Hi all-

Just a few quick notes from my perspective....

I think the bottom like is that people need to realize how their actions affect others. This goes for ALL types of R/C pilots. Electrics, racers, 3D, IMAC, Jets, sport, etc etc etc.

The diversity of this sport has certainly grown and makes for a lot of different types of flying.

As Ted P (TRP) posted, our club recently instituted some rules on hovering. They were put there to protect the safety of members.

Let me explain further - Our club consists of 400 members. Making each one happy is not an easy task at times. Some want time so that they can fly alone, have the frequency to themselves all day, etc. At a busy club, that is not necessarily possible. However, when people are inconsiderate, such as hovering 20 feet in front of a sport pilot, or doing a mock race in which they fly over the runway while others are flying, that's inconsiderate of the others flying around them. For one, the guys racing over the runway were already violating rules (no low passes over runway) and the hovering over the runway in front of people caused a new rule to be made.

What we did for hovering is allow them to hover over the runway while no one is present, as long as they do not fly further in than the center of the runway. If another pilot comes out to fly, they have to push it out over the grass (~100 ft away). If they have the consent of one other pilot, they can hover close in. Also, up to three pilots can hover at a time if they are the only ones in the air, as long as the aircaft maintain maximum separation on the runway. Part of the reason for pushing the planes out is noise. What we found happening is that because the guys were hovering close-in while others were flying, the pilots could not hear others calling "Take off" or "Landing", no matter how loud they yelled. This is certainly a safety issue. When someone's trying to land and there is a plane hovering in the way, that's a problem.

Likewise, hovering over someone videoing or touching tails while standing underneath aircraft are situations we have encountered which are certainly not safe! We would like to keep our club as long as possible and this jeopardizes that.

Some of our jet guys took the initiative to write articles for our newsletter and inform the members of things surrounding them - safety (25 ft startup rule), etc. I believe it is our responsibility as pilots to inform others of the aircraft we are flying and our intentions, along with considering how our actions affect others .

Regards,
Michael Luvara
VP, SCCMAS
www.sccmas.org