The Madison College’s Aviation Club held an RC Build and Fly Event on Friday, April 18, from 1 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. in the Redsten Gymnasium. The club purchased RC (remote control) plane kits and provided the kits to Aviation Club members who registered for the event.
The club members met at their weekly meeting on April 15 to design and prepare their remote-control planes for the event. The club also had demo planes ready for students and community members to fly at the event. The club planned to include a maneuverability challenge, speed and flying time trial. There were 10 people in attendance at the event.
The Aviation Club was founded by Taras Drozd and Hakon Heggland in 2024, both STEM students at Madison College. There are currently 36 students in the club. Heggland, vice president of the Aviation Club, explained the purpose of the event.
“It is kind of mirroring the engineering process of building a full-scale airplane. You come up with your concept, you build the test model of the concept, you test it, you make changes improve it, and then you finally fly it to see how it works,” he said.
The club allows students to explore career paths that can lead to aviation, network with aviation professionals and meet with other students who have an interest in aviation.
Advisor Carlos Lozano said, “There aren’t a lot of opportunities when it comes to aviation education, and it is also very expensive. The fact that we can just talk to professionals, former aviators, it is really a plus for those students that are looking at moving forward with getting their license for flying or actually getting into an educational setting that involves aviation flight or mechanics.”

Students who are interested in joining can learn more about the club on Wolf Pack Connect.
“We want to expose students to the opportunity and the possibility of them either engaging with that hobby within that field or just if they have a simple interest to come and fly the planes and feel what it is like,” Lozano said.
The Flying Electrons is a nearby RC club in Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin. It is one of the largest radio-controlled aircraft clubs in Wisconsin. The club was started in 1960. They have 125 members currently. Flying Electrons Vice President and Training Coordinator Tom Jacobs has been active with the club since he was in middle school. He and his father were active members.
“He and I built planes together. I was just learning, but through trial and error. We stayed with the hobby all our lives. It was a really nice experience to have with my dad. I can say that. We always had something we could talk about for hours,” Jacobs said.
The club has an airfield located in Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin. If you want to get involved in the club, you can learn more on their website at The Flying Electrons. You can go to the airfield to take a discovery flight. If you have never flown before, it is a way to see if it is something you want to do. It is free.
“What we are looking of course to do is build the membership and further the hobby of model aviation for the long term and then give it back to the local area community through our builders workshops and also for Air Fest,” Jacobs said.