So, what are the benefits of becoming a member of the British Model Flying Association? Well, in addition to the £5million third party insurance cover you will also benefit from the Central Council for Physical Recreation Approved Insurance. You will get a Member’s Handbook and will be able to join various schemes and programmes. The BMFA will send you regular news bulletins and free information on a variety of topics.

As we have emphasised previously, one of the most useful things a beginner can do is to join a local flying club. The BMFA can provide you with useful advice, assistance and support on all aspects of model flying, including putting you in touch with a suitable club in your area. They can put you in touch with a club and scheme nearby.

You can then reply on the local affiliated club for further training and support. This will connect you with fellow members who can help you build, finish and prepare your RC helicopter.

The BMFA affiliated club can provide training tailored to national guidelines which will ensure a comprehensive training scheme.

There are numerous other benefits to becoming a member of the BMFA and various ways in which you can join. See the website for further details.

In this blog article we will be looking further at the British Model Flying Association and how you can go about getting the insurance through taking out membership with the BMFA.

If you want to take out insurance with the BMFA you can do so by registering through an affiliated flying club. The insurance commences as soon as you (or the club) have paid the membership fee to the BMFA. You do not have to wait for the membership card to arrive.

You can also take out membership as an individual Country Member by applying directly to Chacksfield House, headquarters of the BMFA. As soon as the application is received and processed you are officially a member.

In addition to these two types of BMFA membership (which includes personal insurance), temporary insurance is also available which does not cover the personal element.

Clubs can offer temporary BMFA membership to UK-based visitors who have been invited to use their flying facilities on a temporary basis.

Clubs can also offer temporary membership to overseas visitors. However, this does not cover display or competition flying.

Club liability insurance of the flying club can also be extended to first time inexperienced flyers under supervision.

Membership fees run from 1st January to 31st December but the actual fee to be paid is dependable on the time you join and the type of membership applied for. See the website for further details.

If you have grown tired of flying your RC helicopter on your own and fancy getting together with other RC helicopter hobbyists then you may want to look into joining a club which holds regular flying events through the year. However to be able to participate, for safety reasons, you will first need to obtain BMFA insurance. But what does BMFA stand for?

The BMFA is the British Model Flying Association which is based in Leicester. The BMFA was set up to promote and protect the sport of hobby flying in the UK. The insurance covers up to £5million third party indemnity. If you want to know how about getting insurance for RC helicopter flying at events up and down the country have a look on their website at: www.bmfa.org and you can also read about it further in the next blog article.

At all reputable events relating to radio control helicopters proof of insurance is always required before you will be allowed to fly. If you forget it then this will certainly jeopardise your chance to fly at the event and it could ruin your whole day. It is that serious!

Following on from the last article, we will now be looking at some more advantages to using RC helicopters which utilise a 2.4Ghz frequency as opposed to the 35Mhz system.

Safe and Secure
The security of the 2.4Ghz system allows for a much greater level of radio control to be maintained and this ensures your own safety as well as those around you. This means that other pilots cannot interfere with your radio frequency and reduce the chances of crashes or loss of control over the craft. The reduction in the conflicts between other radio control helicopters means they are more widely accepted when flying in public places.

The technology means that the pairing of the transmitter to the receiver is synchronised more effectively and securely. If a frequency is being used, the set will automatically move to another frequency and this means that there are fewer radio glitches.

Efficiency
Within a range of 250 metres, this system will consume a much lower level of power when compared with the 35Mhz frequency. This will save you money and time on charging your batteries and allows you to enjoy flying your RC helicopter for much longer.

The radio gear of the helicopter is much easier to install and the transmitter and receiver are much shorter and less likely to break.

If you want to fully make use of the latest technology and more recent developments in RC helicopters then it is wise to go for 2.4Ghz radio control helicopters. But what makes these helicopters superior to the 35Mhz frequency?

Well, to start with, this technology allows for the transmitter and receiver of the RC helicopter to be locked onto the same frequency which ensures reliability is increased substantially and greater peace of mind for the pilot.

We will now explain all the major advantages over this and the next article.

Reliable
As we have stressed previously, operating at this frequency is more reliable to use as it gives the pilot greater control over the helicopter. The radio control is therefore out of the frequency range of any noise caused by nearby electronic components and other interference that can easily affect a 35Mhz frequency.

Excellent performance
The performance has been improved by a great extent with much quicker and more responsive controls, compared to the other system.

Competition
For those who like to fly their radio control helicopter competitively, this eliminates the need for frequency control to be checked prior to flying.