Does your club allow members to fly by themselves?

[Dean Hunter]

Yes my club allows lone flying, but I have heard verbal advice not too, which makes sense as we share with a relatively quiet full size field!!!!!!! I personally don't fly on my own

[WolstonFlyer]

Yes, our club allows you to fly on your own.

[ChrisB]

We do, although not ideal, we can fly 7 days a week and with 90 members its difficult to restrict. Many of our members fly independent of each other and don't necessarily have a buddy they fly with. To place a non-lone flying rule is likely to reduce the membership numbers which then become self perpetuating in terms of costs vs membership numbers.

[Cuban8]

Both of my clubs permit lone flying and quite right too. Far too much 'elf 'n' safety these days. However that doesn't mean common sense goes out of the window.

[Dane Crosby]

We are allowed to fly lightweight gliders and leccy foamies but i/c flying requires another member at the club. It is sensible as we operate on a disused area adjacent to an airfield.

[Cuban8]

Posted by Dane Crosby on 07/06/2015 21:21:21:

We are allowed to fly lightweight gliders and leccy foamies but i/c flying requires another member at the club. It is sensible as we operate on a disused area adjacent to an airfield.

I presume that the requirement is for a lookout for full size aircraft?

[Dean Hunter]

My club allows modellers to fly alone, the majority don't. My club has 20-30 members, average age will be above 40 (risk of heart attack?)While at the flying field on a recent Saturday enjoying one of the rare good flying days I switched from flying my WOT4 to my WOT4XL. I rearranged my pit area to allow for the larger model, made sure that the restraints were up against the tail plane, moved my flight box, battery etc back a few feet, placed left hand on the fuselage behind then prop, grabbed the starter and pushed it against the spinner, switched on, prop turned, the OS120 spun into life with typical OS reliability, took my left hand away from the fuselage and spinning prop - next I remember my right hand went into the prop!!! I don't know how!! I wasn't distracted by other modellers and didn't do anything different from thousands of times before.

Had I been on my own my situation would have been worse, not insurmountable - but as friends were there to take me to A&E, put my models away etc. all worked out OK. I was lucky no permanent damage

Discussions are already underway to have a rule change..................

[Cuban8]

Posted by Dean Hunter on 09/07/2015 18:52:44:

Had I been on my own my situation would have been worse, not insurmountable - but as friends were there to take me to A&E, put my models away etc. all worked out OK. I was lucky no permanent damage

Discussions are already underway to have a rule change..................

Sorry to hear about your accident, sounds very nasty..............however, jumping to make a no lone flying rule and taking away the freedom of choice from the individual on the basis of one (thankfully) rare incident is not the way to go IMHO.

If a person is worried about flying alone, then don't do it - but I'd be mightily unhappy if the decision whether to fly alone was taken from me by a ruling. Both of the clubs that I use have explored this and leave the individual to act as they see fit.

[Dean Hunter]

I take your point re individuality, at the mo discussions are underway and the club members will decide, that's democratic. We may come up with some sort of compromise ie limit engine size? We shall see. I will update as and when.

Thanks for your thoughts

[john stones 1 - Moderator]

I have no friends I always fly alone

John

[Dave Hopkin]

Posted by john stones 1 on 09/07/2015 20:13:03:

I have no friends I always fly alone

John

This any help >**LINK**

[Don Fry]

From bitter experience, a good bite from an Ervine 53 is a mind challenging experience. You can cope, but you have to concentrate. Pain levels similar to broken bones, but with mobility. Mindset is not dissimilar. Bigger than this not on my own. And with the 53, VERY careful.. Leccy blokes, where is your do not pass level for motor size, I personally have a thing about leccy jobs, fear them mightily.

[john stones 1 - Moderator]

Posted by Dave Hopkin on 09/07/2015 20:32:21:

Posted by john stones 1 on 09/07/2015 20:13:03:

I have no friends I always fly alone

John

This any help >**LINK**

I'll give it a try Dave

[Erfolg]

Every day of the week I observe household contract gardeners using equipment that has the potential to be life threatening, all operating alone, often in gardens with no help available (householders out working).

I then contrast that situation with workers on the M60, oh dear, I am not sure that is correct. Anyway these people have miles of barriers to protect them, as they stand and talk, discuss not what to do, as vehicles drive past at 50 mph. Often the motorway is now closed. All this has resulted in a increase of accidents according to some sources. It does not surprise me that the the UK productivity has fallen since the beginning of the recession.

But what does it really tell us? To my mind that we are all responsible for our own safety and also to others safety. Putting all the safety systems in place can often transfer the risks from one group to another. What is also apparent is that there is an underlying section of all communities who are ever eager to control what others do, as far as they are concerned as being responsible citizens, others see them differently.

The answer is easy, if you think that the risks are to great flying alone, well don't.

If you are not prepared to fly alone, do you extend the same principal to all other aspects of your life. Should any one be allowed to drive alone, the risks are pretty high.

On reflection, would I want to be a member of a club that wants to control this aspect of my life?

[Adrian Smith 1]

You've hit the nail on the head Erfolg. I used to belong to a club and in the early days there were few rules & regs above and beyond common sense and self awareness. A fews years ago the committee structure and personnel completely changed and there seems to a a rule for everything that moves and regular e-mail updates follow. Now I accept that one has to legislate for the complete irresponsible maverick, but I found the whole thing tiresome. As a result I wrote to 50 or so farmers to see if they could find anywhere suitable for me to fly solo for an annual fee (I am still a BMFA country member though). I was lucky enough to find a willing farmer who provided a grass strip in a very wide open space with little or no habitation in the vicinity. My only other responsibility is to fly my petrol aircraft within scaring distance of the pigeons or other birds that delight in sitting on his surrounding crops! However, in answer to the OP, needless to say solo flying with or without the A certificate was not encouraged and certainly not if you did not possess an A.

[pyro stu]

Are we all baby's that need looking after by some one else.

so u dont mow the grass cut the bush's use a ladder to paint in our own homes on our own well i know i do. what a wold we live now.

just my 2.5p

[Dave Hopkin]

I've flown on my own a couple of times, and frankly I dislike it, I find it far more enjoyable to have a few others there to natter with, do the whole "grumpy old man" routine...

Thinking about it - Went through 6 batteries today, say 3mins setting up for each flight, 7 mins flying and 2 mins taking down the model that 6x12min = 1 hours in what could be construed as "flying" - but we were there from 10ish to 3ish - 5 hours!!! Thats a huge part of the hobby for me....

[Erfolg]

Many of us do like the company at the field.

There are times for a variety of reasons why some will have occasion to prefer to be alone when flying or it is just convenient.

The idea that in some ways that this is unacceptable to others must be at best questionable, or a reflection of a type of society or community.

I cannot but contrast with the situation of my next door neighbour, who has a number of heart attacks and continuing issues. She recently has had a fall, which required hospitalisation. She continues to live alone, declining requests from her daughters to live with them, or the social services who want her to enter a home as a private resident. She and her family recognise that there are some real issues, which all recognise. In her case she has a phone constantly around her neck, knowing that neighbours will help if necessary. Good job she is not a member of some aeromodelling clubs, as they would know what is best for her.

There will always be risks, which should be recognised, and managed to a level that is acceptable, in the case of modellers when alone, to a level that is acceptable to that person.