I am deeply sorry to have to report that Laurie Peake, a long-standing member of Fleet & District Model Aero Club, passed away recently. Laurie retired at the end of 2018, and he was anticipating a more relaxed lifestyle, including playing squash and golf, but then along came COVID and hampered his plans. Even so, as restrictions relaxed this year, he was able to start looking forward and planning again. Laurie was a Senior Engineer with British Airways and his modelling skills were of ...

Terry Rounce, who died on October 2nd, was introduced to model flying at Fairlop in 1947 at the age of ten by his father. He worked as a pilot for 18 years and was a long term member of Bretons MFC, which he joined in 1982 and had been a past club chairman, as well as secretary for 29 years. He represented his club at London Area committee meetings from the 1980s and it was soon clear that he was a man who was prepared to buckle down and do the work that was needed, rather than just talking abou...

It is with great sadness that I have to inform BMFA members that Roy Bamford, a long term flyer and committee member of Park Hall Helicopter club has passed away in August.Roy was a generous and helpful person, putting lots back into the community. Following retirement from BT, he has supported children with their learning in after school classes and helped adults with numeracy and literacy skills, as well as undertaking other worthy volunteering activities. Roy was well known in the H...

Gordon Cornell, one of the great characters of UK aeromodelling, has died peacefully at the age of 88. Probably as famous for his eccentric personality as for his enormous talent as an engineer and craftsman, Gordon’s whole life was lived in model aviation, from his professional involvement with FROG and ED in the fifties, to his cottage industry supplying hand- built diesel engines, which occupied him until his brief final illness.         &nbs...

Obituary for Chris Tompkins - RIPWe are greatly saddened to report the passing of Chris Tompkins during February 2021. Chris started aeromodelling in 1946 while still at school and joined the Oxford Meteor Model Flying Club in 1948 and was then flying free-flight power and later became active in R/C thermal soaring competitions. He played a major part in establishing BARCS (British Association of Radio Control Soarers) as the special interest group within the BMFA. He was BARCS member ...

"Den (Pip) Smith. I'm sorry to report that we lost one of our long standing members affectionally known as Pip to the dreaded virus on 12th January this year.Pip was born on 24th November 1931 so not a bad innings especially as he had previously fought and beaten Cancer over the years.He was an accomplished engineer and took great delight in helping us all with the more difficult modelling jobs like welding, producing stuff on his lathe etc.His friendly helpful smile will be sorely missed by us ...

It is with great sadness that I report the passing of Peter (Pete) J. Beadle who died in hospital from a non-COVID ailment on Saturday 23rd January 2021. Peter was admitted to hospital on 7th January and was receiving treatment for a number of issues as he had been in ill health for a while. He was tested for COVID and it was negative.In the 1970’s he was member of the Northwick Park Model Flying Club and flew with his friends including Sean Bannister, Greg Lewis and others.In 1983 Pete obtaine...

JOHN STEVENS 1936-2020Typical of aeromodellers of his age, John began in the hobby with free flight, progressed into control line and then – in the era of RCS reed gear – into radio control.He took advantage of Plessey sponsorship to graduate with an engineering degree, then moved to Air Link Trainers in Aylesbury in the ‘60s working on flight simulators, at a time when the technology utilised a camera ‘driven’ around model scenarios, with the mocked-up cockpit mounted on hydraulic jacks.He...

JOHN STEVENS 1936-2020Typical of aeromodellers of his age, John began in the hobby with free flight, progressed into control line and then – in the era of RCS reed gear – into radio control.He took advantage of Plessey sponsorship to graduate with an engineering degree, then moved to Air Link Trainers in Aylesbury in the ‘60s working on flight simulators, at a time when the technology utilised a camera ‘driven’ around model scenarios, with the mocked-up cockpit mounted on hydraulic jacks.He...

PETER KING  11-8-40 to 23-8-20Born during the Blitz, Peter King joined the Surbiton club in 1952 and placed third in the Frog Junior free-flight contest at the Nats the year after, at the age of 13. He later joined Croydon & DMAC but at the same time taught himself clarinet and alto sax, developing a great feel for modern jazz, in particular the be-bop techniques of Charlie Parker. At the age of nineteen he was asked to play alto at the opening night of Ronnie Scott’s jazz club in 1959, and...