#1: Check your club's by-laws and see if they don't require a quorum (usually at least 51% of the membership) to be present in order to pass a resolution.
#2: Organize the rest of the membership and overturn the resolution at the next meeting.
or
#3: Find a new club.

As far as overflights of neighboring homes, might I suggest the homeowners use http://www.browning.com/products/cat...11&type_id=244[>:]

To give the owner of the plane overflying a private residence a fair chance does the person doing the shooting have to yell 'PULL!' before squeezing the trigger?

Hate to hear all this is happening hungryandbroke. I dislike anything being shoved down my throat. Would make me wonder if I really wanted to be around people like this.

The shooting down of planes has been done before...In Va. where I know of it.... the judge didn't look on the shooting of planes to favorabily...Please let us know what happens

Nobody was implying that this was a GOOD thing. My point was that at least they weren't requiring the plane to self-destruct like some posters were describing above. Is it BULL? You Betcha. And I mean that seriously.[:'(]

First of all if your reciver battery goes dead then the failsafes can not work because there is no power to move servos to the preset position. Second of all rules can be changed by the majority of club members, it is there club and they can circulate a petition to change rules by simple vote in a general meeting. If this is a bylaw change then the club should have notified the membership before the vote. The rule that was made is not a simple rule like don't fly over a restricted area but a rule that requires a capital outlay by members and should not have been rushed through a general meeting without notification or discussion. its not like banning parking in certain areas during a rainy season to prevent major ruts and holes and tow jobs. This rule changes some peoples equipment it would be like banning 72 mhz radios because 2.4 is safer. personally I only believe that turbines need a failsafe becasue of their speed and fire hazard of planting one at top rpm.

ahhh Bruce I knew you were kiddin...I just wanted you to know that shooting of planes has been done before and it wasn't good...
Good flyin to ya

Actually, they never had it in a newsletter that this fail-safe mandatory rule was even going to be presented at the meeting. 6 members at the meeting out of 35 total members is not a very fair vote on the matter. I doubt it very much if the New Fail-Safe Rule will be in any newsletter to let all members know that it was voted on and passed for the year 2009!!!

You can bet I will send an email to all 35 members to let them know of the new fail-safe rule starting in 2009 that they say is MANDATORY! This way they can decide themselves if they want to pay for club dues to stay an active member for 2009.

But, I'm sure when they call the President of the club and ask them about this New Rule, his answer will be something like......Well, we did vote on it but it would be hard to monitor everyone at all times....a.....er.....but.....if you don't have a fail-safe it will be ok.

What the h*&^ kind of club is this anyway?

The Problem is.......They know "I" was at the meeting and they told me repeatedly at the field everytime I was there..."We voted For It and you have to have it!

Totally BS!

I know one thing...if I can't fly there without the fail-safe, No One Will fly there Period anymore!

I will make sure of that!

Boy, that would sure make the neighbor Happy! Then his kids could play in the yard again knowing a big 37-40% plane (flying illegally over his house and property all the time) won't hit them right across the road!

When AMA finds out who owns these 37-40%ers flying like that, I'm hoping they won't even renew Their 2009 membership!

This is getting fun now......Pay backs are a B%$^&!!!!!

Maybe the club members should start attending the meetings or simply be prepared to live with what ever the "majority" votes in.
Even after this was passed the attendance at the next meeting was very poor, (only 10 people bothered to show up, which could hardly be called a majority at this meeting either) hence the general membership must not care about this and with the poor turn out it allowed two people to shout down any dissention.
When viewed from afar this really is a unfortunate situation, but at a regularly scheduled meeting a motion was made and the majority in attendance passed it.
I realize you don't like it but apparently the rest of the club does not have much issue with it (regardless of what they might be telling you) because they simply did not show up at the second meeting to do anything about it.
As others have suggested there are several ways around this, but you have to have a significant portion of the membership present (that wants to change it) to get it done.
If you can rally support (called meeting attendance) introduce a new motion that all models weighing less than (pick your number) pounds are exempt from the failsafe rule.
I am not against you on this but the club as a whole is responsible for letting this happen, not just the "4 of 6 majority" that passed it in the first place.

I can't believe this is an issue. Get ALL of the members to show up at a meeting and VOTE IT DOWN!

I can't believe this is an issue. Get ALL of the members to show up at a meeting and VOTE IT DOWN! Should they refuse; take them to court. Simple as that.

Best Regards,
Flak

a gasser crashing into anything at full throttle could be deadly. someone lost control of a gasser earlier this year in taiwan and hit and killed a farmer on a neighboring field. had the plane had failsafe, it may not have happened.

i am all for safety and if failsafe is one extra level of safety, then great. but be reasonable. if you're flying a park flyer without failsafe, that's different than a turbine (also earlier this year a guy lost control of his jet and flew it into someones apartment, causing a fire). i think there should be mandatory failsafe for larger planes. and i think they should make failsafes that do two things, once the signal is lost, it should go into failsafe mode. when the signal is lost for over 5 seconds, it should cut the engine.

now flying over people's houses... i've always detested those people that fly without consideration of the people around them. i've seen low passes so close that they've ended up bashing into things on the ground. one plane hit the tent pole of the tent i was working under. a 40 size plane. people that have no regard for safety should not be allowed to fly. period.

on that note, however, park flyers in my neck of the woods are the worst offenders of safety. they will launch a plane for the first time at a feild crowded with people enjoying the park. a dozen people will straddle a popular walkway flying their 3D foamies. they will fly above your head, buzzing like a killer bee. they will crash everywhere. they have no regard for "flight line" as they are almost always flying behind it around the pit area. more than once i've had an electric crash right next to me, one time hitting my friend in the back. luckily the injuries have been minor but they are a menace. i doubt any of them have any insurance. so while a park flyer may not need a failsafe, they do need the same respect for safety!

I do not advocate using the equipment illustrated in the link from my post #76 to shoot at a plane. [>:]

((Edited by skylark-flier to include post # in the original quote))

Hey Hungry, I'm new to this thread but I HAVE read through it from beginning to end. While I agree and empathize with most of the opinions stated before this post, I also have to agree that your best move here is simply to go your own way - AND MOST DEFINITELY INVITE SOME OF YOUR FRIENDS TO GO WITH YOU. Now, this doesn't mean forming your own club a-new. You've got at least 3 places to fly that are convenient - use them. IMHO, a club that lets 2 people "dictate" to the rest and does nothing to stop that isn't a club - it's a dictatorship, distinctly un-American. However, note #2 below should be considered in this move away from your "club".

First note: I'm in VA, intimately familiar with one shoot-down; and the guy's right - the court wasn't too happy at all when he saw my plane, or what was left of it with lotsa little holes all over the fuse & wings. Dude with the shotgun won't be shooting much from now on.

Second note, and the reason I'm writing this: I've been flying (CL) since 1955, RC since 1972. Most of my flying (all except 3 years in Berlin Germany and 4 years in Anchorage Alaska) years have been totally on my own, no club available within reasonable range. I would NEVER fly in an area within 2 miles of a human being without my AMA membership. Now, this is just me and my thoughts, but you've got the full backing of a national organization - including their insurance - any time you fly, for just $58/year. Try to find something like that from any other organization on Earth for that kind of price - can't be done. Yeah, save the club dues, save the mileage, save the harrassment, but save yourself too - keep the AMA membership. All that AMA really asks is that you take every reasonable precaution to fly in a safe manner - nothing more. If you can demonstrate this to them, should something unfortunate happen, you're covered.

Flying is supposed to be fun - SAFE fun, but fun primarily. It's a sport, not a political ideology, or someone's pet power trip. Rules are set (in most cases) in sports to keep them as safe as practicable. Beyond that, it's harrassment.

Go your own way - that's fine. I have for pretty much 50 years and I've been perfectly happy. There are other guys that fly with me. We have fun and we fly in a safe manner, respecting others' property and peace. It'll be fine.

Dave

I have to agree with skylark-flier, keep your AMA membership regardless of where you fly.
AMA insurance is not just for flying at clubs and will cover you flying at the other places you have available.
You never know what will happen and $58 a year is pretty cheap for liability insurance.

Be carefull in thinking that AMA insurance will cover accidents. They are secondary to your primary insurance. First if you don't have any insurance (I think). I just went through this at the beginning of the summer.

This is exactly where I thought you where heading. Another PO'ed club member that feels he must exact his revenge on the club and "do what ever it takes" to shut down another flying site.

I agree the "rule" is BS but your need for vengence will not serve our hobby in any way shape or form. If you feel your need for revenge out weighs the need for flying stes for our hobby then by all means proceed. You will lose the respect of many of your fellow modelers in the end.

after reading through this thread I think its time to pull up stakes, and find a new place to fly that includes all its members in decisions requiring aditional equipment and expense,exacting some sort of revenge is a waist of time and energy.

what the club might find if it disrespects its members and neibors like the farmer getting the flyovers that flying privalages get revoked and loss of membership,but that might be its goal to pear down the amount of pilots for the bennifit of a couple of members.

my club which has over 100 members and is 40yrs old, had been flying at our field for 10 years with no problems, the old landlord sold the property, and just a few complaints from some bitter folks at one end of the land, and we lost our space to fly,the new landlord just didn't want to hear the griping from a vocal minority,now we are currently looking for a new flying site which in our area is not too easy, since property value and availability is tough.

better to move on good luck with it.

AMA insurance will not cover you unless you are flying at a AMA chartered club field or AMA sanctioned event and as stated is secondary to any other insurance you have. As for the fail safe thing, your club is sticking it to you simply put. Find your other "like minded" pilot friends and go somewhere else. Form a NEW club and remember everything that you "ALL" disliked about the last club and keep that in mind when writing your by-laws and club rules. Since you have access to another field for free, form a new club, lease to field for $1 a year on an open ended lease, obtain AMA charter/insurance and now go have fun. As for the revenge thing, let it happen on it's own. If you leave the club and take most of it's membership with you for a new club, they won't have anyone left to support their club. They've only screwed themselves.

Since no one knows about the new so called fail-safe BS rule other than the 6 members that were at the meeting when it was voted in, I'm just going to call Every Member that wasen't there and didn't get a chance to vote on it and let them know before they pay there 2009 dues that they should show up at the next meeting to vote it Down! After all, they are members too and should be able to cast their vote!

And if they won't accept a motion to recind the rule, I will go about my merry way and fly somewhere else! For FREE!

I will be saving the cost of the $50 membership and also $58 AMA dues like I have for 30 years.

Plus all the extra money I'd have to pay for the stupid fail-safes that I am totally against.

Wish me luck!

OK why in the world would you give up your AMA membership? The AMA had nothing to do with this rule
I want you to know that I think the rule is BS...
Why were there only 6 members present at a club meeting? Is that normal? If so this is what happens when you don't attend