Once again, it’s been a while since I published an update on the National Centre, the time to put each one together always seems to be overtaken by the practical day to day aspects of running the facility…there’s always something to do.
I have again been through the process of changing the title each time I get the chance to write a bit… it started off as Spring 2024 then morphed into Summer, then it became the Autumn Blog……and then Winter 2024… in the end I settled on just 2024, at least there’s a process…
Anyway, that’s the excuses out of the way, on with the blog.
Events
There is no doubt that the early part of the year was dominated by the weather and in particular the amount of rain and the associated wet ground conditions.
This had a significant impact on early season events and in particular the camping side of things, as the campsite was actually flooded on a few occasions, usually it drains and dries reasonably quickly here but the early year rainfall ensured that this process was slowed significantly, it does seem to be an ongoing theme of late, I guess there’s an explanation.
The start of the spring (such as it was) saw us kick off our larger events with the usual Jet Modellers Association long weekend fly-in, which was very well attended and very successful, it’s always a challenge to get the runway ready so early in the season but the team here always seem to manage it.
This was followed by the SAM35 Spring Gala and first National Centre Swapmeet of the year, which was also well attended and went without a hitch despite worries over the ground conditions, we did have to tow a small number of camper vans out of the campsite but there were no real dramas.
We also hosted a Warbirds fly-in for our friends at the RAF Model Aircraft Association (RAFMAA) which was actually an open fly-in and very well supported, with some great models in action and a good social side it is an event set to be a regular feature in the calendar.
A first for this year was the Large Model Association Fly-in which took place in early May, they were blessed with great weather and again there were some beautiful aircraft in attendance, and it represented a very relaxed weekend’s flying, the LMA have already booked the equivalent date for next year.
The end of May saw the British Association of Radio Controlled Soarers (BARCS) Radioglide competition over the Bank Holiday weekend, again, they benefited from pretty good conditions and it was a successful weekend of thermal soaring.
Yet another new booking was the J Perkins weekend at the beginning of June which represented an interesting addition to the calendar, the event was essentially an open fly-in with the added benefit of access to the Perkins range of products, including some new releases. As well as the opportunity to turn and fly there were also flying displays by the Perkin’s team which included some of the top UK display pilots. The event also featured lots of model car activity including a rock crawler track designed and built by the National Centre Volunteer Team, overall, a great weekend.
The summer months are always extremely busy here and June saw the second JMA jet weekend followed by the second SAM35 Retrofest and swapmeet. The summer swapmeet is always a little quieter in terms of attendance as there are so many other events taking place around the country, however, traders reported very positive sales and clearly those who attended were there to shop, there was no shortage of visitors leaving with a kit or an aircraft about their person.
We also accommodated the BMFA University and Schools Payload Challenge which again was a great event with a very strong international attendance, as in previous years the competition featured some truly innovative designs and some spectacular achievements in terms of the payload transported.
The competition is a great spectator event and quite a number of visitors came along to enjoy the action, it also represents great midweek activity at the Centre.
On a similar theme we again hosted the Institute of Mechanical Engineers UAS Challenge which is a similar competition to our own Payload Challenge, but at a more advanced level. This is our largest booking of the year, and we provide a full “turn-key” solution which includes all of the required infrastructure as well as a very large marquee which runs to a spectacular 250 feet in length! The event occupies 4 midweek days so again represents great use of the Centre and an important part of the annual income.
In July we held the now established and very popular Warbirds Festival, the weather was very accommodating and it was a busy and enjoyable weekend, with the flightline ably managed by Richard Scarbrough and his team.
The last weekend of July was the regular Blades over Buckminster Helicopter fly-in and again they managed to hit the weather just right and it was yet another busy weekend at the Centre with plenty of first-time visitors.
Yet another new event was the Festival of Scale, this was hosted by the Scale Technical Committee and really did represent a celebration of scale modelling with the opportunity for visitors to just turn up and fly (with scale models of course) as well as the opportunity to learn new building, finishing and detailing tips from the experts, a great event and again featured in the calendar for 2025.
Many of the events referred to here feature their own reports in the BMFA News or other publications so the aim isn’t to cover everything in this blog, more just a flavour of activity.
Talking of which, September saw us again host the Scale Helicopter Fly-in, it remains one of my favourite events of the year due to the sheer quality of the models in attendance….and the fact that there is something very special about seeing a well flown scale heli in action.
Continuing the theme of “new events” we hosted a Lazer Engines and Best of British Fly-in which was a great success and received support from some of the model flying trade which was a real bonus, again, its already in the calendar for 2025.
Once again we hosted a considerable number of National Championships at the Centre which is a great thing to be able to do, particularly in view of the increasing lack of access to MOD sites.
We covered, Silent Flight, IMAC Scale Aerobatics, Funfly, F3A Precision Aerobatics, Scale and Pylon as RC Nationals, we also hosted the Control Line Nationals over a long, late August weekend which was very successful and well attended.
In addition to the listed events, we have of course continued to host and support a range of additional activity such as the very successful, monthly Introduction to Aerobatics days and the growing in popularity Buckminster Power Strugglers events (vintage themed RC and RC assist type activity). The BMFA Achievement Scheme Committee have also held regular training days here (although they have suffered at the hands of the weather on a number of occasions).
The BMFA Auctions continue to develop and have become a very successful entity in their own right, based at the Centre and providing a meaningful service to BMFA members and their families. We will have hosted three auctions during 2024, each featuring almost 500 Lots, a great team achievement and a meaningful aspect of the Centre finances.
In addition to all of the above we have tried to maintain the balance in terms of providing opportunities to just turn up and fly and ensure plenty of opportunities for Season Ticket Holder access.
The Tethered Car track located behind the Goldsmith Hangar has also gone from strength to strength and is receiving regular use, and pleasingly attracting new recruits to running tethered cars.
Projects and Developments
The Volunteer Team continue to maintain the site in stunning condition and keep on top of all the jobs that keep the site looking in top order; of course, one of the most important undertakings is the regular grass cutting regime (we close cut around 12 acres of grass twice a week during the main growing season) which is largely fronted by our Volunteer Alan Collick and ably supported by the rest of the team for the detail work.
In addition to the day-to-day maintenance, the project work continues, and this year we have upgraded the three grass control line circles to incorporate tarmac hard centres, which has made a significant improvement, and means that we have top class facilities for all control line disciplines (other than pulse jet speed). The works were funded and supported by members of the control line community representing the various user groups and Technical Committee.
In terms of project work, the most significant development has been the Flyers’ Café which opened for business in March and has represented an extremely positive addition to the facilities at the National Centre.
The building was originally a stable block which underwent a full refurbishment in order to bring it up to the required standard. The major building and roof works were undertaken by contractors (the same contractors who undertook the original development of the Centre 8 years ago) with the final fit and finish completed by the Volunteers.
The Café has become a very meaningful addition to the facilities at the Centre and has had a very successful first “season” supporting all of our model flying events as well as the larger commercial bookings, the Café also represents an additional income stream to the Centre which is of course helpful given the tight budget that we operate to.
Well done to Gillian Hartley and her team for such a positive start to the Flyers’ Café, it’s been positive reviews all the way!
As part of the Café development the Volunteer Team undertook the construction of a patio area and walkway to provide access and a seating area, heavy work indeed with over 200 3×2 “council slabs” manoeuvred and laid by hand, a significant achievement for a team of …. “retired gentlemen”.
As an interesting aside, I spent a fair bit of time looking at cost effective options for the purchase of slabs, and eventually settled on reclaimed units which suited the budget and the general look. Having found a company in North Yorkshire with the required quantity in stock we discussed the price and the transport arrangements, they were extremely cheap on the delivery quote…..so much so that I jokingly asked if they were delivering by tractor and trailer.
Anyway, 3 days later the 220 slabs duly arrived at the National Centre ……by tractor and trailer, the driver had been on the road for over 6 hours and stopped for just a quick cuppa as he unloaded before setting off for the return journey as he had to “call in” at Lincoln to collect a “backload” of bricks, amazing!
In addition to the slab laying my Team undertook the required civil works to complete the water supply and drainage for the Café as well as the fit-out of the required catering facilities, and of course the cosmetic finishing touches such as painting and model hanging, a great achievement all round and the creation of a fantastic space and facility.
Other tasks through the year have involved creating additional storage facilities to support the move from the Chacksfield House office in Leicester, including the creation of new office space for our accounts department.
The creation of storage space is an ongoing theme, and we are currently developing some of the old barns to create dry, secure equipment storage facilities as we store a reasonable amount of kit for the various disciplines that use the National Centre.
Further projects for the coming months include more slab laying to improve access around the Café and also cosmetic works to improve the courtyard area and make it a usable and attractive space.
There will also be a shelter/hut located close to the grass control line circles, again funded through donations and support from the various user groups.
New visitors
One of the pleasing aspects of this year has been the number of first-time visitors to the National Centre, it’s always a pleasure to welcome BMFA members who are attending the Centre for their first visit, and this year a number of first timers have now become regular attendees at the various events that the Centre has to offer.
Given the level of usage and the fact that every weekend through the main “season” is allocated to an event of some description it does indicate the need for the Centre and it is pleasing to hear many of the model flying disciplines refer to the Centre as their home.
Of course, we also do our best to support grass roots flying and there are plenty of opportunities to just turn up and fly during the week, we have a number of members who make a week or two at the Centre part of their annual holiday and we have a number of clubs that book in “away days” for their members.
All great use of the facilities.
Another pleasing aspect is the distance that some of our members travel to fly at the Centre, we have season ticket holders based as far north as Glasgow and Edinburgh and as far south as Plymouth and Southampton, a fair commitment but made more palatable by camping on site.
The other really pleasing aspect is the sheer scope of model flying activity that we are able to accommodate through the year and I still regard the cross pollination of activity as one of the major benefits of the Centre.
As always, the support of our visitors and Season Ticket holders is very much appreciated.
Looking to the Year Ahead
As usual for this time of year we are planning the calendar for next year and already it is proving a challenge to accommodate all the booking requests, not a bad position to be in, but of course disappointing for those who don’t get their preferred dates.
At this stage it actually looks like that with a bit of juggling we will be able to accommodate all of the requests and required competition dates
One significant change is the move of the new Best of British and Laser Engines weekend to earlier in the year, this is due to the very successful first event and plenty of demand to move it into the summer months, and (hopefully) benefit from better weather.
The full calendar will be available on the National Centre website in the near future.
Pricing for 2025
Looking to 2025, the aim is to maintain the current pricing schedule with no increases for model flying related activity and bookings for the coming year, the aim, as always is to maintain a cost effective and attractive facility for our members.
However, in accordance with the original stated aims of the National Centre project, it does need to cover its own costs so we are always looking at ways to increase revenue, it is likely that commercial booking will see a price increase in line with inflation and of course we are always exploring additional uses for the facilities.
We continue to provide space and event solutions for a number of external bodies and also provide catering services through the Flyers’ Café.
Despite an increase in costs, we are aiming to keep camping fees the same and are currently looking at the charging schedule to ensure that we provide our visitors with the most cost effective solution, again see the website for updates early in the year.
Having completed its first “season” we will be evaluating the pricing for the Café but I am not expecting any significant increases, perhaps just some minor updates to reflect the lessons learned in terms of demand and also the fluctuating cost of ingredients and consumables.
In Conclusion
Well, that’s about it for this Blog.
Hopefully it has provided a flavour for the year’s activity at the National Centre and hopefully encouraged a few more new visitors.
The National Centre really is a venue for all model flyers, and throughout the year there is something taking place to suit most tastes, even if it is turn up for an event, soak up the atmosphere and grab a coffee.
In terms of flying, there are plenty of opportunities from the various competitions to the general fly-ins and of course the opportunity to just turn up and enjoy some relaxing, unpressured flying in very pleasant surroundings.
In closing, it has to be noted that the Centre continues to be a successful and meaningful facility for model flying, however, it only works because BMFA Members support it through visiting and using it, it also benefits from a huge amount of commitment and dedication from, firstly, my team of regular Volunteers who attend every week and continue to support all of the activity and events that take place here, and secondly, due to the dedication of those who run events here, competition CDs, Flightline controllers and event Co-ordinators.
Also of course, the staff who continue to go above and beyond to ensure the Centre remains a viable facility for BMFA members.
We look forward to welcoming you to the National Centre during 2025.
MW
A brief note on the Autumn Swapmeet and SAM 35 Gala
As I conclude writing this blog, we have just hosted the above event.
The National Centre swapmeets have become a significant success and have generally proceeded without any problems using a proven and established format.
Unfortunately, our most recent event suffered a small number of issues that I am well aware of, and am in the process of unpicking with my Team in preparation for next year.
Some of the problems were of our own making (trying a different entry/payment process) and some were caused by circumstances beyond our control (roadworks and diversions to the west of the Centre) and some due to the sheer number of people arriving on site (a nice problem to have).
My apologies to those visitors who had to queue to get into the Centre and to those who had a long wait for food at the Flyers Café.
Overall, it was a very positive weekend with plenty of flying and a great atmosphere and probably our largest number of visitors on a one day.
We look forward to accommodating a similar Swapmeet schedule next year.
