BACK SEAT INSTRUCTORS

[chappers]

at my local field there are a lot of skilled and experienced flyers who learned their art at the same field, from other skilled and experienced flyers. So why is it some of them sit on their backsides and critisise and ridicule others who try to help the beginners? Yes these "new instructors" dont have years of experience or maybe even the skills required to give the tuition required BUT SOME ONE HAS TO DO IT! So come on chaps you all know who you are, give back the help you recieved when you first started! and you never know getting your arse off the chair may do something for your belly!!!!!!?????

chappers

[Stuart]

Ditto

[G-DAVE]

I can guess who you are refering to , but, if they can't be bothered to bring there own heli's to fly then I can't see them going the extra yard to help fly someone elses.
One point I will make is if some of the new starters would come along to the club meetings maybe we would get to know them.
There are faces turning up at the field and I for one don't even know if there members or not. Also unless we get to know them you don't know what standard they are at or if they need help. They have to ask !!!!!
Dave

[magnumfuels]

its an intereting issue. I remember a club I where I used to live that had an excellent training system but when it came to making people welcome, were sadly lacking. They did have a procedure though, that when a new member was accepted, they HAD to go to the field with an instructor and be shown the local rules and regulations - a side effect of this was that at least a few people got to know them and saw their standard of flying - a worthwhile ice-breaker.

:idea:

[chappers]

whilst i agree with both your comments we are a pretty daunting lot! sitting there with our thousands of pounds worth of toys, cutting tongues and weird sense of humour. so why cant we make the first move and ask them if they need help etc...? we are not an exclusive club for the few and surely we should be welcoming visitors and new members?

chappers

[mo]

TUITION

HI.
Most interested in this topic of helping the budding helli flyer.I can be classified as such and although my club has some very distingushed fliers, and I made it common knowledge that although I flew fixed wing, I had every intention of trying my luck with helicopters, I have not had one bloody ounce of help from this club,in fact I have had nothing but arguments almost every time I turn up at our field.I have now my own little helli patch about one hundred yards away from the fixed wing boys and I feel like a damn leper.Whether this action has stemmed from the anticipated danger of my helli I cannot say, but I remember on one occasion when I got my helli out at the field, someone remarked that he knew where I could take that thing.It was gratifying to see that same person come back from the patch with his totalled model, and I asked him who wanted watching now.This did not go down at all well so I now keep myself to myself.If anyone would like to give me the tuition I so badly need,please get in touch, but I think I live too far away from you guys for you to be of any help.
GOOD FLYING.
Mo.

[G-DAVE]

Helping

Hi Keith
Will gladly help anyone who asks and I do!! But I won't ask anyone if I can fly there heli .Why, because if it craches when in my control it would get to me. I've always waited to be asked , then the onus is on the person wanting help.
Most people who join the clubs are introduced by a member who will know who to ask for help or can introduce a new guy to an able instructor.
To many people are arriving at the field giving a commitee man there money and not coming to club meetings thats where in a relaxed and convivial atmosphere they can mix in and become a club member.
Summer time when there is plenty of daylight at nights ,that would be an opporunity to name one night eg. a Wednesday night as a training night for those who need help.
Dave

[chappers]

hi dave, i know when asked your only too happy to assist but we both know who we are talking about?

chappers

[Raptorite]

This is a very interesting debate and one that it close to my heart, I am on the committee for the Bath Model Heli Club as treasurer (mostly due to my business systems and accounting background) also my little van in affectionately known as the mobile heli workshop at the field, so I get allot of the beginners models to check over and test fly.

There are a few, maybe 3 or 4 that are quite often giving tuition to beginners on hovering and circuits and the likes, which when you consider that the club has a total membership of around 35, thats not too bad.

My worry however is that especially with the recent write up in the BMFA paper of the case of the guy found as responsible by a court for the cost of repairing a beginners model that was in the end I believe found to be incorrectly built which ultimately caused the model to crash, while he was test flying and trimming it out, sort of takes the edge out of the ease of which I accept requests to test fly models.

This is the first of its kind and as I understand it goes totally against the grain of any "Gentlemans agreement" between the beginner and instructor of where ultimate responsibility for the model lies.

I personnally dont go looking for models to test fly and am always sure to clarify this with the beginner before the model is started. I have only had this happen once and that was caused by a receiver crystal failure, there have also been numerous ones where I have been testing models with some sort of engine problem, sometimes resulting in a flame out and an auto but I am reasonably comfortable with those.

The other point I would like to make, well, more of a question really, do any of you or your clubs enter into the BMFA regsitered Instructor scheme? there are 2 kinds, club level Instructors and ones that float between different clubs, anyone know of one?

I am neither at the moment but am very interested in your comments about it.

Cheers,

Pete.

[chappers]

i am a registered instructor (or should say was) for fixed wing, im sure thats lapsed by now? neverheard of this case you mentioned when was it in bmfa paper? on website? this puts a whole new light on the matter and i believe will ultimatly hurt the sport? any other thoughts ?

chappers

[Raptorite]

Hi Chappers,

It was either in the last one or maybe the one before that, I cant remember which one at the moment and I cant find either of them at the moment either. I moved house about 2 months ago and there are still allot of things on the missing list :roll:

I think from memory the BMFA Instructor registration is valid for 2 years, so if you havent renewed it in the last couple of years there is a good chance it has expired.

Cheers,

Pete.

[chappers]

Well i dont think ill be hurrying to renew it?!

chappers

[Raptorite]

Chappers,

I think I remembered which eddition it was in, the last one had the picture of the 8 year old lad, having just passed his helicopter B ticket, there's another debate but we wont get into that one just at the moment I think it was in there.

Cheers,

Pete.

[chappers]

cheers pete ill try and dig it out

chappers

[philiphenderson]

The "let's all get off our arses and help out the newbies" went down like a lead balloon at the meeing. Some people you just can't get through to. They'd rather have them total the machine so that they don't come back to "their" club. :evil:

Phil.