MAAA Wingspan

13 NOVEMBER WING SPAN MAAALogo. After retiring as a commercial pilot in 1987, Iain decided to return to his hometown of Adelaide where he joined the Constellation Model Flying Club (CMFC). “They made me feel very welcome at the time and I’m happy to say that I’ve flown model aircraft there ever since,” he said. “In 1997, the late Leo O’Reilly, Geoff Burfield and myself put on the very first Golden Era Races- celebrating the WW2 golden era of aviation. It has run every two years since.” Additionally, Iain was chairman of the large scale or heavy model subcommittee and was involved in the regulation process of the heavy models. He also became a gas turbine inspector- a job he believes he likely got due to his experience operating early gas turbines, something he continues to fly today. But what has fundamentally fuelled Iain’s continued fascination for flying over the past forty years, despite his retirement from commercial flying thirty years ago? “People who fly real airplanes don’t necessarily fly little ones, however I’ve always been interested in the flying machine. Model aircraft as a sport presents lots of things that you can do- from flying sailplane to large scale pylon racing, which I find very exciting,” said Iain. “With scale modelling, you see an aircraft that you want to replicate and that drives your desire to build a model of it. This happened to me in 1984, when I was spurred on to build the old 2-Tyhoon- a monstrous beast and one I was able to see at the Hendon [Royal Airforce Museum] in London when I stopped over on a trip while working as a commercial pilot. Over the past three-decades I must have flown that model 200-300 times, with my last flight in 2016.” More recently, in 2017, Iain’s model aircraft achievements were recognised by the MAAA, when he received the Service Medallion for Service to Australian Aeromodelling by President Neil Tank. “I value that award highly,” said Iain. “I also received a trophy for the best flying demonstration back in 1985 from (the late) David Boddington who judged the first of the vintage air pageants.” Nevertheless, despite his accolades, Iain said he’s less concerned with winning competitions and more fascinated by the intricate hobby of scratch building large-scale models, which most recently included a turbine model of the British Swift that he completed in 2015. (see pictured above) Without a doubt, the thrilling highs of aeromodelling remain a fascinating pastime for this retired commercial pilot.