Albemarle Rules

BMFA North Eastern Area.

Guidance Notes For Model Flying At Albemarle Barracks Airfield.

  1. All events must be negotiated through the North Eastern Area Committee. There will be no exceptions to this rule.
  2. As the licence to use the airfield is issued to the BMFA North East Area only paid up members of the BMFA are permitted to fly at Albemarle, as only they can fly under the terms of the BMFA Article 16 Authorisation which forms part of the airfield licence.
  3. The Airfield Liaison Officer is Martin Johnson who can be contacted on 07754 577328. Airfield bookings should be made by email through Martin Johnson, his contact email is martinjohnson9531@gmail.com
  4. All contact with the base is to be through the Airfield Liaison Officer, as requested by the Commanding Officer at Albemarle. The only exception to this being on the day of the boking when the key orderly will have responsibility for contacting the guardroom to have crash gate 4 opened (see rule 7). The Airfield Liaison Officer or Area Secretary will contact the base in the week prior to any booking to confirm that the event can go ahead and that the guardroom are aware of the booking. This information will then be passed to the event organiser. Should the event need to be cancelled for any reason (by either the organiser or the military) the Area Secretary should be notified in order  to have the Area Web Pages updated and if necessary, the information emailed to all club delegates. The contact email address is garyarmstrong13@virginmedia.com 
  5. Entry for all events will be gained through crash gate 4, at the north end of the airfield. All attendees must report to the event organiser and show proof of BMFA membership. Attendees must avoid driving on the active runway on arrival or departure, the event organiser will place suitable signage on the active runway to direct traffic and these signs must be obeyed.
  6. Clubs who have not previously booked Albemarle, or have not used the airfield for a significant period of time must be made aware of the requirements for running an event BEFORE a booking is accepted. This can be done by contacting the Area Secretary or the Airfield Liaison Officer.
  7. Organisers of an event must appoint a key orderly for the day who will be responsible for contacting the Guardroom to arrange to have crash gate 4 unlocked upon arrival. Once entry is gained they will ensure that the gate is secured using the Area’s chain and combination lock, and will leave a contact number for pilots to call to gain access. At the end of the event the key orderly will be responsible for making sure all pilots have left the site and for removing the Area’s chain from the gate before arranging for the Guardroom to send a member of staff to secure the gate.
  8. No spectators other than guests to be allowed onto the Airfield during the event. All guests must be accompanied by a BMFA member at the point of entry to the Airfield; they may be in the same, or an accompanying vehicle.
  9. Proof of insurance acceptable to the MOD is required by all pilots (BMFA).
  10. BMFA Membership cards must be shown to the organiser before flying, and must be shown to military personnel if requested.
  11. All powered R/C flying must take place from the runway intersection and be in the area to the north of the main east/west runway, or to the west of the south west/north east runway, dependant on which runway is being used for take-off/landing. Overflying of the camp is strictly forbidden.
  12. The sports field may be used for control line, free flight, lightweight R/C and DLG models. The organiser of flying on the sports field will have the final say on whether or not a model is suitable for flying at this location.
  13. No structures or permanent markers are to be introduced by the user.
  14. No powered flying before 10am or after 8pm.
  15. Current Civil Aviation Authority law and the BMFA Article 16 Authorisation must be strictly observed. Please note that due to the proximity of Newcastle International airport there is a strict 400 foot height limit for all models flown at Albemarle, this is a condition of our licence and is non-negotiable.
  16. No models over 20Kg may be flown.
  17. All models must comply with Department for the Environment statutory codes on noise emission. The organisers have the right to ground any model considered to be excessively noisy.
  18. Solo flyers must hold a minimum of a BMFA A certificate.
  19. Flyers of any model over 7.5Kg MTOM (maximum take-off mass) must hold a BMFA B certificate. This is also a requirement for all turbine powered models regardless of weight.
  20. Pilots who hold no certificates may only fly under the direct supervision of a suitably qualified pilot and will be restricted to models less than 7.5Kg (MTOM), and not turbine powered.
  21. A flight line marshal will be appointed for the day who will ensure that no more than six aircraft are in the air at any time and will decide on the circuit direction to be flown. Ideally the flight line marshal will have an assistant to allow for breaks and for him to fly his own models.
  22. The organiser will decide on the method of transmitter control to be used for the day and this will be clearly explained to all pilots prior to the commencement of any flying. There should also be a pilots briefing where any additional restrictions or operational matters are brought to the attention of all participants.
  23. Dogs must be kept on a lead at all times.
  24. All litter must be removed from the Airfield, including any model debris.
  25. All users must conduct themselves in an orderly manner and carry out any instructions given by the military or security personnel as well as the instructions of a North Eastern Area committee member. A club delegate may refer any disputes to the next Area meeting.
  26. Any model that falls within the confines of the secure compound must not be retrieved, the guardroom should be informed and they will arrange for the models recovery and subsequent return. The guardroom does not hold the keys for the compound.
  27. Should a model land outside the airfield but within the confines of the camp the guardroom should be contacted to obtain permission for recovery. It may be necessary to report the incident to the CAA (Civil Aviation Authority) and/or the AAIB (Air Accidents Investigation Branch) if damage to a property or a third party occurs, or the model crashes out of sight of the pilot. Further guidance on what to do is contained in the Article 16 Authorisation (which all event organisers should be familiar with) or from the Area Secretary.
  28. To prevent any problems with the military and to conform with the conditions of the Airfield licence the following types of model aircraft must NOT be flown at Albemarle: All Multi-rotors, Any fixed wing aircraft or helicopter equipped with a camera, irrespective of whether the camera is carried for FPV or aerial photography.