So You Want To Fly


Dave Restell

I joined Bretons around a year ago to learn to fly RC fixed wing aircraft and have been asked to write about the process of learning to fly at
Bretons Model Flying Club.

I had built and flown a rubber powered model aircraft when I was boy some 50 years ago now with a bit more time on my hands decided to learn to
fly radio controlled aircrafts.

After a bit of reading and asking a few questions the best piece of advice that I got to ensure success was to join a club. It did seem a bit daunting being a newbie when some of the guys have been flying for many years.

I got in touch with our secretary asking if I could visit and was welcomed with a "Just come over when it’s not too windy and not raining". I did visit Bretons Model Flying Club a few times and was made most welcome and joined a few weeks later.

If you thinking of visiting the local clubs in your area. It may be good to ask first just in case there is anything you need to know like parking, locked gates, fields full of raging bulls etc. The answer will always be no problem come along.

At Bretons Model Flying Club being on a local authority ground there are no problems for visitors as there is a free car park that is a short walk from our flying area.

You can just pop over any afternoon just for a look or ask any questions you will be more than welcome and you can also bring you kids if they would like to see the airplanes flying but obviously you need to ensure they stay in a safe area which you will be advised of by any of the club members and supervised at all times.



Hopefully you will be able to meet some of our instructors for a chat as you will be spending a lot of time with them in the coming months.
Try to find when they normally fly, as all instruction is free you will need to fit into their schedule and not forgetting they will want to fly their own planes.
Ask as many questions as you like it’s all free the guys just love talking about their hobby.

When visiting airfields try to find out what they fly, when they fly, look at size of airfield are there trees to hit or ponds or rivers to land in?
Any of the members at Bretons Model Flying Club will advise you of any hazards that you would need to be aware of.
Big sites are best when learning to fly, we are lucky at Bretons Model Flying Club as we have an enormous space but with a dedicated landing and take-off area and pit area.

For all members to our club the training is free and all the BMFA membership and certification is included in the membership fee.



Training is given with our very experienced team of enthusiastic flying instructors.

With years of experience they are very willing to teach you to fly. Some of the instructors are over the airfield during the week and others are around weekends and holidays this gives your training as much flexibility as possible.

Bretons Model Flying Club is an affiliated club of the British Model Flying Association (BMFA) so all the training given meets there very high standard with recognised Certificates issued when you reach the (BMFA) standard. With membership also comes third party insurance that covers you to fly anywhere in the world.

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