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    Flying Discipline and Etiquette

    I thought Id pen this down given the last few incidences of mishaps I have seen to date after coming back to the hobby some 7 months now.

    1. The weather is windy, plane is light, launches and plane floats overhead an crashes onto the road behind him and or hits stationery cars parked behind
    2. Fliers who think they own the whole airspace and flying in random directions and altitudes with sudden changes of direction and altitude and colliding into other planes
    3. Fliers who insists on taking up planes that are not properly balanced or setup hence ending up on the ground seconds after launching
    4. Fliers who fly non stop battery pack after battery pack without a break and not giving other s chance at the airspace.
    5. Fliers who are just plain dangerous by flying really close to other bystanders.
    6. Fliers who launch their planes when there is a man on the field. And this man on the field was walking back to the flight line....I mean....cant you just wait for the field to be clear before launch.

    We have limited fields and space so we have to learn to share the space with others. Flight safety is paramount #1 thing we should observe and next comes etiquette.

    Safety
    1. Please fly in weather conditions suitable for your plane. Do not risk other people safety and property
    2. Do not fly within 10m of the flight line and keep your low passes at a safe distance.
    3. If you have trouble setting up your plane, don't be shy to ask for help
    4. DO not fly and power up towards yourself and the flight line where people are assembled. That goes for landing too. Please land or fly parallel to the flight line.
    5, Fly in a predictable manner and not all over the shop. Fly the plane...not let the plane fly you. Wind is not an excuse. If you can't control your plane in windy weather you should not be up there flying.
    6. Don't fly into the sun. It blinds you
    7. As cool as your paint job is...make sure its visible and you can tell the planes orientation clearly.
    8. No matter how good your eyesight is, please don't fly at 7.15pm in the twilight. Thats when vision is at its worst and your perception of depth and distance is compromised.


    Etiquette
    1. Please take a break after your flight to allow others to fly the airspace too. Taking a break helps you rest your eyes and prepares you to be fresh for the next flight.
    2. If you are a heli pilot, please do not insert yourself into the flight path of flying planes. Either move to extreme ends where planes fly or wait for them to come down. It no fun seeing a plane and heli collide.
    3. Please clean up your trash off the field. I find props, fuselage, wings of crashed and disused gear all over the field. Including epoxy.

    For those who feel strongly about this, feel free to latch on and add your comments and ideas and proposals to keep this hobby and our fields safe.
    Do you feel the RUSH....!!!!

    #2
    I cannot agree more!

    Do a quick search on Daddy Hobby for the keyword ?Safety? and you will find that there are at least 291 threads pertaining to this issue ? Says a lot donchya? think?

    I too have seen just too many incidents occurring recently and I strongly believe that we have to work together to put a stop to all this before ?Somebody's gonna get a hurt real baddddddd? ? Russel Peters. There have just been far too many close calls recently and as such we find a need to bring this to everyone?s kind attention.

    If you are new to this hobby, it is actually most appropriate that you join an official aeromodeling club ? where you will be briefed on all the proper safety disciplines by helpful instructors that also offer very close guidance that will subsequently improve your piloting skills. By joining an official flying club, you are even covered by a third party insurance should anything go seriously wrong.

    Should you prefer to fly at a public field, it is imperative that the basic safety guidelines (as highlighted by Hawkeye) be understood and applied.

    I sincerely hope that we can all arrive at a mutual understanding on this soon before we consequently loose the field or worse, get someone injured or killed in an avoidable freak accident.

    We thank you for your kind understanding and look forward to your cooperation in future. :smile3:
    Irony = displaying enough parking coupons on your dashboard but getting fined for littering when you throw the stubs on the floor

    Comment


      #3
      Clarification please

      For the benifit of others, some points seem rather vague and needs to be expanded. What does this mean?

      5, Fly in a predictable manner and not all over the shop. Fly the plane...not let the plane fly you. Wind is not an excuse. If you can't control your plane in windy weather you should not be up there flying.

      Can list all the manouver that is pridictable? So that I wont do those that are not predictable. Poor noobies, dont fly better. No room for learning.

      2. If you are a heli pilot, please do not insert yourself into the flight path of flying planes. Either move to extreme ends where planes fly or wait for them to come down. It no fun seeing a plane and heli collide.

      If doing 3D and air space hogging, this I agree, but if Im just doing FFF like plane, why not? I will look for appropriate spacing and merge with current traffic and not "insert" my heli at random. Is it acceptable? Does it mean that heli cannot keep to flight path like fixed wing aircraft? Why can't I fly normally like any plane?

      4. DO not fly and power up towards yourself and the flight line where people are assembled. That goes for landing too. Please land or fly parallel to the flight line.

      I think need to depends. As long as have spotter and depending on approach clear. When doing final approach, this could lead to crash if you die die cant handle cross wind landing. Newbies I know you already find landing quite a challenge, if cope with adverse condition, Die die follow this rule, it is dangerous. Your poor crabbing angle onto the landing path and poor rudder skills will lead to your model smashing into bystanders. I suggest use buddy cord and ask more experienced friends to land for you. Since you cant have to option to land into the wind even if u wanted to. The field is so big but got a rule say must land parallel, so you have no choice. No skill, dont fly.
      Hanger
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      Hirobo Quark SRB
      Hirobo Quark SRB SG
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      Blade450 3D
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      Plane
      Dynam PBY Catalina 1.4m
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      Artech F14 Tomcat EDF
      HK FLYJET EDF
      Artech Skyfun
      Dynam P51D Mustang
      Parkzone P51

      Tx:
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      Comment


        #4
        A timely reminder indeed! Too bad, very likely those who need to be "corrected" won't be reading your message - or if they do - the message very hard to sink in!

        Maybe the aero-models are getting cheaper now, very often see newbies who are overly ambitious, getting beautiful scale models that they can hardly handle, thus endangering themselves and others.

        Don't even talk about balance and setup... some are not even sure which direction the control surface should move...

        But I do recognize that we all have to start somewhere when still new to the hobby, so the best is for new flyers to buddy up with a more experienced friend with good habits, ESPECIALLY when the field is crowded.

        Experienced flyers also should look out for "L" plate flyers doggedly doing it alone and offer necessary advice. Although I know this is not our habit in singapore, where people generally tend to keep their opinions to themselves. And there are always some with big egos that need to be approached carefully...
        ------------------------------
        Airworthy: FMS Mini Trojan, Cloudsfly, BF-109 Funfighter, HK Mini Stick, Flasher 450 Pro, Mini Titan v2, E-Flite Blade MCPx.
        NIB: Multiplex FunCub, HK T-45.

        Comment


          #5
          Elmosan,

          Let me clarify some points. But Im sure you know what I mean. If you don't understand, Id prefer to talk to and show you in person and we can discuss this issue.

          Fly in a predictable manner - There are a lot of maneuvers out there, too many to lists.(e.g.: Ovals, figure 8s, Split S, hammerhead, barrel roll, etc etc) Have you ever seen those insects that are attracted to light fly in around the light in your house. You would be surprised there are flyers out there that fly exactly like that when there are other flyers in the airspace flying in consistent predictable loops. Thats what I mean my unpredictable manner. What it does is stress out other fliers and newbies. And worst of all crash into other planes. Now if you were the only one in the field, does that mean you can still fly like a drunken mad man. Think about that.
          As newbies, you need to be able to fly that oval or figure 8 at a constant altitude and be able to land the plane safely before progressing to other more complicated maneuvers. Take one step at a time. I must say that there are newbies out there that are disciplined to stick to their ovals and turns and figure 8s. This is like anything we do, learn to walk before we run before we jump before we do gymnastics.

          Many a times I have seen Heli Pilots insert themselves doing Hovering right in the middle of a flight line of planes. Now if you fly the same pattern as a plane thats ok, at least we all follow the same pattern. Like wise for plane flyers, If a heli pilot is doing hovering practice and he was at the field first, don't go and launch your plane right next to him. Wait for him to land and recover this heli before he flies.

          Powering up when plane flying towards you and the flight line -- There are a rare few who do this deliberately and dangerously. Im not saying if a sudden gust of wind cause your plane to swerve and you need to power up to avoid a tree or something. I mean there are folks who do this as a stunt....fly low towards themselves and than last minute power up and climb within a few short meters of himself and passerby's. This type of maneuvers are not welcome and are dangerous to you and passerby. If they want to do it please do it far far away where there is no one else.

          It is wise to always fly parallel to the flight line. Its not a rule. WHY - If a something fails and for whatever reason the plane dives down, at least the momentum will not carry the plane into the crowd. I do agree that sometimes winds are challenging for newbies during landing especially cross wind. In this case shout for help for a more experienced pilot to help. Im sure there are very willing seniors out there to help out. Thats what its all about, we help each other to fly safe. Thats a very simple unwritten rule. But again, I have seen people deliberately land towards themselves angled to the flight line and than miss the spot and go towards the other pilots waiting in the flight line. Or miss the field altogether and land on the road behind them. If you hit a oncoming vehicle, its hell to pay.

          You are right there is plenty of space in the field, why don't land 20-30m away from and parallel to the flight line??? If you land your plane out in the middle of the field during a cross wind, you can get a better approach to the wind. This way if you miss your landing spot you won't hit someone or something. Do we need to sacrifice safety for a few steps to pick up your plane??? The main problem is when the wind is cross wind, there are pilots out there who insist on landing within 5m of the flight line knowing that a sudden gusts of wind can carry the plane onto passerby.

          Hope this clarifies. Flying safe is common sense....
          Do you feel the RUSH....!!!!

          Comment


            #6
            Though this is just a hobby (rc), we should try to emulate the real FLYING environment.

            Please note rotary / fix wings dont fix in real flying circuit. Why? Simply because of aircraft difference in performance parameters & flight envelope

            In rc term, a fff heli will never be able to achieve said a edf jet speed and flight manuevers and that is applicable in real life too, hence when jets are flying, helis will be holding in their assigned holding point till such when the airspace is clear.

            Slower type and faster types also don't mix as well.


            This is a hobby for us to enjoy, so let's respect each other make the hobby enjoyable, very similar to bowling lane discipline

            Comment


              #7
              Have lots of respect for this hobby....Plane or Heli is no different. I actually have lots of respect for helis

              I want to make peopple aware what of what these helis can do.
              Do you feel the RUSH....!!!!

              Comment


                #8
                TWE75,

                As a senior member, do you have something to share with all flyers regarding safe flying whether they are newbie or not.

                I started this thread not to reference newbies but to all flyers. Experienced pilots included.
                Do you feel the RUSH....!!!!

                Comment


                  #9
                  If you are a newbie, please find and instructor to help you out. You will crash less and learn faster.

                  If you are a mode 2 pilot and need help, you can look for me for help. Id rather spend sometime helping newbies to fly safe than to tell people off on the field.

                  The question is do we care enough to do something about it or just turn a blind eye and ignore hoping things will be get better.
                  Do you feel the RUSH....!!!!

                  Comment


                    #10
                    Originally posted by Rover4372 View Post
                    Though this is just a hobby (rc), we should try to emulate the real FLYING environment.

                    Please note rotary / fix wings dont fix in real flying circuit. Why? Simply because of aircraft difference in performance parameters & flight envelope

                    In rc term, a fff heli will never be able to achieve said a edf jet speed and flight manuevers and that is applicable in real life too, hence when jets are flying, helis will be holding in their assigned holding point till such when the airspace is clear.

                    Slower type and faster types also don't mix as well.


                    This is a hobby for us to enjoy, so let's respect each other make the hobby enjoyable, very similar to bowling lane discipline
                    I didnt know this. All along I fly my high wing Piper cub with fast warbirds with no issue. We share the circuit happily. Now slow and fast dont mix? We have been mixing happily every since. I think is no issue.

                    I think most people have some kind of commonsense system whereby the fast planes fly in large arcs in an outer circle while the slower ones stay in the middle smaller space. If you want to race, go to the outer circle. Works fine with no collisions.

                    And which RC term are you talking about? FYI, some EDF is so slow, I got so many examples... And I feel that if you want to join the pattern flight like what hawkeye says, there is no issue. I think is the other way round, heli flight envelope is so wide that it can fly in more envelope that planes are capable. Can turn tighter, fly faster than EDF, loop tighter, and more. I dont know but my experience is heli is damn fast in FFF, I tagged my 600 sized bird at 176kmhr, the issue is more like joining the traffic, and not about matching EDF speed. That is dangerous. Then how if people want to fly other plane? Must match EDF speed also?

                    As you said, respect each other. Make it enjoyable. Have more room in the heart, and not segregating between fast and slow planes as long as fly safely. Cos 1st time I heard fast and slow planes cannot mix.
                    Hanger
                    Hirobo XRB SR Lama
                    Hirobo Quark SRB
                    Hirobo Quark SRB SG
                    Eflite Blade SR (For Display)
                    Blade450 3D
                    MSH Mini Protos (SOLD)
                    COMPASS 6HV (Combat Fit PES A)

                    Plane
                    Dynam PBY Catalina 1.4m
                    FMS J3 Cub 1.4m
                    Artech F14 Tomcat EDF
                    HK FLYJET EDF
                    Artech Skyfun
                    Dynam P51D Mustang
                    Parkzone P51

                    Tx:
                    Futaba 6J 2.4GHz(SOLD)
                    Spektrum DX6i
                    DX8
                    Futaba 9CAP

                    Comment


                      #11
                      Thanks for the clarification

                      Originally posted by Hawkeye View Post
                      If you are a newbie, please find and instructor to help you out. You will crash less and learn faster.

                      If you are a mode 2 pilot and need help, you can look for me for help. Id rather spend sometime helping newbies to fly safe than to tell people off on the field.

                      The question is do we care enough to do something about it or just turn a blind eye and ignore hoping things will be get better.
                      Thanks for the prompt response. Is not to ruffle any feathers. Got discussion then got learning right? See at least now we covered quite a few blind spots already. There is progress. And yea we can discuss, preferable over kopi after a flight session!!
                      Hanger
                      Hirobo XRB SR Lama
                      Hirobo Quark SRB
                      Hirobo Quark SRB SG
                      Eflite Blade SR (For Display)
                      Blade450 3D
                      MSH Mini Protos (SOLD)
                      COMPASS 6HV (Combat Fit PES A)

                      Plane
                      Dynam PBY Catalina 1.4m
                      FMS J3 Cub 1.4m
                      Artech F14 Tomcat EDF
                      HK FLYJET EDF
                      Artech Skyfun
                      Dynam P51D Mustang
                      Parkzone P51

                      Tx:
                      Futaba 6J 2.4GHz(SOLD)
                      Spektrum DX6i
                      DX8
                      Futaba 9CAP

                      Comment


                        #12
                        I found the safest way to fly is one plane at a time, 10 min window. But its not practical if you have 20 flyers waiting....good when here are 3-4 flyers. No stress of getting into other people's way
                        Do you feel the RUSH....!!!!

                        Comment


                          #13
                          Originally posted by Hawkeye View Post
                          I found the safest way to fly is one plane at a time, 10 min window. But its not practical if you have 20 flyers waiting....good when here are 3-4 flyers. No stress of getting into other people's way
                          Spoken like a man who experienced 2 mid-airs in 2 weeks with his planes that were each barely 2 weeks old.
                          Irony = displaying enough parking coupons on your dashboard but getting fined for littering when you throw the stubs on the floor

                          Comment


                            #14
                            safety first
                            I love PAP

                            Comment


                              #15
                              Thanks for everyone's comments. We the majority of the flyers who fly safely should educate and help the newbies to fly safe so that they can enjoy the hobby too. But we should also enforce safe flying to protect life, property against the the errant few. It only takes one unfortunately.

                              Happy safe flying
                              Do you feel the RUSH....!!!!

                              Comment

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