A rolling prairie near McDowell Dam became a mini airport of sorts Saturday, with model airplanes whizzing and whirring by a small crowd.

Amid a backdrop of gray clouds and a haystack-dotted horizon, the gathering of airplane aficionados flew everything from small model prop planes to larger model jets that sound like the real thing. They were coming together for the annual Art May Memorial Fun Fly, put on by a local model airplane group with about 40 members.

A clear star of Saturday's little air show was Russel Gohl's Boomerang jet. Built from a kit by Gohl, a 51-year-old heavy equipment operator from Minot, the red-white-and-blue plane reached speeds of 200 mph. It did flips and fly-bys, and, to the untrained ear, gave one the impression that they were at a real airport.

Gohl said the plane took about 20 hours to 25 hours to assemble, an undertaking that he really enjoyed.

"I've been doing it all my life," he said. "I just love airplanes. I can't afford to fly real ones, so I fly these."

The mostly male crowd took turns flying the planes they had assembled and seeing what their colleagues had.

However, there was at least one casualty.

Shortly before takeoff, Bismarck resident Ted Stockert's blue-and-white prop plane lost engine power and nosedived into the grass, breaking into two pieces. Stockert, 73, of Bismarck, was undaunted. He has been flying model airplanes since 1975 and has seen his share of crashes.

"It happens," he said. "You can always fix them."

The group will be out flying again today between 10 a.m. and 3:30 p.m., weather permitting.

(Reach reporter Jonathan Rivoli at 223-8482 or jonathan.rivoli@;bismarcktribune.com.)