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The Royal Aero Club Trust, as part of its Flying for Youth program administers a Bursary Scheme for young people.

In 2010, the Trust intends to award one bursary to the value of up to £1000 (The Peter Cruddas Foundation Scholarship), two bursaries to the value of up to £750 and a number of further bursaries worth up to £500, to suitable candidates.

The scheme is divided into two categories of Bursaries:

1.Flying Bursaries/Grants for those wishing to advance from one recognised level of air sport to the next higher level and wish to upgrade their existing qualifications;

2.FlightSim Bursaries/Grants for Computer Flight Simulation enthusiasts wishing to gain practical experience of flying or an air sport.

The scheme and the bursaries comprise all types of air sports and aviation-related activities including: paragliding, gliding, hang-gliding, parachuting, microlight aircraft, helicopter, fixed wing aircraft and the designing, building and flying model aeroplanes. Applications from BMFA members have been successful on previous occasions!

Applicants for these grants must hold British Citizenship and be permanently resident in UK and aged 16-21 years.

The terms and conditions for the award of bursaries in 2010 and application forms are available from http://www.royalaeroclubtrust.org/bursaries.html . The closing date for applications is 31 March 2010.

The Aeromodelling Commission (CIAM) of the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI) the world –wide governing body for airsports, has recently established an Aeromodelling Scholarship worth 2,000 € that it will award annually. This will be awarded for the first time at the 2011 CIAM Plenary Meeting in Lausanne, Switzerland.

The Scholarship is a one-off payment and has to be administered by the National Airsport Control which, for the United Kingdom, is, of course, the BMFA. The Scholarship is intended to help with school, college or university tuition fees, educational books or other educational needs. Payment will be through the BMFA to the successful candidate’s educational establishment.

The maximum age of any applicant is 21 years in the nomination year and only one candidate per country may be submitted to the CIAM.

Nominations from any young flier interested in being considered as the UK’s candidate must be received by the BMFA office no later than 10th August. All the nominations will be considered at the September Full Council Meeting where one nominee will be chosen as the most appropriate to be submitted to the CIAM.

A specially established CIAM Scholarship Selection Group of world-wide education experts will consider all the nominations submitted to CIAM and rank them in descending order of merit. This list will then be presented to the CIAM Bureau who shall recommend a single candidate to the following year’s CIAM Plenary meeting for approval. Scholarships may only be awarded at the CIAM Plenary meeting after due process.

The BMFA application form may be downloaded here (BMFA Application Form for CIAM Scholarship) or contact the BMFA office to request a form. Telephone: 0116-2440028 or email: admin@bmfa.org.

It is with great sadness that we report to the model flying fraternity of the last take off, by one of our most vibrant club members, Jack Williams who sadly passed away in the early hours of Saturday 27th February 2010.

Jack was a lifelong aero-modeller, having flown his first model at the tender age of just 11 years. In his youth whilst living in Leatherhead, he became one of the founder members of the Epsom Radio Flying Club. Later he moved to Dorset where he and Mr Peter Ardale formed a venture making kits and foam wings.

In 1976 Jack met his soon to be bride, Sheila. Then in May 1977 the happy couple were joined together for just short of 33 years, of marital bliss. Whilst Jack and Sheila did not have any children together, Sheila’s Daughter Sandra and Grandson Sean were the apple of his eye, Jack adored them both, especially his Grandson.

In 1987 Jack and his family moved to West Pinchbeck, Spalding and joined the Bourne Model Club, and in 1994 moved again to Quadring, Spalding. We at Fenland Model Flying Club have had the pleasure of Jack’s membership for the last 14 years.

Jack’s life was model flying, with him designing and building numerous model aircraft both single and multi-engine. It was a pleasure to see some of Jack’s creations brought to the field for their test flights. Some with great success and some not quite so successful! Jack had his own way of doing things and would spend hours at the field treating us all to his life stories, what great times these were.

To Jack’s Wife Sheila, Daughter Sandra and Grandson Sean, we, the members of the Fenland Model Flying Club, offer our deepest and most sincere regret for your loss. Jack will be sadly missed by all who knew him.

Martin Fairchild. Saftey Officer, FMFC.

Following the recent formation of the Radio Control Helicopter Association we have been contacted by a number of BMFA club committees and event organisers enquiring whether they should accept RCHA membership for insurance purposes at their club or event.

Following investigation into this matter we advise that at this time RCHA insurance is not recognised due to the level and scope of cover provided under the terms of the policy.

Should a member of the RCHA wish to fly at your event or club site then it is recommended that they become either full or temporary members of the BMFA for insurance purposes.

5th February 2010

It is with great sadness that we report the death of our good friend and fellow aeromodeller, Keith Williams who passed away in the early hours of Sunday 20th December.

Keith, a lifelong aeromodeller, had been a member of the Bromsgrove Model Club and was a club instructor and BMFA fixed wing examiner. He became quite an expert on model aircraft engines but in the mid 70’s his interest turned more to gliding. He was a founder member of the Clent Soaring Association which was formed in 1977 and served many terms on the CSA Committee.

After he retired early from the motor industry, and ably assisted by his wife Linda, he built up and small and successful aero modelling business building both one-off bespoke models and a range of ready to fly trainers. Countless beginners started with his ‘Orange Box’ and later with its derivatives the 72″ and 100″ ‘Samurai’ models which sold in hundreds throughout the West Midlands.

He was a quiet, even tempered man and these were great qualities for an instructor and examiner; he could always be relied on to help others with solid advice on building and flying based on his background as a qualified engineer.

Keith’s selfless desire to help and support others extended to his other passion, rugby. He had played at university and in the army before playing for Birmingham RFC and later for Bromsgrove RFC and devoted a large portion of his free time to training the club’s junior teams.

To Keith’s wife Linda and his two sons, Gareth and David we send them our deepest sympathy in their loss.

John Davies
Chairman, Clent Soaring Association