After several decades of building and flying radio-controlled model aircraft, a Grahamstown enthusiast has decided to call it a day and retire, packing away his radio transmitter and aircraft. But the family link with the popular sport of radio-flying will not be broken.
After several decades of building and flying radio-controlled model aircraft, a Grahamstown enthusiast has decided to call it a day and retire, packing away his radio transmitter and aircraft. But the family link with the popular sport of radio-flying will not be broken.
Dennis Richardson is regarded as one of the best and most highly respected builders of radio-controlled aircraft in the country. Meticulous in the way he has constructed each of his 100-plus aircraft over the years, he is adamant there will be no short cuts on their way to completion.
Taking over the fine art of assembling and flying aircraft at championship events all over the country is the septuagenarian’s son, Derek, who has already proved his prowess in the field… and in the sky. Dennis Richardson built his first aeroplane at the age of 10 and has to date built and assembled more than 100 of the scale-model beauties. “Some of these were not built from kits and there were no plans, but they all flew,” he smiled.
These were free-flight planes, powered by rubber cords. It was in the late 1950s that he took to building and flying radio-controlled planes. Over the years he has competed in numerous Eastern Province championship events, as well as a couple of national competitions. Richardson senior continues to attend competitive events, but as support crew and consultant to Derek.
The last plane in the Dennis Richardson hangar, an Extra 3301 large-scale aerobatics plane named ‘Spirit of 2010’, was a joint father-and-son effort, weighing in at a little over 16kg, having a wingspan of 3.5 metres, and powered by a 157cc motor. The planes have mostly been assembled from imported kits. “I’ve had many approaches from other enthusiasts over the years to build planes for them, but I might be tempted to build one if my grandson Ethan takes an interest and wants to fly,” said Dennis Richardson.
Each plane competing in provincial and national championship events is required to be a “true representation” of the original ‘big brother’, complete with dummy pilot, headphones and instrumentation. Derek and Dennis Richardson are both members of the Grahamstown Radio Flyers and Port Elizabeth Radio Flyers clubs.
Derek Richardson has been flying since he was 12 – competitively for the past nine years, having been placed in various competitions around South Africa. But the highlight of his radio-flying career came in 2009, when he won the expert division at the South African National Championships. He continues to fly the family flag high, scooping several other awards and placings, among them fifth in the open class at the SA Nationals last year; first in the large-scale division at the EP Championships in 2008; Port Elizabeth Radio Flyers club champion in 2008; and winner of the SA Nationals in 2002.
The next few months will be crucial as far as the younger radio-flying Richardson is concerned. He will be attending national trials at the beginning of April, and again in October, after which the South African team will be chosen for the world large-scale radio-flying championships. Included in his preparation for the upcoming fly-offs is simulator training.
The large-scale trials come in the wake of the FAI (Federation Aeronautique Internationale) giving the F3M large-scale division international status, and with it the chance for radio-flyers from across the globe to compete against each other. The younger Richardson says he would find it very difficult to cope at major competitions without the support of his father.
“It is very special for me to have him at my side sharing a hobby. At times the pressure becomes very telling at competitions when things go wrong with the plane, and it is good to have my dad there with support and advice.” Now the Richardson family in Grahamstown is holding thumbs that Derek will be flying off to fly at the next large-scale world championships.
