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Gordon Buckland


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Gordon’s “RC Soaring” column run bi-monthly, in the January, March, May, July, September, and November issues of Model Aviation. His email address is [email protected]. I have loved all aspects of flight since flying Rubber-Powered stick models and paper airplanes during Primary school. Growing up in rural Australia, I began building and flying FF and CL models and graduated to RC at 15 years old with a Cox .049-powered Honker. Dabbling as a teen in full-scale gliders and developing a love of Soaring, I also built an 80-inch AeroFlyte Trident and scratch-built a 60-inch Silent Squire sailplane from RCM plans—a life-long love of Thermal flying ensued.
A Dodgson Maestro Mk III soon followed and at 22 years old, I entered in my first Thermal Duration contest—the Central Queensland Championships—and placed 3rd. This instant success saw me join the Brisbane Model Soaring Club and enjoy the thrill of competition.
I was active in RC F3B Sailplane competition from 1982 through 1987, winning a Queenslandd F3B championship along the way. As I was married and started a family, my parental responsibilities grew and model aircraft took a back seat for 23 years, though I did pursue my love for aviation in Australia by obtaining my private pilot’s license in 1999, before immigrating to Orlando, Florida, as president of Kwik Kerb USA, Inc.
I accidently came across the Orlando Buzzards “Soaring Contest” sign beside a road late in 2008 and the long forgotten passion for RC Soaring was re-ignited. Since February 2009, I have returned to TD Soaring with a purpose, completing the LSF (League of Silent Flight) program twice to become a two-time Level V.
I have been a very active contributor to the RC Soaring community, with a passion for writing, including the NatsNews in 2009, 2010 and 2011. I have also previously written a piece for Model Aviation about the 2010 World Soaring Masters. I have built and maintained a number of Soaring websites, including those for the Orlando Buzzards RC Soaring Society, the Gator F3B Soaring event and flying site, the US F3B Team, and the US F3J team. I also publish a contest report on RCGroups after every contest I attend.
Currently flying Soaring USA 3.5m Xplorers, I am the US Junior team manager for the F3J team, which will compete at the World Championships in South Africa in early August 2012. My wife Sheralyn, is supportive in my Soaring adventures and attends many contests with me. I have a daughter Tanya, in Australia and two adult sons, Jamie and Nathan, in Florida.