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 The
Epsom Radio Flying Club is one of the South East's longest established
model flying clubs with several sites on the border of Surrey and Sussex
near to Gatwick airport. With a well deserved reputation as an open and
friendly club we have a wide range of interests within the club, from
scale to pylon racing, vintage to aerobatics, electric, power and gliders.
In fact pretty much all types of fixed wing, radio controlled flying is
represented and it makes for an interesting and diverse line up of models
and members at the field. Our membership is typically around 70-80, with
members ranging from the under 10's to the over 70's so whatever your
age or interests I am sure you will fit right in.
We are one of the leading clubs in the country when it comes to controlling
our impact on the surrounding countryside and inhabitants, and whilst
we have some fairly stringent permissible noise levels, we have considerable
experience in helping people pass the test with little or no effect on
the model's performance. This helps us to maintain the use of our sites
in what is an increasingly populous area of the country, as well as helping
to make our sites relaxing and peaceful places to spend a day.
Where
are we
 We
have two sites that are used on alternate Sundays, one at Charlwood and
one at Newdigate. Both of these have easy access from either the A24 or
the M23.
Our roots are obviously in the Epsom area and we retain our club night venue
in the vicinity. We use the Nescot sports pavilion at Ewell with easy access
from the A240 and the A217.
Please contact a commitee member if you are not a club member and require
directions
What do
we do
 We
currently offer flying facilities once a week on a Sunday, with flying
activities alternating between our two sites at Newdigate and Charlwood.
We are also in the process of setting up a site for Saturday flying and
so soon will be able to offer all of our members full flying facilities
all weekend, every weekend.
There is a monthly club night on the third Wednesday of the month where
we offer a mix of guest speakers, electric flying, model nights, sales
and club meetings throughout the year. These are held at a sports ground
attached to Nescot college in Ewell, and also has the benefit of fully
licensed bar facilities.
We publish a monthly newsletter which provides an invaluable means of
keeping the membership up to date with club events and is an entertaining
read as well, with a wide variety of articles, photographs and reviews.
A small program of in-club competitions is run throughout the year, from
fun competitions that anyone can have a go at through to semi-serious
competitions such as aerobatics and scale. These all add to the enjoyment
of many members as well as being a very good means of improving your flying.
Trophies for the winners of the competitions are presented at our AGM
in December.
The club also has an ever increasing representation at a wide range of
shows and events around the country, from the Eastnor Model Spectacular
to the BMFA Nationals. We also support each year a local charity show
with flying displays and events, which provides support to the local community
as well as being a good weekend away for the club.
We have found over the years that the flying of fixed wing models and
helicopters tends not to work very well on the same site, so we cannot
offer any specific helicopter facilities. If this is what you are looking
for then a quick call to the BMFA will let you know where the best helicopter
clubs in the area are (see our links page).
Student
Training Program
To the up and coming new member we offer a full training program up to
BMFA A-certificate level, with plenty of support thereafter to help you
to progress as far as you wish in your chosen discipline. This is all
included in the membership price! We also have several BMFA qualified
examiners in-house to help you through the various achievement schemes.
As a new member we recommend that you bring your new aircraft along to
the field before you finish building it, where we can make sure that you
are heading down the right track and prevent you from turning up to the
field, ready to fly for the first time, only to have to go away again
to rectify any problems. In fact if you were to contact us before purchasing
your model we can also guide you in your choice of equipment, and there
is often a range of second hand equipment for sale that can help your
start into the hobby.
Risk Management
The flying sites currently used by the Club have recently been the subject
of a Risk Assessment, undertaken by the BMFA Flying Site Advisor. The
report into the findings of this Risk Assessment stated:
“I can report
that I found no issues which indicate that the Club operates in an unsafe
manner or acts detrimentally towards its neighbours or the environment.
I am sure that the Club’s current strict approach to minimising
risk when establishing a new flying site will ensure that the same risk
adverse standards will continue to be applied.”
Each member, and
the Club itself, has a compulsory £5m third party insurance policy.
This policy covers the member, the Club or the owner of any site we may
use in the unlikely event of a claim. This policy is underwritten by the
BMFA.
The Environment
Our current standard for noise level is 80dB(A). This is 60% lower than
the current noise levels allowed by the Code of Practice on Noise from
Model Aircraft (1982), which stands at 82dB(A) at 7m. All of our testing
equipment is fully tested and calibrated before use.
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