Now, at 61, he owns 27 planes -- from P-47s to Quarter Scale Cubs and SC5s -- that hang from his Pembroke Pines home's ceiling.
''It's an all-consuming hobby,'' Wenrich said, quipping that you need to have a good and understanding wife to get away with the hours and days he puts into it.
For the 2007 Aerofest in West Miami-Dade on Saturday, Wenrich flew his latest plane: a yellow SC5 Fokker DVII, a German aircraft that debuted in 1918 during World War I.
Wenrich said he chose this plane because ``you don't see it all the time.''
Almost 40 radio-controlled Florida pilots registered their model airplanes at the annual event hosted by the Aero Modelers of Perrine Club, which was founded in 1959. The event took place on 13 acres about two miles west of Krome Avenue on Southwest 168th Street.
Whizzing through the air, one or two-at-a-time, were 50 replicas from all eras, from World War I on that looked like the real thing -- only one-fourth the size of the originals.
Also permeating the air: the smell of hot dogs and fuel and engines' buzzing noise.
There were twin-engine, turbo-prop jet engine planes and a helicopter. Some powered by alcohol, others by oil/gas mix. One model aircraft even spewed tail smoke. Toy soldiers occupied a two-seater World War II replica. Ken and stuffed dolls sat in most of the other planes.
Even a hawk, which caused announcer Nick Capone to joke it was ''not a radio-controlled bird,'' took to the air Saturday behind two dog-fighting P-47s and the aerobatic Edge 540.
''One thing I like about this is you're never going to see some of these planes in the sky again,'' said Tom Caldwell, club president. ``Some of these are in museums.''
Caldwell, himself a dedicated craftsman for 20 years, has a two-car garage full of planes. He has 10.
''It's like a hangar,'' he said. ``One plane is too many. A hundred is not enough.''
On Saturday afternoon, Caldwell positioned his Cessna 182 on the runway, powered the plane using a starter at the nose and shouted ''going up'' before it took off.
As he maneuvered the switches on the remote control back and forth and left-to-right, Caldwell explained that it's not as easy as it looks to get the reflexes down.
''We've got airline pilots who come out here and they can't fly,'' he said. ``It's a whole different set of skills.''
Acquiring those skills, Caldwell said, can take months, depending on the dedication and time spent in learning them. He pointed out maneuvers by experienced pilots: tail-spins, 3-d flying -- where the base of the plane hangs on the propeller -- and dead-stick landings.
Learning to build the models is something else altogether. It requires knowing how to read building plans, construct and cut wood to scale and glue the parts together. A bit of mechanics helps too since there are engines involved, Caldwell said.
It can cost as little as $300 to get started with basic kits. More elaborate planes cost thousands -- up to even $10,000.
A pricey plane that garnered much of the attention on Saturday: Joseph Hughes' Pilatus Porter, a red and white award-winning Swiss plane nicknamed the Flying Devil, with a turbo-prop power jet engine and the works.
Hughes, an air-conditioning mechanic, said he does it for the love of aeronautics.
''Love planes. Love flying,'' he said.
``Keeps me honest. Keeps me out of trouble.''
ABOUT THE AERO MODELERS OF PERRINE
Aero Modelers of Perrine Club is open for old-time radio-controlled pilots and beginners. Membership costs $100 for adults and $1 for junior members under 18. Meetings are held at 7 p.m. every second Thursday of the month. The next meeting is on Nov. 8 at the Continental Park Dice House, 10000 SW 82nd Ave. For more information, visit www.ampsrc.com or call 305-666-2126.