I just got off the phone with the City of Dublin (In Ohio) and they allow ANY types of planes with ANY sizes and ANY weight as long as they don't exceed AMA's limit in the local parks like the 78-acre treeless park by my house. What's best is you don't even need AMA registration in this county and city to fly in Gov't owned property. Dont' get me wrong, you can still get into trouble if you cause damage to property or people.


Rock on... (this statement came from the parks supervisor so what he/she says goes )

In this sue happy country You're taking a big risk not to have insurance of some kind I think AMA would be best RC is their business.
Good Luck

Doing a search of the AMA club locator shows that there are 5 AMA sanctioned clubs within 6 miles of Dublin, so it's probably a good likely hood that you may be within radio range of one of these clubs. As a good safety buffer you want to make sure that you are at least 3 miles (as the crow flies) away from any existing flying field. If you are within range of an existing field you could lose your plane from their radio signals, or worse yet you can shoot one of them down. Trust me, if you bring down somebody's $4,000 airplane they're not gonna be happy.

This is one aspect of the AMA that many people overlook, insurance. The AMA membership also comes with a liability insurance policy that will cover damages in the event that you damage property or injure somebody. Not too long ago I was speaking with the gentleman that handles the insurance claims for the AMA and he told me that they recently had a claim submitted that was close to 2 million dollars!!! I for one know that I don't run around with a spare couple of million dollars in my back pocket. Because of this I readily pay my AMA dues every year in order to have this insurance. As Jetmech05 said, in this country everybody is pretty much lawsuit happy and you can count on being sued if you hit somebody. And since you're only 14 that lawsuit is probably more than likely going to be against your parents, I'm sure they will really enjoy that. The insurance you have with the AMA will protect you and them from the financial damages involved with a lawsuit.

I'm not telling you these things to try and rain on your parade, but rather I'm just giving you these thing to think about before you fly in a public park. Over the years I've seen many new pilots that just aren't aware of these things when they are getting started. That's what I'm doing here, just giving you the information about these things.

Ken

AMA membership (insurance) for someone your age is only $1 a year. That is pretty cheap insurance if you ask me.

I just went to the AMA site and it said 19 years +

How do I get insurance for $1/ year? Can you give me a link?

Did you get it in writing? You'd be surprised how quickly that person will deny ever having talked to you or anyone else on this subject. They will throw you under the bus and let down the jack to cover their sorry political butts, this I can promise you. [:@][:'(]

http://modelaircraft.org/PDF-files/902.pdf

Youth w/o magazine is $1

Is this annual?

What does the insurance cover?

This is would be especially true if something happens, and because you're on city property they city could become liable too. If a lawsuit is filed against the city you could find yourself in the position where nobody at the city can ever remember talking to you, let alone telling you that you could fly there. I know that sounds really bad, but welcome to the real world. It's called CYA (Cover Your A-- Backside). As Bruce said, you need to get it writing. It's also possible that they didn't completely understand what you are going to be flying. They might be thinking about a $30 foam plane from Wal-mart that would barely go faster than 5 mph, not a nitro powered plane weighing 5-10 pounds capable of flying 100 mph. If I were you I'd double check with the city, and get it in writing.

I just reread your original post and I find this statement a bit odd. They don't require you to have AMA membership, yet they are going to hold you to the restrictions put out by the AMA. Sounds a bit odd to me.

Ken

AMA fees are annual. I'm not sure of the exact date, but I think that if you pay your AMA dues now they will also cover next year's dues too (since this flying year is winding down). Email or call AMA (or check out their website) to find out the exact date.

The insurance is LIABILITY insurance only. That means it covers damages done to others, or other property, in the event that you hit somebody or something. It does not cover any losses you may have (such as your crashed plane or any property owned by you).

Ken

It is liability insurance, it covers medical bills if any injury occurs, property damage or any lawsuits that may arise.
It does not cover your airplane, sorry.

It's annual and I think if you join now it will cover all of next year but check on that.

It's liability insurance. If you damage/hurt a person or property of another. I believe it also give some insurance if your equipment gets stolen under certain conditions. Check with AMA for details.

Also, in city/political jobs there is a revolving door. The person may not even be there next week and most of them are crooks anyway.

Very true. And the next person in might not give you permission to fly there. There was a recent thread about flying a military installation (sorry, can't find the link at the moment) where they wanted to know how others got permission to fly on a military base. One comment was very true in that thread, and that was that times change with the commander of the base. If he feels like you shouldn't fly then you're not going to. Same thing here, any change from the Mayor on down and they can revoke your flying rights. Clubs that fly on city properly usually have a legal agreement signed by the city that dictates everything involved with them flying there. These kinds of agreements usually protect future flying privileges, but not always.

Ken

It IS gas. I doubled checked like a million times. They (including me) have seen other people fly gas planes there too. I don't think you understand how loose yet safe Dublin is. Such a nice city with houses no older than 10 years.

Even less than a change in personel,
If someone or several someones complain that could put an end to it.
I have heard of numerous clubs, mine included, that have lost flying sites because someone complained. (we where on the verge of loosing our current field earlier this year for that same reason)
Check into your local clubs, always good to have a backup plan.

Ok, I may not "understand" how "safe" Dublin is. Never been there, but I can assure you that I do know how the "world" works. Trust me, the real world doesn't end at the city limits of "Dublin". Lawyers, lawsuits, insurance companies, and government officials are the same everywhere.

I'm getting the impression that you really don't want to hear the advice that's being put out. That's up to you. We're not here to make life hard for you, or to discourage you from flying. The truth is actually completely different, everybody here would like nothing more than to see you fly a RC airplane. But we also want to ensure that it's done in a safe manner for everybody, you and others in your community. We are only trying to help you out, whether you think so or not.

You might think that what you do doesn't affect others, but you are wrong. There is a club located in Dublin and I would imagine they would be very upset if the city banned RC flying because of your actions. Sound silly?? Trust me, it's a very real possibility as it happens in communities all over the country. For instance, you fly in the your "public park" and you lose control of your plane. The plane then hits and kills or injures somebody. Now it's a public event, and the city government is going to get involved. Trust me, public fear is a real force to deal with. The public now sees RC planes as dangerous, so they demand that they city ban them. Bingo, now you AND the club in your town can't fly there any longer. I don't think you are going to win any popularity points from the club members than now have to find another place to fly (oh, by the way, so do you). It may sound silly, but like I said this happens all the time in cities around the country. What you do on public land affects more than just yourself.

Ken

RCKEN, I just did a check and GOOGLED Dublin, Ohio and I don't see no 78 acre park, just a bunch of nature trails and stuff...Also unless they haven't updated thier info, the only club I seen listed having Intro- Pilots is TORKS in Columbus. So where is Ice Man gonna fly this bird_____ Make me wonder........Rob

From a search of the AMA database:

HILLIARD MODEL AIRPLANE CLUB
3840 DALE DECARLO 8054 HOLYROOD CTG
DUBLIN OH 43017

Ken

Because a club doesn't have intro pilots doesn't mean they don't accept or train new pilots. That just has to do with the AMA intro pilot program which is a special program for people that want to try out the hobby before making any comittment.

So this makes me wonder why Ice would want to fly this bird in the park especially since he only has $ 400.00 to spend also since he tore up his AeroBird trying to do 3D.....Rob

There is like NEVER a single person in that park except for soccer events. It is a useless piece of grassland that is over 1200ft by 1200ft. I understand not to fly where people are. I understand and appreciate that you are trying to help me but don't underestimate my knowledge of my home town. Yes, I know that there are lawyers and lawsuits but those only appear with a complaint/accident and there would be no complaint/accident if I fly in a vacant park that is bigger than all the AMA fields in central ohio.

Roger that, I learned the Old-School way ____ passing the TX back and forth w/ one of the older guys at the club a few moons back...didn't have Intro-Pilot back then, just another willing spirit wanting to help....Rob[sm=thumbs_up.gif]

There can be all kinds of reasons, shy, transportation ect.. but are they really good reasons?
I can say that the best insurance on his $400 investment is to fly with a club. His airplane would have a much better chance of surviving.
If transportation is an issue, talk to the club members. If he lived anywhere near me I would be more than happy to give him a ride out to the club and I am sure there are members at his local clubs that would feel the same way.
Between you and me I have much more fun flying with other people than I do flying by myself.

There is like NEVER a single person in that park except for soccer events. It is a useless piece of grassland that is over 1200ft by 1200ft. (rest are tennis courts, baseball diamonds that no one uses EVER because people respect how neat it looks and don't want to put footprints all over it although it is public and can be used by anyone at anytime symbolizing the appreciation of people here in Dublin) I understand not to fly where people are. I understand and appreciate that you are trying to help me but don't underestimate my knowledge of my home town. Yes, I know that there are lawyers and lawsuits but those only appear with a complaint/accident and there would be no complaint/accident if I fly in a vacant park that is bigger than all the AMA fields in central ohio.



oops.. double post? how the?



edit: In fact, people here enjoy rc planes and in the event of a plane failure 1/10000 chance (less likely than a car crash with frequent inspections) they know how to RUN away in the event that in a 1/100000 chance that the plane heads their way.