So, what is flight training and why do I need it?

Flight training is by far the quickest and safest (to you and your wallet!) way of improving your skills. If you are a complete beginner who has never flown a model of any sort, let alone a helicopter before, having to cope with all the controls right from the start is a daunting proposition.

The way our training works is at the start you are given just one or two of the controls to get used to and master first, before moving on to adding the remainder one at a time. This gradual approach is very successful at enhancing the speed of which confidence grows. Where there is confidence, there is also the feeling of being relaxed. This is key to the mind opening up and thus, the ability to pick things up and learn quicker, so simply by giving you that extra confidence it will enhance your ability to learn, and ultimately progressing your skills much quicker than if you were learning alone.

So when I come for a lesson, what do I need to bring?

Nothing other than yourself and your sense of humour! We provide all the equipment needed. Our dual control models are setup with good quality equipment making the whole flying experience as pleasurable as possible. Our fleet of training models are setup in such a way as to make the whole experience as pleasurable as possible.

How does it actually work?

You will be given a transmitter which is connected via a cable commonly known as a “buddy lead” to the instructor’s transmitter. The instructor will be able to both quickly change the controls you are given to fly, and take over control of the model if you get into difficulties, thus making it an incredibly safe way of learning. Typically you will start with just the aileron, in other words the control which makes the model move left and right. Once you have spent some time getting used to this, it will be swapped for just the elevator, the control which makes the model move forward and backwards. Again once you have spent some time getting used to this, you will then be given both the aileron and elevator together. These controls combined are what’s known in helicopter terms as the “Cyclics”.  Once you have mastered these controls, the remaining collective pitch and rudder, sometimes known as the yaw control are added one at a time. Once you reach this point, you will be in full control of the model and effectively flying solo.

What format will the lessons follow?

As each person is individual it is very difficult to say what aspects of flying you will learn and when. The first thing all students learn is to hover, this is the most fundamental aspect of flying a model helicopter, so some time will be taken to make sure you can hover proficiently, before moving on to other things. That’s not to say that you won’t be given the opportunity to try other things whilst you are learning to hover!

Once you are proficient at hovering, the next stage is to look at take off’s, landings and orientation, in other words, hovering the model whilst looking at it from other directions, side on for example, feels different to hovering tail in. From there you will move on to moving the model around, picking out specific land marks on the ground at various locations around the field. You will be able to confidently and proficiently move the model from one place to another, maintaining a smooth and stable hover once you get there.

At this point you are ready to move on to lazy 8’s and ultimately circuits. This too is a gradual process, taking things one step at a time to make sure you are not pushed forward too fast. Once you have reached the point of being able to fly figure 8’s and circuits, the whole sky opens up to you. From that point onwards you will move into the more advanced aspects of flying, things like, nose in, auto rotations, loops, rolls, stall turns, backwards flying, inverted hovering, inverted flying both forwards and backwards and anything else you might have seen someone else fly and fancy a go at yourself.

If you wish, there are two qualifications which can be obtained from the BMFA, these are the “A” and “B” certificates. The “A” is the more basic of the two, obtaining this proves that you have at least basic control of the model. Some clubs will require you to have at least an “A” certificate to be able to fly unsupervised. The “B” certificate is far more advanced as it proves you have a high level of skill and control of the model. This is a necessity for flying at things like public displays and competitions etc. We can train you to either level from beyond the point of hovering, as you don’t need to have an “A” in order to get the “B”. In order to maintain consistency and quality of flying across the UK, we will either bring in an external examiner, or arrange on your behalf for the test to be done at their field.

All this is great for a beginner, but what if I can already fly and just want to progress my skills?

If you can already fly a model helicopter, we will quickly assess your current standard, identifying any weaknesses you might have with the basics for you to work on in your own time. The emphasis on flying model helicopters is to have fun, so going over the drudgery of the basics again if you can already do them is no fun. We appreciate this, and will accommodate you from whatever standard, we will work with you to progress your skills in a way of your choice. If you have a specific manoeuvre in mind, we can work towards being able to achieve it confidently and consistently. Most, if not all manoeuvres can be broken down into much smaller steps, so we can take them one at a time until you have reached the point where you can put all those small steps together into the overall manoeuvre. If however, you are reasonably confident about trying something at the field which you have been working on with a simulator, we can be on hand as a safety net to give you that boost in confidence to try it for real.

What happens if the weather is bad on the day my training is booked?

We appreciate that no one can predict the weather and that’s why we do not charge for any training cancelled due to weather conditions. The training is simply rescheduled at no cost for the next convenient date. You only pay for the time you train.

NOTE: If you cancel any previously booked lessons for any other reason, this MUST be done at least 48 hours prior to the lesson, otherwise you will still have to pay for the lesson whether you are there or not. Similarly, if you arrive late for a lesson, you will still have to pay for the time you have missed.

How much does it cost?