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Highlands Today

Still Flying High

Mark Pinson/Highlands Today

Frank Duplessie, who is 90-years-old, enjoys flying remote planes and riding his motorcycle in his spare time.

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By Mark  Pinson | Highlands Today

Published: November 20, 2007

SEBRING –– Whether it's flying his remote model airplane or cruising around the Heartland on his motorcycle, Frank Duplessie has a need for speed.

The 90-year-old Duplessie, who seems to have boundless energy, celebrated his birthday recently with other members of the Highlands Radio Control Club off of Arbuckle Creek Road.

Duplessie, who flew full scale single-engine airplanes in the past, has been flying remote controlled airplanes for 18 years.

"I love flying planes," he said. "There is nothing like the feeling you get when you're flying. "It's total freedom from everything around you."

The other members of the Highlands Radio Control Club, which was founded in the 1980s, gathered for their regular monthly meeting recently, and ended the affair by honoring Duplessie with a birthday cake.

"We're lucky to have members like Frank," said club president Jim Welborn. "He's been an asset to the club since he came here and he has so much knowledge about planes and is always willing to help you out."

The Highlands Remote Control Club has more than 60 members, who gather regularly to fly their different types of aircraft.

"We just enjoy getting together and after our meetings we fly our planes and usually we cook out and spend time together because we have a pretty tight-knit club," Welborn said. "We are always looking for more members and we have waived the initiation fee to join the club.

"We are very proud of our facility, which we take care of ourselves, because some of our members have been flying planes for more than 50 years and they said this is the nicest facility they have seen."

Duplessie, who used to fish a great deal, spends most of his time now either riding his motorcycle or working on his model airplanes.

"I lived in Naples for five years and had several boats and really enjoyed fishing," he said. "Now I fly my planes or work on them in my shop.

"This hobby keeps me busy, and I enjoy riding my bike because I've put about 20,000 miles on it in the last couple of years.

"It's great on gas and I don't worry about getting hurt because God takes care of me."

Duplessie, who grew up in Connecticut and served in the Army during World War II, was in the 3rd Army under General George Patton in Europe.

"I was in combat for one year and fought at the Battle of The Bulge and that was pretty tough," he said. "It was very cold because it was in the winter, but we got through it."

After the war, Duplessie used the GI Bill to attend flight school in Bridgeport, Conn., and then went to work for Sikorsky Aircraft Company.

"I worked on helicopters and flew some of the company executives around on business and fishing trips," he said. "I flew single engine planes and after I retired, I started to fly the remote control planes."

Flying planes at the Highlands Radio Control Club is about more than watching them take off and land, according to Duplessie.

"I've built and flown planes for more than 18 years and it's the people that make this place special," the retired veteran said. "We're all friends, we fly together, talk together and really care about each other.

"I fly a couple times a week and we have a lot of fun, and I like to listen to the other guys because you can learn a lot that way."

The planes are limited to 400 feet of altitude because of airspace restrictions, but that is plenty of height for the remote aircraft.

"This is a great hobby because it's not that expensive," Duplessie said. "Sometimes the planes crash for one reason or another, but you just pick up the pieces and put them back together.

"It's just like life, you can't give up, you just keep on going and keep flying higher."

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