ROCHESTER — Birds enjoying the breezy sky over Mary’s Pond in Rochester on Saturday, Aug. 17 had to share the air with some unfamiliar flying objects.

The Bristol County Remote Control Club held their 14th annual John Nicolaci Memorial Float Fly, sending dozens of remote control planes of all shapes and sizes into the sky.

The event is named in honor of a former member of the club.

Spectators set up lawn chairs and brought snacks to watch from near the shore as planes buzzed around before landing safely in the pond.

Aug. 17 also happened to be National Model Aviation Day.

One member of the club, Dartmouth’s Carlos Costa, said that flying model planes brings him “peace and serenity.”

Gerry Dupont, a pilot instructor and safety officer for the club and Dartmouth resident, described the event as “delightful foolishness.”

Dupont said his passion for flying planes started as a little kid with hand-tossed gliders.

He recently spent the majority of eight consecutive winters building a model Japanese fighter plane, which he someday hopes to send to Japan to be put into a museum or to the family of the pilot whose plane he modeled his after.

“This keeps you young,” said Dupont. “I enjoy building something with my own hands and commit it to the most unforgiving medium there is.”

Dupont said he also enjoys the camaraderie that surrounds the group.

“Everyone leaves politics behind, we enjoy the sport and enjoy each other's company,” he said.

The best part, according to Dupont, is that he walks away from every landing “unscathed.”