So, as a teenager an engineering apprenticeship beckoned as well as both swimming and playing cricket competitively for my town my interest in free flight never waned. I built a few open rubber models, F1G’s and F1B’s as well as a couple of straight tow F1A gliders (which I never really got the hang of but still fancy a go). Around 15 years ago I switched disciplines to fly power models and something clicked, in so much as I seemed to be better at building and flying them than I ever was with the rubber models and gliders. I now fly pretty much all UK power classes and the pinnacle of my aero modelling career to date was an F1C Bronze team medal with Ken and Alan at the 2017 World champs in Hungary. High tech modern construction methods appeal to me, although I do buy what I cant make (or don't fancy making) including complete models on occasion. Having said that I love classic power models from the 50’s, 60’s, 70’s and 80’s, I find making a balsa / tissue model most enjoyable and fun to fly. My latest team place is for the 2022s European championships in North Macedonia.

This proved to be a rapid learning curve and by 1965 I was competitive, finishing 5th, or second reserve for the criterium of aces (European Champs). Between 1969 and 1984 I flew as a regular UK team member in the European and World Championships, bearing in mind that the first official control line World Champs in F2D was not until 1978. I achieved three Nationals wins - 1969, 1970 and 1979 and a European Championships in 1980. The significant thing for me when flying abroad was the interpretation of rules, the gap between a UK understanding and European was amazing. In 1980 I joined the Control Line Technical Committee and became a regular CIAM observer. From 1984 onwards through CIAM and working with the likes of Laird Jackson (Chairman CIAM), Guido Michiels (Belgium), Mack Henry (USA) and Ingemar Larsson (Sweden), the rules have become workable with clear definitions. I also feel responsible for what I call a 'working' F2D Jury. In the past juries were never seen. Since my involvement in juries from the mid 1980's, although a jury does not run the competition, a defined method of running a competition is in evidence. To date I have flown as a UK pilot in F2D 18 times and my trip to Poland in July will be my 25th Euro-World Champs as a Judge. In 1996 I received the Aeromodeling Gold Medal award from CIAM for my contribution to organising the above competitions. After being away from the BMFA for ten years, I rejoined the Control-Line technical committee in November 2009. After all these years I still have a love for control-line and in particular, combat. It is nearly thirty years since my first involvement with rule changes and yet again our changing environment demands that we continually make adjustments. I do have my concerns for the future of control-line, as in the UK fewer young people are becoming involved, but I will endevour, like the rest, to do my best to promote our sport.

An enthusiastic modeller from an early age, having acquired a rather well worn DC Merlin in the late 50’s, setting me off on the modelling route of control line flying for the next few years as a member of York Model Aircraft Society. A brief diversion into to Slot Car Racing before returning to aircraft in the 70’s, as reliable Proportional R/C began to be available. Built the RCME Digital R/C equipment which was successfully test flown in a Dave Hughes Soarcerer. Having constructed and flown many types of model aircraft, a passion for Slope Soaring remained. After competing in a Slope Racing Competition in the 90's, I have been involved with F3F Slope Racing ever since. Currently Chairman of the Silent Flight Technical Committee, Membership Secretary and Treasurer for the North York Moors Ridge Soaring Club, and a founder member and Chairman of the Great Britain Slope Racing Association Hoping to bring an objective and constructive approach to the Silent Flight Technical Committee through skills developed over many years of working for large multi-national companies. The SFTC currently has a great team, which will of course continue the work of giving a first class service to the flyers it represents. Enjoying being involved with Model Flying, and contributing to its continued development.

I have dabbled in most aeromodelling disciplines and learned to fly R/C as a member of Lee Bees club in the 60’s. It was with the encouragement of the late great Eric Coates and a visit to the first Scale World Championships at Cranfield in 1970, that I developed an understanding that building and flying accurate scale models and the pursuit of realism is the ultimate challenge in aeromodelling. I completed a five year aircraft engineering apprenticeship at the Royal Naval Aircraft Repair Organisation in 1965 which became the basis of my professional life in the world of military aviation with the MOD. Starting as a flight test engineer I climbed the promotion ladder specialising in Avionics, Instrumentation and electronic warfare until taking early retirement as an aircraft Project Manager in 1999. I was invited to judge R/C scale at the UK Nationals in 1977 and have been active as a scale judge ever since. I was nominated by the BMFA as an FAI F4C Judge in 1994 and have judged at many Continental and World Championships including serving as Chief Judge on several occasions. I also judged at Topgun in Florida for 7 years. After the death of my wife in 2006, my plan to retain my sanity was to focus on competing in R/C scale. This idea was effectively put on the back burner by being co-opted onto the BMFA Scale Technical Committee where I have been a member ever since. I also took up the cudgel of sorting out the mess that was the FAI F4 Sporting Code, which is finally yielding results. I am Currently a member of the FAI F4 Scale Sub-Committee and Chairman of the BMFA STC and was honoured with a Fellowship of the SMAE in 2021. Apart from my interest in aviation and its history I also enjoy photography, cooking and caring for my dog Biggles.

I also Organise and run the Freestyle Masters Competition for both fixed wing and helicopters and mentor the Team Renegade display team. I enjoy flying many different types of models from Fun-Fly to Scale, large or small, radio to free flight, indoor or out, but it is on the UK slopes that I feel most relaxed in my flying. In essence I am a sport flying Aeromodeller, and my extensive experience has seen me drawn into voluntary roles inside the political side of Aeromodelling both at club and national level where I am opinionated, open, frank and honest. I am a past BMFA North West Area Committee Secretary, Newletter Editor and P.R.O. I am an ex member of the BMFA Achievement Scheme review committee, and ex Chairman of the BMFA Accident investigation committee. I served as Secretary and Council Delegate for the RC Power Tech Committee for eight successive years and in this role represented the BMFA specialist bodies and all R/C Power sport fliers directly. The reformation of the RCPTC allowed me to pick up this role once more which I continue to do. I regularly visit model clubs lecturing on noise reduction, the Achievement Schemes, Aerodynamic Trimming, composite modelling, Dynamic Soaring and other RC related topics and in addition to display flying at major model shows for various sponsors I participate in a little indoor flying, Control line and free flight as well as shooting aerial photography from Multi-rotor aircraft. On occasion I have been known to judge Free Flight Scale competitions and International Miniature Aerobatic Club (IMAC) competitions, dabble in helicopters and Autogyro’s and for fourteen yers wrote freelance for the UK’s largest model flying magazine Radio Controlled Models and Electronics, writing a regular Slope Soaring column, kit reviews and advice articles for novices and experienced fliers alike. I have represented both England and Great Britain in international model aircraft competitions and have competed in world championships for my chosen competition disciplines with good results alongside running the UK F3F and 60” soaring league from 2006 to 2009. Additionally I still hold a number of British aeromodelling records.

After Fleet training and professional courses he moved on to be the Navigating Officer of HMS Kirkliston and then HMS Bereton before commencing flying training as an Observer in 1989. Initially qualified on the Lynx Mk3 helicopter operating from Frigates and Destroyers, he held several appointments with 829, and 815 Naval Air Squadrons as the Flight Observer and then the Flight Commander including operations in the first Gulf War and the Mediterranean. In 1994 he became a Qualified Observer Instructor training Lynx Aircrew and as serving as the Operations Officer of 702 NAS based at RNAS Portland. After a final appointment back with 815NAS as the Type 23 Senior Flight Commander in HMS Somerset deployed to the South Atlantic he joined the Staff of Flag Officer Sea Training at Devonport in late 1997 as a Staff Warfare Officer conducting Aviation training at sea for RN and NATO warships. In 1999 he returned to flying duties and completed a conversion course to the Merlin (EH101) helicopter at Westlands in Yeovil. The initial cadre of aircrew were based at RNAS Culdrose and charged with bringing the Merlin into Service and establishing the Merlin Training System which became 824 NAS later in 2000. As a Merlin instructor with specific responsibility for developing and accepting the simulators into service, he worked very closely with CAE, the contractor, in Canada to validate software and hardware and then oversaw the subsequent installation at Culdrose. In 2002/2003 he was employed as the Senior Operations Watch-keeper working with the Coalition partners at the UK National HQ in Qatar for the war-fighting phase of Operation Telic in Iraq. On return to Culdrose and the Merlin he became the Senior Observer in 829 NAS, re-commissioning the Squadron in 2004 and using his Lynx sea experience in establishing links between the parenting organisation and the frigates. Since 2009 he has been back with FOST in Devonport training ships at sea. Having started his modelling career with control line flying as a teenager in the 70s his first model was a Kiel Kraft plastic Hurricane. He progressed to built-up models and some free flight ducted fans, but drifted away from modelling when he went to college. Returning to the hobby and R/C power flying in 2000 when he joined the Culdrose Model Flying Group, he became the Chairman of RNMAA and BMFA representative in 2007. In addition he is now also a member of several clubs in Devon and Cornwall and has been involved with the Devon and Cornwall Sub-Areas since 2009. He has held fixed wing ‘A’ Certificate since 2002 and was invited to fly before the full size aviation at Culdrose Air Display in 2006, so worked-up and successfully passed the ‘B’ that summer. He flies mainly larger R/C scale and semi-scale fun fighters at the summer shows, but is also very keen on EDF models, having designed and built several models of British aircraft from the 50s and 60s. He also dabbles in electric R/C (up to 200W size motors), rocketry (up to E Impulse) and indoor helicopters.

He has undertaken various roles in relation to the Power Nationals including being coordinator in 1992 and famously running the bar from 1994 to 1998; helped out at the Free Flight Nationals for four years; manned the BMFA stand at many shows; and initiated the children’s DART workshops at the Model Engineers Exhibition. Keith is married to Christine who also works at the Nats and on the stand, and has three adult stepsons (who also all work at the Nats, usually on the roping crew). Keith and Christine also have two dogs (George and Holly) who are known to quite a few members. Keith’s model flying activities started with R/C Power fixed wing ‘club’ flying and have included indoor and a very poor attempt at scale. Other interests include canal boat holidays, photography and anything to do with maintaining a house and the stepsons’ cars. Keith is a governor of a school for children with special educational needs. When he has time to go to work, Keith is an internal auditor (like an accountant but more friendly and interesting) and specialises in auditing computer systems. Having worked for various multinationals, Keith currently works at Motability Operations, the company that operates Europe’s largest car fleet – providing a service to over 400,000 disabled people in the United Kingdom.