Is it safe to fly when it is raining?

[leccyflyer]

23 minutes ago, paul devereux said:

 

Was it ic or electric?

It was a chuck glider, as stated in my post.

 

I thought you weren't a detail person, now you are after chapter and verse?

[paul devereux]

2 minutes ago, leccyflyer said:

It was a chuck glider, as stated in my post.

 

I thought you weren't a detail person, now you are after chapter and verse?

I'm struggling to think how it is relevant to this thread. Let's assume it was rc- was the pilot competent?

[Jon H]

9 minutes ago, paul devereux said:

was the pilot competent

 

I heard something once about glass houses and throwing stones. You might want to be careful. 

[MattyB]

3 hours ago, paul devereux said:

Last of my newbie questions I hope. When I went out this morning the forecast was 0% rain, when I took off there was a slight drizzle, half way through my one and only flight it was definitely raining. I didn't want to end the flight prematurely, but should I have? (Ironically, when I was driving home, the rain stopped and the sun came out).

 

One factor that has not been discussed above... surface water on wings can cause turbulation and affect performance, most notably it will increase the stall speed. At model sizes those water droplets are far larger than they are in full size so the affects can be quite significant, especially on a high performance glider. It's less of an issue on a power sportster or aerobat though, as they tend to have an excess of pwere and a few extreme manouvres early on should clear the wings.

 

2 hours ago, paul devereux said:

Yes, I've done the CAA registration and am insured. I'm just not a "details" person.

 

1 hour ago, paul devereux said:

@Jon - Laser Engines I asked for advice, as I know people here have experience I haven't. If that is an "attitude", well, I'll stop asking. There are other forums.

 

Paul, with posts like these don't be surprised when forum members are not entirely supportive.

 

Short version... Please don't try and "educate" the members of this forum on topics that you don't know about/don't know the hsistory of.

 

Long version... Since you joined this forum you have consistently attempted to give advice on topics where it's clear you have insufficient knwoledge and experience to do so (example). You've also stated that modellers "...like to think they are a special intrepid breed of dare devils, and would like to see toy RC planes (which is what the sub-250gm planes are) banned completely from sale to the public and only sold to "proper" RC pilots", and seem to think the current regulations are largely a result of inaction from modellers and national associations. This is incorrect - if you'd done some reading you'd know the likes of BMFA, LMA, SAA and FPVUK have all been working very hard over ~10 years to mitigate the impact of lobbyists and a government keen to exploit the airspace below 400ft for commercial gain. That has included hundreds of hours of meetings with CAA and governement representatives, membership letter writing campaigns, and public hearings where evidence for and against regulation was heard. The national associations have also held numerous educational events by the national associations to inform their membership on what is going on, what's next and what action is needed from them.

 

You may not like the current regs, but I guarantee they would have been far more restrictive had national associations and modellers not taken these steps. Either way, whether you like them or not you are legally bound to comply with them, and those of us who do know the history here understand that our current rights are fragile at best. All it would take is one or two incidents where a national association member is found to have not done what they should have done, and the Article 16 concessions will disappear in a flash. That is why people here are being robust in telling you that a laissez faire attitude to compliance is not helpful to the long term future of model flying.

 

44 minutes ago, paul devereux said:

 

Was it ic or electric?

 

Really?

🤦‍♂️ 🤦‍♂️ 🤦‍♂️

Edited June 29, 2023 by MattyB

[J D 8]

In younger day's I used to fly in the rain, just a tesco bag over the trany with taped up ariel exit and a tad of vaseline on the ariel. [made it nice and smooth to extend/retract as well ] Couple of aircraft that were sealed up some and a rain deflector over the switch. Never had a problem.

[Geoff S]

I wouldn't fly a model in rain and especially not if there was any atmospheric electrical activity, rain or not.  However, I did once sail a model yacht open race meeting in continuous rain and, like all my fellow competitors, had my 35 Mhz 2 channel transmitter in a plastic bag.  The only danger of radio failure would have been to my model, of course, but no-one had any problems.  It wasn't a hugely pleasant experience but I'd travelled a few miles so we all grinned and bore it 🙂

[Flying Squirrel]

I'd expect range to be greatly reduced/suffer from interference during spells of rain.  

[leccyflyer]

18 minutes ago, paul devereux said:

I'm struggling to think how it is relevant to this thread. Let's assume it was rc- was the pilot competent?

Why would you assume a chuck glider was radio controlled?

 

It's relevant to this thread because you seem to be labouring under the misapprehension that just because your Champ weighs 105g it poses zero risk to anybody, which simply isn't the case. You still have responsibilities as the pilot, irrespective of the size of the model.

[leccyflyer]

4 minutes ago, J D 8 said:

In younger day's I used to fly in the rain, just a tesco bag over the trany with taped up ariel exit and a tad of vaseline on the ariel. [made it nice and smooth to extend/retract as well ] Couple of aircraft that were sealed up some and a rain deflector over the switch. Never had a problem.

Every Little Helps! 😉

[paul devereux]

4 minutes ago, MattyB said:

 

One factor that has not been discussed above... surface water on wings can cause turbulation and affect performance, most notably it will increase the stall speed. At model sizes those water droplets are far larger than they are in full size so the affects can be quite significant, especially on a high performance glider. It's less of an issue on a power sportster or aerobat though, as they tend to have an excess of pwere and a few extreme manouvres early on should clear the wings.

 

 

 

Paul, with posts like these don't be surprised when forum members are not entirely supportive.

 

Short version... Please don't try and "educate" the members of this forum on topics that you don't know about/don't know the hsistory of.

 

Long version... Since you joined this forum you have consistently attempted to give advice on topics where it's clear you have insufficient knwoledge and experience to do so (example). You've also stated that modellers "...like to think they are a special intrepid breed of dare devils, and would like to see toy RC planes (which is what the sub-250gm planes are) banned completely from sale to the public and only sold to "proper" RC pilots", and seem to think the current regulations are largely a result of inaction from modellers and national associations. This is incorrect - if you'd done some reading you'd know the likes of BMFA, LMA, SAA and FPVUK have all been working very hard over ~10 years to mitigate the impact of lobbyists and a government keen to exploit the airspace below 400ft for commercial gain. That has included hundreds of hours of meetings with CAA and governement representatives, membership letter writing campaigns, and public hearings where evidence for and against regulation was heard. The national associations have also held numerous educational events by the national associations to inform their membership on what is going on, what's next and what action is needed from them.

 

You may not like the current regs, but I guarantee they would have been far more restrictive had national associations and modellers not taken these steps. 

 

 

Really?

🤦‍♂️ 🤦‍♂️ 🤦‍♂️

I'm just wondering if you realise how illogical your argument is? In stressing the need to fly RC planes safely,the most extreme example of an accident involving model flying you can find involves a chuck glider, for all we know thrown by a child! You might just as well say: be careful when driving to a flying field as there are over a thousand fatal RTAs a year (you would be right of course).

Look, I started in good spirits this morning, asked what I thought was an innocent question hoping to get some words of wisdom from more experienced flyers, and it has degenerated again into unpleasantness. Maybe it is time for me to admit I am not a good fit on this forum.

 

[paul devereux]

Just now, Martin Harris - Moderator said:

Perhaps it would be better if you made your point Paul rather than asking what seem fairly irrelevant questions?

Done. Perhaps I should be done with this forum too, Martin, I just can't get along with people.

[Martin Harris - Moderator]

Paul, I actually deleted the quoted post as I had missed several others making similar points.  
 

I’m disappointed that you find some of the responses unwelcoming but Matty’s post gives some constructive feedback.  
 

Rather than leaving the forum, perhaps think about some of the feedback and continue to take advantage of the depth and wealth of experience available which is freely given - usually in the best interests of the hobby. 

[john stones 1 - Moderator]

I don't think you need to be an experienced modeller to decide whether it's right to fly in the rain, the answer is NO.

 

[leccyflyer]

15 minutes ago, paul devereux said:

I'm just wondering if you realise how illogical your argument is? In stressing the need to fly RC planes safely,the most extreme example of an accident involving model flying you can find involves a chuck glider, for all we know thrown by a child! You might just as well say: be careful when driving to a flying field as there are over a thousand fatal RTAs a year (you would be right of course).

Look, I started in good spirits this morning, asked what I thought was an innocent question hoping to get some words of wisdom from more experienced flyers, and it has degenerated again into unpleasantness. Maybe it is time for me to admit I am not a good fit on this forum.

 

No, that isn't the most extreme example of an accident involving model flying that could be cited, it's a relevant example given your comments about model weight.

[MattyB]

32 minutes ago, paul devereux said:

I'm just wondering if you realise how illogical your argument is? In stressing the need to fly RC planes safely,the most extreme example of an accident involving model flying you can find involves a chuck glider, for all we know thrown by a child! You might just as well say: be careful when driving to a flying field as there are over a thousand fatal RTAs a year (you would be right of course).

Look, I started in good spirits this morning, asked what I thought was an innocent question hoping to get some words of wisdom from more experienced flyers, and it has degenerated again into unpleasantness. Maybe it is time for me to admit I am not a good fit on this forum.

 

That is far from the most extreme example of a model flying accident as you well know. It was given by  @leccyflyer to demonstrate that "not being a details person" can have consequences, even if you are flying a very small, lightweight model.

 

The key point here is that regs still apply below 250g - it is not a free for all, so if you were to have an accident with a model like that that injured others you are still personally accountable. In the current regulatory climate any such incident (particularly if you are a BMFA or other national association member) could also put the rights of all UK flyers at risk too. However, based on the tone of your posts and the fact you fly only on your own land, I doubt you really care about that.

 

Anyway, based on this and other recent threads I'm sure any further posts by myself will be counter-productive. I will therefore wish you good luck in your future flying and withdraw - I've added you to my oignore list, and won't be contributing to any of your threads moving forward.

 

Edited June 29, 2023 by MattyB

[extra slim]

Paul, you appear to have made an extremely rash assumption that vastly experienced members of this forum are like minded modellers who will answer your questions politely. 😉😂
 

I think in conclusion, your options and advice is:-

 

a) get a supermarket bag

b) be very careful where you throw chuck gliders

c) drill holes in your wings to let the water through

d) take up model boats

 

have FUN and be SAFE folk

[Jon H]

1 hour ago, paul devereux said:

In stressing the need to fly RC planes safely,the most extreme example of an accident involving model flying you can find involves a chuck glider, for all we know thrown by a child!

 

Absolutely not. There have been many more serious accidents and, as the others have pointed out, this is the root cause of the backlash against many of your posts. 

 

The things you say betray a fundamental lack of experience and lack of knowledge, which is totally fair for someone new to the hobby. The problem is you often comment and post opinions on subjects that you simply do not have the experience to comment on and then refuse to accept the responses from more experienced contributors. 

 

To say that leccy's topic appropriate accident example is the worst accident we can find is ludicrous and demonstrates an ignorance to incidents over the history of the hobby. Very recently a flyer in Spain was killed and a detailed thread is here on the forum. A very quick google search revealed this page with details of a number of incidents https://www.dangerousdrone.ca/Death_by_RC_Aircraft.html

 

You are clearly very enthusiastic, which is great, but there are many aspects of the hobby where you need to pay more attention and take things more seriously. 

[Capt Kremen]

At least one make of Tx which had/has(?) a touch screen on its front face for adjusting model menus etc.

This was not sealed from the elements i.e. water, snow!

This ingress of H2O, particularly in heavy downpours, corrupted the screen making subsequent operations difficult, if not impossible! 

[kc]

1 hour ago, Geoff S said:

I did once sail a model yacht open race meeting in continuous rain and, like all my fellow competitors, had my 35 Mhz 2 channel transmitter in a plastic bag.

It's a bit off topic but it should be pointed out that 35mhz RC  is only legal for aircraft in Britain and I don't think this has changed.   It's important that we don't give people the idea they can use 35mhz for anything else!    Actually I expect Geoff meant 27mhz or 40 mhz the legal frequencies for boats etc.

[Simon Burch 1]

I'd strongly advise against flying a RC model in the rain.  During last year's BMFA record attempt, I extended a flight longer than I should have done in moderate drizzel.  I was flying a foamie, so I wasn't too worried at the time.

 

The following week, I was flying the same model.  The flaps started moving randomly, so I  landed and detached the connectors.  They were wet inside.  The water could only have been residue from the previous week.  Fortunately, only the flaps were affected; if it had been one of the primary controls, the result might have been very different.

 

Water has a way of seeping into all sorts of unwanted places.

[paul devereux]

1 hour ago, extra slim said:

Paul, you appear to have made an extremely rash assumption that vastly experienced members of this forum are like minded modellers who will answer your questions politely. 😉😂
 

I think in conclusion, your options and advice is:-

 

a) get a supermarket bag

b) be very careful where you throw chuck gliders

c) drill holes in your wings to let the water through

d) take up model boats

 

have FUN and be SAFE folk

Won't the bag adversely affect the planes flying characteristics?

[RottenRow]

42 minutes ago, paul devereux said:

Won't the bag adversely affect the planes flying characteristics?

 

It will unless you cut two holes in it for you to see through, once you have put it over your head.

 

Brian.

[Paul De Tourtoulon]

It's a fun thing flying rc stuff, but I can't see the point in doing it in the rain .

[paul devereux]

25 minutes ago, RottenRow said:

 

It will unless you cut two holes in it for you to see through, once you have put it over your head.

 

Brian.

Got it! I thought it was for the plane!

[Geoff S]

2 hours ago, kc said:

It's a bit off topic but it should be pointed out that 35mhz RC  is only legal for aircraft in Britain and I don't think this has changed.   It's important that we don't give people the idea they can use 35mhz for anything else!    Actually I expect Geoff meant 27mhz or 40 mhz the legal frequencies for boats etc.

 

Hah!  Of course, I was using an old Futaba 2 channel 27MHz transmitter.  Slip of the brain.  Most people used them when I was racing International 1 metre yachts and we swapped crystals all the time to avoid clashes in heats.  It's what got me into RC after I had to give up dinghy racing.