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Old 03-09-2013, 08:11 AM
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Lnewqban
 
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Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: South Florida
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Default RE: Who Flies Next?

Dave,

Your dilemma is very common, and your club is exactly like mine, only that we are in a public park, where anyone with an AMA card can fly, even if he doesn't belong to our club.

What we have done is limiting the number of flying airplanes to 6, set the direction of the flying pattern each day (according to the direction of the wind) and enforce it, and create an non paved area for helicopters, which cannot fly withing the airplanes' flying zone.

After that, everything becomes self-adjusted by most of the fliers.
Many are retired and choose flying during weekdays or very early in the morning.
Many don't even fly, just chat and argue in the pits.
In my case, I avoid weekends and the hours that most aggressive and inconsiderate pilots like.

Contrary to any logic, midair crashes are extremely rare.
We have frequent combat competitions in our club, which prove how difficult is to nail a string ...............or another airplane.

The safety officer is very active and he doesn't hesitate straighten transgressors up, specially during weekends.
I have seen him tactfully talking about basic ethics to new or rude pilots that are not willing to yield some station or flying times to others that have been waiting.
In each meeting, we re-state that any member has the authority to function as a safety officer.
The non-members have been the hard cases with a "independent" attitude, and they have been complying with some time.

In the extreme case of pilots with really poor ethics, a log list based on sign in time and number of flights may be useful for the person in charge of enforcing some few rules (too many rules always generate complainers and "rebels").

Your club meeting should address these issues and agree on the best approach to most of the members, deciding on and enforcing a few rules.

Best luck in your organizing attempt !