Brian Cooper Posted July 31, 2022 Share Posted July 31, 2022 It certainly is a crazy situation. Some of us are actively promoting the hobby and attracting new members to our Clubs 🙂 Meanwhile, others are actively slamming the doors in people's faces. 🙄 🥱 It's a funny old world sometimes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert Cracknell Posted August 1, 2022 Share Posted August 1, 2022 Why doesn't the BMFA add a listing to it's club directory as to whether a club is able/willing to accept new members? Could help prevent some embarrassing encounters. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Jenkins Posted August 1, 2022 Share Posted August 1, 2022 1 hour ago, Robert Cracknell said: Why doesn't the BMFA add a listing to it's club directory as to whether a club is able/willing to accept new members? Could help prevent some embarrassing encounters. This is up to Clubs to do. There would be an enormous explosion were the "BMFA" to do this. There are, of course, flying clubs that are not affiliated to the BMFA and they can do what they want provided they abide by Air Law and local authority rules. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert Cracknell Posted August 1, 2022 Share Posted August 1, 2022 I was not suggesting the BMFA do it but suggesting they indicate a clubs position on the subject similarly to the way dentists advertise that they now accept NHS patients. It would always be a clubs decision but just a suggestion to bring it to the fore. In this digital age a clubs status could be updated in a matter of hours. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EarlyBird Posted August 2, 2022 Share Posted August 2, 2022 Clubs accept new members, but some have a long waiting list. The two reasons for this are attractive facilities (large well-maintained field, NOTAM height for large models and no noise restrictions) and other clubs closing down. This creates a waiting list of experienced modelers, LMA and jets for example. I think the pilots with nowhere to fly should be given priority just to keep them in the hobby. I also think that the complete novice should be automatically accepted. The novice will be put off by the negative response received from an initial enquiry whereas committed long term modelers will find another solution and stay in the hobby. Having decided to give all novices automatic membership the number of instructors and their availability could be a limiting factor but that's another issue. Do clubs need to make the number of members rigid? From what I have observed a club will only get six or seven novices a year and only a couple of those will stay in the hobby long term therefore there will be minimal impact on club membership numbers. What we all want is for numbers to increase, don't we? Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul De Tourtoulon Posted August 2, 2022 Share Posted August 2, 2022 I think here the FFAM system isn't bad, they give 'points' to clubs for young member inscriptions in our case 'free membership' paid by our club helps with that ,the points system also credits competition flyers and all the other flying certificates which at the end of the year comes with a subvention and now and again a couple of radios and a plane for the beginners, also when doing work on the field ie; tables a new mower etc they can subvention up to 50% all again on the merit points system now if that isn't an incentive.😇 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham Bowers Posted August 2, 2022 Share Posted August 2, 2022 The BMFA club finder comes up with 5 clubs within a 15 mile radius of Salisbury so it looks like there are alternatives - it just depends how far you wish to travel. Unfortunately things being out of stock has got much worse this last couple of years. I must admit, so it is a challenge - and sometimes impossible - to find everything you want at one shop. I tend to keep a small stock of essentials myself. Electrical propulsion is a bit of a steep learning curve and I agree a knowledgable mentor is a great asset, however with guidance from members of this forum, you should make headway. I see 4-max has been mentioned already. His website has a section for recommended setups that may make interesting reading for you. As others have alluded, the tactic of learning to fly RC by using adapted existing free flight models is probably making it harder for you. They're going to be much more fragile than a purpose designed foamy. I had a layoff of 20 years from the hobby and when I re-started in 2003 ish I was lucky enough to have a good local model shop who sorted me out with a suitable foamy that I still have. Hope this helps in some way, and stick at it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Davis 2 Posted August 2, 2022 Share Posted August 2, 2022 My own view having taught several retired beginners how to fly is that they are better off with a model with at least a five foot (1.5 meter) wingspan. They are easier to see and a bit of extra weight makes little or no difference. Of electric powered foamy ARTFs, I like the E Flite Apprentice though i'll concede that it's very expensive these days. I'm also in two minds about SAFE systems. The Kyosho Calmato and the Seagull Boomerang may be powered by either electric or i/c engines but the o/p would be better off with any of these models if he could find a club with an instructor which is where we came in. Some returnees may like to build their own models in which case a vintage model may be appropriate as a first step but a 20" wingspan model is far too small for a beginner. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrumpyGnome Posted August 2, 2022 Share Posted August 2, 2022 We have an Apprentice as our club trainer. It's great for that but we do struggle to get some people to move away from all the electronic 'aids' ..... seems a double learning curve: Learn to steer about Learn to fly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul De Tourtoulon Posted August 2, 2022 Share Posted August 2, 2022 I hope this is the right place to post,, I got the new regulations from the FFAM ( flying froggys federation ) today joey foreigner ( that you brits ) can now fly in France for the mediocre price of a box of 20 fags ( tabs for the northerners ) of 11€ and you don't need to have the French id number on it, I can post the page here if you are stuck at Dover in the customs queues all you need is a French / English dictionary,,,😉 Ps if you are a learner that can't fly our club has 3 electric planes each with two radios for each plane permeable from mode 2 to mode 1. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Majikthyse Posted August 3, 2022 Author Share Posted August 3, 2022 Well this has developed into an interesting thread. I am now looking for a cheap second hand foamy for training. Any suggestions of where to look? The BMFA club directory is hopelessly out of date. Links to some club websites are dead. No URLs given for a lot of them. I really don't want to drive 20 miles every time I fancy a bit of flying. I realise there might be waiting lists, but I wonder if these are more a policy than a necessity. Going back to the comparison with my choir, for decades it ran a huge waiting list, which meant it was a great accolade to be admitted. Rather like waiting for your Morgan Plus 4 to be delivered. Then the committee decided to clear the waiting list, and now we are actively recruiting. Demand can be affected by availability. The equipment supply situation is worse than not being able to buy from one supplier. Some items go out of stock for months. I am not going to back order and have my money tied up for that long. It is very refreshing to get such helpful guidance here. I was beginning to feel excluded by the bewildering complexity of the technology, and what I saw as the condescending attitudes of some already in the hobby. There is a model shop in Salisbury, but they don't do RC and the one that did closed a long time ago. While buying online is the norm now, there is no substitute for having a chat. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zflyer Posted August 3, 2022 Share Posted August 3, 2022 I agree that a chat in the local shop is beneficial. Supply concerns will be with us for awhile I think. The club I belong to has no formal instructors and whilst I am happy to be on the other end of a buddy box I don't know that my limited skil would aid someone to attain their A certificate. Leaving the weather aside for a moment I have always found having the teacher and pupil (is that word outdated now!) being able to meet on a regular and short time scale has been one of the more prevalent problems. My first attempts, prior to joining a club and getting a different model, were with a Delta Ray. Not unsuccessful but made me realise I needed a suitable place to fly and a teacher. Regarding your choice of model, I found both the Foss Wot 4 Trainer and Boomerang superb. Not foamies, I concede, and I converted the Wot 4 to electric by moving the firewall forward. I had no prior knowledge of thrust angles or even what motor to use but it turned out fine Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zflyer Posted August 3, 2022 Share Posted August 3, 2022 The Wot 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kc Posted August 3, 2022 Share Posted August 3, 2022 It may be worth attending a show to look for RC gear (only buy new!) and secondhand models. The Old Warden model flying weekend is Sept 17 & 18 and may be worth the long drive. There is also the Popham Model Flying show Coxford Down Aug 20&21 which may be nearer but I don't know what it's like. BMFA magazine also mentions area 8 Salisbury Plain for Oct 9th and gives an email address and phone number which might be good contacts. May be vintage models but might be worth looking at. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Majikthyse Posted August 3, 2022 Author Share Posted August 3, 2022 The reason for the foamy was mainly that it bounces better! I am going to the Popham show so may pick up something there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EarlyBird Posted August 3, 2022 Share Posted August 3, 2022 1 hour ago, Majikthyse said: The reason for the foamy was mainly that it bounces better! I proved that theory wrong on more than one occasion. For me the advantage of a foamy was the RR option because I knew nothing about electric, RR come with the motor, ESC, servos, prop and spinner. The Seagull Boomerang was an option at the time but being ARTF it would need the power system and servos buying separately. Second hand was not an option either for me as I didn't know what I was looking at. There are posts on here where vendors have installed cheap fake servos for example. Going to my LMS and buying a Riot was the easy option to get me in the air the next day. It turned out to be a good choice as it was easily replaced, it lasted six weeks of flying every day and numerous bounces and subsequent repairs. Whatever they are made of they all break but some more easily than others. I have found plan-built models to be the most robust surviving abuse where an ARTF would have become a bag of bits. When I started, plan building was something to look forward to once I had learned to fly. In the end what you chose to fly is not that important as long as whatever it is gets you in the air and enables you to have fun. Steve 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Davis Posted August 3, 2022 Share Posted August 3, 2022 Majyk, you seem like an experienced modeller. Why not build your trainer from balsa and ply? I'm not sure that foam bounces better than balsa and if you've built a model you'll know how to repair it. I have been helping a Belgian guy called Frans to both build and fly. He chose to build a Junior 60. He's crashed it once through inexperience on take off but he rebuilt it and he's now at the stage where he can take off, fly around and land without any interuption from me on the buddy box. One more flight on the buddy box and he's on his own! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Majikthyse Posted August 3, 2022 Author Share Posted August 3, 2022 The reason for a second hand model is that I am lazy and a cheapskate! Much as I enjoy building, I'd rather spend the time on my preferred type of model. The trainer is just to get and develop the skills. Yes I am I suppose an experienced modeller. I still have the propeller from the first model I built, a KK Pixie in about 1955! Well my dad helped. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrumpyGnome Posted August 3, 2022 Share Posted August 3, 2022 My club has planes, engines, and motors from BMFA classified, fleabay, and facebook marketplace. We bought our club trainer (Apprentice) off maketplace.... Just needs a little care and common sense to make sure you're not being scammed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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