Young Polish aeromodeller Tomasz Jeziorny has been awarded the FAI Aeromodelling Commission (CIAM) Aeromodelling Scholarship 2025, having gained consistently excellent results, regularly topping the junior podiums at national level and ranking highly in FAI World and European Junior Championships.

Jeziorny is therefore much deserving of the €2500 scholarship which he plans to invest into a new computer and text books to support his university studies in automation and robotics at the University of Warsaw.

a career inspired by aeromodelling

Jeziorny first fell in love with aeromodelling as a young adolescent, building F1A/M and F1H aircraft with his father: "During my initial training in the field, I felt the thermals on the line, and that’s when I truly caught the spirit of aeromodelling." 

He points out that success was not always easy: “Working on aeromodelling projects taught me the importance of persistence as many of my attempts didn’t go as planned, but each failure brought new lessons that eventually led to success.”

Through aeromodelling, he developed the technical expertise and the persistence of curiosity which shaped his formative years and instilled in him a passion for engineering, specifically the world of robotics, where design, technology, and innovation unite. “I see these fields as the next frontier for technological advancement,” he explains, “In the future, I hope to combine my knowledge of aerodynamics and engineering principles to contribute to advancements in both aeromodelling and robotics.”

Aside from aeromodelling, Jeziorny has also been a school football and handball captain, so understands the value of physical fitness and teamwork. In fact, he prefers to fly as a team in order to collaborate and learn together with his colleagues.

Tomasz Jeziorny (left) launches his aircraft, demonstrating that physical fitness is essential in his sport. Credit: Zdravko Todorski

After coming away from the FAI F1ABP Junior World Championship, Prilep, North Macedonia in 2024 with a 6th place individual and a gold team medal, Jeziorny's aeromodelling competition goal now is to win a medal at an FAI World or European Championships as part of a senior national team. But how will he find the transition into senior competition? Fresh from his end of year exams, Jeziorny shares his thoughts on training for this year’s competitions and gives some top tips for up-and-coming junior pilots in this interview:

Firstly, congratulations to you on being selected for this year’s prize. What does the scholarship mean for you?
Being awarded this scholarship is, for me, the perfect culmination of my junior career and a strong motivation to work even harder during my senior years.

You have tried different classes of aeromodelling with good results in both F1A and F1B. Would you say you are more focused on F1A now? And if so, what is it about this category that holds most appeal?
I mostly fly in the F1A category, but I have also tried my hand at F1B, which I find very interesting as well. However, F1A remains my favourite class due to its well-established connection between modelling and physical demands. When making circles, you can really feel the air and try to find thermals, which helps in making the right decision on when to launch the model. For me, the moment of launch is thrilling — speeding up the model to a high velocity and doubling the initial height is an incredible experience.  

What does 2025 have in store for you, in terms of competitions?
I’m going to compete in the World Senior Championships in Romania as an F1A competitor. I also plan to attend several World Cup events — the closest one will be in Serbia, and we’re also planning to go to Slovakia, Czechia and Slovenia. In addition, I will take part in the Polish Cup and the Polish National Championships.  

At the FAI F1ABP Junior World Championship, Vachitran, Bulgaria

What is your training schedule like, how often do you train as a world championship competition approaches?
To stay in competitive shape, I believe it’s essential to train regularly throughout the season. For me, training at the airfield three times a week is ideal, and I also spend time at home preparing my models. As the World Championships approach, I try to take advantage of every good weather window to trim my model and better understand its behaviour. I train with my father and teammates because we believe that cooperation is much more effective in this sport than training alone. In addition to airfield training, I also play football and go running to improve my physical fitness.  

How do you think that junior level competitions compare to senior level?
In recent years, only a few juniors have been able to challenge older competitors. In my opinion, there is a noticeable gap between the junior and senior levels, due to several factors. The most important, I believe, is the low age limit for junior careers at 18 years. At that age, many juniors simply don’t have enough experience to compete effectively at the high levels found in the senior category. Unlike in other sports, the transition from junior to senior in aeromodelling involves bridging a much wider performance gap, which can be frustrating. This stage of life also comes with many external pressures, such as university entrance exams. Teenagers also often lack the financial resources needed to invest in the sport at the senior level.

Specifically in F1A, I believe the main issue is that only a small percentage of juniors practise circling — a crucial skill in competition. Without mastering this technique, it’s much harder to locate thermals and make the right decisions during flight.  

Do you have any messages for young aeromodellers wanting to succeed in competition?
If you're a young aeromodeller aiming to succeed in competitions, you should train in various weather conditions to prepare your models for all possible scenarios. Aside from this, in my opinion, one of the most important aspects of our sport is teamwork — it allows you to exchange ideas on both technical and practical matters.

Taking part in World Cup competitions is also very valuable, as you can learn from the best and ask them about any challenges you face. Finally, regular physical training or participation in other sports is a great way to improve your fitness, which is essential in F1A.  
 

Competition experience

• 2022 FAI Junior World Championships in Bulgaria: F1B 2nd, F1A 4th, F1B 3rd team.
• 2023 FAI Junior European Championships in France: F1B 1st Team and 5th individual, F1A 2nd team, 4th individual
• 2024 FAI Junior World Championships, North Macedonia: 1st Team F1A, 6th individual. 1st Junior in World Cup, and 4th overall.
   

Nominations for The CIAM Scholarship

Any young Aeromodelling pilot between 16 and 21 years old can be nominated. FAI Members (NACs) send nominations (one per Member) to FAI and the nominations are evaluated by a group of education experts before being approved by the CIAM Plenary.

The nominated pilot must list their education plans and achievements and their list of Aeromodelling results, as well as a personal letter on the following topic: What role did Aeromodelling play in your life and what are your aspirations for the future?

Each year the winner receives the Scholarship of €2500, together with the Spirit of Flight diploma.

• How to nominate a young Aeromodelling pilot

Header image: Eryk Siemianowicz