FAQ

Can I have a trial to see if it’s right for me?
Yes. The club encourages potential members to come along for 3 discrete days of flying before becoming a member. This is fully covered by the BMFA insurance scheme, thereby incurring no costs to the potential member or to the club for those three days. After this, we would ask that you join the club and also the BMFA, which provides the necessary insurance.

Does the club have a trainer model?
Yes. You are free to receive some instruction using the club’s high-wing trainer model, and we require that the first flight (at least) is conducted using a buddy lead to an instructor where we are not certain of the pilot’s capabilities. Clearly you would do well to buy your own model and use that, but the club’s trainer is a good way to try out the hobby and see whether it’s right for you.

When is the best day and/or time to come to the field?
As we fly pretty much any day of the year, no day is ‘better’ than any other day, and this also applies to Bank Holidays. In general, if you’re wanting to be there at the same time as an instructor, then your best bet is to come along to the field between 12:00 midday and 16:00 (or well before sunset in winter) on a day that is convenient for you and on which the weather is good enough for flying (eg. not too windy, no significant precipitation). Obviously, if you come to the field on Christmas Day you’re likely to find yourself on your own!

Do more members fly at the weekends or during the week?
Many club members are retired, and thus are able to fly during the week as well as at weekends. This coupled with other factors means that it is not possible to say whether there will be more members down at the field at weekends or on weekdays. Generally, the better the weather the more likely it is that there will be a good number of members at the field.

Can I be sure there will be an instructor at the field when I turn up?
Unfortunately not.
Generally, the better the weather the more likely it is that there will be a good number of flyers at the field, and thus a greater chance of being able to see an instructor. We currently have no system of saying that certain instructors will be available on specified days or certain times during the day, although this is something we are looking into going forward.

Who are the instructors? How will I recognise them?
Please see the Training Page for a list of instructors we have within the club. Perhaps the best approach here is to note their names and ask when you arrive at the field if one of them is available and willing to fly with you. There is no additional cost for instruction; this is offered for free.

How do I join and what does it cost?
Please visit the “Join” page for all membership details, including costs. Please note that there is no additional cost for instruction; this is offered for free.

Who do I contact if my question has not been answered?
Please visit the “Contact” page for contacts within the club.

What is the GDPR and how does it apply to Goosedale Model Flying Club?
From the 25th May 2018, the new General Data Protection Regulation came into force. This is a new legislation that unifies data protection across all EU countries, including the UK (Brexit does not alter anything here).
We are not lawyers and thus cannot offer legal advice. However, an overview of the GDPR can be found here.
The UK’s implementation of the GDPR is the Data Protection Act 2018, and you can read more about this on the UK Government Website.
Goosedale Model flying Club is required to post a Privacy Notice, which documents what personal information is collected and how it is processed.
A document describing how Goosedale MFC holds and processes personal data may be downloaded from here (PDF, Portable Document Format) (right-click and choose Save As… and save to somewhere convenient on your device).

What are the legalities of model flying nowadays?
It’s best to review what the BMFA says about this subject, and what your legal obligations are under the law when flying model aircraft of any type (not just drones, first person view (FPV) models or models carrying cameras). The BMFA has a page dedicated to this here; please do take the time to read this as you may be required to take a short competency test, especially if you are not a member of the BMFA or do not hold an ‘A’ model flying competency certificate. Again, please note that we are not lawyers so anything we tell you should not be considered to be legal advice.