The Starkville Bryan Airport will be overrun with remote controlled aircrafts by the sixth annual Air Show.
The event will be hosted by the Sky Dawgs Remote Control and Rocketry Club and the MSU chapter of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics Saturday and Sunday.
Remote-controlled helicopters, jet aircrafts and propeller aircrafts will be at the show, Sky Dawgs president Kris Chenault said.
“The event has been very successful in the past. Each year we’ve gained attendance,” he said.
The air show has gained pilots each year, with last years total over 40, he said.
“I watched it last year. I didn’t fly because I didn’t have a plane,” sophomore aerospace engineering major Zach Slay said.
This is Slay’s first time to participate in the air show as a pilot since he got his first plane about six months ago, he said.
“I’ve always wanted to do it, literally like since 10 years ago. And I’m an aerospace engineer, so it’s only fitting,” Slay said.
The point of the show is to bring attention to MSU and to show the residents of Starkville what remote controlled planes can do, Chenault said.
“I’m expecting to have more airplanes, more pilots and more spectators,” he said.
People who want to become a pilot at the event have to be a member of the Academy of Model Aeronautics and pay $20, he said. The pilot fee will allow pilots to fly on both days.
“[This is] a fundraising event for AIAA and Sky Dawgs,” Chenault said.
The air show was started six years ago by the MSU student chapter of AIAA just as a fundraiser. Three years later, students who had a more specific interest in remote control aircrafts, formed Sky Dawgs, AIAA president Brett Ziegler said.
“When we split into two specific groups, we took certain roles. We handle gate and concession stand and Sky Dawgs handles the technical stuff,” he said.
The concession stand will have hamburgers, hot dogs, potato chips, candy, soft drinks and water, Ziegler said.
Last year the group raised about $300 for the two clubs between donations and food, but they hope to do better this year, he said.
“General admission is free, but donations are welcomed,” Chenault said.
There will be donations accepted at the gate and a 50/50 raffle, which means people have a chance to earn half of the money the raffle collects, he said. There will also be door prizes available.
“We’re probably going to have certificates for best crash and pilots choice,” he said.
Pilots choice will be given to the plane that the majority of pilots vote they like, Chenault said.
“It’s a fun time to get out and be with your family and enjoy watching planes fly,” he said.
The air show will take place on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and on Sunday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Starkville Bryan Airport.