Etiquette
 

Being new to the RC world, I don't know anything about the general behavior and etiquette of being around multiple people in a fly zone.

In golf, you never talk when your friend is at the tee, and you yell "FORE!" just before driving a golfball into the ear of your nextdoor neighbor...yikes!

If someone could point me in the right direction, maybe a link or two or a few pointers, it would be greatly appreciated as I'm hoping to make some new friends out there, instead of enemies.

Thanks

field etiquette / rules ??
 

Check with your local club for a set of field rules. Also review the safety rules from AMA. If visiting and planning to fly ask first before proceeding to the flight line. Have your AMA card with you.

If you want to learn to fly see when training sessions are scheduled.
Bill

Communication!
 

Hello Nex,

I agree with Excap about checking with your local club about rules that might only be force at that club (every club is different).

However, the rule which every club shares is a requirement to communicate with your fellow pilots. Make sure the guys at the flight line know a) you are coming on to the runway from the pits b) you are about to take-off, c) you have a deadstick (you then have priority to land first or should have priority), d) you are about to land, e) you personally are on the runway for any reason and finally f) you are clear of the runway (you and your plane). And if some-one else shouts these warnings - then acknowledge that you have heard him.

Only yesterday, I shouted "Landing", most of the guys responded with "OK" but one guy who was standing only 5 yards away from me still proceeded to walk onto the runway and place his plane ready for take-off. Later on the same day, the same guy landed his plane without warning anyone and got a couple of curses from the rest of the flight line.

Have fun!

Etiquette
 

I agree with Scotsman. You gotta communicate. If you can't say "Hey I'm on the runway" even if that's the only time you talk to the other members of the club maybe that club isn't for you. Personally half the fun of going flying is being at the club with all the guys. If you're comfortable with everyone, and are communicating with each other, especially when it comes to flight safety it's alot more fun and doesn't feel structured. Even though it is and should be structured when it comes to safety. When you're comfortable and communicating the structured safety rules become second nature which is all you can hope for.

On the Line
 

Well, I'd be a little leery myself. I know the feeling as I'm faily new to this as well.

Some suggestions I would make involve the inevitable crash.

DO: Offer whatever tools you have (heli guys are usually over-tooled like norm abrams, but fixed-wing guys may be short).
DO: Answer any questions you have with just the facts. ie, sometimes people will ask you "did you see my control surface do this?". Just say what you saw. Chances are your fellow modeler has quite a bit on his mind, and is trying to plug the data he / she hopes you have into a formula to resolve what went wrong.

DONT: Crowd the impact zone(s). Let the 'victims' recover whatever pieces they can - unless they ask for help.
DONT: Go into "Did you glue this" or "did you tighten that" type advice. Last thing someone needs to hear. If it's a student and you're their instructor that's something different.
DONT: Neglect to take FULL USE of a club's frequency-card board. Most every club has one (ALL should for safety).
DONT: Run control-line or free flight aircraft outside club's designated areas. You've never seen angry until you've seen the owner of a 33% competition model after his plane ate a bunch of control wires.
DONT: Run obnoxiously loud engines or airplanes that are difficult to control (don't confuse this with highly-aerobatic-they're not the same thing). Again, it's something else if you're at a pylon race or a jet-fly. Note that most 'out of the box' R/C engines us newbies end up with are fine - as long as the muffler's on right.

Seems like a lot, and there's certainly club rules to follow, BUT once you're exposed to the rules in action, you'll be less apprehensive about them - and it'll be second nature to you.

Oh... and all clubs like safe builders, flyers and crew members. Today I was asked a "Why'd you do it that way" and the answer was "For safety, so this whatzit doesn't fall off". The 'audience' of old-timers and new-commers alike in the club was an approving nod. VERY cool.

Etiquette
 

I don't think there are specific rights and wrongs to communicating at a field. At our field it's an understanding that we announce (yell) our intentions ie.. landing, taking off, touch & go etc...

Beyond that it's on an individual basis. Being new to the hobby I generally try to ask lots of questions and give little advice. I know several people who don't mind at all if you stand beside them while flying and carry on a conversation. I know some people who it's best to keep your distance from while they are flying. I asked a guy the other day if I could stand beside him and watch his hands on the sticks while he flew. He didn't mind. You'll just have to get a feel for who flies at your field and what types of personalities there are. Some people go to the field more to hang out and talk with others than to fly. Some show up, fly, and get the heck out of there in a hurry. Some spend more time helping others than flying themselves (and prefer it that way). I hate to sound like a kiss a** but you can't go wrong ooohing and ahhhhhhing over everyone's airplanes and flying ablities.

Before too long you'll make a few friends and start seeing yourself more of a regular than as an outsider looking in. You'll be the one making inverted low passes over the runway while 5 people stand behind you yelling "lower!" all the while. When that happens you'll know you've arrived.

Etiquette
 

Oh, another thing. If you see someone taking off with their transmitter antenna lowered (regardless of how much experience they have) let them know. They'll thank you for it.

The same goes for taking off with the glow driver still on the engine, reversed ailerons etc...

Etiquette
 

When someone is doing a high-speed, inverted pass over the runway, don't yell "UP!"

Don't take engine starting advice from guys with missing fingers

Don't laugh at your instructors hat

And don't say to a crash victim, "stop crying, it's only a piece of WOOD!"

Etiquette
 

MinnFlyer----I wish I was given that advice when I was learning :rolleyes: Good One!

Etiquette
 

The number one rule is to ensure that everybody at the field gets the chance to see you drive it into the mud. Loud shrieks will get everbodies attention. It does not matter what you say as long as everybody is aware that this thing is doomed.

Crashing in secret is very bad form.

Ed s

Etiquette
 

Bring a Zagi to the field. Everyone loves the things :)

Etiquette
 

1. Observe frequency control. Some people get upset when they crash, and it's always re-assuring to know your transmitter was in the impound, and you had control of your channel.

2. When someone crashes, walk with them out to the wreckage. They probably won't ask for help, but they will always appreciate it. Don't say anything except mumblings of sympathy. When you find the plane, the pilot will be slightly in shock, so you keep your wits and find all the parts. I would avoid saying things like "This can be rebuilt". Stick with, "Can I help you carry this stuff?"

3. As far as talking to flyers, a lot of the very experienced pilots can talk and fly at the same time, and are happy to, but flying does take a lot of concentration, so I'd mostly leave them alone while their plane is in the air. I once had this guy come up to me and start talking and wouldn't go away no matter what I did. I finally had to bring my plane in it got so distracting!

4. Be really nice to spectators, newbies, small children, but make sure they stay where they are safe.

5. Please, do not offer help unless the person asks, or has very obvious body language. I had this guy come up totally unasked and tweaked my needle valve before I could stop him ("You sound lean," he said). I then informed him that I had just noticed that I forgot to connect the tube to the muffler, and would he please put the needle valve back where it was!

6. Let folks know you are new. I once visited a club, and I was welcomed to fly, but I should have asked more about local rules. They had very strange (to me) rules about where you could set up, and it was very awkward when folks very nicely tried to explain to me that I was breaking some rule I couldn't figure out. I would have been much better if I had simply asked ahead of time about the rules. For example, some clubs are *much* more concerned that you fly "the pattern" (everybody takes off and lands the same direction, plus flies pretty much in an oval the same direction) than other clubs where you pretty much just try to avoid mid-airs.

7. Last one: This hobby tends to attract introverts, the guys that love to putter around their workshop alone for hours. As introverts, they tend to be reserved, and are quite happy being alone, and if they are tired, they need to be alone. So don't take it personally if someone seems to want to be alone. Work it slowly. Maybe after 1/2 hour, a guy might ask a question about your plane. Once they realize you're not going to make any sudden moves, these guys can be incredibly friendly and helpful, but they can also appear cliquish. If you're expecting typical extrovert behaviour ("Hi, welcome to our club, I'm Mike, and I'll be your tour guide!"), you're likely to mistake reserve for unfriendliness.

--Mike

Etiquette
 

Minnflyer, have you seen his hat????

Actually for talking on the flightline, one good rule to follow was already covered here briefly; ask someone if they mind talking while flying. Some of our members like to be in a "zoned world" while they fly; others like to chat.

It's no big deal to ask in advance and most flyers will be honest in their preference. That is the best advice you can follow and your fellow flyers will probably appreciate that you asked. Good way to make some new friends and to see how they fly too.

Then afterwards, you can all sit back and laugh at the instructors hats.

Nuker

Etiquette
 

Nex,
If the club there at Norman still flies where they used to when I competed in Pattern contests there, I think one of the main rules was 1. Make sure you don't crash into the Lloyd Nobel Arena! If you missed that, it was also considered bad form to nail the parking lot light pole in the middle of a North approach!

Have fun, they always seemed like a nice bunch of guys to me...

Lee

Etiquette
 

Some people (never did figure out why) get so irratated when you park your Zagi in one of the wings of their 30% 3W-powered acro-monsters...
Hmm..

Etiquette
 

RLDIII, HAHA. That is so true about the LNCand the light poles. Always nervous on landing approach :)

Yesterday I flew for the very first time. I was pilot and had a friend with me to help with fueling, starting, etc. Did a barrel roll my first flight (so what if it was an accident!!) and landed ok, woohoo! Got to do some more rolls, inverted flight, low fly-bys near the runway (we were the only ones there so...I figured what the heck :) ). Today I took the plane out again, big pro that I am, and totally messed up my first approach, turned left, tried to correct and accidentally went left more, and to top it off, I applied left rudder, all from 10 feet off the group and above 2 foot high grass :( What a mess. Wasn't terribly high speed but it was enough to rip the firewall and engine out of the plane. Some spare balsa, glue, and some time and I'll be back in the air tomorrow.

I am soooooo hooked :)

I appreciate the time all of you spent replying to my request, thank you. Just got my AMA membership today and hoping to talk to the local clob here.

Just curious RLDIII, do you still live in the Norman area?

Etiquette
 

Nex,
Some days I wish I did, but no, now I am in the Houston, Texas area. I actually used to live in Oklahoma City, and flew with the West Side Club and Torks in OKC.... MANY good memories from my old Oklahoma Days, but this is where my work is now, so here is where I am!

Lee

Etiquette
 

If for some safety reason be it other you need to approach a pilot while his plane is in the air announce your approach before reaching him so that you don't startle him. ("name" I am coming up behind you).

As far as just general talking that is one of the great things about this hobby. It gives me the chance to be a kid again. :cool:

Randy

Etiquette
 

One thing is for sure, Never Ever Ever Never under any circumstances smear expoxie over your body, roll in chicken feathers and run down the flight line screaming "I’m flying too, I’m flying too..." while sprinkling tic tacs and flinging ho-hos everywhere. Wouldn’t be good I imagine.

Etiquette
 

Ya know, I didn't even think of that one JakeC.

Thanks for the tip!

on a side note: ROFL :)

Etiquette
 

Follow the flight pattern, don't be all over the place. :D

Etiquette
 

There's a flight pattern ?

Etiquette
 

Billy, I really love to read your posts! LOL

...There's a flight pattern? That's so funny...but true at our field...

Sundays....one or 2 guys doing 3-D right on the apron; another 2 doing "normal" flight up a 100' (but doing anything they want, in any direction) and one or two trying to land....one upwind and one downwind......Oh, plus a helo at the far end, maybe two.

So, you're absolutely correct...There's a pattern?

Now, in walks the new guy that just solo'ed and wants to practice. LOL

Talk about intimidation!

That's why I go on weekdays very early and am finished by noon. I've got enough trouble trying to fly and land let alone worry about half-a-dozen other yahoos trying to nail me......

...There's a pattern? I love it! :)

Etiquette
 

The thing to remember is that everyone was a YAHOO at one time or another... I dont think we all were born with a transmitter in hand.
I really dislike the guys who think they own the field.

Etiquette
 

Reading all this makes me want my own field. Although, there are some pretty good guys I like seeing at the field.

Etiquette
 

I said that jokingly but at the sod farm there really isn't a pattern. I just request you don't fly over my head and don't land on my plane (both have almost happened to me there).
At the real field, Edwin Warner Park, there isn't really a pattern either. Unless you call the guys walking to the woods to pee and then sitting back down at the picnic tables a pattern.

Etiquette
 

Everyone wasn't a yahoo at one time.

Some were always, and still are, yahoos.

As is in everyday life.

Flying R/C, as in all areas of life require social interaction, compassion, consideration and thoughtfulness.

Some don't have those qualities. And never will.

I was never a yahoo. Dumb, confused and intimidated, yes...but never a yahoo.

So it greatly pi**es me off to only be able to fly on weekdays knowing that if I dare fly on the weekends, it won't be fun.

I guess the key word is thoughtfulness, Some have it, some never did. Some never will...and some wish it could be put into the city water supply.....

Etiquette
 

This topic has been beaten up pretty well before.

My $0.02:

It's a give-and take. It sure is intimidating, but I personally don't get annoyed when one pattern guy is practicing and practically taking up all the "normal pattern" space to the point that you feel like you can't take off without getting in his way - or when some fun fliers start doing the 3D thing all over the runway. I just kick back and watch for a bit. When they're done and I'm ready, I fire up and do my thing - trying to stay in some sort of pattern that allows an upwind landing.

Different strokes. We gotta get along and share the space.

Etiquette
 

Yadda-yadda. SO you want to punch the pattern with your pretty maneuverable plane. I guess we're lucky we have room for 2 full patterns. The speed-plane guys take one, doing max airspeed - the others cower in the other space.... and our field's huge. Maybe patterns aren't all that... perhaps there's room for evet times as well....?

Etiquette
 

And your point was.... ?

Etiquette
 

At our field we have flight boxes along the flight line. It's one of the best ideas I've seen since coming into the sport. Not to get off track, but each of the four boxes is color coded. When you pull your transmitter from the impound, you post your frequency pin along with a card that matches one of the boxes of your choice. Four planes in the air at once isn't too bad. It all depends on who's flying what. We normally have a student in the air thru-out the day. They fly the pattern, maybe a figure eight every now and then, at a consistent altitude with the buddy box. What also helps is our boundaries. If your student is flying the pattern, another member stays fairly high, one will stick to flying perpendicular to the normal pattern at the downwind end of the runway, until the fourth guys shows up it stays pretty calm. When four are in the air you just need to fly conservative. A shout every now and then to let each other know your intentions is just a courtesy. I've yet to see a midair, or a struggle for landing room yet. Comes down to that courtesy and flying conservative when the sky is full, having reliable equipment meaning dead sticks are few and far between, and patience for the different skill levels of the flier. Sometimes a beginner is more of a nuisance than the accomplished pattern pro, and sometimes vice versa. When it stops being fun, that's when something needs to change. That's what the hobby is all about.

Etiquette
 

Hey Nex, welcome to the hobby!!

Hmm, have to come down there and fly with you guys sometime. Think they'd mind if I towed my "Texas Longhorns" banner over the stadium? :D :D :D :D

Basically when I go to a new field, I usually watch for a bit at first before even taking out my plane to see "how things are done". I sometimes will even take out a different plane depending on what is flying. And when in doubt, ask.

Oh, and if it's a bunch of old farts who are being shy, go up and ask them about their plane. Never seen one that wouldn't go on and on about one, how they put it together, how it flies better than anything they've ever seen, how back in the day.... :p

Etiquette
 

My point is that one of the biggest reasons people fly r/c is for the DYNAMICS of it. You restrict everyone to cast-iron pattern and you make the dynamic static. Some people will enjoy the 'how close can you fly it' challenge.

Others won't. Try to understand that someone who doesn't want to fly a straight pattern isn't necessarilly evil... they just don't want to fly the patern.

You know... I don't see heli pilots telling fixed-wing guys they have to hover in place only in this little box, and fly inverted in that little box....

Etiquette
 

One more thing...

I think some of the people who're set on a pattern for a field derrive this from safety requirements of full-scale airports.

Sure... sometimes this applies. But it really burns me when a flier's the ONLY flier on the field and after he lands someone wants to chew him up for not following the pattern.

GET OVER IT. It's NOT a full scale field and you're NOT piloting a full-scale plane! It wasn't even his darn airplane! The club does NOT have a strict pattern restriction, just a beginner's area and beginner's times to fly. Restrict people a little more and see how it attracts people!

When you have 4-8 people in the air (again, our field's big enough for this) at the same time, people I guess should find some organization.... but are you really going to tell a sailplane pilot to 'do the pattern'?