bfma handbook2009

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British Model Flying

Association

Members Handbook

2009 Website Edition


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British Model Flying Association

Members Handbook2009 Website Issue

This 2009 website issue of the BMFA Members Handbook is the latest version ofthe 2007 Handbook, complete with all additions and corrections set out in the threeaddendum sheets that have been published, No.1 in 2007, No.2 in 2008 and No.3in 2009.

The BMFA is constantly reviewing its advice to model flyers and it regularly advisesthe Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) on model flying matters. Extracts from the latestCAA issue of CAP 658 (2007) are incorporated into this book for your information.

Instead of the usual sidebars, all new or corrected text throughout the book isdisplayed in red;

like this.

The Members Handbook is an active document that is constantly kept under reviewand we are very happy to receive input from anyone concerned about model flyingmatters.

In fact, we know that many of you will recognise new sections or paragraphs oralterations to existing paragraphs that cover matters that you have brought to ourattention over the past few years.

We would encourage anyone with comments on the Handbook or with ideas fornew or changed items to contact the Technical Secretary via the BMFA Leicesteroffice.

Words of masculine gender should be taken to include the feminine gender unlessthe context indicates otherwise.

British Model Flying Association

(SMAE Ltd)

Chacksfield House, 31 St Andrews Road, Leicester, LE2 8RE

Telephone 0116 244 0028 Fax 0116 244 0645

e-mail [email protected] Website www.bmfa.org

2009 Website Issue 1
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]


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Spread Spectrum Equipment .......................... 26

Frequency Allocation at Club Sites ................. 26

Interference ......................................................... 27

Individual Cases .............................................. 27

Club Cases...................................................... 29

General Model Safety......................................... 28

Hazardous Materials ....................................... 29A Safer Flying Field S.W.E.E.T.S................. 29

Radio Control Flying Safety............................. 30

Pre and Post Flight Checks........................ 31

S.M.A.R.T................................................... 31

Safety Advice for Specific Model Types........... 31

Almost Ready To Fly Models .......................... 31

Ultralight R/C Models....................................... 32

Helicopters....................................................... 32

Helicopter Rotor Blade Safety.................... 33

R/C Silent Flight............................................... 33Thermal Soaring......................................... 34

Slope Soaring............................................. 34

Electroflight................................................. 34

Batteries ................................................ 35

Ni-Cd Batteries................................ 35

Ni-MH Batteries................................ 35

Lithium Polymer Batteries ................ 36

Other Lithium Based Batteries......... 36

Li-Po Basics ..................................... 36

Control Line ..................................................... 37

Free Flight ....................................................... 38

Indoor Free Flight ............................................ 38

Indoor Radio Control ....................................... 38

Models Between 7 kg and 20 kg ..................... 38

Power Fixed Wing ...................................... 39

Helicopters.................................................. 39

Gliders, Slope and Thermal........................ 39

Flying Sites for Models over 7 kg............... 40

CAP 658 Says ............................................ 40

Models Over 20 kg .......................................... 40

Space Models.................................................. 40

Up to G Motors .................................... 40

H to M Motors..................................... 41

Space Modelling Specialist Bodies ....... 41

Gas Turbines................................................... 41

General.................................................. 41

Before Starting ...................................... 41

Starting.................................................. 41

Shutdown .............................................. 42

Flight Safety .......................................... 42

BMFA Safety Code for Model

Flying Displays....................................................42

General ..........................................................42

Organisers and Organisation...........................43

Site Assessment ..............................................43

The BMFA Site Assessment Service..........43

Planning and Conduct of Displays...................44Toffee Bombers................................................45

The BMFA Display Pilots Logbook.......................45

Mandatory Occurrence Reporting.....................46

Advice on Mandatory Occurrence reporting ....46

The Radio Control Achievement Schemes.......48

General Information .........................................48

National Standards Information .......................48

The Scheme Controllers ..................................48

The Area Co-ordinators ..................................48

Area Chief Examiners......................................48Club Examiners................................................49

Scheme Administration....................................51

Penalties and Re-Tests....................................51

Equivalent Qualifications..................................52

Competition Entry .......................................52

Badges ..........................................................52

The Test Questions..........................................52

The Fixed Wing A and B Certificates............53

The C Certificate (Aerobatics)........................54

The Helicopter A and B Certificates.................55

Silent Flight Thermal A and B Certificates .......57

Silent Flight Slope A and B Certificates........58

Silent Flight Electric A and B Certificates .....59

Silent Flight Personal Achievements ...............61

Thermal Soaring ........................................61

Slope Soaring .............................................62

The Radio Control Instructor Scheme.............63

The Up and Away Training Manuals................63

Registered Club Instructors .............................63

BMFA Approved Instructors.............................64

BMFA Qualified Instructors..............................64

Area Chief Instructors ......................................64

Selection of Instructors ....................................64

Withdrawal of Qualification and Re-Tests........65

Introduction to the DoE Noise Code .................65

The Department of the Environment

Code of Practice for Minimising Noise from

Model Aircraft ......................................................66

Noise Measurement - Fixed Wing .................69

General Advice on the Noise Test.....................69

Noise Measurement - Helicopters .................69

Noise and Gas Turbines ..................................70



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Radio Control Technical Information ............... 70

Radio Control Frequencies.............................. 70

Frequency Bands Overview ............................ 72

R/C Equipment Type Approval........................ 72

Synthesised Frequency Equipment................. 73

Grey Imports.................................................... 73

Airborne Telemetry.......................................... 74BMFA Council of Management.......................... 74

Elected Officers ............................................... 74

Area Delegates................................................ 74

Co-opted Members ......................................... 74

Visitors ......................................................... 74

BMFA Council Sub-Committees ....................... 77

Areas Council .................................................. 75

Technical Council ............................................ 75

Executive Committee....................................... 75

Proposals to Council........................................ 75General Regulations and Contest

Rules (Part 1)....................................................... 76

Airborne Telemetry.......................................... 78

UKRCC ......................................................... 78

Failsafes ......................................................... 78

Safety ..............................................................

79

The BMFA Competition Rule Books................. 79

The FAI Sporting Code......................................... 80

Directory of Publications................................... 80

Address and Contacts Directory........................... 81

AN INTRODUCTION TO THE BRITISHMODEL FLYING ASSOCIATION

Welcome to the British Model Flying Association(BMFA) which, as the Society of Model AeronauticalEngineers (SMAE), was established in 1922 as thenational body for model flying.

In its eighty five years, the Association has built up afund of knowledge, experience and hasaccumulated benefits for its members which add upto an unbeatable membership package for you.

The BMFA is a non-profit making association ofmodel flying clubs and individuals who agree to jointogether and pool resources for the benefit of all.

It is controlled by its Annual General Meeting and itis administered by a Council of Managementelected from its members.

Model flying in the UK is under increasing pressurefrom legislative and environmental bodies and the

BMFA, the world's oldest model flying body, isinvolved in ever increasing fields of activity toprotect model flying on your behalf.

Much of the BMFAs time and resources are takenup in working with government bodies, localauthorities and other organisations in order tosafeguard your model flying interests. As well asthese efforts at national and local level, the BMFAalso spends much time promoting and encouragingall facets of model flying.

The Chief Executive, Development Officer,Membership Secretary and other BMFA staff workfrom the permanent office in Leicester and are thereto further the running of the Association. They cananswer most of your queries or put you in touchdirectly with BMFA officers when necessary.

Both staff and voluntary officers are always pleasedto hear from members and to help where they can.

Please read this booklet carefully and familiariseyourself with its contents as it will help you gain themaximum benefits from your membership of theAssociation.

THE SOCIETY OF MODEL

AERONAUTICAL ENGINEERS

The SMAE was originally set up in 1922 and itsrecognition by the Royal Aero Club dates from thenbut its roots can be traced back to 1909.

In that year the Kite Flying Association was formedand, shortly after an exhibition at Olympia wheremodel aircraft were shown, its name was changedto the Kite and Model Aircraft Association. In 1921this association was replaced by the LondonAeromodellers Association which, a year later,changed its name to the Society of Model

Aeronautical Engineers.



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Many British aviation pioneers have been SMAEmembers including Sir Frank Whittle, Sir ThomasSopwith and Sir Alliot Verdon Roe, founder of Avro.

Since 1948 the Society of Model AeronauticalEngineers has been a Company Limited byGuarantee, as are most governing bodies of sport inthe UK.

The SMAE and BMFA

In 1987 the Annual General Meeting of the Societyof Model Aeronautical Engineers (SMAE) voted toadopt a working title, the BRITISH MODEL FLYINGASSOCIATION.

The SMAE still exists as the parent body and its titleis still used on all legal documents and for manyfunctions of the Society controlled by the Articles ofAssociation.

Throughout this handbook both titles will be used

where appropriate, BMFA in most cases but SMAEwhere a reference has implications as noted above.

The title BMFA should be used by any member clubor individual.

We know that you will find the use of the BMFA titleextremely useful when dealing with outside bodiesand people who are not model flyers. Having a titlethat says exactly who you are and what you domeans that you have far more time to explain tothem what you really want before they lose interest.

BMFA Affiliated Clubs are encouraged to use the

BMFA logo and the words Affiliated to the BMFA(or similar) on letterheads and other club stationery.

The Associations Objectives

It would be appropriate to list a few items from theSMAEs original 1948 Memorandum of Association(see Directory of Publications), which still applies tothe BMFA and which explains its aims.

The main objectives are;

The promotion, protection, organisation andencouragement of model aircraft building, flying anddevelopment, in all its aspects in the United

Kingdom, through the medium of clubs andindividual members; assistance and guidance tomodel aircraft clubs or individuals; collaborationbetween members of the Society; and co-operationon behalf of members of the Society with the CivilAviation Authority or other government departmentsand any other bodies and organisations in theUnited Kingdom and overseas.

To produce, collect and distribute information inconnection with model aircraft or the model aircraftmovement on such terms as Council shall think fit.

To encourage and support research in modelaircraft design, theory and construction.

To control and record model aircraft performancewithin the areas under the jurisdiction of the RoyalAero Club.

To act as promoters of National and Internationalmodel aircraft meetings, contests and exhibitions;as publishers, stationers and booksellers, generaltraders, dealers agents and manufacturers, bothwholesale and retail, of any articles of anydescription which may assist the development ofmodel aviation.

To establish and support, financially or otherwise, oraid in the establishment and support of anyeducational scheme or establishment with benefit tothe model aircraft movement.

The colours of the SMAE are Silver and Blue.

Our motto is

UNITED WE ACHIEVE

It's Your AssociationEvery single member of the Association counts andhas the full back-up of the organisation but to gainthe full benefit from your BMFA membership it isimportant that you belong to a BMFA affiliated club.

As a club member you can have your opinion madeknown at any of the many regional meetings thatare held regularly by the BMFA Areas.

As a member of an affiliated club your vote can alsobe used by your club delegate to influence decisionstaken at General Meetings of the Society on suchsubjects as policy and finance.

BMFA Areas

The country is divided into thirteen geographicAreas plus the Royal Air Force Model AircraftAssociation (RAFMAA) who also act as an Area.Every club in an Area is automatically a member oftheir Area Committee and the officers of the AreaCommittee are elected from the club delegates whoattend the Area meetings.

At any Area meeting your representative can hearthe viewpoint of those elected Area officers and therepresentatives of other clubs as well as expressing

your own club's opinion.

The Area Committee can be a powerful influence forthe benefit of model flying, both locally andnationally particularly as one member of each of thefourteen Area Committees has a seat on Council.These Delegates also attend their own Areasmeetings, of course, and are the link between theArea and Council through which information canflow; yet another reason for your club to send arepresentative to attend Area meetings.

In addition, two delegates from your Area (usuallythe Area Chairman and the Council Delegate) will

represent you at Areas Council, a powerful sub-committee of the BMFA Council of Management.Area Council has direct responsibility for many vital



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aspects of BMFA operations including all theAchievement Schemes.

If your club is not making its presence felt at Arealevel, why dont you consider becoming itsrepresentative? Details of Area meetings are sentout to each club by the Area or information can beobtained from the Association's Leicester Office. Itsyour Association and any member can influence itsactions and attitudes through the Area structure.

BMFA Back-up

Whatever your particular model flying interest youwill find that the BMFA has been working on yourbehalf for many years.

If you fly radio controlled aircraft the Association hasalready been of help to you, possibly even beforeyou knew it existed. The BMFA, for example, playeda large part in obtaining the frequencies youcurrently fly on and it is still working actively toprotect and extend them.

Recent successes have been the increase in theallocation of model flying frequencies in the UK withten new 35 MHz channels and the BMFA led EECdirective setting up a pan-European 35 MHz band of23 channels (60 to 82) devoted to model flying thathas come into force, making Europe one of thelargest world markets for model flying R/Cequipment. Both of these very significant events forUK model flyers would not have happened withoutdedicated work by BMFA officers.

Wherever and whatever you fly, BMFA expertisecan help you liaise and negotiate with local councils,

government agencies and other public and privatelandowners so that you can have the best andsafest possible model flying facilities.

To protect your interests the BMFA has adopted arobust attitude towards those who act unreasonablyto restrict the facilities we all need for safe modelflying. To this end the BMFA is an active and vocalmember of the Central Council for PhysicalRecreation (CCPR) and many Areas and clubs haverepresentatives involved with regional and localsports organisations.

As the membership of the BMFA grows its influencewith such bodies increases. However, the nationalvoice of model flying would be much stronger if allmodel flyers joined the BMFA instead of trying tosolve their problems in isolation. As a member, youcan help by encouraging fellow flyers to join theAssociation. There is no question that, when BMFAis in negotiations on your behalf, numbers areextremely important.

BMFA is especially useful to the ninety percent ofthe membership who dont take part in our sport ascompetitors. The major part of the BMFAs workconsists of keeping you and your clubs in touch with

model flying locally and nationally and, mostimportantly, being there with help and unbiasedadvice whatever model flying problems arise.

The full time staff of the BMFA make a verysignificant contribution to the work done by theBMFA at both area and national level but, inaddition, a great deal is done entirely voluntarily bymodel flyers like you. This applies whether the workis of general benefit (publicity, local and nationalgovernment liaison etc.) or more specialised (suchas the various Technical Committees).

Responsible Flying and Relations with theGeneral Public

It is important to remember that although ourchosen sport is one of the larger of the minoritysporting activities, we are still vulnerable to thenegative aspects of public opinion.

The BMFA spends considerable time and effortcreating the best possible public impression ofmodel flying but all this work can easily be wasted ifyou fly in a thoughtless manner.

Your enjoyment of model flying, now and in the

future, depends on developing and displaying ahighly conscious safety first attitude towards yourequipment and the flying site you use. The bestpublicity the sport can receive is through youractions and your responsible and safe attitude toflying at all times.

There is no place in model flying for those who donot consider other people's safety; nor is there aplace for those who are inconsiderate about noise.

One persons thoughtless actions can jeopardisethe enjoyment and pleasure of those many otherswho adopt a responsible approach. Considerateand careful model flying must always be our aim.

Clubs and members enjoy the benefits of flying frommany varied sites throughout the UK. Everyoneshould remember that it is a common courtesy tomake sure that they have the landownerspermission before flying on any site.

The Contest Scene

The BMFA organises numerous contests at venuesall over Britain, covering all aspects of the sportfrom indoor flying to large radio controlled scalemodels. Details of forthcoming competitions and

events are published in the BMFAs ownpublications and website and in the commercialmodel flying magazines.

Newcomers to contests are always welcome andshould not be afraid to participate, for there is nodoubt that competition will improve your skills andeven the experts can be beaten. Taking part incompetitive events can add a great deal ofenjoyment to model flying and it will also give youthe opportunity to see some of the country's bestmodels and flyers in action.

Selection trials are held each year to pick teams torepresent the UK at World and EuropeanChampionships for many of the Internationalclasses of competition model flying.



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Contest organisation is the responsibility of thetechnical sub-committees of the BMFA and up-to-date rules for the various classes of flying arepublished annually. See the index of contest rulebooks at the end of this handbook for more details.

National and International Status

The BMFA is the body delegated by the Royal Aero

Club to be responsible for all aspects of model flyingin the UK, and is in an identical situation to, forexample, the Microlight Aircraft Association or theBritish Gliding Association.

It is recognised as the sole representativeorganisation for the sport in the UK by theFederation Aeronautique Internationale (FAI), theworld governing body for all forms of sportingaviation, including model flying.

The FAI has numerous international committeesrelating to its various interests, such as gliding,aerobatics, space and model flying and the

Commission Internationale dAeromodelisme(CIAM) is the committee responsible for our sport.The BMFAs reputation and contribution to the workof CIAM has been, and is, second to none.

BMFA is represented each year at the annualplenary meeting of CIAM by a small team ofspecialists who are delegated to speak for the UK.

The SMAE pioneered the present world programmeof model flying and has provided many of theofficers of the FAI over the years and BMFAmembers still hold many important FAI posts.

The Society is the holder of an Honorary GroupDiploma of the FAI, which is an honour given tothose who have greatly contributed to the progressof aviation or astronautics.

The benefits of our FAI and Royal Aero Clubmemberships are two-way, since we can learnmuch from the way the problems of model flyers aretackled by other countries, as well as giving themthe benefit of our own experience.

FAI Licences

The BMFA is empowered by the FAI to issue

international sporting licences to individuals and thisdocument is essential for anyone competing abroador in any FAI international event. They are availableat reasonable cost on request from the BMFA office.

An FAI Licence could be of great help to anyoneflying model abroad, not just competitors, as it is adocument that is recognised world wide. It may beof help when dealing with airlines over the carriageof models and radios and it could help if you seek tofly with a foreign club or have to deal with localauthorities abroad over model flying matters. If youare planning on model flying abroad then, for thesmall cost involved, it would be well worth

considering obtaining your own FAI licence.

Sports Council Recognition

Model flying is recognised by UK Sport as an officialsport. Although not recorded as a separate entity inthe UK Sport composite list of sports, model flying isone of the three categories of air sportsencompassed under the single heading Flying.

As a consequence of official policy being to support

only Olympic sports, we do not currently receiveany financial assistance from UK Sport. This is asituation that is unlikely to change in the near future.

The Education Initiative

The BMFA is extremely concerned about theincreasing lack of exposure of school children tomodel flying. Increasing competition from otheractivities and the lure of the computer game has ledto a situation where very few children have had theopportunity to fly a model.

The long term future of model flying in the UK may

well depend on positive action being taken tocounter this trend.

The BMFA has produced a package that has beendesigned to integrate into National Curriculum Craft,Design and Technology (CDT) courses and whichenables any teacher or youth leader of nine tothirteen year olds to make use of a structuredcourse as an introduction to aviation subjects.

The practical side of this course uses the BMFADart and other easy-to-build model aircraft asdemonstration tools and, with the help of thescheme, many thousands of children have gained

hands on model flying experience in the past fewyears. It is expected that the scheme will expandconsiderably in the future.

The scheme is not aimed at recruiting juniormembers but rather to give children who may neverhave even held a model aircraft the thrill of that firstsuccessful flight that we all remember.

The BMFA Education Working Group co-ordinatesthe efforts of all who wish to be involved in this vitalwork. If you think you can help or you would likedetails of the package for your school, pleasecontact the BMFAs Leicester office for details.

For those schools with existing model aircraft clubsor those who are considering setting up such anactivity, the BMFA Youth Group Scheme will befound to be invaluable; see the section on BMFAMembership for details.

Recommended Codes Of Practice andAchievement Schemes

It is the duty of the BMFA, as the national body formodel flying, to act responsibly in giving the bestadvice it can to all model flyers and other interestedparties. This advice covers not only specific flying

matters but other legal responsibilities that flyersand clubs might encounter.



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The BMFA has gathered a great deal of experiencein such matters and this knowledge and experienceis freely available to anyone who requires it.

In some cases BMFA has published specific Codesof Practice on certain subjects and details of theseCodes are included throughout this handbook.

For instance, as a practical means of improving

radio control model flying standards, achievementschemes for radio control power fixed wing,helicopter, silent flight thermal soaring, silent flightslope soaring and electric flight have beenintroduced and you will find full details later in thishandbook.

General Regulations and Contest Rules

The General Regulations (Part 1) which appear laterin this handbook are, in effect, Section 1 of thecontest rule books. They affect all contest flyers andtheir models and are printed in this handbookbecause of their general application.

The more complex and detailed individual contestrules are published separately and can be obtainedfrom the Leicester office or the BMFA website (seeBMFA Contest Rule Books).

Model Flying Records

The BMFA is responsible for documenting andoverseeing all model flying records set in the UK,whether they are National or World Records.

There are over 80 categories of FAI World recordsplus many more categories in which a British recordcan be achieved, both contest and non-contest.

A records booklet is available free of charge fromthe BMFAs Leicester office (ask for the ContestRule Book, Section 2a, Records) or as a downloadfrom www.bmfa.org. A list of the current Worldrecords is also available. The records booklet isrequired reading for anyone thinking about recordattempts and you should not consider making anattempt without obtaining a copy.

Further advice to anyone contemplating an attempton a model flying record of any type is availablefrom the BMFAs Records Officer who can also be

contacted via the Leicester office.If you are serious about wanting to set and claimrecords then a chat with the BMFA Records Officeris essential.

TYPE AND CONDITIONS OFMEMBERSHIP

(1) BMFA MEMBERSHIP is available to allapplicants. Those over 18 years of age on the 1stJanuary of the year of membership are Seniormembers, those younger than this are Juniors (buthave full membership status.

(2) COUNTRY MEMBERS. Individual membersnot belonging to a BMFA Affiliated club are knownas Country Members.

(3) FAMILY MEMBERSHIP is available to familiesliving at the same address. To qualify for familymembership, one senior member must register asHead of Family; a spouse/partner and all childrenunder 18 years old can then register as familymembers at a reduced fee. Family membership isopen to both club and country members. All familymembers have full membership status but only theHead of Family receives a copy of BMFA News.

(4) FELLOWSHIP and HONORARYMEMBERSHIP are two different classes ofmembership which are awarded to a few people incases of special merit. Fellowship is, in fact, thehighest honour awarded by the Association and isawarded to a maximum of two people each year bythe Annual General Meeting.

(5) MEMBERSHIP PERIOD. The normal period ofmembership is from 1st January to 31st Decemberin each year. Applications for membership part waythrough the year may be subject to a reducedmembership fee as decided from time to time byBMFA Council. In any case those applications whichare received after 1st September in any year willhave a part of the paid fee credited to the followingyear. The membership fees are agreed each year atthe Annual General Meeting of the Society.

(6) COMPETITION ENTRY. Full members of theBMFA may enter the contests and events organisedby BMFA on payment of the entry fee. Evidence ofmembership must be shown to an authorised BMFAofficial if requested.

(7) FEES AND BENEFITS. The categories, term

and benefits of membership are occasionallymodified as the Association develops. When indoubt about the current fees or benefits, pleasecontact the BMFAs Leicester office where the staffwill be pleased to provide you with all theinformation you or your club require about joiningthe Association.



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BMFA AFFILIATED CLUBS

(1) AFFILIATED CLUB MEMBERSHIP of theBMFA is open to clubs consisting of not less thanfive persons. All current club members who flyand/or who are involved in any organising functionwithin the club whatsoever must be registered withthe BMFA as fully paid up individual members and

at least one of them must be a senior member.(2) SCHOOLS AND YOUTH GROUPMEMBERSHIP is open to bona-fide school modelflying clubs and clubs organised by recognisedyouth organisations such as the ATC, the YoungEngineers or the Scouts etc. The minimum numberof club members is one individual senior and four juniors. The juniors need not be named and theirmembership fee will be one third of the currentjunior fee, rounded to the nearest pound.

This gives the club full affiliated membership of theBMFA and at General meetings such clubs carry

one vote for the senior member and one vote forevery three reduced rate juniors, subject to aminimum of five votes.

Any reduced rate junior may become a full memberof BMFA by paying the balance of the full juniormembership fee. Any such full junior member is notdisqualified from membership of his youth group.See also the section on insurance.

VOTING

(1) VOTING RIGHTS AT GENERAL MEETINGS.Fellows of the SMAE and all clubs affiliated to theBMFA have the right to vote at general meetings ofthe SMAE. Each shall have one vote, the affiliatedclubs being cast by its duly authorisedrepresentative. If a poll vote is called, an affiliatedclub shall have one vote for each registered fullmember and a Fellow shall have five votes.

Note: General meetings of the SMAE consist of theAnnual General Meeting of the Society plus anyExtraordinary General Meetings which may becalled from time to time.

Council of Management meetings do not come intothis category and have their own voting system (seethe section BMFA Council of Management near theend of this handbook).

(2) VOTING RIGHTS IN POSTAL BALLOTS aredecided by BMFA Council each year. Depending oncircumstances, all BMFA members may be eligibleto vote in the postal ballot and voting forms will bedistributed as required.

MEMBERS INSURANCE

The primary insurance cover provided by the BMFAfor its members is Third Party Public and ProductsLiability.

This covers you, the flyer, against any legalliabilities you may incur during your model flyingactivities. Note that, as with any other third partyinsurance, this is NOT an automatic cover for theinjured party. The person insured is the flyer.

In addition, a no fault personal accident insurancecovering permanent disablement is included.

Title

It covers the BMFA, its employed, elected and co-opted officers, their committees and all registeredclubs and individual members of the BMFA.

Activities

It covers the normal and lawful pursuits of the

Association and its registered members.

Notes:

(I) Any form of flying for trade or commercialenterprises, whether paid or unpaid, is not coveredby the basic policy (See Exclusions and the sectionon Model Traders Insurance).

Indemnity Limits for the Third Party Publicand Products Liability

10,000,000 for any one accident, unlimited for theperiod of insurance, and subject to a 50 property

damage excess.Territorial Limits

(1) The whole of the UK and

(2) Elsewhere in the world in respect of theAssociations officers and registered memberstemporarily abroad.

Note - Although the BMFA insurance cover is fullyvalid in the USA and Canada, you are required toinform the BMFA office if you intend to fly in thosecountries on your BMFA insurance.

Models Covered(a) All classes of model aircraft of whatever size,weight or engine capacity (subject to compliancewith CAA regulations) except as noted inExclusions.

(b) Model boats and cars.

(c) Models powered by approved solid fuel rocketpropulsion systems up to and including M sizemotors.

(d) Steam powered models except when used forpassenger carrying purposes for hire or reward.

(e) Kites (subject to compliance with CAAregulations).



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Exclusions

(a) Any form of commercial or trade activitiesincluding professional, semi-professional orsponsored display teams.

(b) Pulse jet powered models except as noted insection 1.2.3.3, Reaction Motors, in this handbook.

(c) Deliberately staged mid-air collisions atairshows and public displays.

Notes:

(i) Money paid to clubs by organisers of fetes,shows, etc, where the club is giving a demonstrationdoes not constitute professional use.

(ii) The carrying of Company or Organisationnames or logos on models does not constitute aform of commercial or trade activity.

Extensions

(a) Member-to-member liability is coveredincluding damage to property belonging to fellowmembers.

(b) Indemnity is automatically extended to anyPrincipals (Landowners, Schools, LocalAuthorities, Government Departments etc.) whoseland or premises is used by any BMFA affiliatedclub or registered member.

(c) The Indemnity is extended to the CommitteeMembers of any affiliated club and all lawful clubactivities are also indemnified.

(d) The reduced rate insurance cover available to

juniors under the Schools and Youth Groupsmembership scheme only applies when such juniorsare flying under the supervision of their groupleader(s). To obtain the full unlimited BMFAinsurance cover, any such junior must become a fulljunior member of the BMFA.

(e) Indemnity is provided for paid flyinginstruction provided the conditions laid down bythe Association are complied with (see FlyingTraining Cover section).

(f) In the BMFA Airside Cover special provision,indemnity is provided for members operating theirprivate motor vehicle airside on an airfield oraerodrome, in pursuit of any activity associated withmodel flying where the members own private motorvehicle policy makes a specific exclusion in thisrespect. A higher excess is applicable to any claimmade under this special provision.

(g) Club indemnity is extended to cover first timevisitors to a club who have no previous experiencebut are seeking to try out model flying prior to joiningthe BMFA and the Club. Indemnity under this FirstTime Inexperienced Flyer provision will only be inplace when flights are being totally organised and

supervised by a club member approved by the ClubCommittee. The limit of this indemnity is 3 separateday visits for any single inexperienced flyer.

(h) Club indemnity is extended to enable clubs towelcome Model Flyers from Overseas Countriesto fly at their club sites during short visits to the UK.In the interest of promoting good internationalrelations the BMFA will absorb the cost of providingthis indemnity for a period not exceeding 30consecutive days for any one overseas visitor in anysingle membership year. Club Secretaries are

required to notify the BMFA, in advance, if thisprovision is required.

(i) Employers Liability Cover with a 10 million levelof indemnity is provided to all affiliated clubs. Thiscovers legal liabilities for damages and legal costsarising from death or injuries caused to employeesin the course of their employment The definition of'employee in this context includes labour only sub-contractors and volunteers.

Conditions

(a) When dealing with the injured/third party you

must not, under any circumstances, admit liabilityor make or agree any financial settlement withrespect to any incident which might give rise to aclaim under the policy. However, when dealing withthe BMFA and its insurer, you should be preparedprovide a full account of events.

(b) It is the duty of the insured to exercisereasonable care to see that their models are soundand in proper order and that all reasonablesafeguards and precautions against accidents areprovided and used.

Incident Reporting Procedure

(a) Prompt notification of all incidents / accidentsthat may result in a claim on the policy is essential.Initial telephone contact with the BMFAs LeicesterOffice should be within 24 hours of the incident.Reports out of office hours will be recorded on theoffice answerphone.

(b) The Leicester office will supply you with anincident report form which will become the basis ofan initial report of an incident to the Insurer ifrequired. The office staff will give you any specificadvice you need to help you complete this form.

(c) Regardless of how serious an incident may be,the reporting procedure outlined above will nearlyalways be adequate.

(d) When completing the incident report formsupplied by the BMFA office, you must provide atruthful accounts of events leading to the incident. Ifyou believe that you have any responsibility orliability for the incident then you should declare thison the reporting form. Any declaration you make willnot result in you being penalised in any way.

(e) The CAA has set out procedures for reportingmore serious incidents in CAP 658 and these are

set out later in this handbook together with moreadvice from the BMFA on the subject.



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Operative Dates

The basic public liability cover is effective from thedate of joining until the end of the currentmembership year. Note that date of joining means,for members of affiliated clubs, the date thatpayment is made to the club's BMFA contact and,for all others, the date payment is received at theLeicester office.

Certificates

Individual insurance certificates will be provided toall registered members of the Association from theLeicester office with their membership card.

To maintain continuous cover it is vital that yourmembership renewal each year is prompt.

Personal Accident Scheme

Members of the BMFA between the ages of 3 and80 are covered by a standard personal accidentpolicy whilst participating in Association activitieswhich include the building and flying of modelaircraft for sport and recreational purposes as wellas travel to and from the flying site.

The benefits payable under this policy are 5000 inrespect of accidental death and up to 25000 forpermanent disability (current as at 1st January2007); however, the level of benefits payable maychange from time to time. Reduced benefits arepaid to members over the age of 65.

Personal Accident Cover is extended to cover firsttime visitors to a club who have no previous

experience but who are seeking to try out modelflying prior to joining the club and BMFA. Indemnityunder this First Time Inexperienced Flyerprovision will only be in place when flights are beingtotally organised and supervised by a club memberapproved by the Club Committee. The limit of thisindemnity is 3 separate day visits for any singleinexperienced flyer.

Product Liability

In any incident it is quite possible for blame to beattributed to a component or equipment failurewhich could well not be the responsibility of the

flyer. The supplier of the component or equipment,who could possibly be a fellow member, could beheld ultimately responsible and that could be you.Hence, product liability insurance is essential and itis a key element of the BMFA insurance protection.

Flying Training Cover

The BMFA insurance policy contains indemnitycover for any member who accepts a fee for theteaching of R/C flying. This cover is only availablefor instruction carried out in the environment of aBMFA affiliated club and not in a commercialorganisation.

In all cases, other than those covered by the FirstTime Inexperienced Flyer provisions, both theinstructor and the pupil must be BMFA members.

Ministry Of Defence Indemnity And FlyingOn MoD Property

An exclusive feature of the BMFA insurance is thevital Crown Indemnity cover given to clubs andmembers flying on land owned by the Ministry ofDefence (eg. RAF airfields).

In order to fly on Ministry of Defence property you

will require three things:

(1) Third party insurance, as provided by the BMFAfor its members.

(2) Crown indemnity insurance which is a specialcover provided by the Association and which isinvoked as in 3) below.

(3) A licence issued by Defence Estates (DE)which must be submitted to the BMFA forcountersignature to the effect that the applicant is aBMFA affiliated club or member, thus invoking thespecial BMFA Crown Indemnity insurance cover.

Only BMFA members will be permitted to fly on thesite and, since random military security checksoperate, model flyers using MoD land must carrytheir card identifying them as BMFA members.

The formal procedures for obtaining access to MoDlands are contained in Defence Council Instructionsand will be referred to by the Commanding Officeror the Defence Estate office concerned.

The BMFA's Leicester office is very familiar with theprocedure and will provide help and the necessarydocuments when needed. BMFA Area officials mayalso be able to help and advise you on this subject.

Model Traders Insurance

The Association has made available a specialinsurance to indemnify model traders flying atdisplays, shows etc. The following conditions apply:

(1) The model trader flyer must be registered withthe BMFA via the Leicester Office.

(2) All persons flying for the model trader must bea current member of the BMFA and must hold aBMFA B Certificate.

Optional Insurance Schemes

Additional Insurance schemes are available directlyfrom the BMFAs Insurance Broker. These include:

(1) House and Contents insurance, which includescover for model equipment whilst at home, in transitor whilst left unattended in a secured vehicle.

(2) Club Equipment Cover, which provides fire andtheft cover for items such as grass cuttingequipment.

(3) Commercial Flyers Insurance which providescover for aspects of commercial model flying such

as aerial photography, survey work or flying trainingundertaken on a commercial basis.



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LEGAL CONTROLS OVER MODELFLYING

The sport of model flying is subject to various legalcontrols which should be carefully considered at alltimes. You are personally responsible for any flightsyou make and knowledge of your legalresponsibilities is important.

(1) The Air Navigation Order (ANO)

The ANO is the legal framework which covers allflying activity in the UK. It is administered by theCivil Aviation Authority (CAA) and has been ratifiedby Act of Parliament. This means that the ANO ispart of the body of law of the UK and, if you break it,you are liable to criminal prosecution.

However, model flying has been exempted frommost of the clauses of the ANO. The main ones thatstill apply are as follows:

Article 74 of the Air Navigation Order (ANO)requires that:

A person shall not recklessly or negligentlycause or permit an aircraft to endanger anyperson or property

Article 73 of the Air Navigation Order requires that:

A person shall not recklessly or negligently actin a manner likely to endanger an aircraft, or anyperson therein.

THESE APPLY TO ALL MODEL AIRCRAFT ATALL TIMES, WHATEVER THEIR WEIGHT OR

SIZE.In addition, Article 98 of the ANO requires that:

(1) A person shall not cause or permit any article oranimal (whether or not attached to a parachute) tobe dropped from a small aircraft (defined by theCAA as a model up to 20 kg without fuel - Ed ) so asto endanger persons or property

(2) A person in charge of a small aircraft whichweighs more than 7 kg without its fuel but includingany article or equipment installed or attached to theaircraft at the commencement of the flight shall notfly such an aircraft (again, the use of the wordssmall aircraft define the weight limits as beingbetween 7 and 20 kg without fuel - Ed).

(a) unless the person in charge of the aircraft hasreasonably satisfied himself that the flight can safelybe made.

(b) in Class A, C, D or E airspace (effectively anycontrolled airspace down to ground level - Ed)unless the permission of the appropriate air trafficcontrol unit has been obtained.

(c) within an aerodrome traffic zone during thenotified hours of watch of the air traffic control unit (if

any) at that aerodrome unless the permission of anysuch air traffic control unit has been obtained.

(d) at a height exceeding 400 ft above the surfaceunless it is flying in airspace described in sub-paras(b) or (c) and in accordance with the requirementsthereof; (i.e. in any uncontrolled airspace. A furtherpoint is that above the surface means above thepoint of launch and this has been clarified with theCAA on several occasions - Ed).

(e) for aerial work purposes other than inaccordance with a permission issued by theAuthority which may be issued subject to suchconditions as the Authority thinks fit (this doesntaffect you unless you are flying your modelcommercially for valuable consideration - Ed).

(2) Models Over 20 kg

These are considered by the CAA to be aircraft, notmodel aircraft and, as such, they are treated in adifferent manner to models under 20 kg.

They are subject to airframe inspection, pilot andairworthiness testing before an exemption certificate

can be issued to allow them to fly in public.

The exemption certificate does exactly that, itexempts the model from most of the clauses of theANO but the model is then subject to whateverconditions the CAA might apply to the model andthese are detailed on the certificate itself.

Most of the conditions are usually based on thosefor models between 7 and 20 kg, set out in article 98above, but the CAA reserves the right to includeother conditions if it thinks fit..

It should be noted that breaking any of the terms set

out in the exemption certificate, for instance during aflight, will invalidate the certificate at that point intime and make the model and its pilot subject to thewhole of the ANO.

(3) Mandatory Model Flying Insurance

It is a legal requirement in the UK that all modelsover 20 kg maximum take off mass (MOTM) mustcarry at least 750,000 third party public liabilityinsurance.

This obviously applies to all models over 20kg dry,which are covered by CAA exemption certificates.

However, it also applies to those models under 20kgwhich do not need an exemption but which aretaken over 20kg when fuelled for flight.

(4) Planning Permission Considerations

Use of a site for model flying may in somecircumstances require specific planning permission.In granting a planning consent a local planningauthority may impose conditions designed to reducethe risk of disturbance by noise and any suchconditions should be observed at all times.

If your Local Authority requests that you obtainplanning permission, you may find it very much toyour advantage to contact the BMFA Flying SiteAdvisor, via the BMFA office. The success rate forplanning applications is good but there is no doubt



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that early contact with BMFA will help you avoid theerrors that can severely damage your case forpermission. See the section on Advice to Clubs.

(5) Byelaws

Local authorities may make bylaws, subject toapproval by the Secretary of State, prohibiting orrestricting model flying on certain municipally owned

land or on land subject to certain provisions of theNational Parks and Access to the Countryside Act,the Countryside Act, and the Countryside (Scotland)Act . Similar provisions apply in Northern Ireland.

(6) Noise

Under the Environmental Protection Act (EPA)1990, local authorities or individuals may apply to aMagistrate's court for a noise abatement noticewhich may restrict or prohibit model flying at aparticular site if the noise caused by the activity isjudged to amount to a statutory nuisance.

In Northern Ireland similar action may be taken bylocal authorities and magistrate's courts underarticles 38 and 39 of the Pollution Control and LocalGovernment (Northern Ireland) Order.

(7) The Department of the EnvironmentNoise Code

(4), (5) and (6) above would normally entail therelevant authorities (Planning Authorities orMagistrates) consulting the Department of theEnvironment Code of Practice for the Restriction ofNoise from Model Aircraft which follows this section.

The Code of Practice is not the law and, in fact,there are no direct legally enforceable noise levelrequirements for model aircraft.

What IS legally enforceable, however, is a NoiseNuisance Notice which could be issued by aMagistrate against model flyers whom they considerare creating a statutory nuisance and which wouldstop any flying on the site immediately andpermanently.

When a Magistrate is deciding if model flyers arecreating a statutory noise nuisance, the documentmost likely to be referred to is the DoE Code of

Practice which is set out in full later in thishandbook.

ADVICE TO CLUBS

Flying Site Negotiations

To help your club in negotiations with localgovernment authorities and other landowners theBMFA has, over many years, built up a uniquedepth of experience and expertise which is availableto you.

The BMFA Flying Site Advisor

The BMFA has the services of a full time planningadvisor whose brief is to assist all BMFA affiliatedclubs with planning and site problems.

Before your club enters into any form of dialoguewith Local Authorities or anyone else on the subjectof model flying it is essential, for your own benefit,that you discuss your problems or proposals withthe BMFA Flying Site Advisor.

Very early involvement is crucial in any

negotiations.Your initial contact with BMFA should be as soon asyou suspect that you may be involved innegotiations or planning applications. This willenable the BMFA Flying Site Advisor to build aninformation file on your circumstances which will beinvaluable if you run into problems. All informationwill, of course, be confidential.

BMFA is aware that independent action by clubshas, at times, led to the complete withdrawal offlying facilities for everyone using a site so the factsare clear - to give your club the best chance of

success you should use the experience andexpertise available through the BMFA. It is only atelephone call away.

Help and advice from BMFA has been instrumentalin obtaining and retaining the use of many flyingfields so call the BMFAs Leicester office for detailsof how to contact the Flying Site Advisor.

Club Assets and Grant Applications

If you are making grant applications (for instance, toLocal Authorities) you may find that the award will

depend on your Club Constitution clearly statingwhat will happen to assets in the event of the clubwinding up.

The usual requirement is that your members maynot benefit directly and your Constitution may needto state that the Club assets would be transferred to,for instance, a charity or possibly to BMFA.

The BMFA operates a Trust scheme to help clubs inthese circumstances. All assets are held in trust fora period of ten years and will be administered by aBoard of Trustees. The money may be used toassist the re-forming of the Club or the formation ofa new Club in the immediate area.

For more details, contact the BMFA Leicester office.



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THE CARE AND PROTECTION OFCHILDREN AND VULNERABLE ADULTS

Model flying clubs and groups have legalresponsibilities to consider the care and welfare ofchildren and vulnerable adults. BMFA has soughtthe best advice possible for its clubs and memberson this matter so that junior and vulnerable adult

members can continue to take part in club activities.

There are also insurance implications in this matterand Royal & Sun Alliance (the BMFA insurers) haveindicated that, to ensure continued insurance coverfor this aspect of Club activities, all Clubs that haveor may have junior or vulnerable adult membersshould set up a policy for their care and protection.

The BMFA has produced a comprehensivedocument that is available to all clubs and whichcovers most circumstances that you will find at clublevel. However, it is important that any policy whichyou implement within your club is one that suits your

particular needs and circumstances. There is noone size fits all policy. Copies of the document areavailable free of charge from the BMFA Leicesteroffice or as a download from the BMFA website atwww.bmfa.org.

Implementing a policy within a model flying clubis a relatively simple process, the mainrequirement being a large degree of commonsense. At all times the objective is to do what isreasonable.

At its most basic level a policy should reflect yourclubs commitment to the care and welfare of juniormembers and vulnerable adults and define the wayin which these individuals are cared for within theclub environment. In most cases you will find thatthis is just a matter of formalising what you alreadydo on a day-to-day basis.

CRB Checks

One of the options you have when setting up apolicy at club level is the voluntary Criminal RecordsBureau (CRB) checking of those who directly workwith or take responsibility for junior members on aregular basis. This can be seen as a measure of

protection for both the club and the volunteerconcerned. The BMFA is a registered body with theCRB and can initiate the Enhanced DisclosureCheck on behalf of members.

It should be noted that CRB checks are free ofcharge to volunteers and all information is handledand stored in the strictest of confidence. Thecertificate is valued for three years and two copiesare issued - one to the applicant and one to theBMFA. A letter is then generated for the applicantstating whether or not they are cleared to work withjuniors, which is all that a club requires.

You may be wondering why your Club should botherwith these matters but the point is well made by theBMFA Insurance Brokers, Perkins Slade, that, in

relation to child protection matters, model flying is alow risk sport, not a no risk one.

For further advice on Child Protection or CRBmatters, please contact the Development Officeror the Chief Executive at the BMFA Leicesteroffice.

Guidance on Caring for Junior ClubMembers

(a) In setting out its Child Protection Policy, a Clubshould have clearly defined who takes responsibilityfor junior club members. Depending on what hasbeen decided, this may be the parents/guardians ofthe juniors, it may be club members or it may be ashared responsibility. Whatever the situation iswithin the Club, it should be well publicised toensure that all are aware of any division ofresponsibilities. Club rules should carry thisinformation and a copy of the rules must be given to

parents/guardians and their attention drawn to them.

(b) Junior members must be supervised at all timesby a responsible adult, as defined by the ClubsPolicy. The level of supervision is to becommensurate with the junior members age,maturity, capabilities and levels of experience.

(c) No senior member is to be expected to assumefull responsibility for a junior member unless theyhave been clearly requested to do so by the juniormembers parent/guardian and if the action is in linewith the Clubs policy regarding Junior members.

(d) Should a member discover a junior member isunsupervised he must assume responsibility for the junior members safety in the first instance. Thesituation should then be rectified as soon aspossible by seeking out the junior membersparent/guardian or nominated supervisor. Anyinstance of such an occurrence is to be reported tothe Club Committee as soon as possible as it islikely that the Clubs Child Protection policy hasbeen compromised and action may need to betaken to prevent this in the future.

(e) A junior member is usually defined as being

under 18 years of age but particular care must betaken with the supervision of those juniors under theage of 14 years.

(f) Whilst supervising junior members, seniormembers should avoid placing themselves in aposition that could be open to misinterpretation orquestion.

(g) It should be noted that any disclaimerconcerning the care of any member, particularlyjunior members, is not acceptable in law.

(h) Any model flyers who find themselvesdealing with a matter connected with Child

Welfare or Protection should remember thatthey are not expected to do anything other thanact in a reasonable manner.



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Vulnerable Adults

(i) A vulnerable adult is defined as a person of 18years of age or over who requires a higher level ofsupervision and care than that normallycommensurate with an adult member. This couldrange from a person who requires permanentsupervision whilst on the flying field to a usually ablebodied member who is suffering a temporary illness.It can include, for instance, members with heartproblems and asthmatics who might functionnormally in nearly all circumstances but who wouldbenefit from a little more care from other membersat times.

(j) In most cases, no more is required frommembers than they act in a reasonable manner,probably just as they have always done.

Disability Guidelines for Model Flying Clubs

The BMFA encourages and supports model aircraftflying and related modelling activities at all levelsand within all social groups.

The Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) of 2005extended previous legislation to make it illegal forprivate clubs with 25 or more members todiscriminate against a member or potential memberon the grounds of their disability.

This places a requirement on private clubs toconsider reasonable measures to improve access totheir facilities.

Knowledge of the disability legislation and how iteffects clubs and individuals is important and werecommend that everyone involved in organisedmodel flying should be aware of their legalobligations towards disabled members.

As such the BMFA has produced a comprehensiveset of Guidelines for Model Flying Clubs, which areavailable free of charge on request or via the BMFAwebsite at www.bmfa.org.

Meeting a disabled persons needs is largely amatter of common sense and clear communicationat the outset can often prevent problems arising at a

later date. For further advice, please contact theChief Executive Officer or the Development Officerat the BMFA Leicester Headquarters.

THE BMFA GUIDELINES AND SAFETYCODES FOR MODEL FLYING

Article 74 of the Air Navigation Order states,

A person shall not recklessly or negligentlycause or permit an aircraft to endanger any

person or property.

Article 73 of the Air Navigation Order states,

A person shall not recklessly or negligently actin a manner likely to endanger an aircraft, or anyperson therein.

These laws cover ALL model flying. The codes ofpractice contained in this handbook have beendeveloped over many years in response to theimplications of Articles 73 and 74 and, whenevermodel flying takes place, the BMFA stronglyrecommends that these codes are used

CAP 658

During 1996 some changes were made to the AirNavigation Order which re-defined model aircraft assmall aircraft and which are covered in detail in thesection Legal Controls Over Model Flying.

At the same time the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA)issued Civil Aviation Publication 658 (CAP 658),Small (Model) Aircraft: A Guide to Safe Flying.

This document gives advice for all model flyers,

much of which is based on the existing BMFASafety Codes. CAP 658 will be referred tothroughout this handbook whenever it adds to theexisting BMFA safety codes.

Extracts from the latest version of CAP 658 (August2006) are included in this handbook whereappropriate.

Whilst the recommendations in CAP 658 are notregarded as legal requirements, one of the reasonswhy it is issued by the CAA is to provide a guide towhat would be considered reasonable practice inthe event of a model flyer being prosecuted by them

under the Air Navigation Order.This makes CAP 658 an important document for allmodel flyers and, although all relevant clauses in itare covered in this handbook, it is recommendedthat all model flying clubs at least should obtain theirown copy of the document from the CAA. With therecent change to web based distribution, everymodel flyer can now obtain a copy very easily.

Go to www.caa.co.uk and type CAP 658 in thesearch box for the download or look in the addressdirectory if you require a hard copy.

http://www.caa.co.uk/http://www.caa.co.uk/


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INTRODUCTION to the SAFETY CODES

Accident statistics and the low insurance rates thatBMFA Members enjoy show that model flying is nota dangerous sport but, as with other sportingactivities, hazards can arise if common sense rulesare not applied. It is important that we all follow safemodel flying practice and the BMFA Safety Codes

are designed to help everyone achieve this.The BMFA Safety Codes presented here areavailable to all model flyers and show you ways tofly your models safely, based on over half a centuryof experience.

There are sections covering all model flyingactivities, including displays and competitions.

At some flying sites, circumstances may dictate thatadditional safety measures beyond those indicatedin this handbook might have to be taken. Examplescould be limiting the number of spectators or thenumber of models being flown at any one time.

These Codes are not intended in any way to lessenthe responsibility that model flyers have forintroducing additional safety factors. TheAssociation wishes to encourage any safetyinitiatives wherever they may be thought necessaryby the users of any site and, indeed, anysuggestions about the contents of the Safety Codesand the Handbook in general will be welcomed.

Finally - remember that your attitude to safety canaffect the whole image of model flying.

Model flying must not only BE safe - it must be

SEEN to be safe.

MIXED SITES

Model flying does (and can continue to) take placesafely on sites where other airspace users areoperating at the same time close by.

Because, in all such cases, the other users alwaysinvolve people carrying aviation e.g. gliding, hang-gliding, parachuting, light aviation etc. the modelflyer is always going to have to accept that his

needs are going to be secondary to the safety of theother user. Indeed, this point is specifically coveredby those few articles of the Air Navigation Orderwhich apply to all model flying.

Having made this point, it is clear that mixed sitescan operate perfectly safely provided that there isgood preparation beforehand, involving all the usergroups. The most usual practice is for arrangementsto be made whereby, before each day's flying, theuser groups representatives meet to determine theirrespective locations, take-off/landing paths etc. andto agree methods of attracting attention shouldchanges be needed during the day or further liaisonbe necessary.

As a general rule, once the day's model flyinglocation and flying area limits have been

determined, the knowledge (and the confidence thatthe model flyers will adhere to the agreed limits) issufficient to enable the other users to operate freelyand safely within their own limits.

In essence, therefore, mixed sites generally do notshare airspace - instead, in consultation betweenusers, segregated airspace is fixed by agreementand, usually, controlled by the wind direction.

It cannot be stressed too highly that a means ofquick alert is needed in case of difficulties orrequired changes. Mobile phones are probably themost effective contact method so make sure thatcontact numbers are available to those regularlyinvolved. However, perfectly good arrangements areknown to exist by simply running a flag up aprominent flagpole as a signal to stop flying - comeand talk.

On any shared site, it is extremely important that themodel flying group have a robust and reasonableset of rules that are agreed by all users of the siteand are rigidly applied. Anything less than this couldlead to compromised safety.

These rules should always include the provision toset up a permanent lookout whenever model flyingis taking place, either by individuals or by everyonepresent. Any airfield may be used by aircraft inemergencies or as waypoints for overflights, evenwhen it is officially inactive.

Remember also that on such a site, there willalways be a person on the full size side who will bein ultimate charge of airfield safety. This may be Air

Traffic Control, the Chief Flying Instructor or even aSenior Instructor. In any disputed circumstances,their instructions must be followed

In the particular case of hang-gliding on slope sites,shared airspace is sometimes involved and theAssociation has a separate Code, agreed jointlywith the British Hang and Paragliding Association(BHPA), which covers such situations and which isavailable on request from the Leicester office.

MILITARY LOW FLYING

Military aircraft may conduct low flying exercisesover much of the UK on any weekday and thesudden appearance of a low flying military aircraft isdifficult to anticipate. However it is vital to be awareof the problem and to remember that one aircraftmay be the first in a stream of three or four.

In areas known to be used for low flying a dedicatedlookout should be considered essential.

On WEEKDAYS only, on flying sites where lowlevel flying by military aircraft is KNOWN to takeplace and where a club is planning to operate FIVE

or MORE models at any one time, the CANPreporting procedures outlined in CAP 658 can beused. If possible call the day before the activity. A



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minimum of four hours notice is required to allow fullcirculation of the information.

Telephone Freephone on 0800 515544 or Fax on0500 300120 and give the following information;

Civil low flying - recreational activity

Model aircraft flying

Location (ordnance survey grid reference or positionin relation to the nearest town)

Operating area (e.g. 500 metres radius)

Date and start/finish in local time

Operating heights (lower and upper limits aboveground level)

Number and type of models (e.g. 3 gliders and 3aeroplanes)(sic)

Contact telephone number

Operator or club name and telephone number if

different to above.

For more details of this service, clubs are advised tocontact the BMFAs Leicester office.

YOUR FITNESS TO FLY.

Many factors can affect your day-to-day ability notonly to pilot a model aircraft, but also to participatein other flying related activities (a good example ofthis would be the retrieving of free flight models).

Careful consideration should be given before flyingto ensure that you are not compromising your ownsafety and welfare or that of those around you. Beaware that you might occasionally be unfit to fly.

When at the flying field take good care of yourself,make sure that you are equipped with anymedication that you are taking. If you use an inhaler,make sure that you have a charged one with you atall times. In hot weather consider taking sun-block,a hat and fluids - the effects of de-hydration can beserious. In cold weather make sure that you areequipped with suitable clothing.

Some medications may render you unfit to fly andthe effects of alcohol should not be ignored. As aguide, if you are fit to drive a motor vehicle then youare probably fit to fly an R/C aircraft. If you are inany doubt then do not fly solo.

If you wear prescription glasses or contact lensesensure that these are used along with appropriateeye protection for the prevailing conditions. Goodquality sunglasses will help protect your eyes fromharmful UV radiation at any time of the year.

As always, however, the responsibility for the finaldecision on whether to fly rests with you, the pilot.

THE BMFA GUIDES TO THE SAFEOPERATION OF MODEL AIRCRAFT

General

(a) Clubs or groups of flyers should draw upcarefully considered safety rules for specific sites. Itis recommended that the Codes in this Handbook

are used as a basis for these rules but additions tocover local circumstances should always beconsidered too. These flying field rules, shouldcover the club or groups normal operatingprocedures and safety measures.

(b) Clubs should take care to keep their flying fieldrules separate from their Club Constitution. This willenable them to regularly review their operatingprocedures to ensure that, if any additional safetymeasures are needed, they are recognised andimplemented.

(c) Where byelaws restrict model flying to specific

areas and times, model flyers should encouragelocal authorities to erect notices indicating therestrictions.

(d) On public sites, or sites where casual visits bythe public are likely, always try to use the sametake-off areas. Other regular users will then expectto see model aircraft operating from a particularplace.

(e) On private sites with public access, suitablenotices warning of model flying should be erected ifpossible and where appropriate. The signs shouldsay Please Be Aware. Model Flying Takes Place

Beyond This Point.

The Safety Marshal

(f) On any site with public access, and especiallyon sites where model flying activity and the publicinteract regularly, it is strongly recommended that aSAFETY MARSHAL be appointed at any flyingsessions. His duties should include warning boththe public and flyers of flight patterns, take-off areasand safety procedures and advising spectators ofthe safest area from which to watch.

Note that the person appointed will usually be

appointed on the day and it may not be the sameperson all day. Many clubs operate the systemsuccessfully by having a rota system so that no oneindividual is expected to do too much.

It may even be that every member on the field istasked with acting as a Safety Marshall as part oftheir flying field responsibilities.

The most important point is that all flyers are awarethat care must be taken and that steps have to betaken to ensure public safety.

The Club Safety Officer

(g) If it is considered to be appropriate, a Clubshould appoint a competent Club SAFETYOFFICER whose duties would be to ensure that



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both the BMFA and the Club Safety Codes arefollowed.

However, a Safety Officer acting alone has analmost impossible task and some form ofinfrastructure should be set up within the club tohelp the designated officer.

The most successful way to do this is to make the

task of Assistant Safety Officer part of the duties ofevery Committee member. These Assistants thenreport to the designated Safety Officer whenrequired. This will keep the Safety Group to amanageable size but will ensure that there is arecognised safety presence at most flying sessions.

If it is felt that this might not be enough, you canappoint other responsible club members asAssistants too. Examiners, Instructors or senior clubmembers might all be candidates.

It is not recommended that you appoint all clubmembers as their own safety officers. Such an

approach loses the focus of a smaller group andcan become ineffective.

(h) Clubs should educate and encourage theirmembers, particularly new or junior members, toconform to Club safety requirements and shouldhave no hesitation in disciplining persistentoffenders.

Using Your Flying Site

(i) All flyers must ensure that the site they intendto use is entirely suitable for the type and size ofmodel they wish to fly before attempting to use it.

You are personally responsible for the flights youmake and the consequences of flying at aninappropriate site could be serious.

(j) All flyers must ensure that the site is left free ofany foreign objects or debris. This is particularlyimportant where the use of active airfields isconcerned or when livestock is likely to have accessto the site at any time.

(k) CAP 658 says,

For any model aircraft flying, first choose an

unobstructed site and at all times keep a safedistance from persons, vessels vehicles andstructures.

Then only fly in suitable weather, with regard for anyother conditions such as local bylaws and with dueconsideration for other people and property.

(l) If light conditions or visibility are such that youmight lose sight of your model then do not fly.

(m) Take great care if you fly near any overheadcables. Telephone wires are dangerous andelectricity cables can and have killed. Even the low

level electricity lines on wooden posts carry lethalvoltages. KEEP CLEAR.

(n) Do not leave fuel, adhesives etc. wherechildren or other spectators may get hold of them.

(o) Flying alone should be avoided if at all possible.There are many cases on record where model flyershave been injured or incapacitated on the flying fieldand have only been saved from permanent injury orworse by the prompt actions of fellow flyers.

If you do fly alone, take a mobile phone with you.There are risks of interference with a mobile but thesafety factor of being able to summon help if youare injured is more important.

(q) It is extremely unwise to let children wander ona flying site. If children are there make sure thatthey are under supervision and safe.

(r) Dogs and model aircraft do not mix. If you takeyour dog to the flying field it should be on a lead andrestrained at all times.

R/C FLYING SITE LOCATION

Inter-club interference

(a) As a general rule, clubs should not operatecloser together than 2 miles unless an agreementhas been negotiated between them giving anequitable and workable frequency sharing plan. Theblock frequency sharing arrangement is the safestand most common method. The use of odds/evenssplit by power and glider clubs flying close togetheris another, lesser used example (see the sectionFrequency Allocation at Club Sites).

(b) Both parties are bound by the implications ofradio transmission law and the Air Navigation Orderto take action.

(c) Please take note that negotiation in suchcircumstances (i.e. where interference ispossible) is not optional.

(d) The use of our frequency bands and channels islegally granted to all of us but no one group orindividual has the right to reserve the use of any ofour frequencies, no matter how long they have beenusing them on a particular site, and whoever turnson a transmitter first in any given situation is thelegal user of that frequency until they turn thetransmitter off.

(e) It is recommended that each negotiating club orgroup appoints a named person as a point ofcontact, possibly from its existing Committeemembers. Good communication is important inthese circumstances to avoid misunderstandingsoccurring and rumour spreading and to make surethat your flying is as safe as possible.

(f) It must always be borne in mind that continuing tooperate in these circumstances without reaching a

practical frequency sharing agreement may haveserious legal consequences under the terms of theAir Navigation Order and may also have insuranceimplications for both the pilots and clubs concerned.



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Model Flying Heights and Interaction withFull Size Aviation

(a) At flying sites very close to airports andaerodromes, liaison should be maintained with theairport authorities to agree any special precautionsneeded. For instance, in certain cases, safe modelflying heights might need to be arranged.

(b) Models under 7 kg are not subject to any specificlegal restrictions in this respect but you must alwaysremember that Articles 73 and 74 of the AirNavigation Order apply at all times to all models andpossible conflict with full size aircraft MUST beavoided.

(c) You do, however, have rights as model flyersand the operators of airports and aerodromes maynot simply say that you cannot fly without givingvery good reasons. In any situations where they willnot listen to your case or where a reasonablecompromise cannot be reached you should contact

the BMFA office as soon as possible for assistance.

R/C POWER FLYING SITE LAYOUT ANDFLIGHT PATTERNS

A study of the incident reports received by theBMFA shows that many accidents are either causedor made worse by poor flying site layout, lack ofthought about flight patterns or general lack of flyingdiscipline.

The following section seeks to set out the lessons

learned in general terms and it gives a framework inwhich the general safety code can work to its bestadvantage.

These guidelines are advisory as every flying sitehas its own particular circumstances.

It is strongly recommended, however, that all R/Cpower oriented clubs, both fixed wing andhelicopter, study this section and see how their sitesand practices compare with the guidelines,especially with respect to the provision of deadairspace.

(a) Set up a car park separate from the pits area

and, if possible, arrange for it to be at least 100metres from the take-off/landing area, ideallycrosswind from the prevailing wind. Some sites donot allow the car park to be positioned this far awayfrom the flying area but you should make an effort toposition it as far away as practicable. If your siteallows you will find it useful to position your car parknear some obstacle to flying such as trees or a highhedge.

(b) Enforce a strict ruling of no cars in the pits area.An exception could be made for any of yourdisabled members but only for loading and

unloading.

(c) Have at least two recognised pits areasavailable so that the pits can be set up crosswind

from the active runway whatever the wind directionand, if possible, at least 30 metres crosswind fromthe take-off/landing path. Under no circumstancesallow models to take-off from or land over ortowards the active pits area.

(d) Do not allow flying all around the field controlline fashion. Lay out an area of dead airspace thattakes in the pits area, the car park, the approach tothe field and any noise or safety sensitive areaswhich you need to avoid. The dead airspace areawill usually be a segment of at least 90o and couldbe up to 180o i.e. all flying takes place one side of aline through the strip with the pits, car park etc. on

the other side. It is vital to set up this area of deadairspace, even if your field is totally unobstructed allaround.



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Some field layouts may mean that your approachroad cannot be included in the dead airspace youdefine. In these cases you must take extra care tohave a laid-down method of driving on to the fieldand you should make sure that all your membersare carefully briefed and aware of the safetysituation.

(e) Enforce a strict rule that NO-ONE flies in thedead airspace at ANY height.

(f) Specify that any flying actually over the take-off/landing area must be into wind only, i.e. in thedesignated landing direction. This avoids conflictingflight patterns over the active runway but does notprohibit other styles of flying away from it.

Notes

Sections (d), (e) and (f) above have certainimplications, the main one being that the circuitflown at any time will depend on the wind direction.For instance, if the prevailing wind is westerly and

this gives you a left hand circuit on your field, achange in the wind to easterly means that you mustfly a right hand circuit.

Because of this your members will have to becomeproficient in both left and right hand circuits and willhave to be able to land either from their left or theirright. None of this should bother most reasonablycompetent club flyers or any newcomer trained to flylike that from the start but a few flyers, even somequite experienced ones, may need encouragementand help to break old habits and begin flying in aslightly more disciplined style.

Once settled into this more disciplined style, yourmembers may find that it is easier to fly this way.

Please note that this section refers to club flyingsites only. Model flying displays have their own sitesafety code recommendations in a later section.

LEARNING TO FLY RADIO CONTROL

CAP 658 says

If at all possible contact and join a local model flying

club. There is no doubt that this is the best way tolearn to fly. Details of your local clubs can beobtained from the BMFA or your local model shop.

Most of the many hundreds of model flying clubs inthe UK offer training in R/C flying to beginners.

It is not impossible to learn to fly without being amember of a club but it can be very difficult. If youare not able to join a club then try to get help froman experienced model flyer who will be able to guideyour first efforts.

Some organisations offer commercial model flyingtraining. Details can usually be found in the model

flying magazines.

Simulators

Flight simulators are becoming increasingly popularas a tool to help you learn to fly R/C models andtheres no doubt that they also help develop andhone flying skills when you cant get out to fly.

Look out for depth perception problems when youmove back to real models as there are differences.

Simulator Leads

Be aware that the constant plugging and unpluggingof simulator or training leads can lead to poorconnections or damage to the host circuit board onsome transmitters

RADIO CONTROL AND YOU

This section gives advice and guidance on theoperation of your radio equipment which may not becovered in the manufacturers literature.

(a) There are many occasions when others mightneed to quickly identify the frequency you areoperating on and your transmitter should carry aneasily visible channel identification pennant;

Most people use 35 MHz and an orange flag withone inch black or white numerals should be used

Aerials

(b) The aerial on your transmitter is an integral partof the set that is certified/tested by the manufacturer

in order to qualify for the CE mark. If you arereplacing a whip aerial you should try to obtain themanufacturers spare part. If you cant do this thenthe aerial you fit should be of the same specification(length, screw fixing etc) as the original.

If you wish to fit a base loaded or rubber duckaerial, you should be aware that you may only useone of these aerials if the manufacturer has clearedyour particular transmitter for such an aerial. If thisis the case, then you should be able to buy themanufacturers authorised spare.

If your particular transmitter is cleared to use such

an aerial by the manufacturer but you cant get theoriginal manufacturers spare then any replacementaerial you buy must meet the same specification asthe manufacturers item. Note that, with this type ofaerial, the specifications are more complex thansimply matching the length.

You should be aware that fitting an aerial that doesnot meet the transmitter manufacturersspecifications will result in you being considered tohave introduced into use a new variant of thetransmitter which will not be covered by themanufacturers testing/certification and CE mark.

If you wish to fit an aftermarket aerial you shouldfirst contact the manufacturer/importer of yourtransmitter for further information. You might also



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find information on the Ofcom website atwww.ofcom.co.uk

(c) A dirty or oily telescopic transmitter aerial willdegrade the range of your transmitter, sometimesquite severely, and may even affect the outputfrequency. Clean it every two or three months withmethylated spirit or similar and never lubricate it.

(d) Take care to route your receiver aerial wellaway from any carbon fibre in your aircraft. Carbonfibre is electrically conductive and is a good aerialitself. Large quantities of it can blanket your receiveraerial completely and even a few strands used forstrength can cause glitching in flight if they are closeto the aerial and can affect the signal reaching it.

(e) A point that is often overlooked, even byexperienced flyers, is that the placement of 2.4 GHzreceiver aerials is much more critical than for 35MHz equipment. You must read the manuf

bfma handbook2009

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