Basingstoke Model Aero Club

Looks like some sunshine is finally on it’s way (he says keeping his fingers well and truly crossed), so lets make the most of it.

The committee has noticed at the field recently that there are a few members/pilots without BMFA A-certifications, who are looking ready to take their tests. Most of you are probably already well aware, that the A-cert is part of the BMFA achievement scheme which gives you many benefits, probably the best of which is being able to fly unsupervised at the flight line and a bit more freedom as I’m sure you can appreciate.

Below are some links to some guides for passing your A-certification, either fixed wing or helicopter, but in simple terms there are a couple of aspects to the test. Basic flying ability and safety knowledge based on the “BMFA Handbook” and our own “Club Rules”.

BMFA Handbook - If you didn’t get one when first joining the BMFA or have lost it, you can download one here: (NB: There are also amendments here)

http://www.bmfa.org/handbook/

BMAC rules and regulations:

http://www.bmacuk.co.uk/?page_id=14

BMFA guide to the Fixed Wing A-certification:

http://www.bmfa.org/achievement/files/Fw-A-Issue5.pdf

BMFA guide to the Helicopter A-certification:

http://www.bmfa.org/achievement/files/Hel-A-Issue5.pdf

NB: PLEASE NOTE WITH THE ABOVE GUIDES, THAT AMMENDMENTS MAY HAVE BEEN MADE SINCE THESE DOCUMENTS WERE FIRST WRITTEN.

If you feel you are ready or have any more questions about taking an A-cert test, please contact any committee member and we’ll put you in touch with one of the many examiners in the club, who are usually very flexible and willing to help.

Don’t worry if you don’t feel ready, there’s still plenty of us around willing to help you learn whenever we can, so don’t be afraid to just ask. There is also another club training day booked for Saturday the 14th August, but don’t just wait for then, as there are people around most weekends that can help like I say.

Hope to see you at the field soon.

For those of you who haven’t noticed (This message has been here since February) the members area has been moved, and can now be found hidden within the depths of the Forum.

Once on the forum you need to login, (and be a full paid up member) for the members areas to be visible. All the information previously contained on the members page here has been transferred.

We feel that this change makes the members page more accessible and has the added bonus of being more secure and easier to maintain.

ALL Login’s to this page are now invalid as they are not needed, there is no benefit to logging in.

BMAC Committee 2010

I hope all of you got all the lovely goodies that you asked Santa for.

A few notices, the website has been updated, and the contact form on the contacts page now works properly.

Lets all make this year a good one, with good weather (please) and great flying, and above all lots of fun.

Happy New Year everyone,

The BMAC Committee.

Hi all,

Some of you may have notice a strange email in your inbox saying you’ve been added to a mailing list and to click a link to authorise it.

I just wanted to reassure you that it was the BMAC that has set this up and that it is safe.

The reason for this is so that the BMAC can very occasionally send out important information regarding the club, eg. a reminder for the AGM etc.

Obviously if you decide not to click the link and allow the it to be authorised, you wont be added to the list and you wont receive any emails from us.

Thanks and apologies for doing this unannounced.

BMAC Committee 2009

Just wanted to ‘blow my own trumpet’ and let you know about all the hard work that has been going on in the background keeping the website up to date and shiny.

• ‘Roys RCTV’ and ‘Robs slope soaring guide’ have links in the Media section on the right to make them easier to access.
• The site maps have been updated, you know the ones that show where the flying field and club meetings are. They are now provided by GoogleMaps and are fully controllable, you can zoom and move them about, and change them from satellite to standard map views if you want to.
• I’ve added some maps to Robs sloping guide, the little pin shows the actual points that we fly from, you will still need to zoom and scroll them about to find out how to get to the sites (and use Robs directions), but hey, you can’t have it all !
• The Events calendar on the right has been added, click on the event to get more info, the list shows events up to three months ahead at the moment, and currently contains all the club meetings for the year plus a couple of invites from other clubs, keep an eye on it as more events are due to be added soon.
• I’ve now got some statistics software running in the background of the site so I can see how many visits we get, January saw 587 visitors and 3037 pages viewed.
• Loads more things have been added and updated in the background to keep the site running smoothly, barely a day goes by without an update of one kind or another.

Lastly, if anyone has any suggestions for the site, you can contact me via the webmaster email address.

Richard (our safety officer) has recently posted a very interesting article on the forum regarding the safe use of model fuels at the flying field.

It’s well worth a look, in fact i’d recommend everyone gives it a read.

The post can be found here.

Update

Ripmax have now issued an official statement, it can be found here.

Hi, it appears that there may be a problem with a few 2.4Ghz Futaba transmitters, it seems that they are all supposed to have a unique id code programmed into them which is matched with a receiver when it is bound to the transmitter, it would appear that a small batch of transmitters have had the programming stage missed during manufacture and hence they all have the same id code, this means that more than one transmitter can control the same receiver, and the consequences are there will be an accident, similar to that with a 35Mhz frequency clash.

There have been a few reported cases in the US, but seems like more in the UK. Ripmax are looking into it.

Don’t be put off, you can still use your transmitter, you just need to check with every other Futaba 2.4Ghz system that is at the field to make sure that they are not affected.

The procedure for checking has been posted on the RCUniverse forums, and i’ve posted a copy here . . . Read the rest of this entry »

A very happy New Year to you all.

Just a quick note to inform you all that the code for the gate and container locks at the field have now been changed, everyone who has renewed their membership will have been informed of the new codes.

Those of you who have not renewed will be unable to log into the members area as of the end of this week (the new gate codes will not be posted until this has happened), anyone who then subsequently renews their membership will have their login reinstated as soon as confirmation from the treasurer has been received.

The noise test results page has been updated, you can view it here.

The info for beginners has been updated to include a recommended trainer aircraft, see it here.

The regulations have been updated, specifically section 1n, which can be viewed here.

Ever wondered how to trim your model correctly ? well wonder no more, for this document explains all about how to do it properly.

It was produced by the Great Britain R/C Aerobatic Association who have a great website, check it out.