8
WING
SPAN
MAY
Dreaming knows no age, but for a
child, an active imagination can
see you soaring above the clouds,
chasing the wings of a bird, all
while you are sitting in your living
room, looking out to the blue sky
above.
But for three brothers from the Blue
Mountains in NSW, Chilton 13, Ashton
12 and Jenson 10, their imagination to
take to the skies has become a reality
thanks to the guidance, support and
passion from their father John Miles.
As an avid pilot andmodel enthusiast
himself, John said his sons’ love of
building and flying control line and
free flight models stems from their
grandfather William (also known as
Billy), who lived and breathedmodel
aircraft. According to John, his father
had once built from scratch a Hawker
Hurricanemodel, that was a replica of
a war plane Billy had seen crash near
his home, during the Battle of Britain
during the Second World War in 1940.
“Dad always had a real passion for
building aircraft. I remember growing
up in a house that was full of his
model planes,” said John.
“My dad and I would build and fly
models together, which is now
something I have passed down tomy
own boys.”
Busy with raising children of his own
and the demands of everyday life,
John said it wasn’t until his father
passed away in 2012 - leaving behind
his precious tools andmodel planes,
that John’s own passion for modelling
suddenly reignited.
Joining both the Sydney Society of
Model Engineers in January 2013 and
the NSW Free Flight Society last year,
the Miles brothers and their dad have
carried on Billy’s legacy through his
love of flying.
“After Dad passed, me and the boys
continued to restore his Hawker
Hurricane to engine running standard
and on the second anniversary of his
passing, we ran it with a new engine
for the first time in over forty years.
This was a very special moment for
the boys andmyself,” said John.
The boys are now taking to the airways
with their own free flight models that
they build under the the guidance
of their dad. Eachmodel they build
has a little part of their grandfather’s
collection built into them, using his
balsa wood, piano wire, a pilot he
made or using plans he had collected
or designed himself.
Not just child’s play
as three brothers learn to fly
ONE MAN AND HIS THREE SONS CARRY ON A FAMILY LEGACY OF FLYING