CAMPBELLSVILLE, Ky. — Radio-controlled (RC) jets go a lot faster than you might think.
What You Need To Know
- Jets Over Kentucky returns with hundreds of RC jets zooming overhead
- The event was canceled last year due to Covid restrictions
- More than 100 RC pilots are expected
- It's free to attend during the week, $5 admission Friday and Saturday
If you've never been to an RC event, prepare to be impressed as more than 100 pilots are expected to fly several hundred miniature jets at Taylor County Airport this week.
They're miniature when compared to an actual F-16 or F-22, but these kerosene and diesel fueled machines rip through the air at speeds nearing 200mph.
“These are little more than toys. They are expensive toys, but they do break,” Ken Olsen told Spectrum News 1. Olsen has been flying RC jets for about 25 years. On Monday, he had to replace a fuel pump before wheeling over to the runway.
Olsen is one of more than 100 pilots expected to spend the week at Taylor County Airport.
The Fremont, Ohio resident said, traditionally, this is an international event, but lingering COVID-19 protocols have limited international pilots from attending. Still, the event takes up nearly the entire airport grounds.
The jets range in size from a large pizza box to something a Doberman could fly in.
What spectators will notice immediatley is the sound. The RC jets scorch through the air, and if you close your eyes, you might think a real full-size jet is flying overhead.
Pilots range in age from teenager to retirees. For the older RC jockeys, that’s exciting to see.
“It’s amazing to see young people in the hobby,” Olsen said.
The event lasts through Sunday. It’s free to the public except for Friday and Saturday when admission is $5 a person.
You check out some great flight pics by going to the Jets Over Kentucky Facebook page.