I am pleased to announce that Jackson Gadikor from the Tyldesley MFC was considered a worthy winner of the T180 trainer:
His nomination:
Jackson (Action Jackson – his nickname in our club) is Seven years old and is a member of the Tyldesley Model Flying Club. He is bright, lucid and engaged. Well behaved, pleasant and communicative. An all round real nice kid.
Jackson comes to aeromodelling as the eldest son of Gabriel Gadikor a veteran of the British Army injured in the Afghanistan War.
Gabriel held a position of Medic in the Medical Core and was severely injured in Rocket attacks to the Camp Bastion base as a wall collapsed on him crushing both of his legs during the night. With this and the injuries to patients he himself treated, Gabriel perhaps understandably now suffers from severe Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. As part of his therapy he was tasked by his Psychiatrist to attend Manchester Airport to count aircraft coming in over his head to land (simulating the nightly rocket attacks during the war). This introduced Gabriel to aviation and then into aeromodelling and eventually to the Tyldesley Model Flying Club with son Jackson.
Jackson has been receiving tuition from our club instructors alongside flying with his dad and has mastered the Multiplex Easy Star you see him pictured with here to the point where he is looking for an upgrade to his flying models so that he can shortly take his BMFA A Certificate.
As an injured war veteran with PTSD, Jacksons dad Gabriel is a man of meagre means and tries to provide Jackson with suitable equipment to keep him engaged in the hobby.
We at TMFC believe that Jackson would benefit greatly from the gift of the T180 and it would compliment his training greatly at an influential time thus providing him with a suitable model to take him on through his A certificate and beyond.
To this end I would like the panel to consider this nomination for the award of the aircraft and assist another youth along the path of this fine hobby of ours in a manner we can all be rightly proud of.
My best regards to you all.
Andy Ellison – President Tyldesley Model Flying Club
Jackson received the ‘prize’ at the Weston Park Model Show. He had no idea that he had won and the delight on his face when he realised that he was now the owner of the T180 with Irvine engine and Futaba T8J 2.4Ghz Transmitter (with a few spare receivers to keep him going) was a real joy to remember.
Jackson with Martyn Kinder and Kevin Watson
Jackson with NW Area Chairman, Martyn Kinder and dad Gabriel.
Many thanks to:
Kevin Watson – for organising the contest
John Minchell – for supporting and liaising with Colonel Brown
Colin Heath – for the rebuild and refurbishment of the airframe
and of course, Colonel (retd.) Mark Cuthbert Brown who donated the airframe in the first place.