Rubber band dreams with wings

MOSES LAKE — On a spring morning when the air is calm, shortly after sunup, a tall figure in a field located in Cascade Valley gently hoists a small airplane frame into the air.

Many people passing by have probably witnessed this event not knowing the amount of time and preparation going into this flight.

For Justin Shuck this is a test.

Born and raised in Indiana, Shuck has loved airplanes since his youth.

"I have a few pictures of me in a cowboy hat and boots, but that phase didn't last too long," Shuck said chuckling.

Shuck built his first model plane when he was about 5 years old, and found himself addicted. He went on to build his first flying airplane called the Comet Cloud Buster, which flew for 30 seconds.

When it came time to choose a career in college, Shuck was aware of the staff cutbacks being made by Boeing and NASA.

"I decided that being a aeronautical engineer didn't look like it was going to have a rosy future," said Shuck. "So I decided to make chemical engineering my job and model airplanes my hobby."

Shuck brought his hobby with him when he moved to Moses Lake 10 years ago, to be the manager of a silane transfill plant called Air Products.

Shuck's hobby has produced a collection of 27 flyable planes with 15 models under construction. One of those models is a rebuild of his favorite childhood model the Comet Cloud Buster.

There are several types of flying models, but Shuck's interests lie in the rubber-band propelled ones.

"One of the things I like about these (rubber band airplanes) is that they are cheap. The smaller models, 18-inch wing span or less, can be built for $2 or $3. Most of the investment is just your time in building them," Shuck stated.

The airplanes can be purchased in kits, or plans can be downloaded from the Internet. The Internet leads to an endless source of supplies such as balsa wood, tissue and rubber band.

"I calculated awhile back, that during the time I've been seriously modeling, I've bought around 10 pounds of rubber bands," Shuck said with a smile.

Rubber band airplanes are generally constructed of balsa wood and tissue paper. A fuselage, or the central body of the aircraft, houses a long rubber band which is wound up tightly to drive the propeller. The rubber band turns the propellers anywhere between 20 seconds to 1 minute stated Shuck. Once the rubber band has unraveled the airplane becomes a glider and depends on the winds for flight times.

Shuck's longest flight was 21 minutes and 51 seconds, and flew about a mile. A flight time is considered to begin when the model leaves the hand until it lands.

Flight distance can vary. On one occasion Shuck launched a plane from a grassy area around Valley Drive. He followed the plane afoot with binoculars to where it landed near Grape Drive.

"I've had a lot of good moments watching a model catch a thermal, or watching one take off in a realistic manner from the ground," Shuck responds.

Shuck has competed in a couple of small Internet competitions called Postals. In these competitions a hobbyist builds a specific model and records the flight times of the craft. The times are sent in and the winner announced.

In his first competition, Shuck built the winning aircraft. The same model was lost during its final flight of the evening.

"It gave its all," Shuck said laughing. "I'm not sure, but I think a cow ate it. I looked for debris, but never found any."

Shuck lost four airplanes. One got caught in a thermal and flew over the lake in the direction of Michael's on the Lake, one landed in the lake and two went out of sight and were never recovered. For Shuck there is some disappointment, but he understands it is the chance he takes.

Currently, Shuck has taken up creating lifelike replicas of airplanes.

"I've spent three weeks working on this engine," he says holding up a small precise model. "I make my own wheels, and I've learned how to carve my own pilots."

Shuck's shop is also dedicated to his hobby. The walls are lined with a colorful assortment of plane models. The work bench is covered in Dremel tools, model parts, various toolboxes and a hand-held radio.

The radio's only purpose is for his wife to call him in case of emergency or telephone call.

"She doesn't come out here much," Shuck states with a twinkle in his eye.

"I'm getting all set up for when I retire," he says smiling fondly. "Most people say they got busier after they retired. I hope that's not the case for me. I want to be doing this until my eyes or hands go bad."