LookAtVietnam – In the suburbs of Hanoi an aircraft with the Vietnam Airlines emblem circles through the air as a crowd of spectators on the ground watches in envious wonder.

As the pilot and owner of the mock-Vietnam Airlines aircraft, Pham Minh Tu has just witnessed his VND5 million $284) investment turn to dust. “I just bought it last week.

I was only testing it now,” says Tu, who had never crashed a model airplane before today. “I cannot understand how I could make such a stupid mistake.” However, controlling a model plane at speeds of up to 100kmph is no easy feat.

That’s why model airplane owners, like Tu, practice flying and landing on a computer before trying the real thing. Even if the owner has mastered his technique for flying, the models could have an electrical fault mid-flight and end up spiralling to the ground. But despite the hazards of playing with a VND5 million-toy, the airplane model fanatics rarely quit after a crash.

The plane will be salvaged, fixed up and ready to take to the skies again. The planes can circle in the air for about 15-20 minutes but some owners prefer to err on the side of caution.

“I never let my airplane travel too far or for too long, but rather keep it in my vision so as to control it,” says Pham Anh Minh, another model-plane flier who works with Tu at FPT Corporation in Hanoi.

In Vietnam there are a number of companies that produce model airplanes, some of which can cost up to $1,000. However, Minh and Tu believe that the locally made products are not so durable. Instead they recommend importing engines from Japan, Taiwan or China.

Some engines run on electricity while others use petrol – just like a genuine airplane – and can cost thousands of dollars. “The Su27 and F15 models are the most expensive airplanes now at $5,500 per unit,” says Pham Dang Manh, a 50-year old model plane enthusiast from Hoan Kiem district.

The words “model airplane” might seem to underestimate some of the more powerful products on the market, which according to Manh can fly – a little worryingly – at speeds of 200kmph. Clubs in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and Haiphong will – thankfully! – find appropriate grounds to fly model planes around. Obviously a large area is required.

In Hanoi clubs used to gather in the outskirts of the city near the national stadium in My Dinh but flying model aircrafts was banned here as it was considered too dangerous with so many electricity posts around – not to mention people.

“Now we have to find spacious fields or inhabited areas,” says Manh, who has collected and flown model airplanes for nearly 20 years in Vietnam.

“As an addict, I feel uncomfortable without seeing or hearing a mini airplane engine roaring around each week!” adds Manh, but he doesn’t recommend this hobby to anyone who is merely half interested. “If you have no passion for it, you will fail.”

VietNamNet/Time-out