Greetings,
This appeal goes out specifically to the chaps flying at Admiralty Lane on Sunday mornings. At the risk of making myself very unpopular, I feel I should not remain silent any longer, and make this appeal after what I witnessed today between 11am-12pm.
Once again, a plane flew over the road, and this time it crossed over to the adjacent field, where it crashed quite forcefully (bounced off the ground 1m into the air)! About 50m away from the crash spot, there was a soccer match going on. Just imagine the injury had the plane hit the soccer players!
Fine. I suspect that the pilot of that plane may have been a raw beginner (I saw a pair of flyers close together, as would be the case in a buddy-box training situation). But novice or seasoned pro alike, the point I would like to make here is that under no circumstances should planes be allowed to stray behind the pilot and fly over the road. This is actually the third time I've personally seen this happen there. If it was indeed an instructor/Trainee practice session, the instructor should have told the trainee much earlier on, to keep ALL FLYING IN FRONT OF THEM, over their flying field ONLY. Flying overhead, behind, and over the road, should be avoided at all times, for obvious reasons of keeping in control and safety.
Instructors, please make sure you are aware of the basic safe-flying rules, and make sure you drill those points into your trainee. At any time the trainee appears to be about to violate those rules, please seize control and bring the plane back into the proper flying zone. Please don't allow the above incident to happen.
Fellow flyers. If you see safety at the field being compromized, please step forward and remind each other to adhere to safety practices. Some of us may not realise the unsafe aspects and consequences of what we do, so let's bring each other 'up-to-speed' on safety aspects. Please share your experience with the less initiated. Also, let's receive good advise from others in the right spirit. Ultimately, we all want to enjoy this hobby without anyone getting hurt or damage to property, participants and non-participants alike.
To the group in question, I hope you all read this and take it in the right spirit. It's not so much to point a finger at you, but just to bring this to your awareness. Perhaps I should have stopped and brought it to your attention in person. Perhaps if there's still a need in future, I will do just that, as I feel a personal need to protect that field from closure. I think we have to work together on this. Right now, there's a sign there that looks like the one on the left below. If something bad were to happen due to flying models, then we may well see the sign on the right (yes, they DO exist). Thanks to yacsf for this photo from another thread here, hope you don't mind that I use it here to make a point.
So, please please please, I urge this group (and other flyers alike if you think you are likewise guilty), to start practicing safety at the field. NEVER let your planes fly behind you or over roads, train tracks, bystanders, etc etc. Keep ALL FLYING OVER THE FYLING AREA ONLY!
So let US ALL be safety-conscious at the fields. We have lost some already, let's not throw away what we have left because of carelessness.
Cheers to one and all :>
This appeal goes out specifically to the chaps flying at Admiralty Lane on Sunday mornings. At the risk of making myself very unpopular, I feel I should not remain silent any longer, and make this appeal after what I witnessed today between 11am-12pm.
Once again, a plane flew over the road, and this time it crossed over to the adjacent field, where it crashed quite forcefully (bounced off the ground 1m into the air)! About 50m away from the crash spot, there was a soccer match going on. Just imagine the injury had the plane hit the soccer players!
Fine. I suspect that the pilot of that plane may have been a raw beginner (I saw a pair of flyers close together, as would be the case in a buddy-box training situation). But novice or seasoned pro alike, the point I would like to make here is that under no circumstances should planes be allowed to stray behind the pilot and fly over the road. This is actually the third time I've personally seen this happen there. If it was indeed an instructor/Trainee practice session, the instructor should have told the trainee much earlier on, to keep ALL FLYING IN FRONT OF THEM, over their flying field ONLY. Flying overhead, behind, and over the road, should be avoided at all times, for obvious reasons of keeping in control and safety.
Instructors, please make sure you are aware of the basic safe-flying rules, and make sure you drill those points into your trainee. At any time the trainee appears to be about to violate those rules, please seize control and bring the plane back into the proper flying zone. Please don't allow the above incident to happen.
Fellow flyers. If you see safety at the field being compromized, please step forward and remind each other to adhere to safety practices. Some of us may not realise the unsafe aspects and consequences of what we do, so let's bring each other 'up-to-speed' on safety aspects. Please share your experience with the less initiated. Also, let's receive good advise from others in the right spirit. Ultimately, we all want to enjoy this hobby without anyone getting hurt or damage to property, participants and non-participants alike.
To the group in question, I hope you all read this and take it in the right spirit. It's not so much to point a finger at you, but just to bring this to your awareness. Perhaps I should have stopped and brought it to your attention in person. Perhaps if there's still a need in future, I will do just that, as I feel a personal need to protect that field from closure. I think we have to work together on this. Right now, there's a sign there that looks like the one on the left below. If something bad were to happen due to flying models, then we may well see the sign on the right (yes, they DO exist). Thanks to yacsf for this photo from another thread here, hope you don't mind that I use it here to make a point.
So, please please please, I urge this group (and other flyers alike if you think you are likewise guilty), to start practicing safety at the field. NEVER let your planes fly behind you or over roads, train tracks, bystanders, etc etc. Keep ALL FLYING OVER THE FYLING AREA ONLY!
So let US ALL be safety-conscious at the fields. We have lost some already, let's not throw away what we have left because of carelessness.
Cheers to one and all :>
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