MAAA Wingspan

16 Daniel Arapakis has certainly come a long way since an unfortunate ankle condition left him temporarily immobilised a couple of years ago. Last year the, then, 16-year-old, took his Minute Master F3D aircraft racer from his home field at Western Port Model Aero Club in Crib Point, Victoria to Dala Jarna in Sweden to confidently secure the Junior F3D World Champion, (see our previous story in November 2017 Wingspan) It’s a remarkable accolade for the young RC Pylon racer, who has certainly soared to some incredible heights in his relatively short aeromodelling career. For Daniel it was a painful injury that inadvertently got him into the sport. “I broke my ankle and was in hospital for the majority of a year, so my father bought me a flight simulator and I learnt on that while I was recovering in hospital. It was a really good way to get into the hobby,” he says. “When I recovered, Dad got me a plane and we went to the footy oval, sat on the tailgate of the car and taught myself that way. Then, I went to the Western Port [Model Aero] Club and they helped me master some proper aeromodelling techniques.” Daniel’s Dad, Andrew Arapakis, flew model planes when he was young too. Naturally, he passed on his enthusiasm for the sport. “Daniel said to me, ‘Dad, take me to a hobby shop’ and that’s how it all began. It all reflected back forty years ago when I used to fly,” says Andrew. There’s good reason why Daniel is attracted to pylon in particular, where great reflexes are important. “It’s fast and loud and it’s all about trying to get even faster and trying to beat yourself,” says Daniel. “You have to be highly driven and motivated. It’s the fastest type of racing aircraft in the world,” adds Andrew. “The sheer adrenaline rush of flying something at that speed, plus the noise associated with the aircraft…well, it certainly gets the blood going. Why wouldn’t that be attractive to a kid?” Unsurprisingly, a strong father and son bond has been built through this particular type of aeromodelling, where fun and camaraderie play its part. “Certainly with pylon, Australia has the most successful father and son teams, which compliments the Australian family value. It’s also about breeding a certain level of excellence and passion, which is awesome,” continues Andrew. “There’s an enormous sense of satisfaction watching my son perform at that level and compete against the world’s very best,” More recently, Daniel won the 70th MAAA National Model Aircraft Championships at West Wyalong. “It was a really well run event and it certainly felt good to win,” says Daniel. “It’s better competition at an event like that but it’s always difficult going to a different place. With West Wyalong, the conditions are different which brings other competitors further up; therefore, people who are used to those conditions and fly piston engines and things like that generally do a bit better.” WE TALK TO THE YOUNG PILOT, ALONG WITH HIS FATHER, ABOUT THE THRILLS OF RC PYLON RACING, DANIEL’S WIN AT THE 70TH NATIONALS AND WHY MORE YOUNGSTERS SHOULD GIVE THIS SPORT A GO THE SKY’S NOT NECESSARILY THE LIMIT FOR YOUNG AVIATOR DANIEL ARAPAKIS