Flight instructor Bertha sits in the back seat of an aerobatic Edge 540T plane and cruises down the runway. Today the front seat is empty but she seems unperturbed by her lack of a student.

She's equally unbothered when the nose of her plane falls off with a clank before she ever takes off. It's hard to ruffle Bertha since she's a pilot doll in a radio-controlled airplane that is about twenty percent the size of the real thing.

The plane owner, Keith Simons, wearing a white captain's hat, jumps forward and fumbles with the nose. “No flying today,” he says, “Bertha's been grounded due to maintenance problems.”

That's how it sometimes goes for members of the Bermuda Radio Control Flying Club who fly their planes at Morgan's Point in Southampton.

The area is perfect for flying radio-controlled airplanes. It's ghostly quiet. Entrance is strictly controlled by the Bermuda Land Development Company (BLDC). Old military buildings slowly crumble around them. Miles of ageing concrete provide excellent ground for the planes to taxi up and down.

“The group had to negotiate with the BLDC for permission to use Morgan's Point,” said club president Insp. Othneal Haynes who works at the Somerset police station.

“We have permission to use the area, three days a week on Saturdays, Sundays and Wednesdays and we can only go there after 12 p.m. For holidays we have to get special permission.”

This is the only place where the club can fly radio-controlled airplanes, not so much because of the noise (and the planes are noisy) but for safety reasons.

“These are small replicas of real planes and they perform the same way,” said Insp. Haynes. “Safety is the main issue. We must be covered by insurance before we can start to fly.”

In its heyday, the group had up to 70 members, but membership is now down to about 27.

“When the US Navy left there was a void,” said Insp. Haynes. “We were banned from the baseland premises. Interest in the hobby went by the wayside.

“Then we negotiated with the BLDC to use Morgan's Point. We pay rent to use the property and we had to sign a contract.”

The group includes radio-controlled planes, and also control-line planes, that fly with a wire leashing the plane to the control box.

These are less dangerous than radio-controlled planes, because of the pilot's greater control over the flight path. The radio-controlled planes are more dangerous because they can fly out of vision. “The further it goes the less it can be controlled,” said Insp. Haynes. “So we always try to fly where we can see it. If it goes out of range it will crash eventually. That is the reason we don't fly around houses. If it had mechanical failure it could crash like a real plane.”

Shawn Woodley, who has been flying model helicopters for about ten years, said he usually buys his planes and parts on the Internet or through hobby shops in the United States.

“It is easier that way to get exactly what you want,” he said. “There is a hobby shop in Bermuda that is good if you are just starting out.”

Mr. Woodley tried out a number of different radio-controlled vehicles, including cars and boats before eventually settling on planes.

“Planes are totally different,” he said. “It is a three dimensional world when you are flying.”

For fuel, some of the planes use kerosene that you can buy at the gas station, but some of the more sophisticated models use nitro-methane gas that must be ordered from overseas. Club members have to bring it into the island by container ship. Most of the club members are living out childhood fantasies of being pilots. Several of them, however, have real pilots' licenses, or are working to obtain one.

“I have a single-engine plane license,” said Chet Trott. “That is a full scale pilot's license. However, it is easier to fly the models in Bermuda.”

When Mr. Trott is not flying model airplanes, he works as a jeweller in Hamilton. He also likes to make his own planes.

“This one took me a few months to make,” he said pointing to a grey Enforcer plane that says Bermuda Air Guard on the side and has the Bermuda crest on a tail fin. “I could have done it quicker but I took my time. I like to try to get creative and make them look different.”

He makes them for his own amusement, but he said if someone offered him the right price for a plane, he would consider selling it. “I would like to sell it to someone who would actually know how to fly it,” he said.

Although flying model airplanes looks easy, it actually takes some skill. “You can learn to fly radio-controlled airplanes in a month or more,” said Mr. Trott. “I've crashed so many times.”

A new, beginner member has to undergo a training period with the group. Like real pilots they have to learn take-offs and landings and how to control the plane once it is in the air. Radio control enthusiasts also have to know how to make spot repairs on their planes.

Insp. Haynes said starter costs would be anywhere from $400 to $500 including the radio gear, fuel, batteries, and tools.

“You need special tools,” said Insp. Haynes. “If you build them you have to repair them.”

More complex models, however, are more expensive. Club secretary Frank Ming has been flying model airplanes for about 19 years. His orange Monokote top cat sport jet cost several thousand dollars. This is not a hobby for the faint of wallet.

Several of the club members have been interested in the hobby since they were children. Mr. Simons said he was nine-years-old when he first became hooked on model airplanes.

“I was on my way to school,” he said, “and there was a guy with a control-line model. I never knew what hit me. Then it was a matter of money. In the 1950s we didn't have that much. Now I can buy one for a couple of hundred dollars and they come ready made.”

Eldon Rego has been a member of the club since he was 13-years-old, making him one of the longest serving members. He talked about the history of the club. “The first radio control club was formed in April 1977 with about 20 members,” he said. “It was called the Mid-Atlantic Remote Control Club. The first president was Arthur Morris.

“Tony Painter also served as president for many years. He did a lot for the club. When the club first started to fly planes, they were at Shelly Bay and White Hill Field. This was in the 1970s. Since then it has become the Bermuda Radio Control Flying Club.”

Mr. Rego is a fan of control-line planes. He said there are some advantages and disadvantages to this kind of model airplane flying. “Most people learn with the control-line,” he said. “They are not as popular in Bermuda, however.

It is a cheaper form of modelling. I can get a plane in the air for $150 or less. They do crash sometimes, and the steel cable can get tangled. There are different types of control-line flying including, racing, stunt, combat and speed.”

Mr. Rego also needs ideal flying conditions to keep his planes in the air. Twenty mile per hour winds are his limit, whereas the radio control planes can handle much tougher conditions. Unfortunately, the club's activities are not open to spectators because of safety concerns. However, those interested can join the club by telephoning Mr. Ming at 238-3631.

Membership is $150 a year, to help the club cover the cost of renting the field at Morgan's Point and insurance.