ORIGINAL: Wings of Peril
Flying fields should be far enough away from residences (and even some businesses) that a well-muffled glow engine should be just background noise at worst. Like the humming of interstate traffic at about the same distance, considering that the traffic goes on all night and our models do not. At such a distance, I don’t buy the argument (just anther excuse) that it’s the high-pitched sound of a glow engine that drives people crazy. They just don’t sound the same as they do up close. If the noise is any worse than this, there will eventually be trouble, even if you had the blessings of the neighbors and the landowner. Some complainers are bothered by noise while other mean-spirited ones just don't like to see anyone having any fun.
If you use your distance criteria then a whole lot of fields are going to have to shut down. As people move further and futher from city centers, fields and residences are going to get closer and closer. I agree that there are some mean-spirited people, but there are many more who start out tolerant, but are pushed over the edge after several years of the irritating whining of model engines.
Perhaps some of the more knowledgeable people on this forum can advise if the AMA has ever gone to bat for us noisemakers. I believe they should but I suspect that these issues never get to the legal stage. We give in because noise is a powerful argument (or a very influential excuse) and there’s not a lot you can do if the landlord kicks you out for any reason. There are laws in place and I wonder if we don’t break them, then maybe we can use them to our advantage in a handful of rare cases just to gain a victory here and there and perhaps establish precedence.
I certainly hope the AMA does not go to bat for noise makers. We should ALL be looking for ways to reduce noise so we can piss off less people. The more we ignore this problem, the more anti-noise legislation you will see.
Everyone has their annoyances but sometimes I think we should just buck-up and try to get along.
Yes, we should. Since it's very obvious that the noise from our hobby bothers some people we should do what we can to reduce the noise.
I like stargazing and light pollution bugs me. I even have the bumper sticker. I’ve read about proposals to limit light pollution in astronomy mags but do I expect a federal law that makes towns shut down their street lights or shopping malls to darken their parking lots? Not likely.
Funny you should mention that. I live in a subdivision that's fairly rural. When I attended the first annual home owner's association meeting one of my neighbors was trying to convince us to install street lights. I was one of the many people who brought up light pollution and politely suggested that if he wanted street lights perhaps he would be better off moving to a less rural location.