"All these rules appear to be just another example of living in the US where we have a rule for evething to protect ourself from ourself and a fence around everything so we can't get in or out."

I thought we were talking about club policies here.

Two words: "litigation" & "safety." 98% of the people in this country are thoughtful, careful, polite and considerate. Well, better make that 89% . . . A string of accidents would lose your group their flying field in a very short time. No one cares if you're alnoe in your back yard.

Nobody wants to catch a LT-40 upside the head while prepping their plane in the pit area.

Our club is 'officered' by a group of older and heavily capitalized pattern fliers. They get nervous of parking a $6,000 plane beside someone of unknown credentials. It is enlightened self-interest that the field rules have been ammended to restrict 'solo' flight to those that have demonstrated proficiency. Once it's known that you can taxi, takeoff and land without endangering anyone, and appear to be able to keep the plane relatively in front of you and not over the pits, parking lot or pavilian you're on your own.

Still no law against flying your own plane your own way wherever you have permission. This is still America. But at our field you obey the field rules. It's a busy place. Lots of people there to help you or be endangered by you. If you're out in an alfalfa field and there's not a house, car, bystander, dog or powerline nearby it just doesn't really matter much to anyone but you whether the plane is in control or not.

One nice written & official rule we have is that a pilot can ask to be the only plane in the air for their first solo. Same for a first flight on a new or newly repaired plane. Sometimes you just need a little less bustle around you.