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Step
1 (and probably
the most important step)
Get in touch with your local model club. Either, ask anyone you see
flying models, ask at the local model shops or look on the BMFA
website for your
local club. Your local club will be able to give you advice on the
models that are suitable for the local conditions. There's no point
buying a heavy slope soaring model if you live miles away from any
hills! (although sea cliff's can make good soaring sites)
Members of the SCSA fly at various times during the week, but probably
the best time to come along as a beginner is on a Sunday morning (please
note that on some Sundays a club competition will be taking place). Look
on the home page of this web site to check the wind direction, and then
come along to the appropriate slope. The club has a number of people who
can help you get started, plus buddy box leads to connect certain types
of radio control sets so that they act in a similar way to dual controls
when learning to drive.
Do not attempt to learn to fly on your own....you'll
just end up crashing every time and get fed up very quickly.
Step
2 - Insurance
It's highly advisable to take out 3rd party insurance before you go out
flying. You can usually do this by joining your local club, or by
joining the BMFA (British
Model Flying Association.
Categories
of model gliders
There are generally (very generally!) 2 categories of gliders.
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Flat field (or
thermal soaring gliders)
These are intended for flying off flat fields and are launched
either by a "bungee" (a great big elastic band) or a
towline (a man or woman running with a long length of fishing line
attached to your model). They tend to be 2 metres or greater in
wingspan. As our club is primarily a slope soaring club that's all
the details you're getting!
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Slope soaring gliders
A slope soaring glider is one which you take to the top of a
suitable hill and chuck it off over the side. The model then
"soars" (flies) in the lift generated by the wind
hitting the hill, then being forced up and over the hill (slope).
Hence the term "slope soaring".
What's the best
model to learn to fly on?
What the best radio
control set to buy and how does it work?
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