Approaching a farmer to ask for a flying field

[Ralph C]

Posted by Gary Manuel on 04/05/2020 12:59:35:

Posted by Wilco Wingco on 04/05/2020 12:31:41:

Just tried and been told I do need a Microsoft account ???

Try THIS

Regarding the BMFA docs, anything with "sharepoint" in the link is inaccessible to me, even after logging in to bmfa.azolve.com. If you go into Private Mode in your browser and try accessing them there, that would be a good indication of whether other people can access them.

[Ralph C]

Posted by Andy Stephenson on 04/05/2020 14:28:32:

One thing rarely mentioned about clubs on farmer's fields is that some farmers feel quite isolated and a friendly group meeting on their land may serve to dissuade some of the less welcome element in society appearing when they see people about regularly. We also found that if someone in the club has farming experience it gets lots of brownie points if help is offered occasionally to the farmer if they need something.

A.

Yes, that is a good selling point. As a "responsible member of society" I would hopefully be a good person to provide an eye out for problems.

[Ralph C]

Posted by Martin Harris on 04/05/2020 13:48:04:

Well, I keep getting the M$ message - try this link instead.

I'm a little curious - you say the local BMFA [club?] is "mostly indoors" - does this mean they have access to a flying site but it's not used much? If that's the case, can't you use it if you join - you'll be no worse off than going it alone if nobody else turns up!

Whereabouts are you? There could be forum members with local knowledge...

My last follow up post for now...

My local club has access to an outdoors field though it can be shared with occasional dog walkers and I have not been inducted yet. There is another non-BMFA club (all BMFA members of the first club though) that flies from a grass strip owned by a farmer. The thing is, they have not flown there (to my knowledge) for 6 months due to rain/wind/corona and so I have been unable to be properly inducted. Once inducted into the latter site, I would be able to fly freely.

So far, my attempts at flying have been in public parks (always reading the rules and regs on the noticeboard first as well as checking online) and due to the public being about, 90% of my time has been spent standing around waiting for a jogger to go more than 50m away.

P.S. I have not flown during lockdown.

[Dickw]

Posted by Ralph C on 04/05/2020 21:37:58:

Posted by Gary Manuel on 04/05/2020 12:59:35:

Posted by Wilco Wingco on 04/05/2020 12:31:41:

Just tried and been told I do need a Microsoft account ???

Try THIS

Regarding the BMFA docs, anything with "sharepoint" in the link is inaccessible to me, even after logging in to bmfa.azolve.com. If you go into Private Mode in your browser and try accessing them there, that would be a good indication of whether other people can access them.

Try the Downloads menu on the main BMFA site (not the Azolve site) - that works for me.

Dick

[Ralph C]

Posted by Dickw on 04/05/2020 22:20:40:

Posted by Ralph C on 04/05/2020 21:37:58:

Posted by Gary Manuel on 04/05/2020 12:59:35:

Posted by Wilco Wingco on 04/05/2020 12:31:41:

Just tried and been told I do need a Microsoft account ???

Try THIS

Regarding the BMFA docs, anything with "sharepoint" in the link is inaccessible to me, even after logging in to bmfa.azolve.com. If you go into Private Mode in your browser and try accessing them there, that would be a good indication of whether other people can access them.

Try the Downloads menu on the main BMFA site (not the Azolve site) - that works for me.

Dick

Thanks, that worked perfectly.

[Doctor Chinnery]

If you're trying to find a farmer from "cold" I would look out for someone who is already making some sort of alternative use(s) of his land e.g. A few touring caravans, occasional events like grass track motor biking and the like. Also look for a casual approach to gate and fence maintainance, and the yard a bit untidy i.e. Not the smartest - you're unlikely to have much joy with an intensively managed arable or livestock enterprise - shall we say you're more likely to have success with a Grundy than an Archer.

Edited By Mr Chinnery on 04/05/2020 23:58:16

[Ralph C]

Posted by Mr Chinnery on 04/05/2020 23:56:40:

If you're trying to find a farmer from "cold" I would look out for someone who is already making some sort of alternative use(s) of his land e.g. A few touring caravans, occasional events like grass track motor biking and the like. Also look for a casual approach to gate and fence maintainance, and the yard a bit untidy i.e. Not the smartest - you're unlikely to have much joy with an intensively managed arable or livestock enterprise - shall we say you're more likely to have success with a Grundy than an Archer.

Edited By Mr Chinnery on 04/05/2020 23:58:16

Indeed, and I think I would end up paying much more for a field in a nicely run place.

[Nigel R]

"I would definitely not be flying near animals as I am aware they can be disturbed by flying things."

My experience has been rather the opposite.

We operate from a field with sheep on it. I quite often have to chase sheep off the runway. Sometimes mid flight. They also try and eat your airplanes, which is annoying at best and somewhat puts a stop to your flying session at worst. Also flown near horses, in the past, which are similarly disinterested in what we were doing.

As for birds, round here they seem to view our toys as a useful indicator of a handy thermal. Even if you're flying a noisy power model. Or maybe you've discovered a nice tasty mouse and they'd like to catch it first. A small electric model will occasionally get mobbed.

[Alan Gorham_]

Yes my experience is the same Nigel. Sheep and cows are generally inquisitive beasts. My point was more along the lines that the farmer will likely see his farming activities in a given field as more valuable and a greater priority than model flying. Unless you are very lucky.

[Nigel R]

We are definitely lucky - the farmer's son used to fly RC.

Main problems for us have been the nearby NIMBYs.

[Alan Gorham_]

Dare I whisper the dreaded phrase "planning permission"?

[Glasshopper]

Probably the best way to find out if any farmer is likely to cooperate is to speak to the local NFU mutual rep. who will already have extensive contacts with his farmer clients and who may be willing to put you in touch with a prospect.

[Ralph C]

Posted by Glasshopper on 05/05/2020 12:47:01:

Probably the best way to find out if any farmer is likely to cooperate is to speak to the local NFU mutual rep. who will already have extensive contacts with his farmer clients and who may be willing to put you in touch with a prospect.

Thanks, that is a nice idea. I'll give that a go.

[Matt Carlton]

At the risk of resurrecting a dead thread, I thought I might chime in here as I work as an Agricultural Consultant.

There are a few factors which can make some farmers reluctant to give permission for flying.

1) Current CAP rules and transition rules require land for which subsidies are paid to be in production, in order for it to be taken out of production if that makes sense. Grants under various initiatives can be particularly lucrative on the sort of marginal areas that are likely candidates for flying. On smaller farms especially, the total area of eligible land affects the amount and type of subsidy available. Therefore, as well as a potential loss of crop income, there can be a substantial hit on grant funding.

2) Planning permission can be a real problem, as agricultural land is designated as such within rural development plans etc. Therefore, giving permission for model flying, whether free or paid, could constitute a breach of that designation.

3) Some recent "events" have made liability and insurance a potential issue. A farmer allowed a person to fly a model on his land. That model hit a person walking across the land. In the ensuing legal exchanges, the farmer was held jointly liable for compensation payments (no criminal charges were brought) as he had permitted the activity to occur without ensuring sufficient safeguards.

Ultimately, it becomes a liability that a farmer may not be willing to take on without a reasonably significant chunk of change. That is likely to happen only if a decent size club is involved.

This might all be subject to change in a post CAP environment, so hold onto your hats. As well as Covid, Farmers are likely to be reluctant to agree to anything until the current Farm Payment system winds down to nothing over the next few years.

Cheers

Matt

[Peter Miller]

3) Some recent "events" have made liability and insurance a potential issue. A farmer allowed a person to fly a model on his land. That model hit a person walking across the land. In the ensuing legal exchanges, the farmer was held jointly liable for compensation payments (no criminal charges were brought) as he had permitted the activity to occur without ensuring sufficient safeguards.

Ultimately, it becomes a liability that a farmer may not be willing to take on without a reasonably significant chunk of change. That is likely to happen only if a decent size club is involved.

Cheers

Matt

I believe that BMFA insurance also covers the landowner

[Matt Carlton]

I assumed that also, but that may not be common knowledge. There may also be an issue if the 'permission to fly' wasn't written down. Not sure what the situation is if a person doesn't have any evidence of permission. Similarly, if a person flies over public land, property, a highway or anywhere else without authorisation. Not sure where the BMFA stand on that.

It's probably likely that in the cited case, the model flyer wasn't covered by BMFA insurance.

 

Edited By Matt Carlton on 07/10/2020 18:50:13