How do we save the hobby from Quads?

[waveydavey]

That's a shame - Sandford park can be deserted of an evening.. whilst trudging back from the Land's End

Is there an easy way to tell if a park has by-laws? couldn't see an easy way to tell on the councils website.. Wanted somewhere bigger than my garden to fly my nano-cpx.. if i took one that small to a club I think i might get laughed at

They're often written on the reverse of the official parks notification, normally saying dogs on leash, no ball games that sort of thing

[mahbouni]

..just the idea of park flying being restricted to club mmebers. You don't have to be a club member to be responsible..nor are they all.

OK I see what you're getting at now and you have a good point. There are different angles to it.

On one hand, councils need to prevent people from flying large models in parks which are unsuitable, e.g. houses nearby or children playing. I don't see any problem flying small models like a 130X or a foamy but where would you draw the line? Set a weight limit of 200g? A lot of indoor flying clubs have 400g weight limits.

On the other hand if a public park is deemed suitable for flying large model aircraft then I do think people should belong to a club. If you bought a firearm you wouldn't go and shoot it in a public park. You would have to either join a club or use it on private land that you have permission to use it on.

[Bavers777]

Lets not rename this site rcquadaddict surely this thread is dead, just like the quad...

[pgkevet]

OK I see what you're getting at now and you have a good point. There are different angles to it.

On one hand, councils need to prevent people from flying large models in parks which are unsuitable, e.g. houses nearby or children playing. I don't see any problem flying small models like a 130X or a foamy but where would you draw the line? Set a weight limit of 200g? A lot of indoor flying clubs have 400g weight limits.

On the other hand if a public park is deemed suitable for flying large model aircraft then I do think people should belong to a club. If you bought a firearm you wouldn't go and shoot it in a public park. You would have to either join a club or use it on private land that you have permission to use it on.

Respectfully it's not that straightforward. It's more to do with the suitability of the area. You still wouldn't allow a gun club in a public park members or not but build a properly walled and indicated butts and it'd be reasonable to allow public access to shoot weapons of a limited power (canons not permitted?)

Once again the differences between epsom and croydon are significant. Also the other local parks - Morden for instance threw us off the lovely open area and insisted on us using their designated flying bit- which was totally unsuitable for any decent model due to trees and lousy access/visibility if folk started wandering across. On he other hand councils can be reasonble as happened at Tolworth.

It's also worth pointing out that councils should be obligated to provide facilities for recreation of their residents - as in if there's enough demand etc. It's just as daft to have no local park where ball games are allowed unless there is access to a footy area. But it'd be equally daft to allow ball games right next to an unfenced dual carriageway.

[mahbouni]

Respectfully it's not that straightforward. It's more to do with the suitability of the area. You still wouldn't allow a gun club in a public park members or not but build a properly walled and indicated butts and it'd be reasonable to allow public access to shoot weapons of a limited power (canons not permitted?)

Once again the differences between epsom and croydon are significant. Also the other local parks - Morden for instance threw us off the lovely open area and insisted on us using their designated flying bit- which was totally unsuitable for any decent model due to trees and lousy access/visibility if folk started wandering across. On he other hand councils can be reasonble as happened at Tolworth.

It's also worth pointing out that councils should be obligated to provide facilities for recreation of their residents - as in if there's enough demand etc. It's just as daft to have no local park where ball games are allowed unless there is access to a footy area. But it'd be equally daft to allow ball games right next to an unfenced dual carriageway.

Your signature says llanfyllin but you seem to know all the flying areas near me. The Tolworth field is just 10 mins from me. The council has been very good to us there but you have to constantly watch where you're walking to avoid dog poo. Also unfortunately the car park is not visible from where you fly. One guy had his car broken into. They took his 450 and a plane.

I've also flown at Morden a few times when it was in the good spot. The last time I flew there, another pilot was flying his T-Rex 600 right over the pits. He was completely out of control and we didn't know which way to run. After he landed, one friend from Tolworth who was with me (a BMFA examiner) had a talk with him but the pilot just shrugged his shoulders basically ignored him. None of the other people there said anything to him. We just packed up went home.

[pgkevet]

Your signature says llanfyllin but you seem to know all the flying areas near me. The Tolworth field is just 10 mins from me. The council has been very good to us there but you have to constantly watch where you're walking to avoid dog poo. Also unfortunately the car park is not visible from where you fly. One guy had his car broken into. They took his 450 and a plane.

I've also flown at Morden a few times when it was in the good spot. The last time I flew there, another pilot was flying his T-Rex 600 right over the pits. He was completely out of control and we didn't know which way to run. After he landed, one friend from Tolworth who was with me (a BMFA examiner) had a talk with him but the pilot just shrugged his shoulders basically ignored him. None of the other people there said anything to him. We just packed up went home.

Where I lived before retiring. I was at tolworth one day when Ray's kit was stolen - 450 and a wot4 i if memory serves. Yes you couldn't see the parking area but then even at croydon you might be able to see where you parked but it's so far from the flight line you'ld still never get there in time. Simples.. don't leave kit in the car. As for responsibility.. didn't someone stack their heli on the side-road by Tolworth? For a side road it could be quite busy.

As for dog walkers.. reality is they are the major parks users. At croydon I made it a point to talk to all the regulars - stay friendly and gently point out dangers. A pocketful of gravy-bones can go a long way.

there was aguy with a gsd at morden letting it chase my heli despite my shouts. I had to run the tank out and auto down...dog still got his nose clunked on the blade spin-down (no cuts) and the owner stll didn't see my point...

Legislating against stupidity doesn't stop it.

Greatest stupidity I ever saw was when i was doing a post repair maiden on my SpectraG and just hovering a dozen feet off the ground..when some cretin walks up underneath it to have a look.....

[pchristy]

Is there an easy way to tell if a park has by-laws?

Firstly, I am NOT a lawyer, and my information on this subject may be out of date. But, FWIW, my understanding is that bye-laws have to be displayed prominently at all entrances to the area they cover. If there is no sign, then even if a bye-law has been passed, it cannot be enforced.

Its an old adage that "ignorance is no excuse for breaking the law", but that only applies to common law, which is based on common sense. Bye-laws, by their nature, are not necessarily obvious or logical and therefore the public have to be notified of their existence. Putting them on a council website is NOT sufficient notification, as not everyone has a computer / internet.

Similarly, you will find that most councils will impose restrictions rather than an outright ban, when passing bye-laws. That is because if they ban a legitimate activity, they are obliged by law to provide a suitable alternative site. Most get around this by making the bye-law so restrictive that it simply isn't practical to continue using the site, but that isn't a total ban!

But to get back on topic, I too have witnessed a quad being flown over my house and neighbouring ones. The operator must have been out of sight of the quad, and appeared to be interested in the nearby railway viaduct. My neighbours were not amused, and have viewed me with suspicion ever since!

I don't know what the answer is, but the CAA are well aware of the difference between legitimate modellers, and the nuts who just want to push the limits of the law. I suspect a couple of high profile prosecutions may damp down the current enthusiasm somewhat. But in the meantime, there is an ever increasing possibility of a well-publicised accident that could reflect badly on us all. And I doubt if many councils will be interested in distinguishing between sensible pilots and the lunatic fringe.

[mahbouni]

Where I lived before retiring. I was at tolworth one day when Ray's kit was stolen - 450 and a wot4 i if memory serves. Yes you couldn't see the parking area but then even at croydon you might be able to see where you parked but it's so far from the flight line you'ld still never get there in time. Simples.. don't leave kit in the car. As for responsibility.. didn't someone stack their heli on the side-road by Tolworth? For a side road it could be quite busy.

As for dog walkers.. reality is they are the major parks users. At croydon I made it a point to talk to all the regulars - stay friendly and gently point out dangers. A pocketful of gravy-bones can go a long way.

there was aguy with a gsd at morden letting it chase my heli despite my shouts. I had to run the tank out and auto down...dog still got his nose clunked on the blade spin-down (no cuts) and the owner stll didn't see my point...

Legislating against stupidity doesn't stop it.

Greatest stupidity I ever saw was when i was doing a post repair maiden on my SpectraG and just hovering a dozen feet off the ground..when some cretin walks up underneath it to have a look.....

I was there too when Ray had his stuff stolen. I probably know you. Are you the guy who did the 3D photography?

[pgkevet]

I was there too when Ray had his stuff stolen. I probably know you. Are you the guy who did the 3D photography?

Nope.. just the tall retired vet who flies like a bag of poo...
Actually now wondering if I was there that day or whether ray rang me to tell me about it. ray sprayed me up a cano for my Blitz - spraying cars is his day job - finish superb but no fancy pattern.

[nitromad]

I had a quad fly over my parents home I was shooting rats at time it came low in garden too look at what I was doing I guess... The ower still to this day not come to claim the remains .

[electricsceadu]

I had a quad fly over my parents home I was shooting rats at time it came low in garden too look at what I was doing I guess... The ower still to this day not come to claim the remains .

and if it was hit by a stray shot then the ano would have been broken and the gun user would be liable to prosecution by the caa
as an aircraft has been endangered

it's a good job he crashed the quad

[nitromad]

and if it was hit by a stray shot then the ano would have been broken and the gun user would be liable to prosecution by the caa
as an aircraft has been endangered

it's a good job he crashed the quad

Or it might of been the time that if he wasn't so busy watching me he would of saw the dog chasing what she thought was her UFO toy........

[SaneAdam]

Or it might of been the time that if he wasn't so busy watching me he would of saw the dog chasing what she thought was her UFO toy........

If it is hovering in your garden…. it is fair game. Do whatever you like to it surely? That is just common sense … is it not? I would certainly destroy it in whatever way amused me most at the time. I thought from your earlier post that you had shot it…. which would have been funny

[Mark_T]

If it is hovering in your garden…. it is fair game. Do whatever you like to it surely? That is just common sense … is it not? I would certainly destroy it in whatever way amused me most at the time. I thought from your earlier post that you had shot it…. which would have been funny

In Texas I'm sure most would agree with you and they carry the ordinance to deal with it as well

However over here, no, you are not entitled to destroy something hovering over your garden.

The pilot is already committing a criminal offence by breaching the ANO restriction on proximity to both your house and yourself, but that doesn't mean you have the right to destroy his property tempting as it might be ...

[SaneAdam]

In Texas I'm sure most would agree with you and they carry the ordinance to deal with it as well

However over here, no, you are not entitled to destroy something hovering over your garden.

The pilot is already committing a criminal offence by breaching the ANO restriction on proximity to both your house and yourself, but that doesn't mean you have the right to destroy his property tempting as it might be ...

I am not talking about the law. I am talking about life. I would, if i wanted, destroy a quad hovering in my garden at a low intrusive level. Without fear of prosecution. Now, i may be prosecuted….. but i would not fear it in the slightest. Or if i knew who and where the pilot was…. i would pay them a visit first and feed it to them (force feed) Again… that may leave me open to prosecution. But my inner sense of justice would be gleefully patting me on the back

I do however realise this attitude may be frowned upon by many… I personally do not believe someone would have the cheek to fly a quad into someones garden anyway. I certainly would never treat someone else's property and privacy with such disrespect. So would not expect someone to do it to me. An eye for an eye though… in this particular case.