Flying high

Smithfield, Pa. — At an age when most teenagers are still learning to drive, 15-year-old Angstrom Eberenz is already plotting a 10,000-mile journey that will take him—and a 2-pound balsa-and-fiberglass model airplane—to the other side of the planet. In May 2026 the home-schooled sophomore will serve as the junior representative for Team USA in aviation precision aerobatics at the Control Line Aircraft World Championships in Perth, Australia.

Control-line flying, a discipline that predates the radio-control boom, keeps the pilot on the ground holding a handle connected to the model by 70-foot steel lines. Every input—climb, dive, loop, roll—travels through those wires. Some of the speed-class ships whistle past at 200 mph, demanding reflexes that rival those of any stick-and-rudder ace.

Eberenz discovered the sport at age 7 while living in Carmichaels, when roadside signs for the annual Brodak Fly-In caught his eye. His father, Brendan, asked veteran pilots to give the youngster pointers; by the end of the week Angstrom entered—and finished—his first competition. He has not slowed since, collecting three National Championship titles in precision aerobatics, multiple Navy carrier crowns and eight national records at the National Aeromodeling Championships in Muncie, Indiana.

His favorite event remains Navy carrier: 14 laps—seven at full throttle, seven at stall speed—followed by a deck landing and arrestor-hook catch. “The margin is razor-thin,” he said. “One gust during the slow laps and you’re in the dirt.”

For Perth, however, Eberenz will concentrate solely on the 17-maneuver precision aerobatics schedule. Squares, hourglasses, clovers and reverse Cuban eights must be flown in a fixed order inside five minutes. Judges score each figure on the world-standard 1-to-10 scale, then apply difficulty multipliers. “Hit the first few clean and you build credibility,” he explained. “Miss one early and the deductions snowball.”

Preparation has become a family ritual. Father and son log four to six flights daily when weather cooperates, either running the full sequence or isolating problem maneuvers in the backyard. After the 2025 Nationals, Angstrom trained intensively for 10 weeks before traveling to Team Trials in Granite Bay, California, where 20-mph winds grounded every competitor except him. “All these guys with 40 years of experience watched one 15-year-old put up a practice flight,” Brendan recalled. “He earned their respect before the contest even started.”

A single omitted figure in the final round cost Angstrom the top spot, but when the winner later withdrew, USA’s selection committee elevated the teenager to the world-championship roster. He will join five other Americans—three open-age men, one woman pilot and one additional junior—in Perth.

To simplify travel, the pair has retired Angstrom’s Nationals-winning aircraft in favor of a carbon-fiber take-apart model that fits in a suitcase. Veteran U.S. team members have already pledged extra coaching sessions before departure.

“Representing Smithfield on a world stage is surreal,” Angstrom said. “But we’re putting in the work to make sure we’re ready when the judges look up.”