BIDDEFORD — Fourteen-year-old Tyler McCormack of Sandown, N.H. has been flying radio-control jet planes since he was 10. He said four years ago he and his brother were at a hobby store where they spotted the planes and decided they’d like to try them out.

While both the boys enjoy the hobby, McCormack discovered a real love for the pastime.

“If the weather is nice, I fly almost every day,” he said.

On Saturday, he showed off his flying prowess to a crowd of several thousand people at the U.S. Air Meet, hosted by Horizon Hobby of Champagne, Ill. and Ray & Robin’s Hobby Center in Falmouth. The air show took place from Thursday through Sunday at the Sanford Seacoast Regional Airport.

McCormack was one of a number of hobbyists who deftly operated the radio control to maneuver his jet plane into circles and dives and a number of other aerobatic feats.

Flying these planes isn’t something that is easily picked up, said McCormack.

“To learn to fly and do circles, it took me about four months,” he said. “To get really good, it took a year or so.”

The teenager said he “loves” the hobby.

“It’s so nice to feel the control and (have) the airplane do what you want it to do,” said McCormack. “It’s just awesome.”

Through the hobby, McCormack said he’s made a lot of friends.

“It’s such a big community. I can’t imagine ever leaving it,” he said.

Since 2005, Ray Labonte, owner of Ray & Robin’s Hobby Center, has hosted a Model Jet Rally at the Sanford airport. By partnering with the radio-control hobby company Horizon Hobby, this year’s show was bigger than ever before.

In addition to model jets, there were displays of radio-control helicopters and off-road bikes.

“This is unlike anything else I’ve been to,” said John Almeida from Peabody, Mass.

Almeida said he has been a radio-control jet hobbyist for about six years. He said he started out making model planes and then became interested in piloting them.

This year marked the fifth Sanford show he’s attended, said Almeida, but the number of events and the number of people attending made the Sanford air meet stand out from the ones he attended in New York and Massachusetts earlier in the year.

Tom Nevins and his 12-year-old son, Christopher, traveled from Barrington, N.H. to attend the Sanford air meet.

“It’s very cool and very fun,” said Christopher as he and his father sat on the grass watching pilots perform aeronautic tricks with their planes.

“It’s pretty impressive,” said the father. “It’s like watching a full-fledge, real air show.”

Melody Weyland of Acton and her son, Austin, 8, and daughter, Josey-Mae, 6, were equally impressed. It was the family’s first time at an air meet, said the mother.

“It’s pretty good, actually,” said Josey-Mae.

Her brother, Austin, said he was interested in trying one of the radio-controlled aircraft.

While there was an opportunity for the public to try their hand flying foam planes, because of windy conditions Saturday afternoon, flying was canceled. High winds also were the reason for the cancellation of fireworks scheduled for Saturday.

In addition to the aircraft, there was a radio-control fight simulator and an off-road car track, which members of the public were allowed to try.

For those at the air meet who became interested in learning to pilot radio-control aircraft, merchandise was available for sale.

— Staff Writer Dina Mendros can be contacted at 282-1535, Ext. 324 or dmendros@journaltribune.com. Tammy Wells contributed to this story.