Dave Wilshere
Test PilotFounder and Owner – Motors & Rotors model aircraft specialists
Chairman – Jet Modellers Association over 15 years
Inspector – Large Model Association – authorised test pilot for over 20kg aircraft
Examiner – British Model Flying Association
Communicator - Magazine contributor for specialist model publications for over 20 years
Dave’s father was in the model aeroplane industry from Dave’s birth. It was, therefore, inevitable that Dave would be flying models from age 3.
At age 10, his superior flying skills resulted in much older flying club members asking him to test and trim their aeroplanes.
By the age of 12 Dave was designing and building his own models and some of his designs have been published in leading model magazines.
Dave left school to become a mechanical design engineer. He continued to develop and expand his flying abilities though and added helicopters to his skill set.
He became a multi discipline helicopter champion and British Team Member.
Dave supporting Scale Composites in the development
and test flying of their magnificent turbine powered Gnat
Building on this success, Dave was sponsored by a US company and became involved in the design, development and taking to market of new helicopter products.
This, in turn, led him to start his own model company initially selling these helicopters, then aeroplanes and finally jet turbines. Long lasting relationships with the biggest and most influential model companies in the world soon followed the products for which Dave continues to help develop and test fly. He has also accepted commissions to build a wide range of different aircraft types with different propulsion systems.
Dave is routinely requested by their owners to check and test fly the majority of new jet models in the U.K. In addition he was asked to test fly a 1:2.9 scale BAE Hawk at 80kg weight developed over 5 years.
Dave is active on a number of leading aeromodelling forums, a medium through which he helps aeromodellers from around the world with their problems associated with airframes, flight control configurations, electronics and propulsion units.
Finally, Dave is also very conversant with the world of full size aviation. He has spent many hours with his father, flying the family PA38 Tomahawk.