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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