For several years Bob Nash was an Associate Lecturer at Sheffield Hallam University leading students who wanted to enter the BMFA Universities Heavy Lift Challenge now called ‘The Payload Challenge’.
The rules have changed over time but it is the opportunity for groups from schools, colleges and universities from all over the World to design the model to perform one or more of the tasks set out in the rules, then gather at Buckminster (before Buckminster, Scampton and Elvington airfields were used) to prove the model in flight and present the group report to a board of experienced aviation experts. The current rules can be found on the BMFA web site: bmfa.org
Matt Hoyland entered the competition in 2005 with club member Tim Turner and designed a 3 metre wingspan model with a specialist airfoil which lifted at 11 degrees of negative incidence. The model was powered by a standard Irvin 40 and weighed 6 Lbs ready to fly. Although it only carried 6 Kgs of payload in the competition if more practice time had been available it would have carried 8 Kgs.
AEROBATIC SUCCESS
John Morton has entered many GBRCAA competitions where he now flies the Intermediate Schedule and was successful at the 2017 BMFA National Championships gaining first place flying the Clubman Schedule with a 20 year old model that John converted from IC to Electric.
Matt Hoyland went on to fly competition aerobatics with the GBRCAA where he got promotion each year until he reached the FAI International schedules. In 2011 he brought the FAI World Cup to the UK with the competition taking place over three days for nine consecutive years at a private airfield at Woodchurch, Near Ashford in Kent owned by Mustang display pilot Rob Davies MBE. Rob always gave us a warm welcome and several displays in his Mustang, Harvard and Stearman all kept in original condition on site. (Search for Big Beautiful Doll and Duxford Flying Legends)
Matt’s success over the last few years.
6 times National Champion (consecutive 2014 to 2019 inc)
1st place UK World Cup and 4 third places in World Cup competitions
7 1st places at GBRCAA FAI Class Association Championships
25 1st places at BMFA UK F3A Team Selection competitions
44 1st places at F3A FAI Class League Competitions
4 times National F3P FAI Class Competition wins
4 times UK F3A World Championship GBR Team Member
3 times UK F3A European Championship Team Member
In 2020:
Matt was awarded a BMFA Certificate of Merit and a –
Royal Aero Club Bronze Medal
and in 2012 was awarded the FAI (CIAM) International Alphonse Pernaud Diploma. Awarded by the FAI to one FAI Member each year for an outstanding performance and contribution to model flying. (Alphonse Pernaud (FRA) was the first person to fly a stable model powered with a rubber band in 1871).
Lead by Matt with helpers Steve Hunt and myself we started an F3P Indoor Aerobatics competition league that ran for several years from 2012. It was adopted by the BMFA through the GBRCAA and Matt was Master of Ceremonies and F3P Contest Director at most league competitions and several BMFA Indoor Electric Masters two day competitions which attracted pilots from many countries in Europe. The cost of the hire of practice halls saw the competitions come to an end in 2018.
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In 2017 Ashley Hoyland was awarded the SMAE (Society of Model Aeronautical Engineers) Medal at the BMFA Awards ceremony.
and a Royal Aero Club Bronze Medal for services to model flying, including my 41 years of being Chairman/Secretary of NASA and being the F3A GBR Team Manager at 4 European and 4 World Championships and 1 F3P World Championship and being on the BMFA R/C Power Technical Committee for several years. The medal was awarded at the Royal Aero Club, Piccadilly, London by the Duke of York, where I was honoured to say hello to Major Tim Peake who was there to pick up his Yuri Gagarin Medal.
Due to the NASA committee led by Bob Nash recommending me for a SMAE (Society of Model Aeronautical Engineers) Fellowship, again I was honoured to accept the award at the 2021 BMFA AGM and later at the awards ceremony. Thank you Bob, our committee and members of North Anston Society of Aeromodellers for your support.
Presented by Kath Watson FSMAE a previous Chairman of the BMFA and now Vice President (2021).
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In 1972 I believe I was the first parson to take flight from Higger Tor, Derbyshire on a home built hang glider.
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At the BMFA awards dinner 2022 Matt Hoyland was presented with the FAI Alphonse Penaud Diplome. (Due to the covid restrictions the presentation could not take place at the Royal Aeroclub, Picadilly, as planned in 2021)
This award is presented to just one person worldwide each year by the FAI after nominations are received annually from Air Sport National Councils:
The Alphonse Penaud Diploma
May be awarded to a model flyer who has:
- Obtained three times consecutively the title of National Champion, or
- Obtained at least once the title of World Champion, or
- Established at least three World records, or
- Shown other outstanding sporting achievements.
Matt obtained six times consecutively the title of National Champion.
Organiser and Contest Director of 9 F3A World Cup events.
Contest Director of the F3A Flight Line of the BMFA British National Championships from 2008 to 2019 (except 2013 when Matt was away competing at the W/C in South Africa).
Contest Director and Master of Ceremonies of the International BMFA Indoor Electric Masters for five years and ran the GBRCAA F3P leagues and Contest Director of most competitions between 2012 and 2018.
Matts flying achievements are listed above.
The Diplome says:
For outstanding sporting achievements as a radio-controlled aerobatics pilot and his commitment to the promotion and organisation of national and world cup events.
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