UK F3A Team Member

Angus Balfour

A little bit about me:

I am currently completing a Masters in Pharmacy degree at Strathclyde University, Glasgow.  This coming summer I will be commencing work as a pre-reg Pharmacist at the Glasgow Royal Infirmary.

Aeromodelling history:

I first started flying when I was seven with a control line model called “Tuffy”.  I flew this for a couple of months and then progressed onto a 2ch trainer called “Trotter” of which we still fly a 3ch version occasionally – great fun.  From there I had a couple of 4ch trainers and then built myself a Mini Atlas, the small version of Wolfgang Matt’s “Atlas” design.  This was a good model but not very forgiving. It had a piped Irvine 46 on the front and went like an absolute rocket.  For a very young lad as I was then I found it a bit scary to fly so I didn’t fly it much.  Dad and I then built the Mike Delacole “Chilli Wind 40” – a superb plane and one I would highly recommend to any pattern pilot starting out today.  This was easier to fly than the Mini Atlas and I clocked up many hours with it.

I had been flying the Chilli Wind for about a year or so when my parents bought a holiday house in North Berwick (about 20 miles east of Edinburgh) that just so happened to be very close to the Edinburgh and Lothians MFC (now East Fortune MFC).  This club was thriving with aerobatic pilots and it was here that I got my first taste of top level flying and models in the shape of Dougie Cowan flying a Summit 3 with OS 60 Hanno Special. We joined this club that summer (1993) and have remained members until very recently. It just so happened that the last Scottish comp of the season was taking place at East Fortune in October and after a bit of gentle persuasion from the late John Robertson, my brother (David) and I entered sportsman class, coming 3rd and 1st respectively.  It was at this comp that I saw Steve Burgess fly for the first time and I still remember it vividly to this day.  He was flying an own design with OS 120 supercharged four stroke.  Needless to say the flying and model were AWESOME and left a long lasting impression on me.  Aside from watching Dougie Cowan it was also the first time I had seen the FAI class being flown and I was desperate for a slice of the action.  I asked the CD to explain how all the manoeuvres should be flown and then went away and practiced FAI over the winter, subsequently entering FAI class in April 1994 (possibly a little bit prematurely, but I’m a firm believer that if you can get through the schedule safely then just do it).

That summer the Triple Crown was being held in Scotland and I had the honour of being selected for the International Team.  It was extremely windy but I battled on with my little Chilli Wind and to my surprise I didn’t come last.  Since then I have been in the Scottish team every year.

UK Team:

My first attempt at qualification for the UK team started mid 2000 with a view to flying at the Worlds in Ireland.  Unfortunately for me I was well and truly out flown by the then team of Brandon Ransley, Dave Matthias and Keith Jackson and one or two other pilots and ended up 5th or 6th.  Nevertheless I went away and practiced hard and qualified the following year for the Euros in Spain 2002.  I have been in the team since then culminating in a 17th position at the 2005 World Champs in France, an immense achievement for me.  However, I have never been one to dwell on the past so I am already looking forward to improving on past results at the next Euros in Switzerland and at the next Worlds in Argentina 2007.

My current model is an X-Treme Composite Astral XX with YS 160 and JR radio.  Superb.

Click here for Equipment List and more pictures

Other aeromodelling interests:

Aside from F3A I am also very into free styling and currently own an 85” Quique Yak with an MVVS 58 Prosport.  I also own a number of 3D foamy type models that are great fun and good for keeping you sharp.  Unfortunately I don’t fly these models as often as I would like due to time constraints.  In addition to aerobatics I also have a small interest in F5B performance gliders and if I ever give up F3A (can’t see that happening!) this is the competition area I would get into.  However, my main love has always been F3A and probably always will be.  The challenges we face, the models we have access to and the flying skills we develop are like no other in this hobby and I for one feel privileged to be a part of it all.

See you on the flying field,

Angus

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