jcflysrc

My Feedback: (50)

Yesterday I went out to the field...first time in a while, since I have not had much free time lately. When I arrived at the field there was already a couple of guys there. One of them was the club Treasurer. He was helping someone to run in their engine, and giving them some pointers. I went to the board and got the pin for my channel, and proceeded to get a flight in on my Brio. After landing, and walking back to the covered area, one of the guys comes over and ask if I am on channel 44, to which I say yes, and that he is welcome to the pin now. That is when he says to me that they are on 44 too. While they were running the engine up they did NOT get the pin from the board...saying that they were the only ones out there at the time, and didn't think it was a big deal. Since the pin was on the board, I had no reason to think the channel wasn't clear. Anyway the good part is I did not lose my plane...I was lucky. The club officer admitted he made a mistake, and played it off anyway saying that his Tx battery had such a low charge that it didn't matter anyway. I politely disagreed with him saying "what if your battery had been fully charged, as it should have been? We wouldn't be having the same conversation". He said he would have replaced my plane if it had gone in, but that is little comfort to me, although it would be appreciated, and it would have been the right thing to do too.

I am going to buy the DX7 SS 2.4GHZ Tx. Its a no brainer I suppose. In 5 years or so of flying, I never lost a plane to interference...and I don't intend to.

Let this be a lesson to you all. I know it sounds crazy, but don't assume that just because your pin is on the board, that your frq. is clear. It may be to your benefit to ask around and varify who is on what channel. Just my 2 cents.

MinnFlyer

My Feedback: (4)

Where I fly we have a very small club. So small that it's rare that we use our Freq board. So to us, it's habit to ask what freq another flier is on (Providing there IS another flier)

But yours is a situation that is a bit sticky... Yes, he SHOULD have used a pin, and you can easily say, "Rules are rules". But to some people "Rules are meant to be followed" while to others "Rules are meant to be broken".

Let's face it, this is a hobby/sport that is meant to be enjoyable. If I go to an event, I impound my Tx, stay in the pilot station, and follow all of the other rules, but if I go to my own field and I'm the only one there, to hell with the rules. I'm not trying to be rebellious, I'm just trying to have fun.

Now by the same token, If that were the case, and another flier showed up. I would ask him what freq he was on. And If I showed up and someone was testing an engine, I would also ask.

So in this case, I would not put the total blame on him. As I said, TECHNICALLY he was wrong, But in practicality, considering the circumstances, the smart thing to do would be to ask.

KW_Counter

In our club we all call out our channel before turning on out transmitter.
Everyone who has a transmitter on then responds with their channel.
If everything is good then you turn on and fly.
KW_Counter

khodges

My Feedback: (1)

I'm a big believer in making a procedure and following it---regardless of the circumstances. Once you start altering the procedure based on the present status-quo, you begin to get sloppy and something will eventually happen. I open the pin box and get a pin even if I'm the only one at the field.

But, since a lot of others don't, and whether it's an I-don't-care attitude, or inexperience, or plain stupidity, I'm also going to 2.4 GHz to avoid the same thing you were luck enough to avoid that day. It's easy enough to poo-poo and say "well, I'd have bought you another one" but how do you replace the hours of time and replace the irreplaceable, if it was something you'd put hundreds of hours into? I'd NEVER feel comfortable flying around somebody who'd shot somebody else down, intentionally or otherwise. DSSS should help fix that. I bought a Spektrum DX-7 several months ago, and am getting ready to maiden my first plane on the 2.4 system.

jcflysrc

My Feedback: (50)

Same here. Regardless of whether I am alone or not, I follow the rules, and the same safety procedures to protect myself and anyone that might be in the area. That's the way I was taught. It is rare that I get to fly at this particular field alone, as it is situated in a county owned park. Open to all comers with an AMA card like myself.

It is a matter of attitude. And to keep yourself and others out of harms way, you have to have the "right" attitude toward safety...and that means following the rules.

I am not mad at anyone by any means for what happened. Stuff happens, or in this case...didn't happen. However, I am not going to wait until it does. There's a new Spektrum DX-7 in my future.

I have been using a Hitec Tx with a Spectra module, and the Fusion 9 Rx, so I am currently able to fly on any channel without need for xstals. This has been pretty conveinient, but it still leaves me open to the "accidental" shoot down. Anyone with the DX7 have any comments they would like to share?

jcflysrc

My Feedback: (50)

Good luck with the maiden khodges. Is the picture of the plane in question? It's real purdy.