MCRCS Join the Club

Join the Club

Mercer County Radio Control Society, Inc.

The Intro Flight program is a good place to start.

So you're interested in radio control modeling. Maybe it's something you've always wanted to do. Maybe you attended one of our club events like the Jumbo Jamboree or the Warbirds Over Jersey air shows. Or maybe you just stumbled across this website and were so overwhelmed by what you saw that you just have to see more. Whatever the reason, you are interested in this great sport and this page will explain how to get started.

If you haven't already done so, you might want to start with either our Flight School classes or our Intro Flight program. The Flight School, which we conduct every spring, will take you through the sport in a thorough, logical manner. First you learn the basics and try flying a simulated model on a computer. Then you learn the essentials of the sport in a two-hour lecture. Finally, you come to the field and fly one of our trainer models with a flight instructor on the dual controls.

Of course spring can be a long time off, so if you've missed the School for the year, you should start with our Intro Flight program. This program starts with the third lesson: You come to the field and an instructor helps you fly one of our club trainers. You can learn the basics you missed from the class materials we make available on this website.

If you're serious, join the AMA.

If the bug bites you, then it's time to get serious. Your next step should be joining the Academy of Model Aeronautics (AMA). The AMA is a national organization of flying clubs; ours is an AMA chartered club (#422). Joining the AMA gets you a monthly magazine, the ability to join an AMA chartered club and fly at its field, and a $2.5 million liability insurance policy in the unlikely event that something bad happens. You need to get an Open Membership ($58 for adults) or a Junior Membership ($1 for those less than 18 years old). The AMA Park Flyer Membership is not adequate to fly at our field.

Club Meeting
Come to four meetings and/or events.

After you have joined the AMA, you should apply for membership to the club. Print and complete a copy of the club application and bring it to a meeting with your AMA card or online registration receipt. The one-time initiation fee is $75 for adults and $37.50 for junior members between 12 and 17 years old (you have to be at least 12 to join). Once you have made application, you will be an applicant, which allows you to fly at our field as long as at least one member is there. If you are an accomplished pilot, you need to be checked out by a club instructor and approved to solo. If you are a student pilot, you will have access to all of our club instructors so that you can learn to fly.

Kitchen duty: Membership has its privileges.

Of course, joining the club comes with some duties and expectations. First, you have to come to at least four club meetings and/or events. This is, in part, so that we can all meet you and welcome you to the club. But we also need help running our events. Some events, like the air shows, we run for the public, partly for fun and partly for money. We need help setting up and we always need help in the kitchen. The kitchen: That's where most applicants start. But in addition to being hard work, its a lot of fun and you get to know some of the other club members really well.

Trainer
You will want to get a trainer of your own.

But then you probably didn't join just to work in the kitchen. Although we have some club trainers, once you've decided you're serious, we expect you to get one of your own. A trainer appropriate for our field should probably have a wingspan of about 60 inches and be powered by a .40-.60 sized glow engine or the electric equivalent. Buy an Almost Ready to Fly (ARF) model. You don't want to spend a lot of time building your first model. Better to fly it (and rebuild it, if you have to).

Flight Instruction
An instructor reduces the chance you will crash.

If you learn to fly on your own, you will crash. If you fly with one of our instructors, the frequency of crashes will be far lower. (You probably won't crash at all.) Our instructors are all experienced pilots who have been certified by other club instructors as competent to offer instruction. Flying on a buddy box (a system of dual controls that allows the instructor to take control with the flip of a switch), your instructor will guide you through straight-and-level flight, turns, basic flight maneuvers, and landings and takeoffs. When you are ready, two instructors will give you a check ride in which you'll demonstrate your ability to safely control the airplane. Then you'll be ready to fly on your own.

After you've gotten your four meetings in, the membership committee will review your application and, barring grievously dangerous or unsocial activity on your part, will approve you for membership. At that point, you'll pay you first annual dues of $75 ($37.50 after July 1st and half price for junior members). Then you'll get a button, a hearty handshake from the president, and you'll be well on your way to enjoying this great sport. Welcome to the club!