Flying high together
<p>Katy Ryan (12), left and Lea Hyshop (9), lay together while waiting for members of the Coeur d'Alene Aero-Modeling Society to fly their remote control planes on Tuesday afternoon.</p>
<p>The Coeur d'Alene Aero-Modeling Society President, Bob Scott, stands in front of his model Shoestring airplane. Scott and other members of CAMS participated in a show for special needs kids on Tuesday afternoon.</p>
<p>Maddy Reed, 9, claps as a member of the Coeur d'Alene Aero-Modeling Society lands his plane on Tuesday afternoon.</p>
<p>Members of the organization Special Needs Recreation watch a model plane fly by on Tuesday afternoon.</p>
RATHDRUM - The Coeur d'Alene Aero Modeling Society Club hosted several special needs children on Tuesday, showing them how remote control hobbies can be a good time.
Bob Scott, CAMS president, said Special Needs Kids Day is for the kids, but club members look forward to it with great excitement every year.
"We love to put smiles on the kids' faces; they seem to really love this," Scott said.
CAMS had 18 members on site for the show, with eight pilots performing for six different area special needs groups.
Tesh, Specialized Needs Recreation, Syringa, Imagine and Northstar were among the groups that brought kids to the event.
"It's amazing that CAMS does this for us for free," said Angie Goucher, executive director of Specialized Needs Recreation.
"They contact us and invite us. It's all CAMS' idea," Goucher said.
Goucher has been attending CAMS events for special needs kids for 17 years and loves what the event does for the kids in her program.
"We are about teaching them socialization skills, helping them make new friends - and this event does that," Goucher said.
Jimmy Maxwell is a pilot for CAMS. He flew his bright yellow model plane for the attendees. The sound system played the theme song from "Top Gun" as Maxwell did tricks and turns, which were met with cheers from the kids.
After his flight, Maxwell took a walk along the line of spectators and let them have a look at the plane. The children were ecstatic, as if a real plane had just landed in their yard.
"What an amazing thing. It feels great that they enjoyed it so much," Maxwell said after his flight.
Maxwell said he is involved with CAMS and these types of events because it teaches responsibility and community involvement.
For the special needs kids, learning is an extra bonus. They seem to be happy with just seeing a neat little plane do loops in the sky.
Scott has plans to continue Special Needs Kids Day for years to come, and Goucher looks forward to being a part of that.
"I really just want to thank CAMS for doing this. They really make a difference in these kids' lives," Goucher said. "They really are doing a great thing here."