`ounce Of Prevention, Pound Of Cure' Holds True For Support Of Pbs, Too 
George J. Kochis' Letter (feb. 7) Was Unfair To Public Radio And Tv.

By JENNIFER LEARN; Times Leader Hazleton Bureau
 Sunday, February 12, 1995 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Page: 3A 





HAZLE TWP. -- A pilot in goggles and a brown leather bomber jacket prepared
for takeoff in the cockpit of his Boeing P-26 Peashooter airplane. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 His map and Lucky Strike cigarettes were within arm's reach. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The freshly buffed wings are made of balsa, plywood and spruce. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Henry Schietrumpf tried to make the scaled-down, radio-controlled plane as
realistic as possible when he built it from scratch in the basement of his
residence in Hometown. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "From the time I was a little boy, I admired that plane," Schietrumpf, 69,
said during a show at the Laurel Mall. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The Peashooter and dozens of others built by the Tuscarora Flyers were
displayed Saturday at the mall. The free show continues from noon to 5 p.m.
today. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Members of the 30-year-old, 90-member club brought their enthusiasm, as
well as their model aircraft, to the mall. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "When I'm up in the air I lose track of time I'm having so much fun," said
12-year-old Kris Quinten, Schietrumpf's grandson, also of Hometown. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Flying a plane by remote control isn't easy. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Quirk is still learning from more experienced members how to simultaneously
control the altitude, direction and speed of a plane using a hand-held
transmitter. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Some of the fancier planes on display -- such as Schietrumpf's $1,800
Peashooter -- rarely hit the skies because the owners fear they'll crash. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Other fluorescent planes and helicopters on display are built from kits
that cost several hundred dollars. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 One chopper can even skip across water. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Club members fly the planes at Tuscarora State Park next to the White Birch
Golf Course in Barnesville. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 A few retired club members show up every morning during the warmer months
to fly. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Club vice president Allen Breiner, 49, of Tamaqua often flies after work
until dusk. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 In the winter, he occasionally attaches mini-skis to his planes so they can
take off and land on the snow. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 He delved into building and flying the planes because he said he needed
something to keep his mind off his stressful code enforcement job. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "To me, this is relaxing," Breiner said, puffing on a cigarette. "When
you're flying a plane, you devote 100 percent of your concentration to what
you're doing." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Still, some members prefer to spend their time in the club on the ground. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "I could sit here for hours and hours building," said Jerry Buehler of
Hazleton, who brought the $2,000 C1-18 Beechcraft plane he built from scratch
to the mall on Saturday. "I leave the flying up to the younger ones." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 TIMES LEADER PHOTOS/PETE G. WILCOX &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Shoppers strolling through the Laurel Mall on Saturday inspect the model
aircraft displayed by the Tuscarora Flyers. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 A model helicopter sits idle at the Tuscarora Flyers' exhibit Saturday in
the Laurel Mall. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

`plane' For All To See Club Exhibits Model Aircraft At Mall