[lamadude]

Hi.
I'm new to this site and just wanted to say hello. I've been in the hobby for about 4 months and love r/c helicopters(I own 16 so far....). Because I like indoor flying but don't have a lot of open space in my house, I would love to find an indoor flying club, but there doesn't seem to be anything but local clubs renting a school gym occasionally. I can't help think that this is as frustrating to others as it is to me. I need to be able to fly when I want and as often as I want, but weather and lack of space tend to get in the way of fully enjoying this hobby.

So I was wondering if I could ask everyone here who is interested in having a permanent, indoor flying/racing club in the Brampton/Mississauga area? I am considering starting one that would be open 3 nights a week and weekends on a permanent basis, and would be open to anyone flying indoor scaled heli's, planes, and will even have a drift/racing course for cars in one of the flight zones. The flight/racing zones will be available on a per hour or nightly basis(4 hours), or half/whole days(weekends-8hrs). Memberships will be available very cheap and will give you a discount off the standard price. While this will be mainly for electric powered vehicles, there will be gas/nitro nights available if the demand is there.

Any feedback regarding this subject would be appreciated, including what you think you would be willing to pay per hour for a 15x20 or 15x30 foot (approximately) flying area (20-25ft ceiling). Each area will be segregated by thick plastic sheets to protect the aircraft from unnecessary damage(no hard walls) and will have a rubber mat in the center of the flying area in case of hard landings.

I would like to hear from local r/c flying/drift clubs as well. The IFC will be available to clubs to rent for evenings/weekends on a regular basis if demand is great enough and we will be selling small parts such as blades, batteries, and a few other items(again, your feedback will be helpful in deciding what to stock).

Thanks very much for taking the time to respond to this request. I'm looking forward to hearing from others in my new favorite hobby.
Lamadude

currently flying:
Modified CX2/2.4ghz model
MCX tandem
Axe CX Micro Dragonfly
Walkera HM53QD scale Dauphin
Walkera HM53#1 Big Lama
Walkera HM5#4 Lama
Walkera V200DQ01 scale Airwolf chopper
Colco Lama 5/Lama 6-2.4ghz models
HQ822 Lama (3ch)
MJX M01 lLama (3ch)
Syma S003(3ch)-this is a piece of crap. don't ever buy one.
DH9100 (on the way from China at the moment)

[Guest]

I don't think that schools would be willing to rent out their facilities on such a regular basis without charging lots of bucks.

However, if you are interested in pursuing this as an actual business venture (sounds like you're thinking along those lines already), just a couple thoughts and suggestions:
1) Factory/warehouse rental -- open unencumbered spaces (no pillars).
2) Insurance coverage -- MAAC won't cover commercial enterprises and activities.
3) Utilities, staff, and wages.
4) Maintenance (basic housekeeping and clenaing of the wsashrooms) plus decoration.
5) Snack facilities (coffee, tea, pop, and snacks. Food service --meals and sandwiches have massive regulations associated with them.)
6) Financing -- money up front unless you can win on Dragon's Den.
7) Supplies and repair/rebuild are -- selling kits, etc. Buy-and-fly concept.
#8 (*becomes a instead of the characters) Potential customers -- when they want to fly, how much are they willing to pay, what about the summer months -- vacations, outdoor flying. "Demographics" is the word that I reaching for.
9) Potential investors -- who is willing to put up money for the venture.
10) Required return on investment (how much are you going to pay in terms of profits to your investors?)
11) Actual flying area -- I've very rarely seen people flying in 15x30-foot areas. More common for half of the gym or even more. 15x30 might be the average area for each flyer, but you may have 5-8 flyers in the air at one time -- based on indoor sessions that I've attended.

Most business models and plans have the first year or two of the business being funded by initial investments and no money is taken out of the business until the second or third year, if then; every bit on profit gets plowed back into the business in terms of more stock and building sales until it is self-sufficient.

If you're serious, use this forum for gathering ideas on what you need to nthink about, then start working on a DETAILED business plan and projections (best case, worst case, split the difference but err on the pesimistic side.)

[lamadude]

Wow. Now that's a reply. Actually I'm already on the same page as you are. I'm not talking about a school gym but a warehouse type unit. Reason for the 15x20+15x30 rooms is that they are for one or two flyers per room. I'm not talking about a large area where there are a bunch of people flying together. This is a private, if you want, area you or you and a friend can practice or learn or just fly. The rooms/areas will be rented per hour or night(4 hrs) if you want. I already own a business so setting things like this up is fairly easy for me, and I can probably manage to get this together fairly easily if there is enough interest. Its really up to the people involved in the hobby.

If this is something you want or have wanted, now's the time to speak up and have your say. I'm already ready to do it, I just need to know whether I'm doing it for myself, or whether anyone else wants access to a purpose built r/c flying facility.

Thanks very much for your excellent advice
Lamadude

[Helno]

I cant tell you right now that I like the big shared space more so than the small private space. A big aspect of R/C flying is the social aspect.

[lamadude]

The reasoning for having the flying spaces separated by heavy plastic sheets is to prevent mid air collisions between newer fliers and experienced ones, so your $400+ helicopter isn't blasted out of the air by a newbie flying a 4 channel FP/CP helicopter for the first time.
But the floor plan I have in mind has the "flight lines" at the end of the flying areas open, side by side arrangements so that the social aspects would not be changed, only the safety aspect would be increased. This allows more experienced fliers to help beginners without endangering their own equipment.
Remember, you will be flying at your own risk at a commercial flying space, so I want to do everything possible to ensure that the risks to your aircraft are minimized. And, the sheets are removable, so if a couple of experienced people want to open the divider between their flying areas and make a larger space. That would be fine, but if you want to protect your investment, you have that option as well.

I have to think of it both as a user of the space myself, and as a potential business owner who wants to make the customers happy, but also knows that if customers are getting their helicopters damaged by other fliers on a regular basis, then they are going to find somewhere else to fly.

Thanks for the input, I'm getting some excellent ideas so far.
Much Appreciated.
Lamadude

[Helno]

I fly all winter in a highschool gym for $30 a year. I can say right now that I wouldn't pay a dime to fly in a 15x20 box because I can do that in my basement already.

What I would pay for is access to a much larger space like an arena or golf dome (both are at a big premium in the winter). Having more space makes indoor flying far easier as you are not constantly avoiding the walls and the more space you have the less chance there is of midair collisions.

I see you are mostly looking at helicopters but the vast majority of indoor flyers are fixed wing and a space that small is barely enough to fly a vapour.

[lamadude]

Thanks, that's good to know.
Lamadude

[Guest]

It might bea an idea to have movable curtains that can subdivide the space. All pulled back and you have a gym-sized area; some pulled out and you chop it up for smaller helicopter use. Rather than plastic sheets, use mesh netting -- allows airflow and will resist props and rotors more than plstic sheets, and will weigh a lot less.

[lamadude]

thats actually the idea. the curtains will be movable to make bigger spaces. I know everyone is used to bigger spaces, but remember, these 20x25 approximately sized areas have 25-30 ft ceilings and there is a lot of airspace in that amount of room.

Also, as this will be open to the public, as I mentioned before, I have to protect people who have expensive helicopters from being damaged by people who are new or not really serious flyers, but have a r/c helicopter toy and want somewhere to fly it. A business like this requires a balance of usable, viable space requirements, safety factors and the fact that as a business I have to rent these spaces out to make the money so the facility will be a viable business and stay open.

thanks for the input, please feel free to keep it coming so I can evaluate whether this is a workable plan.
Cheers
Lamadude