Flite Test Centre (Center?)

Don't get me wrong, the BMFA HQ looks great, but this looks far more exciting. Shame it's in the USA!

it could only happen in the usa, we just don't have the will or the room.

Tony B

It's an impressive plan.

I wonder if they need a manager? I might make myself available

They clearly haven't heard that nobody builds and flys models, anywhere, anymore..............if you believe the 'shroud wavers' that is.

Best of luck to them if they can pull it off. (we can forgive the spelling).

Comes down to the cost of land, the amount of land, the tolerance of society accepting a variety of hobbies and critical mass of the participants.

It could be done but would need the will and acceptance of many people and organisations.

As an aside, I know there was local objection to the NFC, have they changed their stance since the NFC has opened?

CB

Great forward thinking, love it. Can you imagine it happening here? It's too far away / I don't want my money used that way / It's HOW much for a season ticket?! / Why don't I get a vote?

etc.

Kudos to our American cousins

And then there is the planning permission issue.

The NIMBYs would be screaming their heads off even if the lived fifty miles away.

Not anything like our NFC, so the gripe about a vote on it's irrelevant, this is calling for investment from people with a vision as to where it's headed, and I'd be pretty sure any big investor would have input or a voice in it. The vote on the NFC going ahead was a good sensible thing, it cleared the path for progress without the constant need or calls for permissions. Opinions vary. I voted on it, I live a fair way away, I ain't a season ticket holder, I'm getting on a bit so I won't get much use of it, but I wish it every success, and I voted Yes by the way, but my club voted No.

The only way a facility like that can be successful is if it appeals to a wide audience and in this country we have too few participants to make that kind of facility economically viable.

If it was a hobby centre with areas for all classes of boats, cars, railways, maybe scramble bikes and sailing and water sports, archery, golf course and chalets with adventure playground etc, then perhaps it could work, but that would require major investment from all parties and a lot of land in a part of the country reasonably accessible to all but remote enough to allow all those activities to take place in harmony. The only place that immediately springs to mind is Barkston Heath.

They've already garnered $87,000 dollers in their crowd fund campaign, and its only been 1 day, as of today...!

That's one thing about the States, it has economies of SCALE.

You can see in the vids the pulling power of the Flight Test Festivals which have been growing in size every year with a lot of family (read new blood kids) involvement. The reason for this is that they make RC cool by doing whacked out projects (that sometimes don't go right and/or are funny) and showing kids and adults how to make their own stuff cheaply. Good luck to them.

You don't have to go to the USA to see large leisure pursuit numbers

On average, just the Premier League Football alone attracts 800, 000 visitors EVERY WEEK

Paying between £30 - £95 for One Match Ticket, and whatever travel costs

And we are are reluctant to pay £34 per year

Edited By Denis Watkins on 08/02/2018 08:22:01

Premier League football is a massive entertainment business in its own right and has absolutely nothing in common with football played as a sport at amateur level (particularly junior), where funding problems, availability of pitches & volunteers to run it etc often share a lot of similar issues with our hobby.

The fledgling NFC will never develop on the scale of what's being planned in the US at Flite test, and that's a good thing, as we could never support such a full time venture in the UK because of the obvious reasons of scale and finance that have already been mentioned. I remain to be convinced that the NFC will succeed long term as a stand-alone entity, relying on model flying as it's main source of funding, and I'm sure that those that are 'in control' do realise that, and we'll see other activities gradually increasing in prominence as 'revenue raisers' - no problem with that BTW.

Anyway, at risk of veering off topic, let's wish the chaps in the 'states well and from the extensive YouTube coverage that will inevitably be pouring out from them, we might be able to learn something and perhaps emulate parts of their programme that might work in our context.