Bench Buddies, Not Lost Enthusiasms: A Winter Mentoring Plan for UK Clubs

Every autumn, UK clubs see the same quiet leak. A newcomer joins in June, flies a buddy-box circuit, buys a trainer, and then the clocks change. By February the model is in the loft and the club has lost another potential stalwart. It is rarely a lack of enthusiasm. More often it is a lack of contact, a lack of a plan and a winter with nobody checking whether they are still on board.

That is why clubs should debate a simple idea: a 'First Solo by Spring' mentoring scheme. Not a pressure campaign to push people into the air before they are ready, and not a replacement for proper instruction. A structured winter programme that pairs newcomers with mentors, keeps them connected to the club and gives them clear bench-to-field milestones.

The leaky bucket we all pretend not to see

Most clubs are good at the first visit. Someone shows the newcomer the patch, explains the frequencies, offers a go on the buddy box and points them at the membership form. The weak point is the follow-up. Once the summer evenings shorten, the casual contact stops. The newcomer does not know what to buy, what to build, what to practise or who to ask. The club assumes they will come back when the weather improves; they assume the club has forgotten them.

A winter mentoring scheme plugs that gap. It also helps the club, because mentors get to know the next generation of flyers before they become anonymous lapsed members. Retaining one family can be worth more than a whole membership drive.

What the scheme looks like in practice

Start at an October or November club night. Ask newcomers to sign up for a mentor, and ask experienced members to volunteer. Match people by location, model type and availability—not just by who shouts loudest in the committee meeting. Keep it voluntary, informal and free.

Each pair should have a first bench session: check the model, radio, batteries and paperwork, and agree what needs doing before the next club night. That includes BMFA membership and insurance, CAA operator ID where required, and the club's own site rules. Mentors should not pretend to be examiners; they are a friendly first point of contact, signposting to club instructors for flying progress.

Then build a monthly rhythm:

• November: bench check and model plan. Identify repairs, missing bits and any safety concerns.
• December: simulator session at the clubhouse or online. Practise circuits and landings, not just hovering.
• January: buddy-box field session if the weather allows; otherwise a covering or radio-programming clinic.
• February: taxiing, take-off and circuit practice with an instructor, plus a classroom-style session on airspace and site awareness.
• March: first solo assessment when the member and instructor agree they are ready.

The point is not to force a solo in March. It is to make sure nobody spends winter wondering what to do next.

Milestones that mean something

A scheme works better when progress is visible. Use a simple logbook: bench-ready, simulator-ready, buddy-box circuits, first solo. Nothing bureaucratic, just a sheet or a shared spreadsheet. The mentor signs off the bench and sim stages; the club instructor signs off flying milestones. That keeps roles clear and avoids the awkward situation where a well-meaning mentor promises more than the club can deliver.

Recognition matters, too. A mention at the AGM, a certificate for the first solo, or simply a round of applause at the club night costs nothing and makes the newcomer feel part of the story. Clubs are social organisations as much as flying organisations; the members who stay are often the ones who made friends before they made perfect landings.

Club politics and practicalities

There will be questions. Who mentors whom? What about safeguarding if juniors are involved? What if a mentor's own model is not airworthy? The answers are straightforward if the committee keeps it simple. Follow BMFA guidance on safeguarding and instructor roles, never put a mentor alone with a junior member, and make clear that the scheme is a support network rather than a flying school. Check that mentors have current membership and insurance, and that the club's instructor structure is respected.

Cost should be minimal: tea, biscuits, a few photocopies and a shared simulator. The bigger commitment is time. A mentor might give two or three evenings over the winter; that is a small ask compared with the cost of losing members every year.

What success looks like

Success is not a hundred first solos. It is fewer empty chairs at the spring club night. It is a newcomer who knows how to store a LiPo, who has repaired a covering patch and who has practised the circuit on a sim before trying it in a crosswind. It is a mentor who has made a friend and a club that feels less like a waiting list and more like a workshop with a runway attached.

So put it on the agenda for the next club night. Argue about the details, tweak the milestones, and call it whatever you like. But if UK clubs want newcomers to be flying—and still members—by the time the daffodils appear, the work starts now, in the dark months, with a bench, a buddy box and a mentor who bothers to ring.