Model Airplanes

Blaine Olson’s son, Gary, said his father was not in the spotlight, but he had a large and lasting impact on his town.

“You’re not going to find a big plaque with his name,” Gary said. “But you will find how many lives Dad quietly touched over the years. He was always interested in making De Soto a better place for families to live.”

Blaine Olson died Aug. 29 at age 94. He was a longtime community volunteer and an amateur genealogist.

Mr. Olson grew up in Hematite, working on the family chicken farm.

“They shipped eggs to some of the big hotels in St. Louis, and sold seed corn to local farmers,” said Gary, 66, who worked on the farm himself in his youth. “At its height, they had one chicken house that could hold 10,000 chicks.”

Mr. Olson graduated from De Soto High School at just over 5 feet tall; at Anderson College in Indiana he rapidly grew past 6 feet.

“He was working and going to school, and he grew so fast, he developed a heart issue,” Gary said. “He would suffer a real rapid heartbeat.”

Doctors later in life would tell Mr. Olson his condition was not serious.

“They said it was a nuisance ailment and it’s never going to kill you,” Gary said.

But his parents brought him home from college, and he spent a few months recovering.

“He gradually got better,” Gary said. “While he was recovering, my grandmother taught him to sew and do applique.”

He received a draft notice after World War II

Article source: http://www.myleaderpaper.com/obituaries/life-story-r-blaine-olson-of-de-soto/article_0bf48de0-94e1-11e7-b65d-af80f3b2da9a.html

Erin Mathews @ErinMathewsSJ

Looking for something fun to do Saturday? Look up.

The Smoky Hill Model Flying Club will host its annual Giant Scale Fly-in starting at 9 a.m. and continuing through late afternoon at the club’s flying site, three-fourths of a mile east of Ohio Street on Schilling Road.

Spectators of all ages are welcome at no charge. It’s not a bad idea to bring your own chairs, although bleacher seating is available. You also might consider packing a lunch, or at least some bottles of water, as no concessions will be available onsite.

The fly-in will showcase radio-controlled aircraft pilots from novice to expert, with airplanes sporting both electric and fuel-powered motors. Between 25 and 30 radio-control pilots normally attend from Kansas and surrounding states, bringing with them 30 to 40 planes, said club president Kevin Schafer, of Salina.

It’s not a contest — just an opportunity for area modelers to enjoy a day of flying together and talking about their planes.

“There’s nothing unusual this year — it’s basically a bunch of pilots getting together to fly planes,” Schafer said.

He said the planes will range in size from wingspans of 80 inches to almost 20 feet. Schafer said in addition to pilots from Kansas and other states in the region, there might be a Kansas State University Polytechnic Campus student flying a drone on autopilot.

He said spectators are encouraged to talk to the pilots.

“Most of them are more than happy to show off their planes and talk about them,” he said.

He said some members

Article source: http://www.salina.com/news/20170908/giant-scale-fly-in-set-for-saturday