If you’re interested in flying RC model aircraft, you might be asking yourself “How do I get started?”. Here is a little advice from the BCMA on how you can get involved in this great hobby…
- Visit your local AMA club. If you’re in our area, we hope you’ll come visit the BCMA, but even if you’re not you’ll find that there are over 2500 Academy of Model Aeronautics clubs in the US. There is bound to be one near you! You can search for clubs here: http://www.modelaircraft.org/clubsearch.aspx
- Talk to other RC pilots. We don’t bite! If there is one thing RC pilots enjoy as much as flying, it is talking about flying. Talk to the flyers at your local club – they are a wealth of information and usually more than happy to help people get into the hobby. Don’t be shy!
- Join the AMA. The Academy of Model Aeronautics is the main RC aircraft related organization in the US. They are a fantastic organization that helps support the hobby by helping create safety guidelines, fund infrastructure, and interface with the government on behalf of modelers (and much more). Visit them at http://www.modelaircraft.org/. Membership to the BCMA requires an active AMA membership.
- Try a simulator before you try flying an RC plane. There are some fantastic RC flight simulators on the market these days like RealFlight and Phoenix. You can often try them out for free by visiting your local hobby shop (like HobbyTown USA). We know we know… you can’t wait to put that new RC plane you got in the air! But trust us: it is worth it to get some stick time on a simulator first. You will save yourself a lot of heartache and money!
- Pick a trainer plane for your first aircraft: not a warbird, jet, or helicopter!
Flying RC is tons of fun. We hope you’ll give it a shot! As always, feel free to contact us if you have any questions. We are happy to help!
