Chris Anthony Posted June 17, 2014 Share Posted June 17, 2014 Hi guys. Got my A test in a week. So far I've been trying to read the handbook from cover to cover but haven't got very far. Could someone highlight to me the important sections that I should read as a minimum? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iqon Posted June 17, 2014 Share Posted June 17, 2014 All of it......cover to cover....... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack Banner Posted June 17, 2014 Share Posted June 17, 2014 My advice is to focus on two main areas: Rules and safety procedures particular to your site. Rules and safety procedures that apply to every site and model. Do bear in mind that you could be asked anything from the handbook but most examiners want you to pass. They just want you to be safe whilst you fly and not later do anything that might negatively affect the club as a whole. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Bott - Moderator Posted June 17, 2014 Share Posted June 17, 2014 See how you get on with this Chris. It's a reasonable indication of the sort of question you get. **LINK** Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Travis Posted June 17, 2014 Share Posted June 17, 2014 Sweets, Smart, ANO etc etc and your club rules ! Hope this helps and good luck. Paul. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Former Member Posted June 17, 2014 Share Posted June 17, 2014 [This posting has been removed] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fly boy3 Posted June 17, 2014 Share Posted June 17, 2014 Nice one Percy. Cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stephen Jones Posted June 17, 2014 Share Posted June 17, 2014 Thank`s for that link Chris , I did not think to look there now i can use it to test my son , And yes i have had a play with it myself , And after 20 odd years i can still sail though it phew . It`s now been booked marked . Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Biggles' Elder Brother - Moderator Posted June 17, 2014 Share Posted June 17, 2014 Be aware Stephen - I think that some of the answers given leave a very great deal to be desired, and some are just wrong. BEB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stephen Jones Posted June 17, 2014 Share Posted June 17, 2014 Ok next test see if i can spot the wrong ones . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stephen Jones Posted June 17, 2014 Share Posted June 17, 2014 Well i guess when it asks where should you be in relation to the model when adjusting the mixture . Should also point out weather it is a pusher or a tractor . One would always assume its a tractor . But not really finding any i disagree with . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Biggles' Elder Brother - Moderator Posted June 18, 2014 Share Posted June 18, 2014 No - I would agree with their answer to that question. I think its reasonable to assume we are talking about a conventional tractor model in the context of this test. The questions which I think the answers are perhaps not "wrong", but I feel are somewhat deficient would include "what sort of prop must you not use" In my view the correct answer would be; metal, damaged, unbalanced and an electric prop on an IC model. The last one isn't even an option! "Too large" and "too small" are, in my opinion incorrect answers. A too large prop on an IC powered model, or a too small prop on an electric model, may be inefficient, but they are not in any way a safety issue requiring the label "must not use". Answers which I believe are actually incorrect include:" That it is illegal to use a Tx without a CE mark". It isn't. It may in some cases be unwise, but it is not illegal and the BMFA Handbook, as far as I'm aware, doesn't say it is. It advises against doing so as you then personally shoulder the responsibility for the compliance of the equipment. But as I say, it's not illegal. Another answer which appears to be incorrect is the statement that it is illegal to carry a small animal or pet in an R/C aircraft. As far as I know it is not de facto illegal. This seems to be based on a misreading of the section of the handbook dealing with article 166 of the ANO. Under this article it is explicitly stated that it is illegal to drop an animal (with or without a parachute!) from a model aircraft in such way as it may endanger a person or property. But again it seems to me there is no statement that simply carrying an animal is illegal. Indeed its possible to conceive of scientific experiments, for example, in which the carrying of animals would be necessary and to do so would only require appropriate ethics approval - just as any animal experimentation does. It would not be illegal. And the legalities of obtaining such approval are not, in my opinion, the proper field of a safety test to fly model aeroplanes! I think its a pity that when something like this is put up, in a semi official manner, on a website of an area of the BMFA, that it has not been more thoroughly checked so as to be an exemplar of correctness with no room for doubt about the appropriateness or accuracy of the answers. BEB Edited By Biggles' Elder Brother - Moderator on 18/06/2014 00:28:12 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Jenkins Posted June 18, 2014 Share Posted June 18, 2014 Agree with BEB whole heartedly! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr.B. Posted June 18, 2014 Share Posted June 18, 2014 I'm glad you said that BEB I though it was just me. I agree, after playing with the site, some of the wording of the questions and answears is sub optimal. Also note one of the FPV questions is out of date. By means of encoraging a debate. Much of the safety questions concern the operation of 35MHz equipment. There is a generation of flyers coming through who have never and never will touch 35MHz gear. Is it relevant now? To answear the opening post, the good book it's self has the following to say about the test questiond.. In general, most of the test questions will be based on the BMFA safety codes. In this edition of the BMFA Member’s Handbook, the BMFA General Safety Code sections run from page 17 to page 37. Pages 38 to 47 cover specific disciplines within model flying and you should read at least those sections that apply to the test you are taking. The section on Legal Controls over Model Flying which is on pages 15 and 16 is also worth studying as it contains considerable information on how the Air Navigation Order may affect your flying. The Radio Control Technical section on pages 76 to 79 is also an area that you should study for general information. Edited By Mr.B. on 18/06/2014 11:09:26 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Wright Stuff Posted June 18, 2014 Share Posted June 18, 2014 In terms of the encouraged debate ... ...even if the trainee never intends to use 35 MHz equipment, while it remains legal to use it (and there's no suggestion that's about to change), there is always a chance that they may come across it at the flying field. Certainly, the contents of this forum suggests that there are still plenty of people out there flying 35 MHz. For this reason I would suggest it IS still relevant and should therefore remain part of the test. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Bott - Moderator Posted June 18, 2014 Share Posted June 18, 2014 Precise or not, the example test questions are still representative of the type of question asked on a test. They are not a full list of all those that might be asked, so digesting the handbook as much as possible is still very necessary. The examiner is looking for an attitude as much as anything. Of being aware of and proactive about safety, and of being in control of the model rather than following it around the sky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john stones 1 - Moderator Posted June 18, 2014 Share Posted June 18, 2014 Yes is a few oddity's, but it's a good idea though. Why a live animal got in there is very bizarre Stick to what an A is about, being safe and in control. John Edited By john stones 1 on 18/06/2014 12:24:51 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ken anderson. Posted June 18, 2014 Share Posted June 18, 2014 well I'm an examiner for our club.......I would not expect 'anyone' to know the BMFA book inside out.......if the candidate is doing the A-I would expect an acceptable standard of flying......not the greatest most precise flying circuit's...they will probably be the worst one's that they have flown----due to nerve's.....I would expect them to answer any question's about our club rule's and possibly a couple of answer's about national stuff.......if I was asking them about anything they couldn't answer-but they said if they had a problem they would refer to the handbook for guidance and an answer...I would accept that as satisfactory...... and as I'm a club examiner I would be well aware of their capabilities' and how they conduct themselves from a point of view.....flying with other people present...etc.... ken Anderson ne...1 .....club examiner dept.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr.B. Posted June 18, 2014 Share Posted June 18, 2014 "Why a live animal got in there is very bizarre " - Hijack by squirrel extremists. WTS, Thanks for jumping in. Lots of people are (quite rightly) still using 35MHz. One must assume that these people are proficient in its operation. And while a new trainee may come across it at the field does he/she need to be able to answer questions on the ins and outs of adjacent frequency checks, block and alternative frequency allocation and why you should keep your antenna clean. (Although that last one is just good personal hygiene). Of course it should remain in the book for reference but do new flyers have to know this stuff forwards and backwards? Anybody going throw the casting vote? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john stones 1 - Moderator Posted June 18, 2014 Share Posted June 18, 2014 I reckon that says it for pretty much all examiners Ken Now where's my parachute ? me and dogs off flying John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Wright Stuff Posted June 18, 2014 Share Posted June 18, 2014 I can certainly see where you are coming from, Mr B, but whilst many of the ins and outs of other people's models at the flying site may well not be relevant to the newcomer who happens across them at the field, I do believe that the issue of frequency allocation is one that affects everyone on the site. One potential issue in particular comes to mind, and that is that the scarcity of other 35 MHz fliers tends to generate apathy towards the peg system. The attitude is that so few people use 35 MHz now, that the probability of two people arriving at the field with the same frequency is too small to be worth worrying about. In fact I will go as far as to say that I get openly ridiculed whenever I get out the board. Where I fly, there are a significant minority who fly on 35 MHz, and I've never seen any of them use the peg system. I was flying recently on 35 MHz, with some other guys with me who flew only 2.4 GHz. Whilst I was airborne (and thus fairly helpless), another 35 MHz flier turned up at the field. He didn't check the peg board and switched on. On this occasion it was a different frequency so no harm resulted, but it would be great in this situation to be able to rely on the other club members present to enforce the system, even if they didn't use 35 MHz themselves. That notwithstanding, failure to test this knowledge in the 'A-test' would potentially prohibit a newcomer from subsequently using 35 MHz. I'm not sure how likely that is, but how could it be administrated? There would need to be one A-test for 35 MHz, and one for without. All very well in principle but probably rather too much additional work for the volunteers who run the system... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr.B. Posted June 18, 2014 Share Posted June 18, 2014 Creeping complacency about the use of 35meg is a problem. There are only 2 or 3 flyers at our club on 35 and they also operate 2.4 on some models. Therefore the peg board rarely comes out and it's easy to switch on with out checking. Especially when swapping between 2.4 and 35. We have had no disasters yet though. A 2 tier A test would be a bit over the top. I think the answer is that examiners select the questions intelligently, as Ken A has said. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Biggles' Elder Brother - Moderator Posted June 18, 2014 Share Posted June 18, 2014 Posted by john stones 1 on 18/06/2014 12:10:33: Yes is a few oddity's, but it's a good idea though. Why a live animal got in there is very bizarre Stick to what an A is about, being safe and in control. John Edited By john stones 1 on 18/06/2014 12:24:51 Agreed its bizarre John. But, believe it or not, it is there; in the BMFA Handbook, in the ANO and (incorrectly) in the on-line mock test on BMFA Midland Area website! I only report what I find! BEB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Barlow Posted June 19, 2014 Share Posted June 19, 2014 In the hand book it actually say that "most" of the questions are relative to pages 17-35 although it's a good idea to read all of it a few times! It's nice to know where you stand in relation to insurance and people who say you can't fly somewhere when you're sometimes within your rights to! BTW learn SMART and SWEETS. Not only is it a favourite but it's a very good habit and routine to get into whilst flying. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john stones 1 - Moderator Posted June 19, 2014 Share Posted June 19, 2014 I read it BEB and the one about props, I kept getting 80% Base the questions around the stuff you need to know in order to fly and operate a model safely. If I asked a member a question like that, i'd want certifying not ratifying John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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