(21-12-2013, 04:12 PM)Flying fisho Wrote: ...
Am I alone with these thoughts?
(21-12-2013, 06:29 PM)Chris Mc Wrote: Ok I am on holidays as from Friday last, I was hoping to get some time spent at the field over the next 2 weeks. I know that our flight times are Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday.Not sure of this question, hopefully this is clarified by one of the comittee members.
My question is, can we fly at the field on an ad hoc basis on other days during the festive season or are we "strictly" forbidden to fly outside of the alloted days?
(21-12-2013, 06:29 PM)Chris Mc Wrote: I agree that one should never fly alone, for safety reason, the hard part being that if one posts in the forum that they will be attending the field on a particular day, should they wait for a response before travelling to the field and setting up the flight box etc?...or do so anyway, and wait?I don't believe our regulations cover this, I mentioned it on a personal level and merely offered food for thought. Flying alone is at own risk, and hopefully now it is a more educated risk.
(22-12-2013, 07:53 AM)Flying fisho Wrote:We pay Parramatta City Council for use of the field on Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays which essentially gives us exclusive use of that area of McCoy park on those days. It means we can arrive there as a mob and help ourselves. We've got the field and it's ours, on those occasions. On other days we could be justified in viewing ourselves as any other member of the public, and as long as we're careful to coexist with people who might be walking dogs, or people practising golf, or whatever - then we're entitled to share the facility like anyone else. It's always necessary to exercise caution - but in small groups and with a readiness to share the area, flying on any day should be viewed as if it were any other activity which makes use of the public land.(21-12-2013, 06:29 PM)Chris Mc Wrote: Ok I am on holidays as from Friday last, I was hoping to get some time spent at the field over the next 2 weeks. I know that our flight times are Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday.Not sure of this question, hopefully this is clarified by one of the comittee members.
My question is, can we fly at the field on an ad hoc basis on other days during the festive season or are we "strictly" forbidden to fly outside of the alloted days?
(22-12-2013, 07:53 AM)Flying fisho Wrote:If you're intending to fly on a certain day (particularly if it's a Wednesday, or a weekend) and you've got everything set up to do so then you shouldn't have to cancel your plans just because nobody else is available to turn up. So, get there if you wish, open the field box so that the boots and first-aid kit are available and go for it. We discourage people flying alone because of the reasons and very real risks that Wayne correctly pointed out, but we're not in a position to disallow it. In the main, we're adults that can and should be able to make a judgement call ... and to deal with the consequences of course.(21-12-2013, 06:29 PM)Chris Mc Wrote: I agree that one should never fly alone, for safety reason, the hard part being that if one posts in the forum that they will be attending the field on a particular day, should they wait for a response before travelling to the field and setting up the flight box etc?...or do so anyway, and wait?I don't believe our regulations cover this, I mentioned it on a personal level and merely offered food for thought. Flying alone is at own risk, and hopefully now it is a more educated risk.
(22-12-2013, 10:12 AM)smuzz Wrote: We pay Parramatta City Council for use of the field on Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays which essentially gives us exclusive use of that area of McCoy park on those days.
(22-12-2013, 10:12 AM)smuzz Wrote: We discourage people flying alone because of the reasons and very real risks that Wayne correctly pointed out, but we're not in a position to disallow it. In the main, we're adults that can and should be able to make a judgement call ... and to deal with the consequences of course.
(23-12-2013, 10:00 AM)disoriented Wrote: Is there an official policy - either from us or from the council - regarding motorcycles and quadbikes in that area?
I went down to the field from 3pm to 5pm yesterday (Sunday), because I really wanted to maiden a new aircraft before the holidays. Around 4:30pm, three motorcycles and a quadbike showed up, and proceeded to tear up and down the runway. I talked to the one who looked like "Dad" (some of the others were only little tykes on little bikes), and asked him to at least keep off the runway, and they mostly avoided it afterwards, but I didn't know what the rules were in regards to them being there in the first place.
Unless council have rules against it and are willing to enforce them, I can't see us doing much to keep the bikes out. The guy seemed genuinely surprised to find out that the mowed strips were runways.
(23-12-2013, 10:00 AM)disoriented Wrote: Personally, I wouldn't like to see a "no fly alone" rule instituted. What Wayne said about safety holds at all times of course, but personally I do not believe it's dangerous enough to warrant a rule. SCUBA comes to mind as an example of something that should never be done without backup, but I just don't think flying RC planes is quite in that category. The pilot is looking at the plane the whole time (hopefully!), and the chances of flying directly into one's self are rather remote. Even then, the pilot would have to be extremely unfortunate to be incapacitated beyond the ability to call for help.
In some ways I'm more worried when there are lots of people present - for example that HK event at PEMAC a few weeks ago. An entire sideline was filled with human bodies, all the way along. Had any of those massive helis or hotliners lost control and flown to a particular side, they'd have chewed up somebody.
(23-12-2013, 10:00 AM)disoriented Wrote: Yesterday, the worst part was the heat. I went through 2L of water in 2h and I still felt thirsty. The covering looked like it had melted off the balsa frame.
