Christopher Morris 2 Posted January 21, 2020 Share Posted January 21, 2020 Hi, was having trouble finding the meanings of the BMFA's SWEET & SMART Acronyms. Couldn't seem to find it on the BMFA site. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Fry Posted January 21, 2020 Share Posted January 21, 2020 Sweet I haven't seen before. Smart is be smart using your transmitter, check switches, meters, aerial, rates, trims. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jrman Posted January 21, 2020 Share Posted January 21, 2020 Listed clearly in the BMFA online handbook index . Detailed on pages 42 and 44. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Fry Posted January 21, 2020 Share Posted January 21, 2020 Out of curiosity, what does SWEET signify? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dickw Posted January 21, 2020 Share Posted January 21, 2020 From the BMFA Handbook:- "Think S.W.E.E.T.S. S - Sun W - Wind E - Eventualities E - Emergencies (Inc. Failsafes) T - Transmitter Control S - Site Rules" Dick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christopher Morris 2 Posted January 21, 2020 Author Share Posted January 21, 2020 Ah! Thanks everyone. I was searching the BMFA site & it wasn't to be found. This was because it was in the hand book which was a download. But as mentioned/suggested, pages 42 & 44 was the answerer. Many thanks. It just came up on a BMFA quiz & i thought it was strange not being on the site. Think S.W.E.E.T.S. S - Sun W - Wind E - Eventualities E - Emergencies (Inc. Fail safes) T - Transmitter Control S - Site Rules Be S.M.A.R.T. with your transmitter. S .... Switch on M .... Model selected is correct / Meter in the Green A .... Aerial secure / extended R .... Rate switches all in correct positions T ..... Transmitter voltage good and Trims all in correct positions Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christopher Morris 2 Posted January 21, 2020 Author Share Posted January 21, 2020 Sorry, got posted twice. Edited By Christopher Morris 2 on 21/01/2020 10:35:33 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Jenkins Posted January 22, 2020 Share Posted January 22, 2020 Chris Morris 2 - do you have an A Certificate? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christopher Morris 2 Posted January 22, 2020 Author Share Posted January 22, 2020 Posted by Peter Jenkins on 22/01/2020 00:51:17: Chris Morris 2 - do you have an A Certificate? Hi Peter, i have the new BMFA membership & passed the online test for operators ID.plus joined a local club. I now need to get my A or B certificate. The club says that they tend to aim for a B. Its all good, but didn't realise the time it might take. My local club don't seem to start training until May & may need half a dozen lessons before taking a test.. So at worsted i thought i might take it some ware else , but reading the BMFA rules, my club do not have to except my certificate." Got to check on this" There is more to this than when i took my car/motorbike or PSV test. Admittedly, these was all a few years back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattyB Posted January 22, 2020 Share Posted January 22, 2020 Posted by Christopher Morris 2 on 22/01/2020 06:26:11: Posted by Peter Jenkins on 22/01/2020 00:51:17: Chris Morris 2 - do you have an A Certificate? Hi Peter, i have the new BMFA membership & passed the online test for operators ID.plus joined a local club. I now need to get my A or B certificate. The club says that they tend to aim for a B. Its all good, but didn't realise the time it might take. My local club don't seem to start training until May & may need half a dozen lessons before taking a test.. So at worsted i thought i might take it some ware else , but reading the BMFA rules, my club do not have to except my certificate." Got to check on this" There is more to this than when i took my car/motorbike or PSV test. Admittedly, these was all a few years back. It's in the club rules that they "tend to aim for a B"?!! Either they require it or they don't - there is no grey area. Personally though I think expecting a B cert just to be a member and fly solo is ridiculous. I would read their club rules, decide whether you want to be part of the club based on those, and if you do tell them you intend to meet their minimum standards as set out in their handbook. Also if you have an A Cert on the BMFA's system then that is a valid achievementand should never expire. Whilst the club don't have to accept it as proof you meet their (self set) competency standards, you certainly shouldn't have to do the whole thing again - it is fair enough that someone observes a check flight to verify you can operate safely, but starting again from scratch is excessive. If they insist I would start looking for an alternative club to fly at. Edited By MattyB on 22/01/2020 10:10:00 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kc Posted January 22, 2020 Share Posted January 22, 2020 I would suspect that club means they expect members to try to achieve their B cert eventually, or they could mean they might choose to accept membership only from a B cert holder if membership is nearing their maximum numbers. Reasonable enough to want to have more experienced members to act as instructors and keep flying standards high. Frankly there is no substitute for going to the club and chatting with members to find out what the real situation is. Rules like that are often there to be used only when the situation changes. Also if anyone has been to a club AGM they will know that the wording of rules gets changed and compromises made to satisfy members and get a consensus which often results in poor wording. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Jenkins Posted January 22, 2020 Share Posted January 22, 2020 Chris Morris 2 - I agree with the comments concerning the B test. When I last checked, only 18% of BMFA members held a B so the Club's aim is somewhat wide of the mark! The best area for you to get information is from the BMFA Achievement Scheme site. You can access it by navigating to it from the main BMFA site (rest your cursor on Info and then click on the second item down "Radio Control Achievement Scheme". Alternatively just click here. Once on the Achievement Scheme page, go to the Downloads tab and download The Achievement Scheme Handbook (or click here) and A Flying Start (or click here). Reading those will give you much better information than the average Club Instructor will give you as, in my experience, many have not read these documents. As a beginner, the Flying Start document gives you the basic information about terminology and covers learning how to fly including doing the A Test. You will also find the details on the A test (and B for that matter) by going to the Downloads/Standards and Guideline Booklets and then downloading the Fixed Wing Power Certificates document. Or, you can click here. Reading those documents will give you a very much better appreciation of what is involved in doing an A test. The Videos tab gives you access to videos covering getting started and flying the A test. You can also access quizzes off the Quizzes tab to allow you to practice answering the relevant questions. I hope that helps you to progress without being led down the garden path by people who think they know what is involved but have never accessed these documents. Good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin Harris - Moderator Posted January 22, 2020 Share Posted January 22, 2020 Posted by MattyB on 22/01/2020 09:41:06: It's in the club rules that they "tend to aim for a B"?!! Either they require it or they don't - there is no grey area. Personally though I think expecting a B cert just to be a member and fly solo is ridiculous. I would read their club rules, decide whether you want to be part of the club based on those, and if you do tell them you intend to meet their minimum standards as set out in their handbook. I don't think Christopher said this was written in their rules - my interpretation would be that the club encourages their members to aim for the B certificate and hopefully provides encouragement, help and guidance to do so? I see no reason why they should object to you getting your A elsewhere if they can't give you training until half way through the year although I could understand if a club was wary of someone struggling with their training should they suddenly appear with a shiny new A certificate - although a check flight and observation should soon confirm whether a quantum leap had been made! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christopher Morris 2 Posted January 22, 2020 Author Share Posted January 22, 2020 As i am new to all this, may be i have miss heard. I have sent an email to the club as i paid & have not received a membership card or rule book as yet, but the check was cashed in December, so maybe i am not used to things running so slow & me being a bit inpatient. I'm the sort of person that pays his tax on 6 April each year. lol But true. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Jenkins Posted January 22, 2020 Share Posted January 22, 2020 Chris, you may not be aware that the BMFA is no longer posting out membership cards. Once you have delivered your cheque to the Club, you are immediately covered by the BMFA's insurance. However, all Clubs are run by volunteers and some are quicker off the mark than others. Once your Club has entered your details into the BMFA membership system, you should be able to log in, download and print your BMFA Insurance and Membership details. Not all Clubs issue membership cards but those that do will usually hand them out either at Club meetings or at the patch as otherwise there is a significant postage cost. In the mean time, follow the links I've given you in the post above and you can crack on with getting your mind around this fascinating hobby/sport. You may not realise this but this is classed as a Sport and not just a hobby! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattyB Posted January 22, 2020 Share Posted January 22, 2020 Posted by Christopher Morris 2 on 22/01/2020 14:51:04: As i am new to all this, may be i have miss heard. I have sent an email to the club as i paid & have not received a membership card or rule book as yet, but the check was cashed in December, so maybe i am not used to things running so slow & me being a bit impatient. Seems pretty off that they cashed your cheque in Dec but haven't even been bothered to send an email confirming your membership. I would certainly chase to check the status and ask about the club rules on certifications for solo flying - do they not have a website with any of this info on? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christopher Morris 2 Posted January 22, 2020 Author Share Posted January 22, 2020 Thanks for the links Peter. I will have a study. I joined the BMFA directly & the same with the club. I like to do things myself as i am the unlucky one when a third party is involved & it goes wrong. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Former Member Posted January 22, 2020 Share Posted January 22, 2020 [This posting has been removed] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Jenkins Posted January 22, 2020 Share Posted January 22, 2020 Steve J - you just need the BMFA card for the CAA rules to be satisfied and that you can print off yourself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Former Member Posted January 22, 2020 Share Posted January 22, 2020 [This posting has been removed] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Jenkins Posted January 22, 2020 Share Posted January 22, 2020 Chris Morris 2 - if you joined the BMFA directly, did they give you a membership number and the log in to the Membership website? It is not the BMFA website but the company that runs the memberships for a great many sport and hobby clubs. If you haven't got that information either email the BMFA ([email protected]) or give them a call and they will provide you with the details. Once you have logged in, you should be on your Profile page and on the right above your name you should see 2 yellow boxes - one says Update Details and the other Print Membership Document. A point the BMFA made recently is that the CAA will check your name details provided by the BMFA to register you so you need to make sure your name on your BMFA membership is the same as that on your driving licence and Passport. Once you have updated your name, if required, then print your Membership Document. That will have your "official" name on it now. If you received the last BMFA News you will have had a number of printed CAA Exemption documents included with the magazine. You will need to carry your BMFA Membership details and all of the relevant CAA Exemptions (not the control line one and not the FPV one) with you when ever you want to fly plus a Registration Competency Certificate To do the Competency Test go to the BMFA website and click on the picture of the Spitfire. That will take you to the BMFA's webpage covering all the CAA requirements. All you need to know to pass the BMFA Competency Test is there. You can then click on the Competency Test tab and at the bottom of the page is the way in to doing the test. Say No to the second point about flying with a camera as you won't be doing that yet! You will need your BMFA Number and your "official" name. Then set off to do the test. You are allowed to keep the source information open when doing the test. You can have as many goes at passing the test by the way! Once you have passed the Test, the BMFA will record that and you will be able to print off a Registration Competency Certificate. If you didn't get the BMFA News or cannot now find the printed CAA Exemptions, then you can go to the Exemptions Tab and print off the required CAA documents from there. You will need the 1st, 3rd and 4th documents in the list. You should now have a pack consisting of: BMFA Membership, Registration Competency Certificate, 3 CAA exemption documents. Put them together in a waterproof folder and take them with you when ever you want to fly. You are now legal as far as the CAA is concerned. Gasp! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin Harris - Moderator Posted January 22, 2020 Share Posted January 22, 2020 Posted by Peter Jenkins on 22/01/2020 18:04:58: You should now have a pack consisting of: BMFA Membership, Registration Competency Certificate, 3 CAA exemption documents. Put them together in a waterproof folder and take them with you when ever you want to fly. You are now legal as far as the CAA is concerned. Gasp! ...or download them to your smartphone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Jenkins Posted January 22, 2020 Share Posted January 22, 2020 True - but it's a lot easier to give someone some paperwork to look at rather than a small screen, especially on a sunny day! Plus, the battery never goes flat with paperwork! Edited By Peter Jenkins on 22/01/2020 18:54:00 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin Harris - Moderator Posted January 22, 2020 Share Posted January 22, 2020 Raises an interesting legal conundrum I suppose... The information is stored on the device in non volatile memory so you have it with you, whatever the state of the battery. Does the fact that you can't readily display it to an officer of the law mean that it isn't in your possession? The wording of the exemption simply states that a copy must be carried by the operator/pilot while making use of it. Red herrings really - I'd just invite the copper into the clubhouse for a cuppa and plug in my charge lead...in the absence of such luxury you could use your car for a similar purpose. Edited By Martin Harris on 22/01/2020 19:20:21 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy48 Posted January 22, 2020 Share Posted January 22, 2020 Posted by Christopher Morris 2 on 21/01/2020 10:34:22: Be S.M.A.R.T. with your transmitter. S .... Switch on M .... Model selected is correct / Meter in the Green A .... Aerial secure / extended R .... Rate switches all in correct positions T ..... Transmitter voltage good and Trims all in correct positions Bit of a laugh these days really. S Switch on. Yeah nothing happens until you do. M Model selected is correct - Automatic these days with binding. Meter in the green. - No meter, voltage reading instead. A Areal secure / extended. Internal aerial thus nothing to do. R Rate switches all in correct position. Get audible warning if any of the switches/sliders are not. Correct positions set when programming model. These days we need to consider more than just rate switches too. What about an arming switch for electric for instance? T Transmitter voltage good. Erm yes checked that under "M". Trims all in correct position. Obviously, with digital trims the positions are stored with the model memory. Verdict, not very smart at all. Needs a bit of updating to come into the 21st century, I've no intention of going back to use old style 35Mhz transmitters. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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