BMFA Fun Fly

Hi all, I received this today from" Helen" with no Subject matter ,was disappointed to find it was aeromodelling related.....

Ian

Fun Fly at the Nationals By James Gordon



When some people think of the B.M.F.A National Championships, they think of the country's elite competitors, seriously competing with expensive, state of the art models!

But, while this is the case with some events, there is one event that attracts flyers from the elite, all the way through to the average club flyer. This event is the Fun Fly.



Fun Fly was conceived at club level all over the country in the 1960's and in 1985, the BMFA Mid-West area, headed by Robin Jones, launched a national event that became

an integral part of the August Nationals and has been going strong ever since. Robin worked extremely hard over the years in support of the Fun Fly and with his team, made

this one of the most enjoyable events at the Nats. The new team, now in our fifth year, is mainly made up of members of the Caterham & District Model Flying Club, with

contest directors being myself and Nick Lester. Both of us have competed in the event for many years and we too, feel very strongly that the Fun Fly continues to grow and

goes from strength to strength.



So what is Fun Fly? Basically, at club level, a fun fly competition can be pretty much anything as long as it's simple and fun! I belong to the Caterham and Croydon clubs, both

of which have monthly fun fly competitions ranging from limbo, touch and go's or spot landing events, through to slightly sillier events like water carrying, balloon bursting

or even doughnut dropping! All these events are designed to entertain, both the pilots and the spectators. They can also improve pilot skills and confidence and they certainly

add lots of fun to any club! The other thing about fun fly events is that they are all scored against the clock. There are no judges deciding how much they liked your flight – your

score at the end of the time is what you get - simple as that!



The models, too, can be very basic. At club level and indeed at the Nationals, most people use well proven designs such as the Limbo Dancer, Avicraft Frantic, Western Cougar,

YT Magic or the Evolution Fusion. All of these models have the benefit of being relatively cheap, quick to assemble and easy to fly. But with the right set up, then virtually

anything is possible from the transmitter sticks!



In the Nationals, we also like to encourage flyers to modify existing models or even design their own. Over the years, we have seen some wonderfully ingenious designs that

have been incredibly successful and indeed, we are now looking at awarding a prize to encourage and reward such design flair. This, then brings another element to the competition,

for the model can't be just good at one event, it needs to be good at four or five very different events, so not only are the pilot skills being tested, so is the design of the model!



So, let me now briefly run through what the Nationals competition is all about. Basically, anyone with a BMFA 'B' certificate can enter whatever your skills at fun fly. The event

is designed to introduce the average club flyer into competition flying, thus boosting confidence and skill levels. Many well known national and international pilots started in fun fly

and have gone on to huge success.



The event is split into two classes. Class 1 is for the experts, where some of the piloting skills have to be seen to be believed and class 2 for anyone with a 'B' certificate who enjoys

a laid back approach to competition flying. There is, by the way, nothing to stop you entering both classes!



Class 1 models are basically unlimited, whereas class 2 models are limited on engine size or electric motor, with no tuned exhausts and no coupling (mixing) of control surfaces.

This is designed to keep the models to similar performance and keep them affordable to everyone.



Now, to the competitions themselves. Both classes include a Longest Glide task that requires the pilot to stay in the air for as long as possible, following a 20 second climb.

Also included is a Limbo competition that is won by the pilot that completes the most passes under the limbo gate as possible in two minutes. A Touch and Go task is also included

in both classes, where the pilot completes as many touch and go's as possible in a large square, again in two minutes.



Class 1 only has a Triple Thrash task, that requires the pilot to complete three touch and go's, three loops, three rolls and another touch and go in the fastest time, where

class 2 has a Spins and Spot task where pilots perform as many spins as possible on the way down after a 30 second climb, then perform a spot landing for added points.



During the last few years, we have also added a mystery round for each class which is drawn at random at the start of the weekend. These events include Dead stick aerobatics,

Touch & Go Bang, Water Carrying and Doughnut Dropping! New for this year to also join the mystery rounds are Roop and Blackjack.



Well, I hope that's wetted your appetite for the Nationals Fun Fly. We are certainly great believers in this event, as we think the Nationals needs at least one low key event

where anyone can come along and have the experience of competing on a very low budget and have a whole load of fun along the way. It also shows the public the lighter side

of R/C flying, which can only be a good thing and it is also great fun to watch!!



So, go on, fill out the entry form in the June issue of the BMFA News and give it a go - I'll guarantee a fun packed and entertaining weekend! Copies of this year's rules are available

from the B.M.F.A office or from me at the following email address:



jamesrrg@hotmail.com



We both look forward to seeing you in August, either competing or just come to the line and say hello - maybe it will inspire you to give it a go next year.



Happy Fun Flying!



James Gordon.

Get lots of junk mail from the BMFA.

I sure Helen is an electronic name given to the automated email client system at the BMFA

I don't think she is electronic, she signed it,
Helen Feaver

BMFA Membership Secretary

Ok my mistake