TPL33

We were just notified by our club president that some power poles with power lines are being installed on our airfield. The poles will be 120 to 160 feet high, have 3 sets of power lines on each side, and one pole will be located 120' north of the runway (runway runs east-west). The lines and poles will run from north to south. Now, with our runway being an east- west runway, the closest pole 120' to the north, and the remaining poles and lines running north to south, it occurred to me that they have to run really close to one of the runway ends. The club president wrote "it may mean that pilots will have to alter their approaches and take offs". Now, I've been flying since the mid 80's and was always told and heard that one should never fly near power lines. I emailed the president back and inquired about the effect this will have and he replied that many fields fly with power lines in their vicinity with no problems. Can anyone shed some light on this? Is it safe to do this?

AMA 74894

My Feedback: (1)

yup, that sort or warning was associated with 72 Mhz systems... 2.4 Ghz shouldn't have any issues.
I've flown at several fields that have some big power lines often between me and the airplane, Never had an issue or heard of one.

(you're fairly lucky... our field had some windmills grow up out of the cornfield next door..
at about 1:50 on this video I had to take evasive action to prevent making a big splat

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RDftj...layer_embedded

jester_s1

At 120' from the runway that's right in the middle of the downwind leg for most pilots. I flew for a little while at a club that had two live oaks about that distance away. It wasn't really a problem when they were small, but at 60-70' they were a constant obstacle. If there is any way to have the utility company come out and see the property so you can show them how flying is normally done, it would behoove your club to do so. If you don't, it will probably mean the end of your club in a few years as guys get tired of tearing up their planes and dodging the lines, not to mention the occasional plane that hits the power lines.

drube

Wow! Those windmills are close! Has anyone ever hit them?

AMA 74894

My Feedback: (1)

yup. fortunately not with anything bigger than a small electric trainer... the windmills went in a couple years ago, we're fortunate that the club is very small,
but we will very likely be moving the runway and traffic pattern 90 degrees (or switch to pylon racing only )

thankfully we've got a fabric / textile runway (re-positionable) and plenty of room laterally. (plus the blessings of the property owners... the local high school )

drube

Ha ha!

bikerbc

I don't think you will experience any radio interference but it could turn your field into a one way air strip.. It will become more of a challenge to land and missed approaches will be serious business .. 6 wires rite off the end of the runway will be a pain in the butt .. If you have a long runway you will be okay but you are gonna have some planes hung up from time to time I bet

AMA 74894

My Feedback: (1)

yup, I certainly agree, the radio interference should NOT be an issue at all... (the fact that they are power lines should not matter at all)
the physical obstacle part MAY cause some issues... but frankly I'm having a hard time visualizing it..... how close is 'really close' ?
it's really a moot point, I suppose... you folks MAY need to modify your take off and landing patterns, or possibly even re-locate the runway.

jester_s1

I'd say go ahead and make plans to relocate if you can't negotiate with the power company. You've got to figure a 30-40 foot safety circle if the power pole is in your flight path. Yes, pilots can learn to deal with it, but a couple of wrecked planes will make them decide not to. Then you'll either watch your members go elsewhere, start a new club to displace yours, or quit the hobby altogether.

lopflyers

My Feedback: (12)

Hey Jim, not trying to hijack the thread, but how are those textile runways? We are thinking about installing one in our field.
Someone told us they make the planes bounce on landing.? Are they resistant to heat n rain? Thx for the advise

Lifer

My Feedback: (1)

A lot of the warnings about not flying near power lines goes back to the days of control-line flying. Too many times someone would ignore the warning or simply fail to pay attention. Nothing like 2 steel cables coming into contact with a hot, 220 volt line to ruin your day.

757jonp

My Feedback: (48)

I live right next to a major power transmission line running in the 80KV range. We run little foamies in and around them all the time both on 72 and 2.4. Never experienced any interference (except physical!) at all. You learn pretty quickly to keep daylight between the plane and the wires!

AMA 74894

My Feedback: (1)

I think the surface prep is most important as far as bouncy landings...
We've had this runway in place for 4 years now, and its still in perfect condition...
No issues at all with rain or cold :-) (its central minnesota so I can't really comment about long term heat resistance.. ;-)
But it deals with 40 below pretty well ;-)
It doesn't QUITE have the same friction as blacktop or concrete, but its absolutley superior to just grass for anything smaller than .60 size

1320Fastback

RF interference on 72/2.4 will be the least of your worries.
We fly near some big lines weekely and Ive FPVed a mile over them (obviously at altitude) and never a issue.

RCKen

My Feedback: (9)

We have this on our runway as well and we're now in our 6th year using it. All I can say about it is that if I had my choice I wouldn't fly on anything but the material runways!!!!! It's the best of both worlds, it's soft like grass and it's smooth like pavement. It doesn't tear up wing tips or wear down wheels quickly. I can't recommend it enough. you can see more of our putting it in on our website: Lawton Area Fun Flyers

As far as bouncing goes, Jim nailed it. It all depends on your installation. If you install it properly it won't bounce and will be smooth and hard. This stuff is sort of like Monokote in that it will shrink up in the sun. So you need to get it as tight as you can (we used a 4-wheeler ATV to pull it tight while installing) and then staple it in place. Then the sun will hit it and tighten it up.

The biggest thing I can recommend is to make sure you get your dirt work underneath done properly. Get it level and pack it down if possible. This is the one key factor that will make the most difference in the final quality of your runway.

Heat is the friend of the runway. We have suffered several high heat summers in Oklahoma and it doesn't affect the runway. Last year we had 90+ days of over 100° temperatures.

The biggest problem with this type of runway is prop strikes. They will cut the material. Make sure you keep extra material on hand. After a prop strike simply cut a patch and staple it in place.

Oh, one last clue. Don't run over the runway with a lawn mower that has the blades spinning!!! (Don't ask how we found this out!!! )

Hope this helps

Ken

lopflyers

My Feedback: (12)

Hey guys, thx for the advise. It looks like a gd investment

AMA 74894

My Feedback: (1)

as far as the investment part goes... we actually got our material for FREE....
apparently the stuff is used in paper manufacturing (big scale, paper plants that make paper for newspapers and such)
I'm not clear on all the details, but the material is used in paper manufacturing and is replaced very frequently.
paper mills here throw it away...

lopflyers

My Feedback: (12)

Send me some material. Ja ja