"Having been in and around aviation for most of my life… I love it!!" Wayne Hadkins, Canberra Gliding Club Forum, 2012

Wayne was born in Grafton, NSW, and moved to Wagga Wagga from Tamworth in 1997.  An avid aero modeller since 1964, and competitive sportsman since 1974, Wayne has competed in over forty national events, nine National Championships and many other events at State and Club level.

Wayne is a versatile competitor, successfully competing in diverse events including Control Line, Free Flight and Radio Control.

What is Control Line?

Control Line flying is similar to flying a powered kite, except with two lines attached to the bellcrank of the plane.  The other ends of the lines are attached to a handle and the plane is flown within a space of a hemisphere around the pilot.  The space required is determined by the length of the lines, and the plane is controlled by the handle.

What is Free Flight?

Free Flight models are flown without any form of mechanical or radio control over the model in flight.  This is the earliest form of aeromodelling.  The first model was built by Alphonse Penaud in 1871 and was powered by a rubber band.

What is Radio Control?

As the name suggests, a radio controlled aircraft is controlled remotely by an operator on the ground using a hand-held radio transmitter.

A winner of National, State and Club Championships, Wayne has been a representative at national and international rule discussions, a flight instructor, contest director, international columnist and guest speaker.

Wayne's greatest competitive achievements have been representing Australia at the inaugural Electric Glider Flight World Championships in Belgium in 1986 and at the World Championships in Switzerland in 2002.

The defining moment in his sport for Wayne was standing as a proud Australian at the opening ceremony in Lommel, Belgium, while the national anthem played and the Australian flag was raised.

Today, in 2016, Wayne is still active in his sport, instructing, assisting friends and their children.  Aero modelling initially led to a career in aviation as an air traffic controller, and as a full size glider pilot.