I’m conscious that I do not get enough airtime in at the moment so have contacted the local fixed wing flying club & to my surprise they are happy to accept drone members subject to a few conditions (they are not flying currently but will be restarting soon). The local club have an area where they fly several days a week
It seems a good way of getting extra hours flying in an ad hoc way Without having to worry about location, rules, irate locals etc etc etc.
I think a local model flying club is a great way to go. I’ve been a member of the North Leeds Model Flying Club for the last six years. When I joined I was the only one who flew multirotors. To allow me to fly unaccompanied I had to pass a proficiency test with a regular RC Plane, and now I fly 3D and sport fixed wing models. My conversion has had a reciprocal effect on the other members as many are now flying FPV Mini quads.
Rules and fees are part and parcel of any club. In the case of a model flying club the rules, for 99% of the time, pertain to safety, one of the reasons that up until recently flying models had an excellent safety record. I can’t speak for every club but it’s not uncommon for quite a few of us to fly 1/3scale or larger being pulled along by 120cc V-Twin and large prop at the front so, you can imagine we take safety and proficiency very seriously.
Fee’s. Most flying clubs are merely tenants so there’s usually rent, and this can be quite a sizeable chunk of money when land is at a premium. Also maintenance of the strip, in our case a grass strip with two runways, large enough to accommodate large scale prop’d and jet models, which needs to be cut, sometimes twice a week during the summer months. Then add to this car parking, a designated pit area, club house, and the associated administration, one would wonder if we actually had time to fly.
However the cost and the rules are insignificant compared to the social aspect and the wealth of experience within the membership, and the entertainment when someone has an unscheduled landing.
If it’s the same as our club we don’t usually allow heli’s or multirotors to fly at the same time as fixed wing models. Sometimes an exception can be made, say when someone wants some aerial footage of his plane.
My nearest aero club charge well over a hundred quid a year for membership.
Needless to say, I’m not a member.
As you say @Nidge naturally they’ve have some serious overheads and of course I understand that, but I’d simply not get £100+ quids worth of use out of it.
Yeah I see what you mean. Fees and rules do have thier place.
My background in RC is mostly gliders, slope soarers, so club membership has never really been needed. Just a good slope that faces the wind.
I lived in Scotland from 99-2008 so I had the pick of the best hills around, from mountain ridges to perfect sea cliffs.
I do like the idea of getting to see ll the different models and aircraft and skilled pilots, but I find social stuff very wearing as I am a High Functioning Autistic. I can piss someone off in an instant and not even realise untill about five years later as I rewind my filmographic memory. lol
