To join a club or not ?

[paul@scc]

Hi Austen.

sorry to hear about your back problems. Hope you get it sorted soon mate.

 

Joining fee is not the cheapest around but in my opinion it is well worth it. It's £100 one off fee and £50 a year, plus a refundable £20 deposit for the keys.

 

Me and my mate made our first visit as members to the new ground yesterday. It's taken about two months to get membership. We had to make an appointment with one of the instructors for him to assess us,  just to be sure we could fly. I must admit I was a little nervous as there was a few members there and this was probably our first time we had flown with an audience Everything was OK. Flew a couple of lipo's worth and then my mate and I had a midair. I could not believe it. My poor old Mini pulse lost out to his Ripmax Spit.

 

A few pics from yesterday

A place to shelter from the odd drop of rain. There is also a large walk in metal container which is used as an office and holds all the deck chairs, ladders, peg board and charging points for us lipo users.

Austen, if you do decide to join a club, I highly recommend Chesham

[Merlin spit]

hi paul ,im going to join sooner or later just need to get back to work first,looks like a great day in the pics

 

£50 seems good value once youve got over your first year to

[Lee Smalley]

join a club guys some clubs are ok some are just top notch recently joined another club and i love it, had to try a few till i found a good one but.... it was worth it

[Merlin spit]

hi guys just wondered how you've been getting on at the club?

 

[paul@scc]

Edited By paul@scc on 23/02/2010 13:15:19

[paul@scc]

Posted by paul@scc on 23/02/2010 13:13:17:

Hi Austen.

Not had a chance to visit since November But its great. Looking forward to getting down there soon.

I'm a freelance worker and when my current contract runs out at the end of April I will be wearing that grass runway out

[Decky]

Hi all. I'm thinking of returning to flying after 17 years away from the hobby. I've being away from RC modelling because of the local club at the time (1993). They were very clicky and it was obvious they didn't want new members lengthening the flying queue but equally obvious that they didn't want to refuse my membership because they would have lost out on the fee. After I paid they couldn't care less whether I stayed or left and made no effort to encourage me or even talk to me. I wanted to join in order to learn how to fly and all the usual reasons for joining a club but on my first visit I was totally ignored. After trying to make conversation and break through the indifference someone reluctantly agreed to give me a "lesson" at the end of the flying session. This involved a demo and then as soon as I tried it for the first time I ended up in the trees, but he did nothing to help me or prevent it happening. After a repair job I went back for another lesson when he took it up and crashed it into the ground saying it had stopped responding. It still worked ok when I got it home and have always wondered whether he crashed it deliberately in order to discourage me. I also tried going to an evening social meeting. Everyone was huddled into their familiar groups with personal conversation about their latest projects and everyone ignored me there as well even when I tried to join in as best  I could. It was so dispiriting I didn't go back after that, gave up modelling after only a few minutes flying mainly because I didn't have anywhere else to go. This is why I'm reluctant to join another club and tempted to go it alone, are some clubs still like this?

[David Ashby - Moderator]

Clubs are clubs Decky but generally speaking you should find that they're friendly and welcoming. Visit several and then decide. It's better if you can to find a club where there are other beginners, you'll get along like a house on fire with these folks.

[Phil 9]

Austen

 

Go to the club and try it. Then if you dont like it dont go back simples

[Andy Gates]

Decky

 

Sorry you had such a poor reception from that club.

As new member you should have been on a buddy box for the first time, so this is their failing not yours.

 

I have  a fellow flyer that experienced much the same response.

 

After 6 months of visiting the club he had joined and getting only 3/4 hour of flying, he was about to give up.

He spoke to the local model shop and the manager directed him to a group of flyers (not a club) which included your truely.

 

His first afternoon with us he had 1.5 hours on a buddy box and was thrilled.

 

Over the summer he progressed as you do to landings, take offs and circuits.

He did get a little bored with the repetition but stuck with it.

 

He then went back to the club, and within 1 hour of club flying he passed his A cert first time and was complimented on the quality of his flying.

 

He is still with the club and is progressing still, going deeply into aerobatics which I am not able to teach since I have little interest.

 

However he is still getting compliments about his flying especially his take offs and landings which are due to the practice and are nailed almost every time.

Even deadstick do not concern him and are nailed on the strip every time, again due to practice.

 

So I would say, find a group of people that you are happy being with and stay with them.

[Erfolg]

One very important aspect of being a member of a club is INSURANCE. Even if a selfish posture is adopted, it is your own interest.

 

The second, is that generally there is a sense of camaraderie.

 

Are clubs perfect no. Then again neither am I, I have suspected I was getting there, my wife does remind me that I am far from it. Yes there is always the do as I say attitude, more from some than others, then we all can be like that. So this aspect can be good, it can be a driver to do the right thing, and not, it will be all right.

 

The really good thing, is we all laugh at each other, certainly keeps your feet on the ground, and often helps perspective. Of course that can be wearing, but a good group of lads, soon realise enough is enough.

 

Also helps to keep us sociable, if retired, such as my self.

 

A lot of good aspects

 

The down side I am less likely to fly else where, or impromptu, when a possible site is spotted, just in case it causes a problem.

 

Erfolg

 

[Clive Matthews]

You don't have to be in a club to be insured. Clubs which are BMFA affiliated will include BMFA membership and insurance. There are clubs which are not affilliated and in their case members are often BMFA country members and insured that way.

 

Any individual can join the BMFA independent of club membership. Currently for an adult it costs £29 per annum. This includes the excellent insurance cover and like Erfolg, I would consider it an essential requirement for model fliers.

[Andy Gates]

No disagreement from me with the comments made by either Erfolg or Clive regarding the importance of insurance.

As Clive points out, you do not need to be a club member to get BMFA insurance and this is exactly what I do.

[colin watson]

go for it Austin it can be a great experience i am a member of 3 clubs i fly mid week. as i started flying on a particular day you find members who are free but didn't want to fly alone come and join you now we have a great mid week gathering of like minded people 

[Decky]

Thanks all for the helpful comments, I've now made contact with the nearest group but I think there's a long waiting list for new members.

 

Decky

[colin watson]

IF THEY HAVE A WAITING LIST TRY SOME OTHER CLUBS CHECK OUT THE BMFA  WEB SITE FOR CLUBS IN YOUR AREA IT WILL BE WORTH IT

[Decky]

Thanks Colin, I'll do that (I found the local club on the BMFA website) but I'll check what the real membership situation is at the local club first. I'm still awaiting a response. I'm not in a great hurry at the moment as I've still to renovate my original repaired trainer that's in the loft and to do that I may need to clear the garage in order to set up a workshop, depends what needs to be done. I thought it best to apply with a club early in case there's a long waiting list.

 

BTW, apologies to Austin for purloining his thread, it was originally just a comment on the same subject.

 

Decky

[jez1973]

i want to join a club ect have my plane checked and learn to fly any ideas in wigan or greater manchester i would love join many thanks jez..

[Kelly]

My Club,

 

Membership one, me

[Merlin spit]

well im about to join a club ,the land where ive been flying is changing hands ,so im joining a small club nearly a year after starting this thread.,I met a few of the lads today who were very welcoming.Im actually looking forward to it and i can now get some  wheels on my planes

[Carl Muff]

i know the feeling ,been trying to join a club to get my A but the first club was we dont  take people without A and dont train people ,which i dont need i,m self  taught .although i have found out they do train people ,the next one i was told it was only for a select few .

 my face most not fit ,i have tried to look outside chesterfield and found they have waiting list .

looking to start my owe lol a farmer at work says we can use one of his fields

[Palmerama]

Nice solo field Kelvin, where is it ?

 

Do we all have our own flying fields where any of us can fly, I  look at joining a club every year but just pay the BMFA insurace and fly on a local field.

 

I do however have a local public flying field where I can join other to fly for a great day of flying its in East Yorkshire at Beverley called 'Beverley Westwood' opposite the race course Here

 

Maybe we can gather a collection of locations where we all fly and get more of us meeting for some great flying days together ?

[David Turner 5]

Who are you, then, Palmerama?

 

We must surely know each other ... I've been flying on the Westwood since the '80s.

 

The Westwood takes some beating, despite its imperfections. In fact, I was flying there just last evening. BTW, we are planning an informal barbie for Sunday afternoon, if the wx is kind. I'll bring the barbie and the brew kit; you bring your own scoff to cook up. I'll confirm on the Westwood Flyers website, later this evening.

 

 

OTOH, I do have a couple of local spots at which I indulge in bit of "guerilla flying" ... that is, just turn up and get on with it.  Problem is that I soon tire of flying alone; sometimes, I would sooner forego a flying session than go along on my own.

[Palmerama]

Hi David Turner,

 I've no doubt that we will have spoken to one another on the Westwood but your name is not familiar, I've flown there for between 10 to 15 years.

You may know of some of the planes I flew I used to fly a Hooligan of strange colours with purple wings and orange fuselage and a favourite of mine was a black extraslim 300 with green decals. I no longer have these and have bought an unfinished kit to fly next (name unknown), you may see it there soon.

 

Seeing as you mentioned it I joined the WestWood Flyers Website, didn't know of it till now!>>

 

Kevin