04 HEARD AT THE HANGAR DOORS
EDITORIAL, NEWS AND VIEWS.
9 UP & COMING
CALENDAR OF EVENTS.
10 PHOTO REPORT – MODELAIR MAY-FLY
FOR SOME YEARS EMMA LOUISE AND HER
MODELAIR TEAM RAN A SERIES OF GLORIOUS
EVENTS AT OLD WARDEN AIRFIELD. SADLY,
IN 2025 OLD WARDEN REFUSED MODELAIR
ACCESS TO THE AIRFIELD, PREFERRING TO
CONCENTRATE ON FULL SIZE FLYING ACTIVITIES
AND EVENTS. THIS YEAR, THE MODELAIR TEAM
RAN THEIR INAUGURAL MAY-FLY EVENT AT
BMFA BUCKMINSTER, OVER THE WEEKEND OF
30th/31st MAY.
14 FREE FLIGHT WEEKEND – MAY WELSH 23-25
MAY 2026
CHRIS BRAINWOOD REPORTS FROM NORTH
WALES ON THE SECOND ‘MAY WELSH’ WEEKEND,
ORGANISED BY MARTIN PIKE, AND BLESSED WITH
VERY GOOD WEATHER.
20 EVENT PHOTO REPORT – BPS DB FLY-IN
ANDREW BODDINGTON WAS AT THE BMFA
NATIONAL CENTRE FOR THE INFORMAL BUCKY
POWER STRUGGLERS FLY-IN OF HIS FATHER
DAVID’S DESIGNS.
22 FREE PLAN – ANDY BLACKBURN’S NO-CAL IL-2
STURMOVIK
THIS MONTH’S FREE PLAN IS ANDY BLACKBURN’S
NO-CAL ‘STURMOVIK INDOOR RUBBER POWERED
MODEL. THE MODEL IS STRAIGHTFORWARD TO
BUILD AND FLY, AND ANDY HAS EVEN INCLUDED
SCALE COLOUR SCHEME TEMPLATES.
30 THE MEN WHO VANISHED INTO BALSA DUST
ROYAL MARUTAKA AND THE SCALE-BUILDING
MEMORY OF GREAT JAPANESE KITS. JOHN PERIC
DELVES AMONGST THE UNFINISHED KITS ON A
SHELF IN HIS WORKSHOP, AND PULLS OUT A
MARUTAKA SKYMASTER KIT THAT HE STARTED
OVER 20 YEARS AGO, AND THEN MUSES ON HOW
MUCH THE HOBBY, AND HE, HAS CHANGED IN
THE INTERVENING YEARS.
36 FREE FLLIGHT EDF JETS- LIFE IN THE JET STREAM
IVAN TAYLOR HAS MASTERED THE ART OF
DESIGNING, BUILDING, AND FLYING FREE FLIGHT
ELECTRIC DUCTED FAN JETS IN RECENT YEARS.
HERE IVAN DESCRIBES HIS CURRENT FLEET OF
FF JETS.
38 INDOOR FF SCALE NATIONALS
PETE FARDELL REPORTS FROM THE UNIVERSITY
OF WOLVERHAMPTON SPORTS HALL IN
WALLSALL ON THE 2026 INDOOR SCALE
NATIONALS. THIS EVENT CONTINUES TO GO FROM
STRENGTH TO STRENGTH, WITH A FANTASTIC
NUMBER OF ENTRIES THIS YEAR.
50 TAIL END CHARLIE
THE THOUGHTS OF CHRIS OTTEWELL.
