mydartswinger

For the airplane pilots at my field, the large size of the rotor is just scary for some reason. I guess it goes along with the feeling that a helicopter pilot gets the first time they spin up the blades on a CP, 400+ electric, or nitro after flying something smaller, like an FP. Also, a plane is easier to have some control of where it goes when something goes wrong than a heli.

I do get the point on trust. However, it's not the pilot they don't trust, it's the machine the pilot is flying. For example, I try not to do anything dangerous or stupid (other than the occasional setup oops) and when I fly my planes, other pilots and some spectators (family members, friends, and invited guests) will at times come up to me and watch the flight while standing next to me (we have a fairly relaxed club, as long as the person in question doesn't "get in the way" and cause trouble). Then when I choose to fly my helicopter when the skies are clear of other pilots, many of those same people go scrambling for the cover of our metal awning. I'm more cautious when flying my helis than when I'm flying my planes (not to say that I'm not cautious with them).

I'm not saying that flying over the pits happens all of the time, but unexpected things can happen that can cause any aircraft to fly into the pits. If the pilot can manage to pull it directly back out of the pits or ditch it before it gets to close to anyone, there's no problem. However, things can still happen that can be an unintended safety hazzard to spectators, even to the best pilots (IE radio malfunction, they do happen even after doing a proper control and range check before flight). No one wants anything to crash into them, but

When airplanes and helicopters are sharing the same airspace, helicopters can be considered for of an obstruction than a 3D airplane hovering over the runway at a field that does not have a designated flying area for helicopters. If the helicopter pilot does not have the skills needed yet for forward flight and is hovering over the runway when an airplane pilot calls out "Deadstick", the helicopter has nowhere to go but down, and is even more in the way since the airplane pilot may have to cut their pattern to just the right point where the helicopter on the ground will be either right in the path of the plane or right where it'll touch down. The helicopter pilot also may not have the time to run out to the runway and grab the helicopter before the plane comes in. If the helicopter pilot can perform forward flight, there won't be a problem because the helicopter pilot can fly the helicopter out of the way easier, same as with a 3D airplane (people that fly these that close to the runway are also more experienced pilots and can pull out of what they are doing when the need arises). Again, mediating this goes back to a little courtesy between the 2 groups of pilots and should even be exercised when there's only 1 group present (students normally can't handle the extra air traffic, and other pilots should wait to fly until the student has landed. If it is a more experienced student that can handle a bit of traffic, just keep the pattern clear unless landing, then clear the runway as soon as possible.).

I agree that the building aspect of planes is more complex, and I greatly respect those craftsmen. The complexity aspect is more along the lines of proper mechanical setup and repair for flight as well as the number of moving parts, not building. You can still fly a plane that is set up poorly, it'll definitely be more difficult, but it can be trimmed out, balanced out, and, if all else fails, overcome by a little extra piloting work. A helicopter on the other hand, if it is set up poorly, it's going to have massive vibrations, poor tail control, surging up and down due to large changes in pitch for the amount of collective used, and will be virtually unflyable by all but the most experienced heli pilots. All airplane pilots usually have to set up on their ARF planes once built is their balance and radio programming. Some pilots don't always balance their planes before the first flight. If they don't like the balance once they've flown it, then they change the CG. I've crashed and repaired both, and other than the cost aspect, I'd rather repair the heli since I'm more mechanically inclined than I am towards carpentry. However, a basic repair on a plane is not difficult. Just a little glue here and a little covering there, and it's done. If a plane is crashed to the point where it's nothing but splinters or just plain not worth the time and/or cost of the wood to repair, just transfer the engine and radio gear to a new model.


Just a few views from my perspective.

Happy flying.