How a Canadian Forces DC-3 ended up on Leighs Bay Rd

It took Steve Daly (shown) three winters to build his scale-model Canadian Armed Forces DC-3, right down to the little soldiers in the cockpit.

Yesterday the 45-pound model found new skies to fly in, thanks to a grant from the Trillium Foundation.

Sault MPP David Orazietti was on hand to cut the ribbon on the new airfield at the south end of Leighs Bay Road.

Daly, a member of Soo Modellers Inc. since 1994, decided not to fly his plane yesterday.

But he did take the time to demonstrate how the real ones would manoeuvre out onto a real airfield.

The model has a 44-inch wingspan.

That's about a foot wider than the opening in the fence leading to the field.

Daly said a lot of the hangars where the DC-3s were originally stored while in use by Canadian Forces from 1943 to 1988 were about the scale as the opening to the new field.

So both his model and the real planes have to go through a complicated series movements to get onto the airfield.

Luckily, Soo Modellers Inc. didn't have to go through quite that many manoeuvres to get into its new field.

It's one of the oldest radio control airplane clubs in Canada, says Kevin McGrath, a member of the club and Northern Ontario zone director for the Model Aeronautics Association of Canada.

"We never could have gotten started here without this [Trillium] grant," said McGrath yesterday. "We needed heavy equipment to be able to come in and clear this area."

Club members also put in plenty of sweat equity, said Ward 6 Councillor Ozzie Grandinetti during his remarks on behalf of the City of Sault Ste. Marie.

A few years ago the club lost its home on Black Road, when the City decided to sell that land to be developed as a solar energy generating facility.

Since that time, the club has been working diligently with the City to secure another area for members to fly their radio-controlled planes.

The club celebrated yesterday with an open house, barbecue, demonstrations and a candy drop.

The Algoma Model Engineering Society also joined in the festivities with a scale track and two trains set up for display and for rides.