seeing the progress and stuff like things that I couldn't do last year or the year before I can do now easily. Just every time you complete something new you're like oh that was cool and you just keep doing it again," Larson said. "He don't even know for sure on the ground he says I'll just do whatever I do when I get there he says he doesn't ever know what he's going to do," said Brandon's father Larry Larson. Brandon's dad Larry helped him get started more than four years ago and has watched his son go on to win competitions against pilots from all over the US. "I didn't think we'd ever see them days. I thought we'd just be flying for fun but he's going all different places and going to competitions," said Larry. One day Brandon would like to end up not just behind the wheel but in the cockpit of a plane - either as part of the Air Force or the National Guard. Until then, he'll keep pushing the laws of physics up, up and away. Reporting in Aurora. Earlier this year Brandon won the freestyle competition at an event in Waverly for quote, "Most Insane 3-d Flight." |
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