Next SEBMFA Ordinary General Meeting

This will take place on Wednesday 25 January at the Angel Centre, Tonbridge starting at 8pm.

Download minutes & reports from Ordinary General Meeting 16 November

Download minutes & reports from Annual General Meeting 16 November

SEBMFA Crawley K2 FF Indoor Meeting 2012

This popular annual Free Flight Indoor Meeting takes place on Sunday 5 February. The venue is the Crawley Leisure Centre called K2. We have the use of the huge main hall from 11am to 6pm, for a mix of competition and fun flying.

For those wanting to take part in the popular Butterfly and Hangar Rat mass launches, models can be obtained on-line from Flitehook in kit or ready built form.

Contact John Dart on 01293 420830 or Johndart17@aol.com

K2 Timetable

  • 11:00 FUN FLY
  • 11:30 HLG & CATAPULT GLIDER PRACTICE
  • 11:45 HLG & CATAPULT GLIDER COMP
  • 12:30 FUNFLY
  • 13:30 EZB, LIVING ROOM STICK & GYMINIE CRICKET COMP
  • 14:45 FUNFLY
  • 15:30 PEANUT & OPEN SCALE COMP
  • 16:40 HANGAR RAT & BUTTERFLY MASS LAUNCHES
  • 17:00 FUNFLY
  • 17:30 PRIZE GIVING & RAFFLE DRAW
  • 18:00 HALL MUST BE CLEAR!!!

    • Richard Crossley's Lockheed L-188A Electra in its "hangar"

    SEADOG - Area Newsletter

    The SEADOG (South East Area Digest of Gen) is distributed to all the Club Secretaries in the SE Area.
    If you would like your own copy sent directly to you, please send your Email address to
    seadogeditor@btconnect.com

    RC Flying at Long Man

    This site, run by East Sussex Soaring Association (ESSA), is open to all BMFA members. It is important to be aware of these flying & conduct rules.

    Southern Area BMFA Website

    Check out www.sabmfa.org.uk for all the flying news from our next door neighbour. There are 64 clubs and associations based in and around the counties of Hampshire, Berkshire and Dorset affiliated to the BMFA through the Southern Area.

     

     

     

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    Towner Trophy for Thermal Soaring

    Keith Miller reports on the Thermal Soaring at Leigh Park Farm held on 2 October.

    This event, which is the oldest of its kind in the UK and possibly the World, is traditionally held in late September, but due to a clash with another BARCS thermal event it was this year held on October 2nd at the excellent Leigh Park Farm site of Tonbridge Radio Flyers. We are most grateful to this club and its members for giving up their Sundays flying so that we were able to run the competition.

    For many years this annual event has been CD?d by Kevin Beale with computerised scoring by Keith Wright. Both these gentlemen have retired since last year's competition and the South East Area BMFA is most grateful to both for their valuable and dedicated work over the years.This year Simon Smith took over the duties of CD and the scoring was carried out manually by Keith Miller.

    In another departure from tradition it was decided this year to organise it on a multi-launch basis in order to include the many electric glider flyers now part of the thermal soaring scene. Indeed, if we were to have only catered for ordinary glider flyers, it would not have been practical to run the event, as out of the 38 entries only 14 were flying pure gliders. The multi-launch system used is operated by ensuring that all the electric gliders are fitted with height limiters and the normal 10 minute slot time is augmented by an extra 30 seconds preparation time.

    With this event always having been run at the end of the Summer and into Autumn, we have over the years experienced most types of weather. However, I don't think we have ever before experienced the mini-heatwave conditions which prevailed on October 2nd. Needless to say the flyers took full advantage with most of the slots being flown out, which with 4 rounds and a fly-off made it a fairly long day. The fly-off was mainly composed of electric flyers but it was nice to see that the final winner, well known Crawley club member Colin Paddon, was flying an ordinary glider, that?s if you call a top of the range "Shadow" all moulded model ordinary!

    The 2 round fly-off results
    		   
    total
    1
    		 Colin Paddon Open Glider
    941
    1000
    1941
    2
    		 Phil Ramsey Open Electric
    1000
    884
    1884
    3
    		 Alan Twine Open Electric
    949
    891
    1840
    4
    		 Derek Collings Open Electric
    901
    765
    1666
    5
    		 Keith Fisher Open Electric
    849
    709
    1558
    6
    		 Jason Burns Open Electric
    772
    617
    1389

    Keith Miller

    SEBMFA Scale Day 2011 report

    Keith Miller reports on the scale event at the Hastings MFG field held on 31 July.

    Results and photos


    Mike Donnelly's winning Corsair

    Model Flying on Ashdown Forest

    The Ashdown Forest in West Sussex is perhaps the only venue suitable for running free flight competitions in the South East (unless you know differently) and for very many years the South East Area of the BMFA has paid a not inconsiderable sum to the Forest Conservators for an annual licence to run these events. In addition the Area was able to include in the licence the general flying of free flight models and also radio controlled gliders by BMFA members only. The only other restrictions related to the flying times and locations to be used.

    Two glider flyers enjoy the open spaces of Ashdown Forest

    This arrangement has worked very well over the years, but just recently the Conservators have received a number of complaints both from walkers and horse riders regarding the behaviour of model flyers on the Forest. For example, one lady called to report that she and her small daughter were verbally abused by two flyers after she had gone to talk to them after seeing them deliberately flying low towards and over horse riders. A Forest ranger went to investigate but the flyers had gone when he arrived.

    Sadly, this is not an uncommon complaint and the Area has been informed that if there are any further incidents, the police will be called in and the Conservators will have to look again at model flying over the Forest

    The South East Area is happy after investigation that the incident mentioned is not connected with the free flight competition element and that the culprits were probably R/C glider/electric flyers. They may not even have been BMFA members but were obviously unaware of their duty to fly safely with due consideration for others.

    Action is being taken to acquaint South East Area members of the position but in case anyone from other BMFA areas wish to fly on Ashdown Forest they are asked to ascertain details of the licence requirements either from our Free Flight Competition Secretary, Gary Oulds, by telephone on 01293 511872 or the undersigned on 01892 534974. It is imperative that anyone flying on the Forest carries with them their BMFA membership cards and be prepared to show them to Forest staff or members of the Public if they are asked. Ashdown Forest is an area of outstanding natural beauty which has national and international protection because of its wildlife and as such is a highly sensitive location. If we were to lose the site for model flying it would be a great blow to aeromodelling in general and would almost certainly end competition free flight in the South East. Please help us to prevent this happening

    Keith Miller