Rummaging through his parents’ closet around three years ago, Scott Anderson found an old remote-controlled plane that unearthed a new passion.
Fast forward to this year and Scott is the proud winner of the Australian Scale Aerobatics Association State Championships. Scott will now head to the National Championships in November, an amazing achievement for someone who has only been flying competitively for a year.
Scottβs home is on a cattle property near Theodore, in Central Queensland. Currently, he is a Year 11 boarder at Toowoomba Anglican School. Despite being away from the open spaces of the family property, he is still able to pursue his passion whilst at school. βIt is a challenge to fit in remote control plane flying and school work but I am lucky that the school supports me in my sport. Whilst at school I have a simulator that I can practise on, which is a big help,β he said.
The goal of the State Competition was to complete a series of 10 manoeuvres as precisely as possible, Scott said. βAt the competition, they give you a piece of paper with a sequence of manoeuvres on it which you have to perform with your plane.β In November, Scott will compete in the next stage at the National Championships for Miniature Plane Flying in Dalby.
Irrespective of the result at this competition, Scott has lofty goals for his future in this space. βI need to go up higher in the classes to be able to compete in the freestyle section, where you fly to music. Ultimately, I am aiming to compete in the USA in Tucson Arizona, where all the best pilots go to compete once a year. That would be amazing,β Scott said.
For Scott, the unexpected find in the family home has had a significant impact. βI did not expect to be competing with remote control planes and thought it was just a hobby. It is a hobby that has turned into a passion, and that is why I am excited to see where this might take me.β
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