MAAA Wingspan

weren’t particularly good, to the jet era of today where the aircraft is ready made- you put a motor in it, fire it up and away you go. It’s the other end of the spectrum. Of course, they have a huge role to play in the current hobby but as an old fella, it’s not quite [aero] modelling as I knew it. But that’s not to say it’s wrong.” Ron, who is a Kiwi and has represented New Zealand in scale, gliding and aerobatics, has accumulated some impressive aeromodelling credentials too. These include, being a six-time New Zealand Scale Champion, a competitor in the US Scale Masters and also a national and state champion on a number of occasions. For the past two decades he’s also been a scale modelling judge. It’s another facet of the hobby that he clearly enjoys. “As my interest in competing diminished and I no longer devoted as much time building a top line scale model any more, I wanted to pass something back into the hobby by utilising those skills through judging,” he continues. Although Ron acknowledges that in contemporary times a modeller tends to be more driven toward ARF aircraft and the instant gratification that comes with that, scale modelling isn’t completely an extinct discipline. “Some do progress through the ARF route, become interested in the hobby and the camaraderie and friendship that develops from that, then move into the scratch building side of it that I’ve been involved with, however they are few and far between.” Intriguingly, it’s Ron’s relationship with a particular aircraft, the Tiger Moth, which has remained consistent throughout his six-decade aeromodelling career. “I’ve had a history with that aircraft as I learnt to fly on it when I was a cadet in the Air Force back in 1955. Then the aircraft was sold by the Air Force to a private syndicate,” he says. However, eight years later Ron got to fly the same aircraft again when it was part of a flying club and had become a completely different aircraft- ZK-BRC. “Then, I next came across it five years ago in a museum while holidaying in New Zealand and I’m now happily flying a model of that aircraft again in my dotage. It’s certainly a long association with one aircraft,” he admits. Ron, who turns 80 this year, has also been keeping himself busy working as an Airport Ambassador at Brisbane Airport. “My role is to assist passengers through the airport. I mainly work in the Customs Hall, directing passengers to the correct exit, answering questions and trying to maintain some order when the Hall has several large flights arriving at the same time. Our role is to assist the Border Force personnel during the morning, both Incoming and Outgoing Customs,” says Ron. “It’s good fun and keeps me out and about and maintains my interest in aviation,” he says. It’s refreshing to learn that after 65 years as an aeromodeller, Ron’s life in flight is continuing to soar to new and interesting heights. 9 MAY WING SPAN >> Ron’s quarter scalemodel of the Tiger Moth Tiger Moth on the flight line at RNZAF Base Taieri circa 1955 Left: Ron and his wife in front of the same aircraft in Mt Cook aircraft livery 2015 Inset: Ron Cavanagh in the Tiger Moth cockpit