club scene

Tell us all about your model flying club. E-mail me with some idea of the sort of facilities you have, size of membership, flying rules, subscription rates, training facilities, types of model flown, social activities, special events, site availability, guest arrangements, frequency of meetings, location, or anything else you can think to mention. Pictures will also be most welcome, and if you want to send me pictures by conventional post, my address now appears on the home page. If your club has a website, let me know the address and I will pay you a virtual visit!

High Peak Model Aero Club

High Peak Model Aero Club is the model flying home of ModelFlight contributors Paul Carr and Bob Nicol.

The club is located in Buxton, Derbyshire, UK and their flying field is at High Edge - vast, open and dramatic moorland from the pictures I've received and which you can see on the photo gallery page. Flying takes place on Wednesdays and Sundays and there is also a monthly meeting at the Railway Hotel, Buxton at 8 p.m. on the first Tuesday of every month.

They are clearly hardy souls up there in Buxton; despite their northerly location noted for its severe winters, flying even takes place during the winter months as this picture proves - surely that's not a half-track vehicle I see in the distance, is it?

The club declares itself to be very safety conscious and is justifiably proud of its faultless safety record. This does not stop them having a great deal of fun, though - they have a regular programme of fun competitions including challenges for spins, loops and spot landings. The latest craze in the club is flying EPP models in combat flying - they describe these models as "rubber", because they bounce!

High Peak also runs a heli competition and they have had three of their fliers competing in the Schluter Cup in 1998 and 1999.

The club has an ambitious website, designed and maintained by Bob Nicol. The address is http://www.highpeakmac.demon.co.uk

The club has 60-odd members, the youngest being 8 and the eldest 78 - can anybody beat that? They have just had a whole family join so they now have a lady member and a young girl (that sounds like another record). The latter pair haven't flown yet - Bob thinks they are probably waiting for the warm weather, but that is rare indeed in the high peak district! Another recent new member is in his seventies and is coming along nicely, I gather.

Subs are £45 per year, including the BMFA membership and members also pay a £5 joining fee and a one-off payment of £35 to the capital fund. Juniors are exempt from the capital fund payment and also pay half-subs.

Click on this thumbnail to have a closer look at this beautiful scale model Fiat built by club-member Dennis Richardson - you'll find another one of his in the photo gallery.