LAYTON -- After riding in helicopters with the Coast Guard, fear became a factor for Ryan Cormier -- he even changed careers after some of his buddies were killed in helicopter crashes.
He stepped away from full-size helicopters and began working with radio-controlled copters and airplanes.
"I had a lot of joy riding in helicopters, because I was right there, but the fun factor went sour when I lost a couple of friends," said the 36-year-old Layton resident.
"So, like a two-sided coin, what I loved so much now scared me."
Today, remote controlling is a relaxing hobby that gives him the chance to live out his love of flying without fear of jeopardizing his life.
"It's a realistic experience, almost like you can picture yourself as a fighter pilot doing maneuvers with the planes, like you see in the movies," Cormier said.
With his own collection of 20 remote-control plane models, Cormier is like a kid collecting Happy Meal prizes.
Remote-control planes have come a long way from when they were maneuvered -- with limited mobility -- by cables running from the controller to the plane. Today's versions are high-functioning machines.
Nitro-fuel airplanes came along, but they tended to be noisy, so they transitioned into more efficient electric planes, with their stealthy presence and intricate acrobatics in the air.
Cormier may not have to worry about crashing while in a helicopter, but he does worry about the possibility of crashing his expensive remote-control planes. The more experience one has flying the planes, though, the less chance there is of a costly crash.
Experienced remote controllers recommend that beginners start with small, cheap models to learn the basics.
Styrofoam planes that can be glued back together after a crash are good for starting out, then a controller can move on to fancier models, including balsa wood planes that can range into the thousands of dollars.
Beginners can also use special simulators to help them learn to operate a plane with a joystick.
"Every time you crash, magically your plane is restored (in a simulator). In the real world, every time you crash, it's like swiping your credit card for more parts," Cormier said.
Flying a remote-control plane isn't hard, Cormier said, but it does take some practice.
Brad Parsons, 54, of Layton, got back into flying remote-control planes eight years ago when his wife bought an inexpensive one for him.
Parsons, who lives next to 70 acres of open space, enjoys flying his three large remote-control planes. He said each of his planes takes 40 minutes to put together before flying, and another 40 minutes to take apart.
There is a lot more to the hobby than just flying the planes, he said.
"Once you get to the bigger planes, you can do some pretty amazing things, like rolling circles and hundreds of other different types of movements," Parsons said. "It takes a lot of skill to learn, and you never stop learning new things."
One thing model aviators know for sure is that sometimes there are mishaps.
"You do it long enough, you are bound to have some sort of accident," said Cormier, who knows from personal experience that the sport can be dangerous.
He said he was flying his plane recently and was about to remove the battery when he bumped the throttle stick on the radio. The plane jolted forward, and his first instinct was to stop the plane with his hand.
Unfortunately, he stuck his hand right into the propeller, resulting in nine stitches and no feeling in one of his fingers.
Injuries can happen, which is why stores that sell the remote-control planes indicate the operator should be age 14 or older. If an adult is supervising a child younger than 14, that is usually OK, said the owner of a Layton remote-control plane shop.
In fact, Cormier said, kids pick up on it a lot faster than adults, because they have countless hours of experience with a video controller.
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