The facility used by the Round Barn RC Flyers, an Academy of Model Aeronautics (AMA) club in Greensburg, will be busy this weekend when it hosts a fly-in on Saturday.

Beginning at 9 a.m. and continuing throughout the day, the Round Barn RC Flyers will be drawing a crowd to the John Reed Memorial Fly-In, a free event to the public that will feature dozens of model airplanes up in the air and down on the ground.

The fly-in is dedicated to John Reed, who passed away a few years ago.

“He was instrumental in starting this club,” member Terry Adams said.

Colleague David McMillin agreed with Adams.

“He was a good friend of mine too,” McMillin said.

At the fly-in, pilots will not be required to pay a registration free, but registration and check in begins at 9 a.m. A current AMA membership is required to participate and refreshments will be available on site for families and friends who visit. There will be a “tailgate swap meet” for those who wish to buy, sell or trade in fly-able model airplane parts.

Adams added that he was a relative rookie when he started last June, but the friendly guys at the Round Barn Flyers were very helpful.

“Without them, I’d spent a lot of time as a heap on the ground,” Adams said.

The technology has changed quite a bit from the older model airplanes of the past. According to McMillin, those who are interested in getting involved can either “go cheap” or really get engaged in the hobby and spend large amounts of money and time. Either way, hobbyists can enjoy the sport, McMillin said. Going to swap meets to find parts or planes can greatly decrease the costs of getting involved, McMillin said.

“As long as you keep them off the ground and up in the air, it’s not that expensive,” Adams noted.

Now, the technology has progressed into the digital age. The new radios and a different frequency, Adams said, had allowed him to reach increasingly higher altitudes.

“I’ve been in the clouds,” he said.

The conversion to 2.4 gigahertz has given airplane flyers less hits from CB radios and other potential pockets of interference.

“It’s virtually impossible to take a hit now,” McMillin explained.

At the Saturday fly-in, McMillin and Adams said that there would be several very large model planes for guests to see, and potentially large helicopters. Some of the planes can get up to 200 miles per hour, they said.

The event is scheduled to be over by about 3 p.m., and Adams encouraged those who come out to bring their own lawn chairs. The event is free and so is parking, and some concessions will be available. The John Reed Memorial Fly-In will also serve to help acclimate new members into the club, as those who may want to get involved can get information and talk to the some of the club members themselves. Also, the fly-in will provide the opportunity for new members to get involved without payment of membership dues.

Adams, who has a small plane dedicated to his old high school and emblazoned with the words “Burney Panthers,” said that the Round Barn RC Flyers is a club worth being a part of.

“You’re only limitation is your imagination,” Adams said. “This is a great bunch of guys, if anyone wants to get involved. But this whole ball of wax is in memory of (John Reed).”

The public is welcome at Saturday’s event, and those with questions or seeking more information can contact John Reiger at 812-663-5455 or Bill Morrison at 812-933-0663. To reach the Round Barn Flyers, those traveling from Greensburg can head north on U.S. 421 and turn right onto Moscow Road. Over the freeway overpass and past a quick left turn, the Round Barn Flyers Club is on the right.