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21
NOVEMBER
WING
SPAN
MAAALogo.
And although he may be one of the
country’s older flyers, he reckons
he is not the oldest and is still
young at heart.
“It is a great way to stay young
and I have still kept my childish
attitude towards flying which is all
I ever wanted to do in life as I was
never one for bowls, the pokies or
golf,” Ross said.
Looking back over his six-decade
association with modelling, he said
the biggest changes were in the
reliability of radio equipment and
the high-quality technology.
“The weather may not have
improved but technology certainly
has and we no longer have to rely
on internal combustion engines.
Even the materials are high-
quality.”
And the sport will continue to
change, Ross said, as “virtual
flying” takes off and more take up
First Pilot Viewing, for a truer flying
experience albeit from the ground.
But that doesn’t bother Ross who
said older patrons, along with
authorities such as the MAAA, will
still have parts to play ensuring the
sport remains safe and fun.
“Models will still have to have
wings, tails and fuselages and
everyone will still have to abide by
the rules which have been tried,
tested and proven by the MAAA,” he
said.
“As technology advances, it is even
more important that those who
push the boundaries and break the
rules are kept in check.
“And with models being built out of
very tough composite materials,
flyers are testing them and
undertaking more rash acts.”
Although Ross believes he
won’t keep pace with virtual
and computerised flying, his
heritage and history of his family’s
involvement in modelling will
continue with his son Colin, who
also works for Qantas and is an
avid modeller.
Below from left to right: Ross with his beloved Avro
Centre: His B17 Flying Fortress. Built in 1996
Right: 1/4 sizemodel of the Ansaldo SVA5 ItalianWW1
fighter. Quoted in the Guiness Book of Records as the
fastest fighter inWW1
Above: Avro 504 Dyak 1/4 sizemodel he built
and was originally displayed in the QANTAS
ticket office in Longreach. It was relocated to
themuseum inWinton and destroyed in a fire.