About the Club
The Burlington R/C Flyers (BRCF) Radio-controlled model airplane club. Our non-profit club fosters and promotes the sport and hobby of flying R/C models, and is chartered by the Academy of Model Aeronautics (AMA - Charter 1752). The club holds bimonthly meetings, and maintains an R/C model airfield open to its members and guests and their model aircraft; the public is invited to visit. With around 100 members, we are one of the largest model airplane clubs in eastern Massachusetts. Club meetings are held on the 2nd Tuesday of the months of February, April, June, September, and November, from 7:30pm until 9.
The club has several designated flight instructors who are available to teach beginners. Instruction is offered free of charge--instructors donate their personal time--in the spirit of promoting the hobby to newcomers.
New and prospective members are always invited to attend Club meetings, and everyone is always welcome to stop by the field and check out the action for themselves!
New members can join online. All members are required to hold a current membership with the AMA.
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History of the Club
Early History
Some of the early pilots at the field were Bill Copp, Bob Johnson (who recently moved north) and Al Melansin. We hope to get more history from them for this page.
Allen Lush, from Concord, remembers flying at the field in the mid 60's. In those days there was no club; people just flew and enjoyed themselves. Mel Suarez remembers in 1995 seeing Allen's white Cherokee do a knife edge over the field.
Then Allen started training Mel with a rugged trainer called an S-Ray - a solid trainer for sure. In those days there was no buddy chord so if a student pilot got in trouble the controller had to be handed over to the instructor who then righted the aircraft before returning the controller back to the novice.
But even in those early days, people like Allen's Dad, tinkered with aerial photography.
The Burlington RC Fliers Club was officially started and incorporated into the Academy of Model Aeronautics (AMA) in 1982 as #1752, with an elected governing body and regular meetings.
While drawing primarily from the towns of Burlington and Woburn, people drive from surrounding towns to enjoy the fun of flight and comraderie that naturally develops. Some come from Boston, others come all the way from Worcester.
Modern Times
In those early days there was only one runway and no windsock. Now the Club has two mowed runways, a pit area and a mowed path leading from the street to the pit. Some might call it the "million mile march" and it's something that certainly taxes your back and arms, especially if carrying a hefty field box. We've also put up a picnic table and benches as well as an aircraft work bench. Last summer we put up a tent to help with the sun in the summer.
However, now we are starting to see more electric aircraft and helicopters that are, of course, much lighter and require fewer tools to fly. In fact often pilots just come with the aircraft, the controller and a spare battery or two or three. We also get a regular contingency of helicopters, anywhere from 1 to 3 on a nice weekend.
These days, membership is anywhere from 100 to 150 annually. We fly year round. In the spring, summer and fall we probably get from 10 to 15 pilots with some family, friends and visitors. In the winter, it whittles down to a hardy half-dozen with some coffee or hot tea and maybe a warming fire.
Victor Samsonov does the lion's share of the training although other approved trainers step in as well. Greg learned to fly and trained his Dad while Eyal learned and then trained his son, Omer. It's neat to see the father/son/daughter teams. Mel stopped by the field after many years of not flying, bumped into Victor flying by himself, and with his help, got back into it. "It was good to find the field still there and quite improved. But to find a kind soul to help me get going was more than I had hoped for." Mel exclaimed.
We are starting to see an occassional "gasser." These aircraft, pulled by weed-whacker engines, can get be from 6 to 8 feet in wingspan and are majestic and slow in comparison to their smaller counterparts. However they cost in the thousands.
If you are in the area and want to see a small airshow check out the field. The most popular times are Saturday and Sunday morning. Stop by, walk up to the pit area, and introduce yourself. Just be careful crossing the runway, and be sure to holler "Crossing the runway!" Then just start firing questions at the hobbyists. You'll find more than one answer to every question, but hopefully some consensus will emerge. From there it's up to you. Go to www.burlington-rc.com for more details.
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