Aero-Modelling Event Promotional Ideas and Fund Raising suggestions.
Suggestions to Aid in Preparation, Promotion and Hosting Radio Controlled Airplane Events
The primary objective of having a sanctioned 'Flying Event' is to draw a sizable crowd of R/C
participants and enthusiasts. In order to o achieve this, advanced planning before the event is
needed.
o Proper planning begins months prior to your sanctioned fly-in date.
A secondary objective would be to involve the general public to various degrees depending on
your local flying site capacity and accessibility.
Revenue for the club, charity and SIG is a third objective would be to take in enough to offset
basic expenses incurred in the staging of the event and perhaps take in sufficient additional
funds to help with the expenses of the flying site’s maintenance and upkeep.
The community will be very responsive to assisting you to advertise your event. They will
recognize that there is a benefit to bringing event attendees to the community for the tourist
dollars.
In the following paragraphs we will point out some basic ideas that have proven to be
successful for most Fly-Ins'.
Advertising/Promoting
There are two advertising requirements;
o Attract modellers to come to the event, this starts well before the end of the year prior
to the event.
o Community advertising if the club has the facilities to handle spectators.
Modellers
1. Send in a AMA/MAAC sanction request announcing that this will be your (first, second, third
etc.) annual Fly-In.
Note; to ensure good participant attendance AMA and MAAC event sanctions should be
sent out before the end of the year previous to the event. (People need time to plan around
family and work activities.)
 Give sanction number, date, times, concession, camping or not and other pertinent
information and list the benefits. Include a simple easy-to-understand map or directions
to the fly-in.
 Emphasize the fact that you have no landing fee (if applicable) or reduced entrance fees
for Single Interest Group members.
 Non-members are encouraged to join sponsoring Single Interest Group (NW Scale
Aero-Modellers, IMAC, Scale Masters, National Association of Scale Aero-Modellers) at
the event to reduce the landing fee.
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Aero-Modelling Event Promotional Ideas and Fund Raising suggestions.
2. Request contact information from the Single Interest Group. Send mailers/e-mails to other
R/C clubs and past modellers known to have attended similar events. Utilize 'Face book' and SIG
websites to advertise your event.
3. Make up a few attractive posters for web postings for RC Aero-Modellers.
Community
If your club is trying to get the community to view your event; using the following information
will help them 'show-up' to your 'Miniature Air Show'.
 The amount of spectators will be directly proportional to the effort put in.
Advertise the event as a “Miniature Air Show”. The public will understand what an air show is;
they do not know what a “RC Fly-in” is. Suggest calling the event a “Miniature Aircraft Show”;
- the term R/C; to most, that stands for a soft drink!
6 months before the event;
o One or more local TV stations may be happy to give you a “live” interview some
morning one week prior to your event. Many people watch morning shows and
transfer local information to their friends and family quite readily. (V.I.P. arrange this
6 months before the event so they set time aside for you)
o TV station will be more than happy to arrive at your flying site and film a portion of
your “Air show” and interview your fly-in director. If this file is shown during the
evening of your first day, you will have an overflow crowd for your second and most
important day. Proper media exposure breeds much success.
o Contact the local newspapers and ask if they will do an interview and photo session
for your event. Arrange for a time and date so they can advertise in the paper for
the week during before the event. (A good source of free advertising)

Contact the area Community advertising section in newspapers to add a notice
about your event.

Local Chamber of Commerce may help advertise and provide a free goodie bag
for the "Pilots and Judges".
o If you follow this guideline be prepared for lots of cars - Arrange for parking
attendants - local Cadets may be willing to help. You could share a portion of
donation or entry fees to go to them.
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Aero-Modelling Event Promotional Ideas and Fund Raising suggestions.
A month Before the event
Confirm with TV and Newspaper contacts your previous discussion for interviews before and
during the event.
 Be prepared to show airplanes and have people available to be interviewed.
Two weeks before the event

Arrange some time that you can spend with them to make up some very good looking
ads guaranteed to catch the eye. Because you are a non-profit unit they might run one
or two ads without charge as long as you pay for some of the ads.

Final 'community advertisements' should appear a minimum of 14 days but not less than
10 prior to your fly-in date(s). (People have busy lives and to advertise much before that
- we forget.)
Closer to the event make up 'Community Posters';
 Keep them Simple - Miniature Air Show - Date - Time - Location place them strategically
in the Community near high traffic areas such as department stores, gas stations,
fast-food restaurants etc.
Days of the event
 Placing roadside signs along the roads leading to the event works very well.

Be prepared for lots of cars - Arrange for parking attendants - local Cadets may be
willing to help. 2-way radios may help them.
Additional Event details which will help for a 'Successful' event.
Porta – John rentals are a must and accurately proportioned to the crowd expected.
A good quality public address (PA) system is mandatory.
 Contact the local music store that is known to do the most business in “Rock-n-Roll”
equipment. Opt to rent a system of at least 200 watt peak output (100 watts RMS) to
announce on their PA system a few times each day that the system was obtained
through their store.
o Another have that same store make up a audio commercial, a 30 - 60-second long
and run through the PA system.
o Pre-make a few tapes that would keep your spectators informed of your daily
activities and this would alleviate anyone having to be on the microphone for
long periods of time.
o For a touch of class, a local D.J. would make up a tape for you free of charge.
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Aero-Modelling Event Promotional Ideas and Fund Raising suggestions.
Keep your spectators informed of activities at all times;
o Describe manoeuvres, mention pilot’s names, aircraft types, and various supporting
data.
o “Wet their appetites” with timely mention of your well stocked concession stand and
other key elements of your fly-in supporters.
o A noon line up during lunch break, specialty flying or Full Size Fly-By's.
 Warning; Don't take too long for this so you don't cut short event participant
flying time and discourage participants from attending next year.
Event programs; Your Club/S.I.G. should help to make up a few hundred simple hand-out.
 Hand out the programs to each and every vehicle that arrives at your fly-in.
 Sell a few ads to your local businessmen that enjoy backing home-town, non-profit
organizations such as yours.
Specialty Flyers - Full Size 'fly-by's - arrange for 'Noon hour spectator entertainment.
Car parking is your another valuable source of income and very easy to obtain. Charging by the
vehicle of an average fee of $5.00 per person (or ask for a small donation). Several hundred cars
over a two-day period will yield good revenue.
o Your local (Civil Air Patrol) CAP members would park the cars at no charge but would
recommend that you donate a small sum to CAP for goodwill.
Also notify the local police and ambulance people where the event will be so they can
determine if traffic control is required and where to go if needed.
Arrange a Raffles -- people love raffles. This easy to instigate fund raising idea has always been
well accepted by everyone. Check on local laws regarding licenses and fees before you do so.
o Merchandise draws for modellers and the public.
o 50/50 draws are a helpful source of income;
 One @ 11AM and a second at 3PM
 must be there to win (keeps spectators there for the draw)
With the above key points to successful promotion coupled with meaningful publicity and
advance planning -- total success is the bottom line. A sizable profit is not necessarily your
ultimate goal but rather to keep from having your event costs drive over your budgets!
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Aero-Modelling Event Promotional Ideas and Fund Raising suggestions.
Concession Stand is a prime source of income. Suggestions below;
o Build it, rent or borrow a refrigerator, generator, stove, etc., and setup your kitchen
crew to man the affair.
o It is a lot of work but usually shows a good profit over and above your actual expenses.
o Service clubs such as the Lions or Rotary would also setup a food concession and they
are known to be very good at this in a name of charity.

An easier method of creating a concession would be to contact a local catering service
and have them take care of the entire food concession;
o Cost is a percentage of their gross sales (usually 20%) or a flat fee whichever is
greater.

If possible have some memento or souvenir of your fly-in available to give to all pilots. A
small token of appreciation for attending your fly-in will set well with all attendee.

5. Ask the club to host a potluck supper with a nominal fee to cover basic costs. This act
of kindness is unforgettable by attending pilots and should certainly guarantee good
attendance for years to come. Every club has at least one good barbecue chef!

Your fly-in, if poorly organized will undoubtedly reduce your club`s treasury. Therefore
you may be reluctant to give away much in the way of free items. In fact, you are
probably thinking that some sort of entry fee be levied in order to meet expenses. This
is not necessarily so.

With the rising costs of fuel and travel, pilots may be reluctant to pay additional fees in
order to participate at your fly-in. Fees should be minimal, enough to cover the basic
costs - i.e. Trophies & Supper.

In the following sections we will deal with off-setting your expenses with a minimum of
promotion.
Public Relations and Image
The object is to get as many influential people to know what you are doing.
By including them in your invitations and announcements you are demonstrating that the club
cares about being involved in community affairs and development of civic-minded activities.
We must continue to plant the seeds of R/C whenever we sponsor an RC Aero-Modelling Event
or Fun Fly - we will benefit greatly by having prominent people acknowledge your existence.
 If you are out-of-sight, you are out-of-mind!
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Aero-Modelling Event Promotional Ideas and Fund Raising suggestions.
Some people to consider invite to your fun fly/air show or pilot banquet even though you are
quite certain that they will not attend. A few such persons would be;




Mayor, a Senator or Representative,
the Superintendent of Schools,
President of a Bank, radio station owner,
Service Club Leaders, the person(s) that own the flying site that you use or rent, the
AMA,/MAAC area representative.
 Writers and columnists for all leading R/C magazines and do not leave out the
owners, editors and publishers of those magazines. Columnists thrive on
pre-announcements, as do all interested R/C media.
Last but not least, invite your nearest AMA District Vice President and as many R/C clubs as
possible whether or not you think they might attend. You will be very surprised at how many
other SIG's flyers show up;
 Pattern, Free Flight, Control Line, Scale Aerobatic, flyers show up at giant fun fly’s with
no airplane just to see and enjoy learning about your event.
 Never discount flyers from other flying disciplines; they could readily be the future of
your Club and next year's event.
Interesting, relaxed and smoothly run fun-fly’s are a joy and usually breed successful
attendance year after year, both from R/C modellers and spectators.
Some sites which are not well suited for a large number of spectators.
Always stay mindful of your Pilots concerns. KEEP THEM ENTERTAINED AND INTERESTED
throughout the entire fly-in so they return for following years and bring along their friends.
There have been many disappointed club members when they realize that they event was not
well attended because they forgot to promote their first fun fly. Word of mouth is not enough -you must initiate a sensible advertising program.
In closing, we would like to assure you that adhering to these guidelines and suggestions will
without a doubt, bring increased success to your efforts. Any promotion is only as successful as
the effort put forth.
Miscellaneous
Setup the following committees;
a. Registration
b. Pilot Packet
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Aero-Modelling Event Promotional Ideas and Fund Raising suggestions.
c. Spectator Parking
d. Security
e. Food Concession
f. PA or sound system
g. First Aid – (very important)
h. Frequency control
i. Local Promotion;
i. Newspaper
ii. TV and/or Radio Stations
iii. Posters
iv. Direct Mailing
j. Friday Night Picnic
k. Saturday Night banquet or similar
l. Raffles
For Contests Judges are needed including a 'Head Judge', Score Keepers, Score Runners and a
Air Boss.
 A good way to manage a Contest is to assign the Contest Director (CD) the responsibility
of looking after the 'Safety Aspects' Flight Lines and another to look after all the logistics
of running the 'Non-Safety' event organizing.
Be sure to have a few pilot helpers on hand to assist and watch for other aircraft flying.
If time permits, put on Air Show demonstrations each day for 30 to 60 minutes featuring
aerobatics, unusual aircraft.
The flying site should be well-maintained and clean with the spectator areas well-marked with
trash cans/recycle cans dispersed properly.
A Matter of Fact and Appraisal
Many modellers are sensitive people therefore we suggest that your fun fly staff be friendly and
courteous at all times.
 Grouchy or rough acting air show staff will guarantee a lack of enthusiasm for next
year’s fun fly.
 If a pilot has a gripe or grievance – do not pass the buck. Take care of the matter
immediately and as smoothly as possible.
o Never disagree unless disagreement is mandatory.
Each pilot must have a “spotter/caller”.
 This person assists the pilot with the start-up of the engine(s), and watches for other
aircraft to advise the pilot when the flight path is “fouled”.
 The spotter also announces the take-off and landings.
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Aero-Modelling Event Promotional Ideas and Fund Raising suggestions.
ALWAYS have ample supply of Air Worthiness - safety inspections forms on hand.
 Every aircraft to be flown must be inspected by the flyer prior to flying the model and
the form must be signed by the flyer to verify airworthiness.
Have a few Pilot Helpers on hand to assist pilots and their spotters at the flight line and to
watch for oncoming aircraft. In the name of SAFETY, a sufficient number of flight line personnel
need to be on hand to control the flight activities, taxiing, take-offs, low passes, aerobatic
manoeuvres and landings.
 Pilot Helpers are usually dressed alike to make them identifiable to the pilots and
spotters.
At least once each day have an intermission (mid-day or mid-afternoon). During this break,
invite your spectators to enter the pit area to meet and talk to your pilots.
Spectator involvement satisfies egos and curiosity and allows a first-hand education to the
novice layman.
 Allow photos to be taken and set aside a specific area for photo taking.
 By involving your community in this way you are solidifying your role in community
affairs.
If by chance a sizable profit is earned after expenses you might consider using the excess funds
to;
1. Donate a percentage to local charity.
2. Invest funds in an interest bearing account and use to arrange pilot banquet, party or
social gathering during some evening of your fun fly for the following year.
3. Improve your flying site or improve the facilities.
The quality of your sanctioned fun fly is limited only by your ability to organize and promote
your event to operate in a smooth efficient manner.
We hope that this guide will help with the Promotion and Success of your event.
ALWAYS have ample supply of Air Worthiness - safety inspections forms on hand. Every aircraft
to be flown must be inspected by the flyer prior to flying the model and the form must be
signed by the flyer to verify airworthiness.
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