Events

 

North West Area Events Calendar

This is a list of North West Area events that have been notified to the webmaster.

If you would like an event listed, please contact the webmaster with the following information:

Date Type of Event Location Contact Information


2025 Events


North West Area Meetings for 2025

The NW Area will hold its Ordinary General Meetings by Zoom on the following dates:

  • 29th April 2025
  • 2nd September 2025

AGM -18th November 2025

There will also be a short OGM following the AGM to be held on the 18th November 2025

Meeting notifications will be sent sent to registered Chairman, Secretaries and Club Delegates. If you do not receive notifications, please ask your Secretary to check you are registered correctly as a club officer on the BMFA justgo portal (bmfa.justgo.com). 

Contact: Martyn Kinder  <bmfa.nw@gmail.com>


GPS Triangle Competition Days 2025

Three GPS events for electric hand launched gliders racing around a triangular course indicated by GPS coordinates have been arranged for 2025.

The dates are:-

  • 31st May or 1st June 2025 at Forton (West of Shrewsbury, just off the A5). The actual date will be decided on the Thursday beforehand depending on the weather.
  • 26th or 27th June 2025 at Cruckton (on the Montgomery Road, just West of Shrewsbury). Again a decision on which day the event will take place will be made on the Thursday beforehand depending on the weather.
  • There is a full weekend event planned for the 30th and 31st August 2025 that will take place at Sherlowe Airfield (see below).

 

The contact for further details on any of these events is John Minchell e-mail: j.minchell@btinternet.com


  • BMFA Silent Flight Achievement Scheme Test and Train Days
  • Subject to numbers, there are two Silent Flight Achievement Scheme Test and Train days.
  • 12th  or 13th April 2025. (Weather call the preceding Thursday). This will be a flat field (Thermal Soaring for Electric and Lightweight Bungee also a winch will be provided if required) located at Cruckton on the Montgomery Road, just West of Shrewsbury. Examiners will be present to test you for your Silent Flight (Thermal) A or B certificates.
  • 16th or 17th August 2025. (Weather call the preceding Thursday). This is a Slope soaring Achievement scheme day located on the Long Mynd near Church Stretton. The exact location (slope) will be decided when the weather call is made. Examiners will be present to test you for your Silent Flight (Slope) A or B certificates.

These two events will depend on the number of members expressing an interest and will commit to attend. Silent Flight test days are fairly rare so if you are interested, please register interest with John Minchell e-mail: j.minchell@btinternet.com

UPDATE :-
We now have 9 takers for the flat field test day in a months time.  Please be aware that all the documents for the ASRC handbook, the practice and test docs and schedules have all been updated.

Please take some time to download the latest version and do your set up and practicing in accordance with the new booklets.   For eg. the fail safe will now be tested as working and it’s an automatic fail if it doesn’t.

All available on the ASRC website. https://achievements.bmfa.uk/the-tests/ … es-current


2025 Sherlowe Events

These events are held at a private airfield near High Ercall in Shropshire. Typically weekend events, camping and facilities are available on site but attendee numbers are restricted. You must pre-register with the organiser (John Minchell) and receive confirmation of your booking.  e-mail: j.minchell@btinternet.com

Scale glider aerotow meetings:

  • May 17/18th 2025
  • August 9/10th 2025

There will also be a scale helicopter fly-in at Sherlowe on July 12/13th 2025. Contact Dave Edwards email: dave.s.edwards@btinternet.com or call 07756698911

A BMFA Sunday Scale Competition will take place on Sunday 28th September 2025. Contact John Minchell

NEW – A GPS Triangle glider competition has been arranged for 30th and 31st August 2025.


2025 Shropshire MFC Events

There will be a Glider Aero tow at Forton (West of Shrewsbury, just off the A5)  confirmed as one of the days over Easter (18th-21st April 2025). A (weather call will be held on the preceding Thursday to determine the best day).

Contact e-mail: j.minchell@btinternet.com

 


Indoor Flying (R/C) at St Helens 2025

  • TBA for 2025-2026 season

Cost: £80.00 for the September to April meetings payable in advance or £13.00 per session payable on the day.

There may be additional dates planned for those who wish to practice their Indoor Scale schedules in preparation for the Indoor Scale Nationals:

  • TBA

All meetings 1.00pm-4.00pm unless otherwise stated.

Shockies not allowed, helis/quadcopters small 1S only.

NOTE only 6 people allowed to fly at any one time.
Please inform Eric Strefford by email that you will be attending in the week before the meeting.

Any questions contact:
Eric Strefford
07711268699
ericstrefford@gmail.com

Leisure Centre Address
Elton Head Road. WA9 5AU

 


Indoor Flying at Shawbury 2025 (R/C and Free Flight)

Shropshire Indoor Modellers have obtained some confirmed dates to restart indoor flying for the 2024/2025 season. However, please read this post: https://northwest.bmfa.uk/shropshire-indoor-modellers-2024-25

The venue is the Sports Hanger which is down Dawson’s Rough, opposite the main RAF Shawbury station.

The postal address for the RAF station is:- Royal Air Force Shawbury, Shrewsbury, Shropshire, SY4 4PF

The confirmed dates are all Sundays and the sessions will run from 11:00am to 4:00pm with separate slots for Free Flight and Radio Controlled models:-

  • March 23rd
  • April 6th
  • April 20th
  • May 11th

If you require any further information then please email John Minchell on j.minchell@btinternet.com


Indoor Flying at Rochdale 2025 – 2026

We have had a great indoor season again this year and I am pleased that we hope to secure the Kingsway High School Hall for Autumn and Winter 2025-26.

The next series of Rochdale Indoor events will start in October and run through to Spring 2025.

The dates confirmed are:

Winter 2025 – Spring 2026

  • TBA for the 2025 – 2026 season

(Unless otherwise stated, 3rd Sunday of each month)

The sessions will run from 11:00 am to 4:00pm.

Depending on demand, there will be dedicated slots for each discipline (NO FPV), and all attendees will get ample opportunity to fly.

Contact is Martyn Kinder: email: bmfa.nw@gmail.com Tel: 07989 025198

Location is the Rochdale (Kingsway) Sports Hall, Turf Hill Rd, Rochdale OL16 4XA


Velodrome – Indoor Flying (Free Flight and R/C)

David Whitehouse  will be booking dates for 2025/26 events at the  Manchester Velodrome Indoor events later this year:  WATCH THIS SPACE!

For more information, please contact David at: whitehousejdavid@googlemail.com


 Superfly (Poynton) Indoor 2025 

A new venue for Indoor sessions in the North West. This event is run by John Summerville and Neil Harrison at the Poynton Leisure Centre, Yew Tree lane, Poynton, SK12 1PU. There will be separate slots for Fixed Wing, Rotary Wing and Free Flight

Session times have been extended and now run from 10:30 to 13:30 on (usually) the last Sunday of each month at a cost of £10 per session. The hall size is 6 badminton courts and well lit. The size is typical of a large sports hall.

Dates for the 2025 season

  • Sunday 30th March 2025
  • Sunday 27th April 2025

Contact is John Summerville. Tel: 07470833579. Email: summervilleje@gmail.com

Note: There is no longer a requirement to pre-book, just turn up and enjoy the flying.


Norwind Flyers 2025 (Free Flight)

Some news from David Whitehouse.

We are a group of mainly indoor free flight fliers who hold regular monthly meetings in Rochdale from September to May.

We need new flyers to keep our numbers at a viable level. We fly for fun but also hold regular competitions, the only place in the Northwest to do so.

If you feel like having an afternoon of old fashioned aeromodelling fun, then make us part of  regular flying activities.

Newcomers welcome, with lots of friendly advice.

2025 dates

This season’s dates are normally the first Sundays of the month:

All events are from 11am to 4 pm, with competitions ending 2:30pm.

There are no flying slots, flying at any time but being respectful of others flights.

All Sundays 11am to 4pm.

2025

6th April Penny Plane and Chuck/Catapult Glider

5th May New Norwind Challenge Al Backstrom Tailless model called the Persey

Cost currently £15 per session.

Location is the Rochdale (Kingsway) Sports Hall, Turf Hill Rd, Rochdale OL16 4XA

See the website Norwind.org.uk for further information on the indoor free flight competitions or contact David Whitehouse on 01942 897816 or whitehousejdavid@googlemail.com


If you need to contact a BMFA NW Area representative, contact information is available on the Contact Page.