Field of expertise
Display Pilot

Flies
Turbine & turbo prop sport & scale

Current radio
Futaba T32MZ-WC & T16IZ

Profile
Futaba has been my go-to radio brand for as long as I’ve been flying and I would not use anything else. Futaba transmitters have looked after me with faultless reliability from the word go, through my World Masters podium place (2nd) in 1999, along with British and European Champion wins. After a lay-off from the hobby to further my business in full-size aviation, I’m back flying Futaba at major UK shows and events and couldn’t be happier.

Field of expertise
FAI Class F3A Competition Pilot

Flies
F3A pattern aerobatic aircraft & E2K pylon racers

Current radio
Futaba T32MZ-WC

Profile
I’ve been flying R/C since my teens (the 1970s!), competing in R/C aerobatics nationally for over 40 years and since 1995 have been in the UK team at 10 World Championships (across six continents) and 9 European Championships. I’m Secretary of UKF3A, Chair of the BMFA R/C Power Technical Committee and a member of the FAI R/C Aerobatics Subcommittee. I have flown Futaba exclusively since 1995, before my first F3A World Championship in Japan.

Field of expertise
Display Pilot

Flies
Jets (large scale & performance sport), scale helicopters and regular club aircraft

Current radio
Futaba T32MZ-WC & T18SZ

Profile
I’ve been flying model aircraft and using Futaba radio for as long as I can remember having started my Futaba journey back in 1979 with a 2-channel radio. In truth, there isn’t much I haven’t flown and whilst I like all R/C air disciplines, large scale jets are my passion and my expertise. The 32MZ-WC more than copes with the many specialist features required by the complex aircraft I fly, while being extremely easy and flexible to program.

Field of expertise
Pylon Racing

Flies
Club 32, F3T & F3D i.c. pylon race & retro pattern aerobatic aircraft

Current radio
Futaba T16IZ Super

Profile
I first flew R/C in 1975 and in ‘78 started flying Club 20 pylon racers, a decision that had a bearing on the direction I took in my life both personally and professionally. By 1984 I had won my first British National Championship and went on to win another 7, coupled with a number of European Championship wins. I like my competition models to be seen as being some of the most, if not the most, technically advanced in pylon race competition and the Futaba 16IZS, with its easy programming and telemetry capability, beautifully complements my aircraft.

Field of expertise
IMAC & FAI Class F3A Competition Pilot

Flies
IMAC, F3A pattern aerobatic & indoor 3D aircraft

Current radio
Futaba T18SZ

Profile
I am a lifelong aeromodeller being one of three brothers who all compete in F3A. I started flying 30 years ago and enjoy all aspects of the sport, from small indoor designs to large-scale aerobatic aircraft. I am the current British F3A Champion and will be competing in the European Championships in 2024. I trust Futaba implicitly, it is second-to-none for reliability and provides me with the very best precision. I regularly run events encouraging more people to enjoy aerobatic flying and love putting back into this wonderful hobby. I also have two sons, Ellis and Brodie who are enjoying learning to fly and, of course, are using trusted Futaba equipment.

Field of expertise
FAI Pylon Racing / E2K / Club 32

Flies
Pylon aircraft, jets, gliders, free-flight & everything in-between

Current radio
Futaba T32MZ-WC & T6K

Profile
I started flying at 5 years old with my father who, back in the ‘70s, was already into Club 20 pylon racing, so my path was probably set. I’ve since raced all over Europe and have multiple National Championship wins in F3D, C32 and E2K classes. The simplicity of Futaba programming makes the range easy to use even in terms of the more advanced telemetry options which are readily available. For sport models you really can’t beat the 8ch 6K, it’s a truly great radio.

Field of expertise
Competition & Display Pilot

Flies
3D aerobatic aircraft & sport jets

Current radio
Futaba T16IZ

Profile
I’ve been flying R/C since I was six years old and, at time of writing, am 15. I love all types and styles of flying but my true passion lies in 3D freestyle competition aerobatics and, when I want to relax, sport jets. My trusty Futaba 16IZ is my radio of choice when it matters most and accompanies me at shows and events in both the UK and overseas. From the moment the wheels left the ground on my very first flight I have been using Futaba radio and I have absolutely no intention of using any other.

Field of expertise
IMAC, F3A & Freestyle Competition & Display Pilot

Flies
IMAC, F3A pattern aerobatic & indoor 3D aircraft

Current radio
Futaba T18SZ

Profile
For me, radio control aerobatics is as much about the lifestyle and people as the flying. I have fond memories of starting out in the ‘80s with my trusty Futaba Challenger and my grandfather by my side. There’s been much water under the bridge since then but more recently I’ve been flying the fantastic Futaba 18SZ which is a truly reliable and versatile system. As is the on board Futaba equipment that I fit in everything from small aerobatic models, through F3A pattern ships to display models and IMAC sequence aircraft. I have always had a passion for precision aerobatics and also enjoy flying freestyle, mainly aero-musical, at IMAC events and during displays. Here the demand of the model set-ups and flying style is well suited to Futaba systems.

Field of expertise
National R/C Race Driver

Drives
1/8 nitro & electric off-road, 1/10 electric & touring car

Current radio
Futaba T10PX

Profile
At Christmas in 2012 my parents bought me an FTX Vantage which, having loved and driven to destruction, fuelled a passion for R/C racing that gets stronger with each passing year. I came to Futaba relatively late in my driving career but at the end of 2023 took delivery of the fabulous 10PX and can’t praise it enough. Ultra reliable and so very easy to use and program it’s now playing a highly valuable part in my race wins.

Field of expertise
Pylon Racing & Dynamic Soaring

Flies
Club 32, F3T & F3D i.c. pylon race & dynamic soarers

Current radio
Futaba T18SZ

Profile
I’ve been flying R/C since I was in Junior school and Futaba has played a pivotal role, not least because my father also started with Futaba back in the ‘70s. Having an active interest in all types of R/C flying I have, in the past, been heavily involved in the show scene but for the last 11 years have concentrated on R/C pylon racing and have won four British National Championships and the C32 pylon race league two years in succession. In 2023 I was privileged to represent the UK at the FAI pylon race World Champs and experience the highs and lows of such an intense competition.

I design and manufacture my own race models and, as such, am very demanding of the equipment that’s used. Futaba matches my requirements superbly, indeed I’m finding the S.BUS2 system very useful.

Field of expertise
Display Flying / FAI Pylon Racing

Flies
Jets, warbirds, pylon racers & anything else with a wing

Current radio
Futaba T32MZ

Profile
Having grown up on RAF bases it was inevitable I would be attracted to model flying. I have been flying almost continuously for 40 years and, in my younger days, dabbled in areas such as pylon racing, helicopters, F3A aerobatics and scale aerobatics. On or around the year 2000 I heard about a new practical to use gas turbine engine and couldn’t resist. I built a model, purchased a turbine and never looked back. I flew turbine models almost exclusively for 20 years but have recently dabbled again in pylon racing and radial warbirds. Truth is, I enjoy the variety of flying multiple disciplines and my Futaba 32MZ has them covered.

Field of expertise
Display / Competition Freestyle Pilot

Flies
3D / aerobatic aircraft, jets & scale

Current radio
Futaba T32MZ

Profile
I started model flying about 12 years ago after my grandad got me into the hobby. Like him, I started with, and still use, Futaba radio because it’s never faltered, fallen short or given me any reason to go looking elsewhere. I enjoy flying a range of models however my speciality lies in 3D / freestyle aerobatic aircraft. My first transmitter was a Futaba T7C, followed by a 14SG a few years later, before recently moving onto the current T16IZ. This transmitter is superb and comfortably allows me to configure my models with ease using  the specialist functions I need.