ATWATER, Calif. (KFSN) -- In Atwater, you might spot small aircraft in the sky on a clear day. The Merced County Radio Control Club normally flies model planes, but on Thursdays, they fly helicopters.

There was once a time when Gary Baker's interest in flying radio-controlled model airplanes waned. After all, the unexpected crash of a $3,500 aircraft two years ago not only hurt his bank account, ...