“I wasn’t really destined to get into RC aircraft — my dad was a modeller, but he never actually asked if I wanted to fly. Instead, I was just given a book to keep me busy at the airfield while he flew… that is, until my life changed. Two elderly club members asked me if I wanted to try RC. Did I? Heck yes!
I was always fascinated by helicopters and ended up teaching myself to fly them — or rather, the time between crashes just got longer and longer!
A chance encounter with two great men, Andy Hinton and Dave Fisher, set me on the competition trail — particularly F3N. My very first competition, Air 2012, saw me take 2nd place in the Sports Class and win the “Most Inspirational Flight” trophy. I was beyond proud. That Monday morning, I opened an email from Andy that simply said: “You earned your spurs this weekend — welcome to the team!”
From there, I threw myself into F3N helicopter aerobatics, picking up the occasional class win. In 2018, I won the Sports Class Nationals. I also competed internationally, including 3rd place at Furtivos, 8th overall at the F3N Germany World Cup, and one of my proudest moments — winning the 2016 Global 3D Synchro Pair Flight with my great friend Peter Foukes. My last competition was Global 3D Experts Class, where I gave it my all and was thrilled to place 5th in the night flight contest against the world’s best pilots!
Throughout my career, I have used Optipower products exclusively — the 6S 5300mAh Ultra Max 100C packs in my helicopters and EDF jets, Optimix 20 Super SLV in my nitro machines, Optimix 12% 4-Stroke in my FW planes, and the Ultra Guard system to keep my RC safe.
I’ve had hundreds of flights powered by Optipower, always giving me the OptiEdge. And as I prepare for a competitive comeback, I know I’ve got a tried and trusted product I — and all of us — can rely on!”
