Is model flying safer or more dangerous than it was 30-40 years ago?

[Kelly]

I believe it is safer.

The real danger is the fun police and the sick claim culture that infests everything we do at work or at play.

The amount of trolling by very sick individuals on the web is a reflection of a world falling apart.

The world is in more danger now than at any other time in the history of mankind.

I feel much better now

[Former Member]

[This posting has been removed]

[Olly P]

Percy - I pulled someone up at my old club for exactly that - the cigarette in question was seemingly lit, complete with smoke being exhaled etc. It turns out it was an electric one, with no heat source!

The smoker of said device did however agree that it was perhaps a bad example and apologised and didn't repeat that!

Olly

[Former Member]

[This posting has been removed]

[graeme jones]

Percy - if it was glow fuel he was probably in more danger from the adverse health effects. If it was petrol!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Graeme

[Bearair]

Posted by Olly P on 28/03/2013 13:51:05:

Percy - I pulled someone up at my old club for exactly that - the cigarette in question was seemingly lit, complete with smoke being exhaled etc. It turns out it was an electric one, with no heat source!

The smoker of said device did however agree that it was perhaps a bad example and apologised and didn't repeat that!

Olly

Im confused here, you " pulled" someone? Was it against club rules? A bad example, to be using a electronic copy of a cigerette? Are they likely to cause a fire? IMHO it could be you are confusing a dislike of smoking with a genuine H&S issue, might that be the case? I have a feeling that someone "pulling" someone over a perfectly safe practice might have got a very different response in my former club. Especally if that person was trying to give up smoking!

[Former Member]

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[Myron Beaumont]

Dangerous (as per title) or Hazardous .That is the question ? Many many factors involved as illiterated

PS Been up for days trying to rescue new born lambs .Some made it-some didn't .Work out your own sense of perspective

Edited By Myron Beaumont on 28/03/2013 17:58:54

Edited By Myron Beaumont on 28/03/2013 18:00:13

[Mr Spitfire]

Safety is down to the individual........but I'd say serious modellers are aware of modern dangers, and try to limit them.

Access to all forms of models has never been better or greater......but the downside, is that this allows the "rough element" in society to buy the toy end of the market. they then believe they can go anywhere and fly, drive or sail.

It's this minority few who tend to upset landowners.......by crashing or being abusive when challenged.

They often abuse the equipment........so eventually this give good modellers a bad name.

[Erfolg]

Steady on Mr Spitfire, the rough element in society!

[Myron Beaumont]

In every aspect of our society there are those that persue instant short lived gratification (money to burn) & others that evolve through adversity to persue what they want to do for something they really love . They get the real satisfaction that people like modellers of all genre achieve .

Oh dear ,I'm showing my grumpyness again

[Bearair]

Mr Spitfire, I learnt to fly on the edge of a huge council estate, which produced one world champ and two of the best show flyers ive ever seen.

I never forgot the day one of the "rich" kids from are school threw his transmitter at his dad and swore at him like a trooper! If I had done that my old man would of beat the hell out of me.

Only speak as I find.

Edited By Biggles' Elder Brother - Moderator on 28/03/2013 20:26:34

[Myron Beaumont]

Bearair

I can relate to your comments .I went to being a musician(35 years) from engineer (8 years RR) & ended up for a few years rebuilding three old boats in Cornwall I lived on with family (Fowey/Charlestown/Mylor/Dartmouth/Brixham--in Devon I know) .I'm not rich but comfortable . My glass is always half full ! That's a lie, it's nearly always full --Purely medicinal of course

[Mr Spitfire]

Posted by Erfolg on 28/03/2013 18:17:14:

Steady on Mr Spitfire, the rough element in society!

 

Hmm.....sadly, we do not live in a utopian world......I had issues at my flying site (on public access land) where a rough group of lads would turn up, and try to fly.

None would ask for Freqs, and they refused to fly with us, and then decided to split the site.....because they were embarrased ??.

When it was mentioned to them about BMFA guidelines, and about keeping together....we were told where to go. Better still, it traspired they were members of another club !!.

None of them landed, as they thought flying EP, EPP flyings wings...meant crashing was landing.

Thankfully, they only came a few times......and haven't been seen again.

So yep, there is a rough element out there !!.

Edited By Biggles' Elder Brother - Moderator on 28/03/2013 20:28:03

[Peter Beeney]

I too would see this just as a matter of perspective, really. If we define ‘danger’ as the possibility of causing harm or injury, ‘dangerous’ as able or likely to cause harm or injury, and ‘risk’ as a situation involving exposure to danger, then generally I’d tend to think that the Danger and Dangerous aspects haven’t changed a great deal. Whereas the Risk element may well have risen somewhat over the years. Models have got bigger, faster and heavier, and I’d consider this might make the result of any incident possibly very much higher profile than it would have been in the past. As an example, when a large and totally out of control warbird, powered by a 120 four stroke on full chat crashes close enough to you so that you can virtually reach out and touch it, it tends to make you aware there is definitely a very serious pitfall relating to the hobby lurking not far away all the time…...and that it’s that close to possibly being a newspaper headline, too, at least locally.

Having now said that, though, I’ve always thought that a serious accident at a model show, say, or flying field, whilst collecting adverse comment and so on, is always going to been seen generally by the authorities as ‘in house’, anyone going to a model show is associated with aeromodelling and knows the risks, whereas if innocent third parties are involved, a tragic midair involving a model and a full size, for instance, this is likely to be considered in a much different light. The bottom line must be to blame the model flyer, that’s always going to happen and it’s difficult to think otherwise, and it could ultimately have far reaching implications. For model pilots, anyway.

And as the skies become ever busier, I can only imagine that this risk factor is only ever going to rise.

So my answer to Graeme’s OP is, maybe the risk to the pilot probably hasn’t changed much, but the risk to third parties and property might well have gone up.

PB

Edited By Peter Beeney on 28/03/2013 20:25:34

[Biggles' Elder Brother - Moderator]

Guys - can I take the opportunity to remind you all of an important clause in the Code of Conduct;

"Simply inserting *** instead of the letters in a swear word is also not acceptable and where this happens, the post will be deleted without warning."

Now I haven't deleted, instead I've edited, but please keep this rule in mind as I might go into delete mode real soon if it continues!

If you have not read the Code of Conduct and do not know the rules of this forum you would be very well advised to do so. A link to it can be found at the bottom of every thread page.

BEB

[Former Member]

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