A PILOT had a lucky escape after a model aeroplane smashed into a light aircraft.

The incident at Shoreham Airport prompted police to warn enthusiasts to keep their remote control planes away from the area.

A group was flying model aircraft at the Mill Hill site near the airport last week when one of their toys collided with a real plane.

No one was injured but the plane was damaged and officers from Sussex Police went and spoke to the enthusiasts, who promptly stopped flying.

The pilot of the plane informed the British Model Flying Association (BMFA) and the incident has been passed on to the Air Accidents Investigation Branch.

The BMFA said Mill Hill had been a long-established model flying site and the activity took place with “the full knowledge and agreement of Shoreham”.

Since the incident, officers have put up a notice advising people not to fly their model planes while the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) decides whether or not the site is safe.

However, Dave Phipps, the chief executive of BMFA, said: “The CAA tell us that they have not issued any notice in relation to Mill Hill, so we are not sure who the police have spoken to or why they have arrived at the guidance they have issued as ultimately it is not a police matter.”

A message on the BMFA South East Facebook site, said: “I have been in contact with head office and they have spoken to the BMFA member involved.

“The inquiry will take place, which may take some months, so until the outcome is known we see there is no reason why we cannot continue to fly at Mill Hill.”

The incident happened on April 30 at 11.35am.

A spokesman for Sussex Police said: “No one was injured although the light aircraft suffered some damage.

“Officers went to Mill Hill and spoke to a group of people who had been flying model aircraft from the site.

“The group stopped flying their vehicles and left the area.

“A notice has been put up at Mill Hill telling the owners of model aircraft not to fly them from there while the Civil Aviation Authority decides whether it is safe for them to use the land.”

A spokesman for CAA said: “The CAA are aware of the incident and await the outcome of the AAIB investigation.”

FACTFILE 

One of the world’s biggest model planes was built by Tony Nijhuis, from Hastings. It costs £8,000, has a wingspan of 20ft and is a scale model of US bomber ‘Superfortress’.

The world’s smallest model plane is called the Micro Butterfly and has a wingspan of just 3.5 inches.

The fastest remote controlled plane is a turbine powered aircraft which can reach speeds of 440mph.

The earliest known model aircraft dates back to 200BC, discovered at the Saqqara burial grounds in Egypt.