Enforcement of model flying regulations

[Paul De Tourtoulon]

6 hours ago, Peter Jenkins said:

We regularly fly at heights up to 1,000 ft, occasionally higher.

Why, what's the point of flying over 150metres,,,

[Peter Miller]

Just an interesting little anecdote .  A club member was in a branch of a national chain of shops awhile ago. He was looking at some drones in a display cabinet  when the assistant came over and started a sales spiel.

The club member asked him if the advised purchasers about the laws on flying them.

"Oh no,we don't bother with that!"

Now I admit that that was some time ago but I do wonder how much the sales staff have changed.

After all,if you start telling customers about all the rules and regulations 

they might decide not to spend their money.

[FlyinFlynn]

20 hours ago, EvilC57 said:

Because we’re British, we just put up and shut up 🤫.

It isn't just the British... look at the 'gilets jeune's' - sure they put up a fight for a while but in the end fuel prices still went up, Macron is still in power and the retirement age is still going up. 

[EvilC57]

1 hour ago, FlyinFlynn said:

It isn't just the British... look at the 'gilets jeune's' - sure they put up a fight for a while but in the end fuel prices still went up, Macron is still in power and the retirement age is still going up. 

We don’t even put up a fight, we just moan amongst ourselves a bit and then roll over and take it.

[David Elam]

4 hours ago, Paul De Tourtoulon said:

Why, what's the point of flying over 150metres,,,

As a glider flier that point really needs addressing. There is a great satisfaction and skill in being able to fly gliders without any assisted propulsion and using just the forces that the weather provides us with. Many of us fly our gliders at altitudes far higher than 150m and we are currently legally entitled to do that. As well as sport fliers competitors also fly higher than 150m, in fact a winch launch gets you to that height before the soaring then starts.

I suspect F3A models also get higher than 150m during their routines.

 

[Graham Bowers]

3 hours ago, FlyinFlynn said:

It isn't just the British... look at the 'gilets jeune's' - sure they put up a fight for a while but in the end fuel prices still went up, Macron is still in power and the retirement age is still going up. 

Whatever happened to burning lamb ?-)

[Martin Harris - Moderator]

They were given a roasting.

[Arthur Harris]

2 hours ago, David Elam said:

As a glider flier that point really needs addressing. There is a great satisfaction and skill in being able to fly gliders without any assisted propulsion and using just the forces that the weather provides us with. Many of us fly our gliders at altitudes far higher than 150m and we are currently legally entitled to do that. As well as sport fliers competitors also fly higher than 150m, in fact a winch launch gets you to that height before the soaring then starts.

I suspect F3A models also get higher than 150m during their routines.

 

How do you manage to see them to control them? 

[Arthur Harris]

7 hours ago, Paul De Tourtoulon said:

Why, what's the point of flying over 150metres,,,

I think you may have the same view as me (and I would guess the majority of model flyers). Smallish planes, flown in close proximity to the flying patch.

People who want to fly drones miles over the countryside or sailplanes thousands of metres up are the ones who should have a beef with the CAA, not us. Their type of flying has a primary purpose (videoing or gaining thermals and using telemetry) which is not model flying, the model flying is just a means to the end.

 

[Shaun Walsh]

6 minutes ago, Arthur Harris said:

How do you manage to see them to control them? 

Sometimes we don't 🤣

[David Elam]

5 minutes ago, Arthur Harris said:

How do you manage to see them to control them? 

The height I will fly to is always dependent on the weather conditions. In good conditions I've flown a 1.9m Graupner Junior to 1100' and still had full control. Larger models even higher. The colour of the sky is the important factor.

[David Elam]

7 minutes ago, Arthur Harris said:

I think you may have the same view as me (and I would guess the majority of model flyers). Smallish planes, flown in close proximity to the flying patch.

People who want to fly drones miles over the countryside or sailplanes thousands of metres up are the ones who should have a beef with the CAA, not us. Their type of flying has a primary purpose (videoing or gaining thermals and using telemetry) which is not model flying, the model flying is just a means to the end.

 

"gaining thermals" "not model flying"

I'm tempted to vent my spleen but it's Christmas so I won't.

[Peter Miller]

We regularly have Apaches  from Wattisham flying round.  Wattisham knows where our flying field and they don't come too close when we are flying.  They even use our metal box as a "tank" at times. The photo shows one hovering over the box.Taken from my bedroom window 1 mile 200 yards away. The little white mark is the box.

 

[Dickw]

19 minutes ago, Arthur Harris said:

How do you manage to see them to control them? 

 

12 minutes ago, Arthur Harris said:

.......................

People who want to fly drones miles over the countryside or sailplanes thousands of metres up are the ones who should have a beef with the CAA, not us. Their type of flying has a primary purpose (videoing or gaining thermals and using telemetry) which is not model flying, the model flying is just a means to the end.

 

I never fly higher than I can see my model to be able to fully control it, but a glider (even an electric glider) weighing lees than the "2Kg small model" you quoted earlier can easily be seen by the naked eye and flown in a controlled manner at well over 1000 or even 2000 feet (without telemetry or cameras).

 

I am happy for anyone enjoying whatever type of model flying they do. If some types are effectively banned, do you think it would stop there? Divide and rule is a very old concept.

 

Dick

[PDB]

28 minutes ago, David Elam said:

"gaining thermals" "not model flying"

I'm tempted to vent my spleen but it's Christmas so I won't.

Look at his other postings on this topic, he’s got to be on a windup. 😃

[Tim Kearsley]

41 minutes ago, Arthur Harris said:

I think you may have the same view as me (and I would guess the majority of model flyers). Smallish planes, flown in close proximity to the flying patch.

People who want to fly drones miles over the countryside or sailplanes thousands of metres up are the ones who should have a beef with the CAA, not us. Their type of flying has a primary purpose (videoing or gaining thermals and using telemetry) which is not model flying, the model flying is just a means to the end.

 

Honestly, I haven't read such drivel for a long time.  So flying a thermal glider isn't model flying by your definition?  What do you think the "end" is in riding a thermal to great height, other than the enjoyment and challenge of doing so?  My Super Ava 3.7m span glider is perfectly visible, and therefore under full control, at heights in excess of 1,500 feet.  Just because your misguided view is that model flying only consists of flying small electric models in circles a few hundred feet away doesn't mean it's right.

Edited December 23, 2023 by Tim Kearsley
Grammar

[Tim Kearsley]

1 minute ago, PDB said:

Look at his other postings on this topic, he’s got to be on a windup. 😃

Absolutely.  Classic troll.

[GrumpyGnome]

We should all agree not to feed the troll...

[David Elam]

3 minutes ago, GrumpyGnome said:

We should all agree not to feed the troll...

If he/she is a troll then are there not forum rules to deal with that?

[john stones 1 - Moderator]

Hard to judge if some posts are serious or satire.

After careful thought, I now believe we should ban all flights done via electric propulsion, In the days of I.C flight the noise we made counted in our favour, contrary to what some would have you believe. The noise, made conducting nefarious acts highly unlikely, as the lack of footage from Heathrow etc proves.

Banning these, at a stroke (2 stroke or 4) does away with Amazon et als desire to infect our sky with "Drones" and "Proper" modellers can continue unaffected.

Gliders, slope/thermal should be fitted with sound systems imitating Chinese trimmer engines, harsh but necessary.

I.C it's the future.

[Learner]

2 hours ago, Arthur Harris said:

I think you may have the same view as me (and I would guess the majority of model flyers). Smallish planes, flown in close proximity to the flying patch.

People who want to fly drones miles over the countryside or sailplanes thousands of metres up are the ones who should have a beef with the CAA, not us. Their type of flying has a primary purpose (videoing or gaining thermals and using telemetry) which is not model flying, the model flying is just a means to the end.

 

I have to agree with Half-er , anyone who doesn't fly always inverted with the rudder touching the ground is waisting their time!

Edited December 23, 2023 by Learner

[Martin Harris - Moderator]

It’s difficult to differentiate between an individual with a different viewpoint and someone deliberately trolling.  Unless there’s strong evidence of malicious intent we should respect people’s rights to express their opinions even if we disagree with them. 
 

Perhaps there comes a time though to accept that one’s views are at odds with general - and experienced/informed - opinion and realise that there is little point in continuing to push them - it only muddies the waters and dilutes the very points being projected. This doesn’t disbar reasoned argument of course. 
 

[Zflyer]

BE PREPARED FOR CHRISTMAS CARNIGE APPARENTLY SANTAS SLEIGH DOES NIT COMPLY TO CAA OR FAA REGS.

I.E. NO REINDEER IDENTIFICATION.

I am lead to believe evri are making deliveries instead. Should be over your garden fence in June.

 

 

 

 

PS  can interest anyone in some cheap venison

Edited December 23, 2023 by Zflyer
Spell8ng ho ho ho

[Peter Jenkins]

13 hours ago, Paul De Tourtoulon said:

Why, what's the point of flying over 150metres,,,

Paul - you are being a silly billy. 

 

You know full well that the FAI rules to which F3A aerobatics are flown require the flight to be conducted at 150 m distant out and not above 60 deg to the horizontal - trigonometry gives that height as approx 850 ft 

 

These are 2 mtr class models and can easily be seen at that height since the judges need to see the model to judge how well the manoeuvre is being flown.   Surprisingly, a clear blue sky is the worst for being able to see the model.  A totally cloudy sky is very helpful!

[nudge]

22 hours ago, Arthur Harris said:

We like building, flying, and, in a sense, contemplating flight. They like the end product- FPV, fast flying, publishing on the internet in competitions. Chalk and cheese.

I too like building, flying and planning flights. I do not publish videos on the internet (in fact i very rarely even record my flights), I fly within the same field area as the planes just at a lower level, ideally zipping  through holes in and around the gorse bushes. Can't see as it's that different to you really just mine is a freestyle drone.

However I can also appreciate the other disciplines eg. went to a rc glider meet recently and was impressed watching them search out thermals to prolong the flight or the skill involved in a traditional built up plane having witnessed my old man building me a rubber band powered free flight model back when i was a kid - hundreds of pins on dining room table as he glued all the wing ribs up etc. 

I think clubs should be more open to allowing drones to join especially given what appears to be dwindling numbers at some of the clubs I visited recently looking for somewhere to fly. 2 had only a handful of members and were struggling to pay the land owners rental charge. Surely expanding the membership would make sense in this case and can be done without impacting their fixed wing flying as other clubs have managed to integrate drones without much change to the status quo.

Like you i do see consumer camera drones as a problem and the reason for the increasing legislation but not all drones and flyers are the same.