Model Flying Clubs and Dogs

[Don Fry]

I think I will bring my dog when I can train him to keep behind the prop of a running engine. Bearing in mind the average club member finds that difficult, I don’t think I’m going there.

[Lima Hotel Foxtrot]

9 hours ago, David P Williams said:

Had another member's dog pee on my model stand and flight box. Owner thought it was hilarious, almost flattened him. Club committee wouldn't ban dogs (same as OP, senior founder members all brought dogs) so I left and found another club.

Same thing happened to my flightbox on wormwood scrubs thanks to a dog walking member of the public. There is a club there, but it's not separated from the hoi polloi. 

 

There are certain words I use only on special occasions or under extreme duress, and I used them all at him. 

[leccyflyer]

Not keen on dogs at the field, but I weigh that up against my friendship with the dog owner, so haven't really had an issue with it up to now. I recognise that is something of a double standard, but my friendship with the owners supersedes any antipathy towards their dogs, though the pooches should be on a lead, IMO,

 

A bigger issue for me, is members of the general public who insist on bringing their multiple dogs along the footpath next to the field and even  through the livestock, which has resulted in issues and injury in the past. Letting your dog get between half-a-ton of coo and her calf is not a good idea, especially if you don;t let go of the dog lead when the whole herd joins in. The lady in question ended up with cuts and bruises, from being trampled, before she eventually let go of the lead and the dog escaped.

[Steve Colman]

Thank you all very much for your replies.

Most of them were pretty much as I expected highlighting the safety aspects of having dogs roam free among us and our models whilst we flying. I don't think it's too much to ask the owners to keep their dogs tethered away from the pits and the flightline and don't feel that I or other members should need to ask them every time; it should be what they do for the good of everyone, including themselves, when they arrive with their dogs.

 

My club has great facilities and plenty of space around the back for dogs to be kept out of harms way. Most of the time the atmosphere is generally light hearted and full of friendly banter which is as it should be. It's just a shame it is often spoiled by a few individuals and their pets.

 

There are at least five of us at the club that feel this way so we will be making some polite requests and proposals highlighting the issue at the next AGM.

 

Thanks again to all that responded.  

[RottenRow]

Section 10.4 (page 26 of the latest 2021 version) of the BMFA Handbook states thus:

"(i) Dogs and model aircraft do not mix. If you take your dog to the flying field it should be on a lead
and restrained at all times."

Surely that should be enough to convince anyone who thinks otherwise? Many clubs (including ours) include the BMFA Handbook as part of their own rules.

We 'rent' our flying field from a farmer and it is written into our agreement with him that dogs should be "kept under proper control and on a lead at all times".

As I was typing this I was going to include a suggestion that you get a proposer and seconder and include this on the agenda of your club's next agm as a written proposal, then the members present can decide the outcome, but in your recent reply Steve you mention this anyway.

Brian.

 

 

[Wilco Wingco]

I have 3 working spaniels and would not dream of taking them to the field unless I was not intending to fly. My dogs will lie in the back of the car with the tailgate up and not move unless they are told to. BUT it only takes one slip and a 12 inch prop doing 13000 revs on take off coming into contact with an excited dog and the results would be horrendous. Any dog owner with half a brain would not let their dog run lose on a flying field. If they do ban them and the dog. 

 

[Engine Doctor]

11 hours ago, Wilco Wingco said:

Any dog owner with half a brain would not let their dog run lose on a flying field. If they do ban them and the dog. 

 

Just goes to show that many dog/ pet owners don't have half a brain ! Or if they do its from a bargain basement or defective.

Re the OP , a flyer especially a club owner / organiser / president whatever title they give themselves should know better . Vote with your feet or sort it out at an AGM by removing  the offender . A club should have a sound constitution to fallback on when these problems arise and all members need to sign to obey the clubs  constitution or rules whn they join , then there should never be a problem. 

Of course you will always get the brown nosers / or sycophants who wont ever criticise a club official  but they should also be taken to task . Safety and common sense must prevail .

A recent incident, not at our club site related to me by new member is a perfect example. He , our member was flying a small 180 gram model in a local near deserted Park. He was approached by a dog walker and asked to stop flying the model as they thought it was dangerous. As the dog walker wasn't interested in reason our member packed his model away . The dog owner then proceeded to hit a cricket ball with a proper cricket bat ( ball totally out of control ) for the dog to retrieve ! At that park it clearly states dog MUST  be kept on a lead .  So , dog walker half a brain or none ?

God forbid any animal getting chewed up by a powerful prop but if it did happen I would put money or who would get the blame or be asked to pay the vets fees !

[David Davis]

Funnily enough I became a dog owner or at least a dog guardian yesterday for the first time in over fifty years. A mate/trainee pilot has three dogs and he and his wife can only manage two. She is a six year-old Swiss Shepherd called Tiko. If I take her to the flying field tomorrow I will make sure that I tie her to a tree which is at least thirty metres behind the safety barriers alongside the pits.

 

My camera has packed up so I can't take a picture of her but for those who don't know what a Swiss Shepherd looks like here is a picture of one. They are about two-thirds the size of a German Shepherd.

Edited September 28, 2021 by David Davis

[Rich Griff]

Dog, a funny story.

 

My elder brother made a rubber powered free flight glider type and launched it.

 

A dog on the beach showed interest, chasing it and barking and jumping etc..

 

Power ran out, the glider descended, the dog jumped up and bit it, then shock it to bits then trotted off !

 

This was in the sixties in st Ives whilst on holiday.

 

So, no dogs at the flying field in my opinion. Makes sense to me.

[john stones 1 - Moderator]

39 minutes ago, David Davis said:

Funnily enough I became a dog owner or at least a dog guardian yesterday for the first time in over fifty years. A mate/trainee pilot has three dogs and he and his wife can only manage two. She is a six year-old Swiss Shepherd called Tiko. If I take her to the flying field tomorrow I will make sure that I tie her to a tree which is at least thirty metres behind the safety barriers alongside the pits.

 

My camera has packed up so I can't take a picture of her but for those who don't know what a Swiss Shepherd looks like here is a picture of one. They are about two-thirds the size of a German Shepherd.

 

Beautiful  Dog. ?

[EarlyBird]

Similarly in Italy they have Shepherd dogs that are also white, as pups they are reared with the flock. They will then defend the flock against wolves to the death apparently. 

On my first encounter with a local flock I just thought there were a couple of odd looking sheep in the flock then I realised they were dogs. All was explained to me by my Italian friend Lorenzo Scolavino. Happy days working in Italy a beautiful country full of beautiful people. Brings back many a happy memory.

[EarlyBird]

Like this

 

A dog in sheep's clothing.

 

 

 

Edited September 28, 2021 by EarlyBird

[john stones 1 - Moderator]

We had a member who crashed 3 models the same day, another clumsy old fella trod on someones model and broke it, then there was the pudding who took a short cut over our wet field and got his Jag stuck, kept spinning the wheels and dug it deeper, eventually he phoned RAC to come pull him out, £72, he got the right hump when club fined him £38 to buy soil and repair the ruts, muggins here did the repair, free of charge, Gary helped though.

 

Here's my last dog with two clubmates, as you can see he has them both under close control.

 

 

[Nigel R]

That's a proper dog John. Sorry to read your earlier post.

[Stuphedd]

another hazard of having un tethered dogs around my car at our site is that the damn car has one of those movement sensors that operate the tailgate , it also has an inbuilt seat so you can sit and watch the flying "show "   until you swing your legs   or a wayward dog shoots by and then the tailgate closes !! you cannot switch it off without a costly reprogram, It stops when it encounters something a bit solid like me  but crushes wings and tail feathers with ease .

I like dogs but not near my planes or car boot !!

[Robin Colbourne]

Once when instructing a student on a buddy box, a passer-by's dog ran up and grabbed the trainer lead, dragging the transmitters from our hands.  Scratch one model. ?

[Nigel R]

Whilst some are clearly well behaved, obedient and under control etc., it will be nigh on impossible to put that into a simple rule.

 

My take, simply 'no dogs on the patch'.

 

I like dogs, I have two, but they will never go to the patch with me.

[Ernie]

Dogs,           That's big girls blouse stuff. We've got wild boars here. Try getting your foamie back from half a ton of prime pork chops.

 

ernie

[Rich Griff]

Now perhaps we can under stand why the Devon council just wants things banned.....

 

No dogs, no doggy problems, no gliders, no glider problems...

 

Gliders in a remote setting....problem much reduced.

 

Dogs on a busy flying site.....

 

Would dogs be allowed air side on an airfield or airport ?

 

FOD.....that does not mean fond of dogs...

 

The bmfa Bible says it all.

[Gary Binnie]

Dogs tethered to cars often bark incessantly in protest and leap around trying to free themselves trying to get to their owner who is 20 yards away in the pits.

 

The owners make no attempt to silence the dog and don't even notice that it's annoying all the other members.

 

At the Silent Flight Nationals just gone one dog barked all the time even while standing with the owner on a lead. It barked in the campsite, beyond the 10 o'clock curfew for generators.

 

We have two dogs, their barking at nothing drives me nuts so I escape to the flying field where I hope to find some peace.

 

I like to see well behaved dogs at the field but owners should recognise when theirs might be causing a nuisance and consider leaving them at home.

 

 

[EarlyBird]

Even worse is the owner who shouts at the dog which takes no notice continues barking owner shouts at dog which takes no notice owner shouts...

They do not realise that shouting at the dog is even more annoying, when it takes no notice.

It's only one dog or should I say owner that is the problem at my club. The rest are considerate and respectful of other members and are no problem at all.

[Gary Binnie]

I forgot to mention that bit!

[Ron Gray]

Dogs bark for a reason, understanding why they are barking is part of dog ownership. Stopping them barking is part of good dog ownership. 99% of dog 'problems' are the owners.

[john stones 1 - Moderator]

2 hours ago, Rich Griff said:

Now perhaps we can under stand why the Devon council just wants things banned.....

 

No dogs, no doggy problems, no gliders, no glider problems...

 

Gliders in a remote setting....problem much reduced.

 

Dogs on a busy flying site.....

 

Would dogs be allowed air side on an airfield or airport ?

 

FOD.....that does not mean fond of dogs...

 

The bmfa Bible says it all.

 

Well I generally speak up If there are problems at field, so on that stand point. What does FOD mean ? Bare in mind the RCME has it's own Bible the CoC, put my mind at ease please.

[EarlyBird]

9 minutes ago, john stones 1 - Moderator said:

 

Well I generally speak up If there are problems at field, so on that stand point. What does FOD mean ? Bare in mind the RCME has it's own Bible the CoC, put my mind at ease please.

I get it now, I had not thought in terms of expletives.