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This
applies anywhere in the country but in this area, we are happy to advise
newcomers and to teach them. If you join the Forest Radio Model Club,
we will set up your model and do our best to see that you make progress
in this most rewarding and challenging hobby.
Please
refer to the contact page if you wish to get in touch, or to pay us a
visit please refer to the map page.
Frequently
Asked Questions
Q)
Do I need to be insured to fly a model aeroplane?
A)
You would be very in-prudent to fly anywhere without insurance. Everyone
who flys at our site must be insured and 3rd party liability insurance
is arranged through the British Model Flying Association for everyone
who joins our club. For details and FAQs relating to the BMFA insurance
scheme follow this link: BMFA
Insurance.
Q)
Is there a compulsary test to pass like a driving test?
A)
No. The BMFA operates a test and certification scheme but this is voluntary
unless you wish to perform as a display pilot. Please refer to the BMFA
website for full details. With regard to our club, we do not allow novice
fliers to fly solo until we judge that they are competent to do so safely.
We have a very informal assessment procedure when a novice is ready to
go solo which involves observation by the designated official of a complete
flight including start-up, take-off, a simple left hand circuit, right
hand circuit and a landing.
In
the event that you wish to progress through the BMFA certification scheme,
we have two qualified examiners in the club who can deal with your requirements.
Q)
What is a good first model aeroplane to buy?
A)
Many people who come to this hobby want to fly a Spitfire, a fast jet
or a scale masterpiece. Naturally, people are attracted to the more glamourous
models available. Unfortunately, these are almost always the hardest models
to fly, the least forgiving of any abuse and often the most expensive.
We
cannot stress strongly enough that newcomers to the hobby should take a
sensible approach and start off with a competent trainer. There are
very few poor models on the market these days, but in our experience
newcomers never regret buying either the Thunder Tiger trainer, the
Ripmax trainer, the Chris Foss Wot trainer (ARTF version) or the
Seagull Arising Star. There are various sizes for some of these
trainers and we recommend the 40 size version in each case.
All
of these trainers are Almost Ready To Fly (ARTF). Not so many years ago,
people had to build their models and cover them but few people do so these
days. An ARTF model is one where all of the hard work is done for you.
The body and wings are built and covered. All you have to do is glue the
various finished assemblies together, fit the engine and radio and you're
ready to fly. You can expect most ARTF models to take a week of evenings
to complete.
Q)
Which aeroplane engine should I buy?
A)
Assuming you are considering one of the above aeroplanes, all state an
engine size range of around 0.40 to 0.46. The sizes refer to the imperial
measurement system of cubic inches, a 40 size engine being 0.40 of a cubic
inch in swept cylinder volume (roughly 6.5cc). We would always recommend
an engine at the higher end of the scale rather than the lower end as
you can always throttle back, but you can't easily solve the problem of
an under-powered model.
With
regard to the brand of engine, there is little doubt that O.S engines are the cream of the
crop, but you will pay at least twice as much for one as an equivalent
S.C or A.S.P engine that will give perfectly good service.
Alternatively, electric power is a viable option, but you will need to take good advice on a suitable power system.
Q)
What is a good first model helicopter to buy?
A)
Helicopters are more challenging to master than aeroplanes, but with good
tuition there is no reason why you should break a helicopter at all. Nevertheless,
a helicopter contains many more moving parts than an aeroplane and is
a much higher maintenance machine. With this in mind, a good model helicopter
to learn on is one with readily available parts.
In
common with aeroplanes, newcomers to the hobby should take a sensible
approach and start off with a competent trainer rather than a complex
scale model. In our experience newcomers never regret buying either the
Thunder Tiger Raptor 30 or the Hirobo Sceadu 30. If your budget will stretch,
it may pay you to go for the 50 size model in each case because 50 size
models can be set up to fly like 30 size models, but they will have the
potential to allow you to progress in the future without having to upgrade
the model. All that requires changing is the set up to unleash the extra
power.
Q)
Which helicopter engine should I buy?
A)
Both of the above helicopters can take a range of engines. Again, we would
recommend more power rather than less because it will give you more flexibility
in the future as the machine will have a lot more capability to perform
aerobatic stunts.
With
regard to the brand of engine, a helicopter is rather more dependent on
a quality power plant than an aeroplane. A good engine can make a helicopter
tame, a poor engine will turn it into an animal. With this in mind, we
recommend nothing other than O.S or Y.S engines for helicopters.
Q)
What about electric flight?
A)
The hobby has been revolutionised in recent years by the concurrent
innovations in battery and motor technology. The market has been
deluged with brushless motors of incredible power and efficiency, in
conjunction with lightweight Lithium Polymer batteries (LiPo) providing
excellent power and duration. Any model that previously could only be
powered by an internal combustion engine can now be powered
electrically and with even higher performance. The ever increasing
number of suppliers has also led to electric power systems becoming as
affordable as I.C engine systems.
In
terms of training aeroplanes, you can power any of the trainers listed
above with electric power trains. In terms of training helicopters,
there are deals available but we would recommend against trying to
learn to fly with any of the 400 size models such as the T-Rex 450 or
Belt-CP type. They are marvels of technology and highly capable
machines for an experienced pilot, but from a novice's point of view
they are twitchy, fiddly to repair, hard to see, unforgiving in the
wind and less durable due to the smaller components.
For
further advice on electric powered aircraft, please refer to the links page.
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Q)
Which radio should I buy?
A)
You can spend an awful lot of money on radio gear for bells and whistles
that you will never use. A good budget set of radio gear will allow you
to progress a long way in the hobby before you would ever need to upgrade
to something more capable.
We
would recommend that you buy either Futaba, Spektrum or J.R radio gear because most
of the instructors in the club use these brands and will therefore be
able to connect their transmitter to yours for instruction. This is called
the buddy-box system and we do not teach by any other method as it is
by far the safest method of teaching.
A
computer based transmitter is a sensible investment and the Spektrum
DX6i represents excellent value for money, as does the Futaba 6EX. We
would recommend these as good entry level sets, but if your budget will
stretch, it may be better in the long term to step up a level to the
Spektrum DX7 or Futaba FF7.
In the U.K. we are legally allowed to use radio gear transmitting on the
27 MHz , 35 MHz and 2.4 GHz frequency bands for the control of model aircraft.
The
27 MHz band is not regarded as a safe band, because ground based models
such as cars and boats also use it and so only very small, cheap and lightweight
park fly type models use 27 MHz radio gear.
There
can be little argument that radio gear on the 2.4 GHz band is the best
type to buy. It has a number of advantages over 27 MHz and 35 MHz
radio. For more information please click HERE.
We recommend that you buy 2.4 GHz radio gear.
Q)
What do the frequency numbers mean?
A) When you buy a set of 35 MHz radio gear, it will often come with
crystals (small plug in units that set the radio frequency of the
transmitter and receiver - note that 2.4 GHz gear does not require the
use of crystals). The crystals are usually marked with a number between
55 and 90 and the following chart shows what these numbers refer to:
Frequency
chart
For
example, if your crystals are marked 70, they are broadcasting and receiving
at 35.100 MHz.
The
reason this is important is that two models on the same frequency cannot
fly at the same time. We use a peg-board system to ensure that people
do not accidentally switch on at the same time as someone else on the
same frequency. We also generally try to avoid flying at the same time
as someone on an adjacent fequency as there is sometimes a little interference
between such close frequencies. Also, the Forest Radio Model Club operates
a policy whereby newcomers are asked to buy crystals on a spare channel
so as not to inconvenience established flyers who already have a frequency.
Sometimes members have to share a frequency but we try to avoid it as
much as possible.
Q)
Which gyro should I buy?
A)
Don't be fooled into buying the most expensive gyro you can. A novice
does not need a £300.00 competition level gyro because many of it's
features will go unused and it can actually hinder mastery of the yaw
control. A basic solid state gyro under £80.00 with a reasonably
fast servo will be more than adequate for a first helicopter.
Q)
Do I need a governor?
A)
Not unless you are flying harsh 3D maneuvers. A governor is just another
added complexity to a novice.
Q)
Should I buy new or second hand gear?
A)
If your budget will stretch, we would advise you to buy new products.
As with any products, there is risk involved in buying secondhand items.
There are some bargains to be had, but there are also many unscrupulous
sellers around. Generally, damage to aeroplanes is visible under close
scrutiny. Even good repairs tend to show up under the covering or inside
the model. Damage to helicopters is much harder to spot. For example a
main shaft or feathering spindle which has been bent in a crash will not
be visible to the naked eye, but the helicopter will vibrate dangerously
when flown in this condition. When buying second hand models, try and
get the seller to demonstrate the model. If you can see it flying safely,
you at least know that it is a runner and not completely defective.
With
radio gear in particular, it would probably be best to avoid second hand
items unless you know the seller and know the history of the item. To
most modellers, radio gear is a series of mysterious black boxes. You
cannot see what is inside them and you cannot see if there is crash damage
inside the casings. Defective radio gear can even appear to work perfectly
well on the ground but once in the air with vibration from the engine
and some distance away from the transmitter it can all go horribly wrong.
Buyer beware!
Q)
Should I buy a simulator?
A)
Yes. In simple terms, a simulator is an advanced computer game which is
controlled from a radio transmitter thereby replicating the feel and behaviour
of a model aircraft. A simulator is probably less beneficial to a novice
aeroplane flyer than a novice helicopter flyer. For a novice helicopter
flyer it is strongly recommended that you buy a simulator because helicopters
require the constant co-ordination of four controls at the same time.
Most of the current simulators like Phoenix, Realflight and Reflex XTR are particularly
good at simulating a realistic hovering helicopter and they definitely
help accelerate the learning of four control co-ordination.
Novice
aeroplane flyers can get away with co-ordinating two controls for most
of a flight and so a simulator is of less use than actually going to a
club and flying on a buddy lead where the instructor can stop you getting
into trouble. Simulators are of considerable use to more advanced aeroplane
pilots who want to try aerobatic maneouvres on a simulator before trying
them for real.
Simulators
are a great idea if you have a powerful enough PC to run them. In our
experience, the minimum system requirements given for some of the simulators
are rather optimistic. If the computer cannot cope with the simulator
it will at best fail to give a realistic feel and at worst not run at
all. Also, beware of buying a simulator if you intend to run it on a laptop
or PC with an integrated graphics chip on the motherboard because some
simulators do not support the use of shared system memory used by these
chips.
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