RedWing

My Feedback: (4)

My kids go to camp, what about a R/C camp run by local club members. Has anyone done this? Or attempted to do this.
I was thinking of a camp run for half a day that kids could go to learn about R/C. Building, engines, glow vs electric, electronics and flying on a buddy box. Set up some computer sims and let them fly etc. Could this be done at a AMA field? I know our local community recreation department had some sort of R/C camp. Now they only have Introduction to Rockets M-F 9:30am-1pm, Lunch will be provided and a T-shirt will be included(Cost $159). I am not sure about the details of the R/C camp that they once did. Would liability be an issue? It always seems to be. I think an R/C camp would be cool. I would take time off work to help run the camp.

Gordon Mc

My Feedback: (11)

To have AMA coverage while you're flying the kids (who presumably are not all going to be AMA members) on the buddy box ... the only way I know of doing this is for the person on the master TX to be an AMA designated intro-pilot.

When I used to run the annual airshow at the SCCMAS club, we'd have kids come and get some buddy box time during the lucnh break. The way I handled the liability on that was to try to ensure that the guys on the master TX were either (a) intro pilots, or (b) SFA members. (SFA used to cover anyone that the insured instructor was training)

Gordon

MinnFlyer

My Feedback: (4)

Whoa! Whatta concept!

I see lots of issues though. Insurance is one. Quantity of students would be another. I mean, how many parents would pay to send their kids to a camp that is going to teach them how to do something that will bankrupt their parents?

RedWing

My Feedback: (4)

Well I never said it would work. It would be a cool thing to do.
How do clubs do the Boy scouts etc when they come flying?

MinnFlyer, maybe that is why the local Parks and Rec dropped the camp. Not enough participation.

Crashem

Redwing,

If you are serious why not go to the local school's technology dept and see if you can work out a program jointly sponsored throught the school. That might lower the liability exposure. Also if you team up with the school the teacher could provide a intro to areodynamics course allowing you to skip some of the ground school.

Our new superintendent is an R/cer and I see planes hanging in the school from time to time. I never seem to get to talk to him about a similar program though

Gordon Mc

My Feedback: (11)

Probably one of the following:

• They are using only AMA designated intro-pilots
• They aren't using an AMA chartered field
• They are using non-intro pilots at an AMA chartered field, and just hoping that nothing goes wrong.

You could always try getting signed up as an intro-pilot if that helps. Costs a bit more than regular membership, BTW.

Gordon

RedWing

My Feedback: (4)

I thought about doing some kind of show and tell for my son's class (8 years old) but I would have to wait until school starts to do that. I know the camp thing is a dream that may never be realized, but it is nice to dream. I think I will try to get involved with the school. I know my son would like that. Thanks Crashem.

Bill

Crashem

With the summer already almost over I don't see how you could set everything up this year anyway.

I know my kids summer activities were finilazed in May.

Goinstraightup

My Feedback: (26)

Last weekend was the 7th year for the "Gift of Flight Camp". I have instructed there all 7 years. Here's how it got started:

There was a Methodist pastor in our club. He thought it would be great to fly at one of their church camps. He asked if our club would help out. Three of us said yes.

We fly from the baseball field. It's about half the size of our home field but works OK. There's the lake and we float fly too. Here's the typical schedule:

Friday night - unpack to cabins and receive several hours of ground instruction - Classroom style - devotion - bedtime.

Saturday morning after wake up and breakfast - Float fly for several hours. Then the group rotates - half of the group builds and the other half is instructed. Afternoon is the other half builds and the first group that built gets instructed. After supper the trainers get put away and the show planes come out.

Sunday morning is more instruction and then they go home in the afternoon.

Tips:

Limit the participants to 20 - you'll go nuts with more than that.

Have at least 3 instructors. Less than that the instructors will go nuts - voice of experience.

It's really fun - I'd say go for it. It's a lot of work, but the response has been great.

Let me know if you have any more questions.

Jeff A

RedWing

My Feedback: (4)

I never intended to do it this year. I guess it is a dream...

Thanks Jeff for the tips.

ajcoholic

My Feedback: (10)

This is my 5th year teaching a summer school "intro to model airplane building" class. It runs along with other classes (mostly arts and music stuff) during a two week summer school held at the local comunity college. I actually took the same class over 20 years ago when I was 11 or 12 years old!

Anyhow, its a 30 hour/week course and I have 12 to 14 kids per week. We start off with AMA cubs, a hand launch glider, and then make someting like a Sig Tiger or some other good flying rubber FF stick and tissue job. The emphasis is on building, and trying to show what the hobby is all about. I bring into the class many of my own models, from some 1/2A 3 channel stuff up to my giant scale gassers and heli. The kids (some of them) also have come to watch me fly my RC stuff. A number of them that have shown real interest I have taken under my wing, and we build year round in my wood shop. I started to teach some of them control line flying this year, and one 15 year old got the bug BAD, built a Kadet Sr this past winter and this summer I taught him to fly. He soloed after 10 flights, and is now comfortably flying some of my other planes (he is a great pilot) like my Astrohog.

Its a great way to introduce kids to the hobby. There is more to it than RC, and at the beginning especially, teaching fundamentals of building and making stuff fly (even a HLG takes skill to balance and trim out properly) is in my opinion very important.

I look at some of these kids and see myself 20 to 25 years ago, when I was young and had the model airplane bug BAD....

Andrew Coholic

Goinstraightup

My Feedback: (26)

The AMA offers coverage for additional flying sites to your chartered club for only $20 per location. This is what we do for our camp.

Jeff

scottrc

Call the AMA about the education packages they have. They provide all the materials, FF kits, and answer all the insurance questions. I did this for my wifes friend who is a teacher and it worked out well.

Keep it simple and fun and keep the groups small. To kids, anything that flys is fun. The Delta Darts and other small FF models keeps everyone occupied and each kid now has their own airplane while individuals get some stick time with the instructor.

Get some "counselors" to guide and supervise the kids, this way you can concentrate on maintaining the aircraft, safety, and flying and not "babysitting". Make sure you brief the counselors well so they can answer many of the routine questions. This again will help you concentrate on flying and not go crazy by the afternoon.

I have the same dream, this summer, I did a demonstration for the City during their summer camp. I flew a FF, then a Park flyer, then the Eagle was flown with a buddy cord to give kids some stick time, Kaos, CAP, and finished with flying a Mustang. This showed kids all the different aspects of the hobby and I have been getting a really positive response about doing a workshop next summer.

Our club took out an additional site coverage policy that covers the City of Chanute since we fly at many city owned facilities during the year giving demonstrations. This would hold true if you were doing it at a summer camp facility as well.

I had a blast.

Ptarmigan

Sounds like a good idea!

Arrow>>-->

My kid is already at RC Camp right at home. He and I fly electric planes that we go out and fly most nights. Well he wanted something that he did not need to go fly at a big field so he built himself a plane from foam using a design he downloaded. Now he walks a block down the street to an open field and flies until his batteries die. Walks back home and puts them an the charger and keeps doing that all day. He puts in about 2-3 good hours of flying a day on the little plane every day plus entertains all the neighborhood kids while he is at it. One guy stoped yesterday and asked him where he could buy one and could not believe it was a homemade plane. By the way my son just turned 14.