Open flying area

[Ernie]

Well, If you have fantastic moto reactions, your first solo flight might last 20 secs instead of the 10 for us mere mortals

ernie

[Martin_K]

A couple of practical notes if flying outside a club environment.

 

A public space not used by a flying club has no landing strip. I find hand launch and belly landing the best under these circumstances. The limiting factor on the durability of landing gear is how strongly the undercarriage is attached to the fuselage. Fat tyres do not change that.

 

If anyone is coming my way as I turn into my final approach I shout "stand still please"! An attempt to control the situation during landing. It makes me self conscious but when standing in a public place holding an RC transmitter you are the 'wacko'. Everybody else are the 'normal' people. If they keep walking towards the 'plane, abort the landing.

 

Flying in public is not an easy option. (Assuming you can find anywhere local where it is legal).

[Engine Doctor]

Enquisitor .Flying in open spaces is fraught with danger these days. If anyone approaches they are unlikely to obey a request to stand still. Far more likely to respond with a string of four letter expletive  adjectives .

Then there are the dog walkers , not all of them , but many think open space equates to "lets let doggy off the lead". The dog is unlikely to understand your request either. Controlling a model while being jumped st by a muddy mog is a bit tricky.

Children now days are taught not to listen strangers and a strange man in a field shouting stand still will be ignored while the child runs in gay abbandon or kicks a ball across your intended landing area.

I am a member of a club that flies on open land with large signs all around the flying area. Often a dog walker will purposely stroll across the patch and defy you to fly near them. They they then want an argument when you have to land !

On balance a club sight with no public rights of way and no animals is far better although farm animals behave far better than the two legged variety.

Dont forget taking off is optional while landing is mandatory.

 What ever the reasoning if a person is accidentally injured or in todays snowflake society "feel thry have been put in danger " its the pilot who will be at fault. Very few individuals if any will take responsibility for their own  actions. Its ALWAYS someone elses fault.

Edited March 17 by Engine Doctor

[enquisiter]

3 hours ago, David Davis said:

 

Like Ernie I live too far away to be able to offer advice as to where to find a suitable "open flying area." However, I've lived most of my life in Shropshire and I used to fly from a farmer's field but preferred the companionship of a club. I only got permission to fly at that field because my best friend had a Private Pilot's Licence  and he knew a farmer who also had a PPL and who had built a model aircraft as well.

 

I wish you the best of luck in finding an "open flying area" but I can't understand your reluctance to join a club. In my experience any restrictions which a club imposes, not flying over certain areas for example, are there for the safety of club members and the general public.

 

Perhaps you'll let us know how you get on.

 

PS. I've held a motor cycle licece for sixty years.

No reluctance in fact found a nice friendly club not far from me I am going to join but would still like an area to fly outside club. Put a shout out to farming site and had a response from a land owner that may be fruitful.