ORIGINAL: adaptabl
The problem is we all have the same insurance. An accident at any of our clubs could cost us all our insurance(another accident or two and no carrier will take us on). Some of the rules may not seem like a good idea to some menbers, but we all have to go the extra mile to keep our fields safe. Extra fences and new rules benefit everyone.
General rules may be fine for you. Your club may be safer than the rules require. The problem is the club in the next city may not be safe and we will all suffer.
here's a question?
Did the insurance company ask for these new rules?
The answer is, "no". All you do by micro-managing and adding national rules is providing more reasons for the insurance company to NOT pay. They don't care about our rules because ultimately, each incident will be judged on it's own merit......or lack thereof.
Lawyers didn't care if we've established a minimum altitude for 3D flight .................... because they wouldn't have had any idea that 3D existed or what the hell it was, up until it showed up in our safety code. Lawyers don't care about safety........they care about who has the deepest pockets and that is where they go.
General basic rules work. Individual club rules need to be designed specifically for the needs of that club . The problem comes when local club members don't have the balls to address safety issues with their own club members and instead, go to their obscure Zone meetings and propose national rules based on a club issue that they don't have the balls to deal with head-on. Because a very small percentage of members take notice of the national politics, it's get's pushed through the system and the rest are left scratching their heads wondering why this stuff is being forced upon them and where the hell it came from?
It's no secret why Jim actually found some common ground with Ken.........................it's because they are both active flyers and are not afraid to speak up when safety issues arrise. I'll bet my left nut that many of these new rules come from the peanut gallery who sit and whine about everything, but rarely fly their 20 year old .40 sized birds. They don't like anything that deviates from their "historic" view of the hobby.
We're not babies, we don't need big-brother watching us. The accident early in the year was a .40 sized trainer that all the rules in the world likely would not have prevented..........aside from Ronneo's dome. ***** happens and will happen again, pay attention to what is going on in the air ............. Take responsibility for your own actions and stop waiting for some governing body to do your thinking for you.