About Us
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