Promoting FxRES 2025

[Martin O]

I have taken on a mission to increase the FxRES story to a wider audience, aiming to increase participation numbers. The BARCS forum and the F3-RES and F5-RES-UK Facebook group are great, but would mainly be viewed by those already interested in the category. It might be that potentially interested persons do not know that FxRES exists.

To that end, yesterday I had a chat with Paul, the BMFA marketing man, who was extremely positive and keen to help. Subsequently, I will be putting together two sets of content.
1. For the BMFA news
2. A recurring article posted on the official BMFA FB page

Some help please?
For the content I am after: -

• Some quality photos with captions to help showcase the brand.
• Mini testimonials that I could insert.
• And any other relevant contribution.

Please post here or send to me as a PM.

I welcome feedback.

 

[John Minchell]

Have you thought of offering to do a BMFA "In the Air Tonight" zoom session as its 3 years since the last one and may get more general orientated aeromodellers interested in the FxRES category? 

If not a BMFA zoom session, then promote a session on the FB group and here on BARCS so that all the current guys who regularly participate can have a discussion about what works, what doesn't in terms of the models and tactics.  Then gain their input to how to spread the word in their local clubs and how to promote the category among other modellers.

Dunno, but heading into winter seems like we could all do with a bit of a boost/encouragement and we do need to revive the numbers at the competitions as this year has been very poor with turnout.  Maybe promote the class as an entry level for people to get into gliding who have never done it before.  And how do we convert the hundreds of thousands of drone flyers to fixed wing gliding.  Over to you all.

John M

[cirrusRC]

Please check Andy Sephtons nice article written back in march 2022 bmfa news. "Affordable competition soaring"

https://online.fliphtml5.com/doorh/jtmj/#p=30

Also please comply with GDPR rules regarding posting pictures of people. 

I don't have the answers, but just some thoughts that come to mind. 

1) weather sucked this year, even though we had choice of sat or Sunday.  Res models more impacted by weather. 

2) originally this year we had planned to run more full rule comps (matrix + timer), but appreciate this requires more equipment, knowledge and setup.  We only ran one event this year (it was very successful).

3) would we get more competitors if we ran a more competitive league with full rules? Or are we stuck in-between contending with F5J comps Vs running comps for beginners and treating res as a intro to glider affair?

I don't fully get why res is working so much better in Europe, is it really just down to weather?

[martynk]

I mentioned the weather 'problem' on a FB F3RES forum. A Dutch guy responded rather abruptly that "they have bad weather as well.. We don't use it as an excuse."  I felt suitably chastised... 

At the risk of going OT, we should do more to prepare pilots (including me) for typical UK weather, it cant be calm for every event.

[MikevE]

We Dutch are pretty direct. Don’t be offended. 

[Pete in Northiam]

Hitting the right audience, and a big enough audience, is key to any promotion.  I got into F3-RES (as it was) solely because of an article in RCME that two of us in ESSA read with the RES-Eagle plans and a short kit available.   

So I'd say aiming one or more articles at the monthly magazines read by enthusiasts would be worthwhile. Not only that, you get paid!

I have to say AeroModeller as well as RCME as I feel AM attracts a higher fraction of builders and competitors. I gave up reading RCME as too ARTF oriented but I suspect it has the higher readership. I'd also say the monthlies are more likely to be kept than BMFA news or videos.

Anyway, good on you Martin for taking a lead!

--Pete

ps David is right about pictures and GDPR but feel free to use anything with me in it!  Maybe a few of us could write a few first-person paragraphs on how we got into it and why we love it?

[Alex Maxfield]

8 hours ago, Pete in Northiam said:

Hitting the right audience, and a big enough audience, is key to any promotion.  I got into F3-RES (as it was) solely because of an article in RCME that two of us in ESSA read with the RES-Eagle plans and a short kit available.   

So I'd say aiming one or more articles at the monthly magazines read by enthusiasts would be worthwhile. Not only that, you get paid!

I have to say AeroModeller as well as RCME as I feel AM attracts a higher fraction of builders and competitors. I gave up reading RCME as too ARTF oriented but I suspect it has the higher readership. I'd also say the monthlies are more likely to be kept than BMFA news or videos.

Anyway, good on you Martin for taking a lead!

--Pete

ps David is right about pictures and GDPR but feel free to use anything with me in it!  Maybe a few of us could write a few first-person paragraphs on how we got into it and why we love it?

I’m doing my best to write articles in RCME promoting FxREs. One this year, another submitted and will be published soon (Encanto review). Another one planned.

[Pete in Northiam]

13 hours ago, Alex Maxfield said:

I’m doing my best to write articles in RCME promoting FxREs. One this year, another submitted and will be published soon (Encanto review). Another one planned.

Excellent! Maybe for the next one, @martynk and @Martin O could write add-ons for the 2m Postal Challenge and the FxRES League?Just an idea...

[Richard Newsham]

@Martin O sent you a pm. 

[Paul Wellacott]

I still fully belive in the F3/5 format, we now have 3/4 flyers in our club, but the weather has really hit us hard this year, so few flyable days,

and yes, I'm using it as an excuse

I really enjoy the monthly duration comps, again the weather has it hard. most of this year I've been flying my 2.2kg moulded model, its rewally been that windy!

 

 

[Dave Elam]

I've just noticed that there will be ten of us who have entered Martyn's monthly challenge in November, with the number creeping up month by month. By the way, thank you Martyn for organising this and regularly updating the results.

My club (Huddersfield) have regular climb and glide competitions with a variety of models being used. I've therefore just posted on the club's Facebook group details about the F5L class with the hope that it may encourage someone or maybe more to get a model and compete. If all of us did the same then maybe the numbers would increase and the class will become even more popular.

[Paul Wellacott]

Hi Dave, we’re in the Harrogate club so not a million miles away. What about trying to arrange a northern meeting? 
@Richard Newsham and I are trying to get something arranged 

I remember doing comps arranged by your club years ago, including a cross country, now that was fun !! 

[Dave Elam]

My wife comes from Harrogate so we pop up there quite frequently to see her mum. Where is your flying field? I'd definitely be interested in coming along to a northern based event.

Yes, the thermal cross was a great event. Regulations and the law would definitely and sadly stop us doing anything like that again.