Gerry Smyth Posted September 10, 2011 Share Posted September 10, 2011 As the title says:: how close should model clubs be from each other ?, >> Hi all I’m just looking to see what other modellers opinion is. >> It’s just that I have been informed late last night that another club has move just across the road from our present site. a few hundred meters from us, now our club has been established at this location for near forty years so its not like they don’t know that there is a club near in fact some of its members used to fly at our club. there was rumours last year that this club were looking to use are old site as there new flying field but when I ask there chairman at one of the area meeting his told me that his club had no intension of doing so, So this email has come as a bit of a shock. >> Although 2.4gh will do away with any possible interference problems, but the thing is on our present site were are unable to fly on Sundays so to solve this problem our landlord lets us use part of his land on the other side of the road considerably closer to the area that the club intend to use,, the problem is we would be using the same airspace, as this is a big safety point, the possibility of accidents happening due to persons using both areas is a great possibility.. Gerry >> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Biggles' Elder Brother - Moderator Posted September 10, 2011 Share Posted September 10, 2011 Well as you say Gerry we are in rather unknown territory on this now. I think the guideline used to be 5 mile separation or something like that in the days of 35MHz. I can't remember without looking it up in the handbook. But it was definitely a lot more than a few hundred metres. If the new club is setting up next to yours and yours has been there 40 years I think you might have reasonable grounds to pressurise them to be 2.4MHz only. Otherwise you will have to have a frequency band sharing arrangement. If it can't be solved amicably then I can only suggest that you bring in the BMFA to arbitrate. Can you not share the other field with them? That way you only have one flight line - which is obviously much safer and that's in both your interests. BEB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leccyflyer Posted September 10, 2011 Share Posted September 10, 2011 The BMFA advice is that if model flying sites are closer together than 2 miles that clubs should get together and sort out a frequency sharing arrangement. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Biggles' Elder Brother - Moderator Posted September 10, 2011 Share Posted September 10, 2011 Thanks Leccy - I couldn't remember whether it was 2 or 5 miles - I knew it was one or the other! BEB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gerry Smyth Posted September 10, 2011 Author Share Posted September 10, 2011 Thanks for getting back to me. In the email received from the other club they have stated that only their members can use the new site and that this was a condition from the landowner. We, as already stated, have been active in flying models for a considerable lenght of time in this area and would have had no objection whatsoever for this club to come and become active members of our club. Think it might be a case of just being extra careful and watchful in the future to ensure everyones safety. Gerry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan Cantwell Posted September 10, 2011 Share Posted September 10, 2011 any of you have planning permission? if one of you does, then an objection to the other club can be raised, sounds like there has been a bit of anymosity in the past??? why on earth do you need 2 clubs in one town, so close together?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andy watson Posted September 10, 2011 Share Posted September 10, 2011 I was thinking the same Alan- sounds like a bit of history here. The sensible solution would surely be to decide which club has the best site, and join together at that one- should cut down on members fees paying for rent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leccyflyer Posted September 10, 2011 Share Posted September 10, 2011 Well, of course, with continued urbanisation, model club often end up having to move their flying fields and the situation can easily arise where clubs in adjacent towns or even boroughs, can end up right on each other's doorsteps. Long established clubs, which might have been on the same site for 25+ years can find themselves having to move to the outskirts of town, slap bang next a club that has been on the same site for 10+ years, but based in the next town. Should such clubs merge- resulting in a reduction in the total number of flying sites? That sounds like a terrible idea for the hobby, to me. Not to mention that individual flying sites will have a comfortable level of traffic that they can cope with, and doubling that traffic by merging two clubs could easily result in both clubs having no site at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mowerman Posted September 11, 2011 Share Posted September 11, 2011 My club recently lost our flying site and during the long search for a new one we were offered a site about 600yds from an existing club. Following lots of discussion by our members it was decided to decline the offer to avoid the problems of frequency control (some of us have not changed to 2.4g) and shared airspace. Luckily we have now got a suitable site well away from other clubs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CARPERFECT Posted September 11, 2011 Share Posted September 11, 2011 Was that site you were offered but turned down in Brighouse ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gerry Smyth Posted September 11, 2011 Author Share Posted September 11, 2011 Hi Alan maybe it’s just they way I have came across, but we have never had a problem with this other club and I’m quite friendly with a few of its members. my problem is the shared airspace on a Sunday and the way they have gone about it. We spoke with the chairman of the club last year when this rumour first emerged about them using this site and we were told that they definitely had no intention of using it. I feel that they could have had the decency to approach our club to discuss the matter before any final decision and perhaps an agreement could have been made or they could have joined with us at our existing site and are disappointed that this was not the case. Gerry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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