LEARNING TO FLY AT CULPEPER MODEL BARNSTORMERS

Welcome to the Culpeper Model Barnstormers. We very much appreciate your interest in our Club and the fascinating hobby of radio controlled (RC) model aircraft. We look forward to assisting you in your introduction to RC flying.

Please stop by the field and say hello.

Visitors are always welcome at the Club's flying field, so feel free to come by say hello. We will be happy to answer questions and let you get a feel for flying at Culpeper County Lenn Park's Lenn Model Airpark with the Culpeper Model Barnstormers.

How We Can Help Club Members.

Our goal in offering free instruction to club members is to assure that you acquire basic and safe flying skills without the risk and expenses that would otherwise be likely should you "go it alone". We hope that instruction on a club trainer with the assistance of one our club members/instructors will result in your successful transition to your first plane. In the process you will learn how to fly safely and learn about the various components of a typical RC aircraft. Training is open to those at least ten years old; we encourage parents and youth to participate in training together. Most always, corrected vision is sufficient for successful RC piloting.

Remote Control Aircraft Instruction.

Your instruction will be on a club trainer using a "buddy box" that is, in effect, a transmitter simulator linked to the instructor's RC transmitter. This allows your instructor to pass control of the plane to you and then retake control when correction is needed. This process is nearly identical to the instructor/student relationship used in full scale aviation. By utilizing this "buddy box" method you are free to concentrate on your lesson without the fear of crashing or having to take off/land your model on your first attempt. You will progress through all phases of flight and some basic maneuvers until you are ready to complete a solo check flight witnessed by an instructor. After a few more flights under the watch of an instructor where you demonstrate knowledge of safe procedures you will be qualified by an instructor to fly by yourself. Should you already have an airplane suitable for basic flight training and wish to learn on this airplane it is possible that we can use our buddy box with this plane. Regardless, when you are ready to fly your first plane, we can assist you in set-up and checkout in order to make your transition from our trainer successful. If you are considering investing in a plane right away, please check with us for recommendations. Even after initially qualifying on one our trainers you will need a suitable plane that will be forgiving of mistakes. Note that we encourage all members to never fly alone, qualified or not. A second pair of eyes never hurts, and there is always a possibility of a medical emergency or injury that will benefit from some assistance. To that end check out the "@the-field" menu item at the top of our web page to see if someone is planning to be at the field. While you are in training, it won't hurt to stop by, ask questions, observe, and get to know other club members.

You can anticipate that the instruction process may take two to three months, one to two times a week for typically two to three flights at each session. Wind and weather will be a factor so some flexibility in schedule should be expected. You and your instructor will set mutually agreed upon times to meet at the Lenn Airpark. There may be others flying or taking instruction at these times as well. Part of your instruction will include how to safely operate around other flyers and aircraft. How fast you progress will depend on your "eye-to-hand" coordination skills as well as prior modeling or aviation experience and knowledge. Should you wish to make an up-front investment, we also recommend one of the several RC flight simulators that are available for your home computer. A home flight simulator will significantly shorten the time it takes to solo. Be sure to pick a simulator that features an operator interface that physically duplicates a typical RC transmitter versus a "game" type interface.

Additional Club information can be found in the Club Handbook listed here under "Membership Info".

Contact Culpeper Model Barnstormers to Begin Instruction.

We'd be happy to see you jump in and start learning to fly with the Culpeper Model Barnstormers! Please feel free to contact one of our Membership points-of-contact below who can answer questions and help you set up instruction.

Ernie Padgette/ 703-244-7465 / epadgette@sprynet.com

Gordon Collyer / 540-547-4117 / collyer22701@comcast.net