This past weekend, 36 pilots of model airplanes and helicopters traveled from around the world to compete in the 8th Annual International Extreme Flight Championships.
Pilots between the ages of 13 and 40 from eight countries, including the U.S., Mexico, Israel, Canada, Germany, Norway and Korea gathered at the National Model Aviation Museum in Muncie to participate in the event.
The three-day competition, sponsored by the Academy of Model Aeronautics and Futaba Corporation, was designed to give pilots an outlet for their creativity and artistic ability, Lisa Adkins, co-organizer of the event, said.
The stunt aircrafts featured in the competition were scaled to 1/3 of a full-scale plane, with wingspans of about eight feet long, and could reach speeds of 80 miles per hour.
Each pilot flies a choreographed, four-minute routine to music. The routine includes maneuvers that every pilot is required to use - as well as aerobatic freestyle, which is meant to show off the pilot's creativity.
Each routine is judged by a number of categories, including form and context of the known maneuvers, technical difficulty, originality and choreography.
A new category of competitive flying was added to the competition this year. Pilots in the "night flying" category decorated their aircrafts with colorful lights and were judged on their ingenuity and execution of the lighting.
The weekend showed that flying model aircrafts is not without its dangers. On Saturday, in the first round of the competition, Indiana native JC Zankel's helicopter crashed into the ground halfway through his routine. Flying debris from the helicopter crash hit Benny Chi, father of another competing pilot Justin Chi, in his forehead. Although no serious injuries were sustained, the competition was postponed for several minutes while medics attended to Chi and an ambulance was summoned.
Wendell Adkins, co-founder of the event, said that crashes are not uncommon.
"What you've got to understand is they're not trying to be safe, that why it's called 'extreme,'" he said. "They're trying to push the models to their very limit and they do a lot of quick, abrupt maneuvers. That increases the chances of a crash."
Mehran Mahinpour Tirooni, the designer for the German-based Mikado Model Helicopters, said that helicopters are more difficult to maneuver than airplanes, which makes crashes more likely.
"They're more technically oriented, you have to think about it more," he said.
Flying model airplanes also requires a lot of practice. Kyle Dahl, a 15-year-old helicopter pilot from Bakersfield, Calif., had more than 600 flights in preparation for the competition, his father Dave said.
"Four out of the five days after school, I take him flying," he said.
The international nature of the competition was evident throughout the weekend. The end of Mexico native Manuel Santos' routine was met with the chant "Viva Mexico!" from his team and supporters.
Gabriel Altuz from Puerto Rico was impressed with the flying site for the championships.
"It's awesome," he said about the AMA National Flying Site. "It's much bigger than anything in Puerto Rico."
Tom Rolfson, a 21-year-old helicopter pilot from Norway said he agreed that the flying site was ideal for the competition.
"It's a perfect location," Rolfson said. "Everything is just so flat and open out here."
Click here to see an interactive graphic on the extreme flight championships
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