Rob was elected in 2011 as secretary of the UK Large Model Association (LMA), and since 2015 has worked with the UK DfT, CAA and the other UK model flying associations to steer and define the national implementation of model flying regulation under the EASA unmanned aircraft rules. He also sits on several CAA working groups representing the interests of model aircraft flyers. In 2016, he was a founder member of the European Model Flying Union and is an executive board member. He started flying model aircraft in 1982, and has built and flown everything from free flight gliders to turbine powered aircraft but never really got on with helicopters.
Since 2021 he has been Chief Engineer of the LMA, defining the design requirements and flightworthiness assessment processes for large model aircraft up to 150kg and their pilots.
He trained as an aeronautical engineer, and since 1996 has worked on the design, airworthiness and certification of balloons, airships, light aircraft, airliners and both large and small unmanned aircraft platforms as a chartered mechanical engineer. He additionally brings experience of the identification and mitigation of human factors and human error in large aircraft maintenance. He gained a fixed wing PPL in 2018 and now has a share in a permit to fly vintage aircraft.
During his career in Airbus, he was Civil Certification Manager for the Zephyr unmanned high altitude HAPS platform and Head of Operations & Chief Pilot of the Filton Unmanned Demonstrator aircraft organisation.