About Us

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Welcome to the information page of the Royal County Aeromodellers Club. We are a group of radio control model aeroplane enthusiasts mainly from the County Meath area but with members from adjacent counties also. Our main flying site is located not far from the small village of Ballivor in Co Meath. Our flying times are generally Sat afternoon and Sun morning during the winter time and the same with a couple of midweek afternoon/evening flying sessions during the summer months. New members are more than welcome and will be given full flying tuition and help absolutely Free of Charge.    We do have annual club fees and insurance costs but Flying Tuition does not cost anything.

 

 

We fly a mixed variety of models from Trainers, Gliders, Scale, Sport, Ducted Fan models and all can be either electric or petrol powered.  A number of our members are now embarking on the helicopter road... or should that be flight/fright path!!!! 

 

If you are interested in taking up aeromodelling as a hobby, do feel free to contact any of the committee and let us know when you may be in our locality. We will show you what is involved in getting started, learning to fly and progressing past the initial stages. We always have a club trainer onsite which is controlled via a buddy box system (dual control) so you can even have a free flight under the watchful eye of an instructor.  

 

The club is affiliated to the Model Aeronautics Council of Ireland (WWW.MACI.IE) which is the governing body for all model aviation activities in Ireland. As part of their role, they organise national, provincial and, in some cases, local events and competitions for the various registered club members around the country. The most important item that MACI look after is the provision of 3rd party insurance for all registered club members.

 

How Much Does it Cost ??

A beginner normally buys a trainer package which consists of a ready built trainer style model aeroplane either petrol or electric powered, radio control equipment, engine, fuel and all the associated items required to get flying.  We would be most happy to advise you on what and where to buy all these items.   Typically, you can expect to spend between €350 and €500 depending on the level of equipment purchased. Once the model has been assembled and the radio and engine fitted, the normal procedure is to bring it out to a recognised model flying club and let the experts check that everything is built ok, test fly the plane and proceed to teach the beginner the rudiments of flying.  It can take anything from a couple of flights to a number of months for a beginner to be able to fly a model around un-aided. The actual take-off and landing can take a lot longer and the beginner will be shown how by an instructor and only allowed to perform these manoeuvres when he/she is able to. It is possible nowadays to start flying with an electric powered plane if one does not want to get into petrol engine models.  There is some small saving to get had and one also ends up with a slightly slower style of flying which may suit some people. 

 

Certification Levels

The MACI allows club members to achieve 2 levels of certification, namely A Certificate and B Certificate.  While achievement of either is not mandatory, a lot of clubs, including the Royal County, insist that beginners, once trained, achieve their A Certificate accreditation as soon as possible.  This will allow the member to operate a model plane on their own.  Otherwise, anyone who has not achieved the A Certificate level will have to fly under the supervision of an A Certified member.  The B Certificate will allow members to be covered by insurance when flying at public demonstrations.   The A & B Certificate details are located on the MACI website. 

 

The following will give some idea on the basic equipment required for Radio Control Flying.        

 

The model below is a well known IC powered trainer, the Boomerang.        

 

                                                                

 

 

Typical Layout of 6 channel Transmitter suitable for beginners & experts alike

                 

 

 All foam electric trainer, the Multiplex Mentor and easy to assemble

              

                                               

         

         

Typical 2 Stroke 6.5cc Internal Combustion Engine, OS46AX

                                                          

     

 

                                                                                                                                     

 

For Information Contact:

Chairman, William Bowles       @ 086-2313348
Treasurer, Alex Cuipers           @ 086-3801784
Secretary, Bill Thompson         @ 086-2622089

Email:          info@royalcountyflyers.com