Twenty-eight junior pilots. Three days of flying, camping and friendship. One unforgettable weekend.
From 10th to 12th July, Langar MAC played host to the third annual Big Up The Kids Fun Fly, and it was bigger and better than ever. Twenty-eight children aged 7 to 17 registered for this private event, and they didn’t come alone. Families packed up their tents, caravans and campervans and turned the airfield into a weekend-long community of flying, socialising and pure fun.
How It Started
Saturday morning kicked off with a pilots’ briefing from Dan, the man whose idea sparked this whole event in the first place, alongside Gary, chairman of Langar MAC, who opened up the club’s field to host us. The usual essentials were covered: rules, safety, flying protocols. But the real message was simple, get to know each other, have fun, and get ready for a few friendly competitions across the two days.
What followed was two days of incredible skill, boundless enthusiasm, and a genuinely brilliant family atmosphere, with huge support from parents, siblings and friends cheering the junior pilots on.
A massive thank you goes out to everyone who took part, and to the sponsors who so generously donated prizes to make it all possible:
RC Light Systems, Nexus Modelling Supplies, Probuild, Advanced Radio, Cambria Funfighters, Aerobatx, RC3DPrint, FCB Aviation, Optipower, Flight Composite Tech (FCT), JH Custom Graphics, RC Flight Locker, MacGregor Industries, and FRSKY.
Saturday’s Challenges
The competitions brought out every ounce of creativity and skill on offer:
Most Outrageous Flying Machine – the wilder the build, the better, as long as it could actually fly and land.
Best Junior Pit Crew for Dad’s Hour – a brilliant twist where the juniors got a first-hand taste of what their parents go through, with mums and dads bringing a plane and putting them to work.
Spot Landing / Touch and Go – five or six aircraft in the air at once, all fighting for a perfect touchdown in the box.
Combat Session – exactly what it sounds like.
Tight Formation Flying – testing just how close together these young pilots could hold formation.
As the flying wound down for the day, everyone gathered round for a Saturday night BBQ, the perfect chance for pilots, parents and families to relax, swap stories and socialise before doing it all again on Sunday.
Sunday’s Challenges
Plane Chase – a lead aircraft trailing a long streamer, with everyone else in hot pursuit trying to cut it.
Short Pylon Race – open to anyone brave enough to give it a go.
Helium Balloon Pop – pop the tethered ballon!
Most Creative Dead Stick Landing – pilots bringing their aircraft down from height with no power, using every bit of showmanship they had to impress the judges.
Splat The Plane – flying with a real egg on board and dropping it to splat a target plane on the ground below.
Paddling Pool Splashdown – a paddling pool placed right on the runway for a tail dip or a daring touch and go.
Between the organised events, the flying simply never stopped – from first light well into the evening. For those keen to build on their skills, there were also soldering, crimping and model setup sessions, giving the kids a chance to learn about reliability, linkage geometry and good practice from a wealth of experienced modellers on hand.
The Judges and the Examiners
Keeping it all fair were five judges – Ollie, Alfie, Luke, Joe and Harrison – all past participants from the 2024 and 2025 events, so they know exactly what makes this weekend special, and they didn’t hold back on handing out some fantastic prizes.
It’s also brilliant to see three juniors going for their A or B certificate over the weekend, supported by examiners who made sure the opportunity was there for them to take that next step in their flying journey.
What’s Next for These Young Pilots
The opportunities don’t stop when the weekend ends. All 28 junior pilots have been invited to fly in the Big Up The Kids slot at the Southern Model Show on 5th and 6th September – so if you’re there, make sure to stop by, watch them fly, and say hello. The level of support these young pilots get from shows and hobby shops really is incredible.
On top of that, Greenacres MFC has kindly offered the Big Up The Kids junior pilots free entry to fly at their model fly-in this weekend, a huge thank you to them for backing the next generation.
What Can Your Club Do to Inspire the Next Generation?
You don’t need 28 juniors and a full weekend of competitions to make a difference, every club can play a part in bringing young pilots into the hobby. A junior taster session on a quiet club afternoon, a buddy-box flight with a patient instructor, or simply making juniors feel welcome at the field can be the spark that starts a lifelong passion.
Talk to your committee about a reduced junior membership rate, or pair up experienced members with newcomers so kids have someone in their corner from day one. Local shows and hobby shops are often more than happy to support a junior slot or donate a prize for a small club event, it never hurts to ask. Even something as simple as a build night, where juniors learn to solder, crimp and set up a model alongside experienced builders, gives them skills and confidence that go far beyond the flying field.
The support out there for young pilots is honestly brilliant, shows, events, hobby shops and parents are always keen to get involved. Whatever scale you’re working at, we hope that being part of Big Up The Kidz, and events like it, encourages more clubs to open their doors to junior pilots and helps them go as far as they want to with their flying.
Follow Along
Unfortunately, due to space, this event wasn’t open to the public to attend. But you can follow all the action on the Facebook page, Instagram, and YouTube and Facebook from Flying Finn RC and myself. Keep an eye out later in the year for a full write-up in the BMFA magazine too.
No doubt they will be back in 2027 – if you know a junior pilot who’d love to take part, keep following along.
Over and out for now!
Matt
