Rant! Club rules.

[ddracer]

Hi folks.

We have had an ongoing thing at our club with helis. We have both a hover patch and a main strip to fly from. The club bought in a rule that you had to pass a hover test (like the USA "P") to be able to fly on the main strip. Fair enough but there was never anyone avalible to take us for the test. One guy had nearly 200 hours on the hover patch before anyone could make it up to the field for his test. Anyway a good friend of mine came up and sorted us all out in two days for that one.

Now we are all flying on the main field. In the last 3 weeks I have stared flying circuts doing stalls and rolls and a bit of inverted as well as practicing slow lazy's and full 8's. Well today the chairman of the club pitch up and told us about a new rule. We can only fly 8's until we have passed our "A". "Because we might crash on the beach".

This seems a bit silly to me for three reasons.
1. No where is this rule in the book of club rules.
2. No one knew about it utill we started to progress at a faster rate than other people at the club.
3. Crashing is crashing "A" "B" or Examiner everyone dumb thumbs it at some point.

I'm not going to say what club or where it is but I don't know anyone stupid enough to fly the heli far enought from them to crash on the beach as it would be a dot in the sky.

Your opinions please. Do you think this is a valid if not sudden rule change or sour grapes?

[cupracing]

i know I would be looking for a new club if that happened to me

[PsiLo]

I see you are East of England, are you far from Norwich as you could always join the Norfolk Model Helicopter club.... Welcome to our Club Website

That aside, I would query it with the club secretary. When was the rule introduced, why is it not in the rule book? Do all fixed wing flyers that fly there have A cert? If not, what restrictions are in place for them as they cannot enforce 1 rule for rotary and a different for fixed wing as this is a safety issue.

This just seems like typical animosity now that the fixed wing don't have the main field to themselves they are trying to enforce non existent rules to force the rotary members back to the hover patch !

[debrooker]

surely a chairman can't just change the rules like that - ours certainly can't usually has to be raised at the AGM and voted on.

[waveydavey]

Surely the rule must be more biased towards fixed wing. You tend to fly much further afield than when flying rotary

[ddracer]

From what I gather the heli sec decided on the rule. Go figure?

[PsiLo]

Ask to see the minutes of the meeting where this was proposed and seconded and the result of the vote. I would also push the point that fixed wing are far more likely to be further afield and that the rule MUST apply to them also.

[Downdraft]

Well first things first, sounds to me as if you could pass tour 'A' without too much trouble anyway mate and if it were me I'd do it just to spite them.
It does sound as if you suffer a simular problem to Bob and I at our club. The old boy's that fly planks there really don't want to share the field with us, thats why I ended up leasing my own field as you know and starting up a small and select heli only club, strange thing is since thats been done we're much more accepted at the club field now (typical).

It's not gonna be a bad thing to take your 'A' and have that under your belt, all be it because you've been pressured into it I know but look on the bright side, they can obviously see also that you've progressed at an inflated rate so your flying must have become much better.

[ddracer]

The problem is Im now getting p155ed off with it all. I really do need more practice at slow precise 8's im ok at FFF and high level stuff but head hight I need to work on. The problem now is Im uncomfortable flying at the field as I know the first crash will be "I told you so" and thats just added and unneeded pressure.

[Farmer Giles]

and what's to stop you crashing after you've got your A cert ?

I agree with having a level of compitence before being allowed on the flight line but that doesn't sound any good to me....

[Sesame]

at our club the rule has always been you cant go onto the main flightline until you have got your A or are accompanied by a Heli instructor.
Having said that the hover area is large enough to be able to comfotably do all the practice you need up to passing your A certificate.

All this asside the real issue here is introducing new rules and as its already been said whatever the club there are ways in which new club rules can be bought into existence and if this hasnt been followed then the rule cannot stand.

also just because someone has an A certificate it still doesnt mean they are a good flyer, just that they know the rules of the bmfa and club and that they can fly a prescribed routine. I see on a weekly basis far too many plank flyers that have their A yet HAVE NOT GOT A CLUE..

[ddracer]

So do I and I have no issue with that at all infact as I said the "P" is a good idea. But my arguement is that we are trying to progress and gain confidence and rules seem to be added just to hold us back. I guarantee if I had just be flying "Scale" like the sec the rule would not have been created.

In reply to Sesame. Out hover patch is too small for 8's safely, It's was asked that we increase the size but you can guess the answer....

[Stuart]

May I ask what is the rule for fixed winged non A pilots ?

[daren]

You need to do what we did! At the AGM vote heli flyers on the commitee having been plank flyers we know their needs and ours, We have such a good relationship with the hardened plank gods some of the old duffers have purchased msr's

[Smoothound]

May I ask what is the rule for fixed winged non A pilots ?

I doubt you need 3 guesses to know the answer to that Stuart I will eat my humble pie if I'm wrong of course