Flying high

Al Brose of Elgin flies his gas-powered, nine-pound plane called "Shoestring" with precision low to the ground Thursday as the Ned Brown Forest Preserve near Elk Grove Village plays host to pilots of radio-controlled planes. Mark Welsh | Staff Photographer

Michael Doerner of Des Plaines had to get away from his flooded town to relax and fly the battery-operated plane he bought a couple of days ago, doing a low-pass flyby and creating his own version of an air and water show like the one in Chicago. Mark Welsh | Staff Photographer

Mount Prospect's Andy Petlak flies his plane "Funstar" as a United Airlines jet from O'Hare International Airport takes off. Mark Welsh | Staff Photographer