skreamer

My Feedback: (5)

At our field we have a frequency board and the idea is to get your frequency pin off the board and put up your membership card in place of the pin that you put on your transmitter. In reality someone always forget their card. So the general rule is that if you don't have the pin you find out who does and share the pin. One of our club members brought a guest and the guest says he asked who had the pin and no one said they do. The three pilots on the flight line were not asked. Needless to say that there was a problem. I had the pin and was on the flight line doing a range check. I then bolted my canopy on and started my plane. I heard one of the helicopter guys start up his rig, checked my flight controls one more time and took off. I lost control of the plane (3.3 m composite Yak) and luckily it shut itself off and landed straight and level out in the rocks and weeds with a cracked canopy as the only damage. Big sigh!!! So I am heading out the runway to get my plane and moving the sticks and have no control, Then suddenly have control. I here the helicopter crash. I yell what frequency are you on and he says 39 and I say where is the pin and he say there is no pin. I say thats cause I have the pin. The pilot says nothing more but the member that he is a guest of comes and say that because there is no card on the board that as far as he is concerned then no one is using it. Now I have come to the field and there was no card on the board for my freq. so I went down the flight line and asked every pilot if he was on that freq. finally found the pin and shared the freq. I think that it is the pilots responsibility to not turn on his/her radio until you have the pin regardles if there is a card on the board or not. Person on the freq. may be a guest, noob, or forgot the card. How would your club handle this?

flyfisher431

We don't use pins. Our boards have slots for your club card and/or AMA card. You reserve the Freq by putting you card in the slot. A guest flys on their AMA card or the flight instructors card if they are a student. If you don't have a card, you don't fly anything but a club plane with the instructor on the club radio and buddy box. Simple.

somegeek

My Feedback: (2)

We clip our AMA card or driver's license(if you forget your AMA card)to the freq board to show use of a channel. Before you switch anything on, you need your card on that board. NO EXCEPTIONS. If the channel is in use, you locate the user and work to share the channel. If someone is a beginner flier or guest, they're still responsible to obey this rule. They should be cleared to fly at your field if a new flier and as part of their solo qualification understand this frequency use system. If a guest, they should heed the local rules. Ignorance is not a valid defense for a mishap regarding multiple radios being powered on at one time on a single frequency.

I'd be upset.

somegeek

Scar

My Feedback: (3)

Excellent illustration of why you WANT something with your name on it in your frequency slot on the board.

Best wishes,
Dave Olson

(edited / corrected)

skreamer

My Feedback: (5)

The member is our flight instructor. When I came to the field four years ago I was told that you don't turn on your radio unless you have the pin. We have never had this happen at our field where it is known for sure who turned on without the pin. The card is used as a courtesy to save time finding the freq. pin. Yet if there is no card all members understand that they have to find the pin before turning on htier trans. I don't think this guy even looked at the board. I also think that when he went back and told the other members that there is no pin alarm bells should have been going on in someones head (member with guest) should have said no let's go find the pin. I was upset to say the least. Now may be the time for 2.4 system. Cheaper than a 40% airplane. Once you invest in it you are safer from others that don't know about frequency control. I fly at another field where you bring your own pin with freq.written on it and put on the freq. board and have to check the other pins on board for your frequency. No I.D. required. I like the card in the slot method but don' know that this flyer would have looked in the slot. Never thought of the drivers license, good idea. I guess methods vary quite a bit from club to club.

skreamer

My Feedback: (5)

Just went 2.4 for all my planes. $710 for module and 5 receivers. Ouch!!! Still cheaper than even my smallest plane. Now I am protected from other peopls stupidity. My main concern was safety. My plane weighs 45lbs and could do some serious harm. The heli blades could have cut up someone pretty bad also. We could have lost our field and I was surprised at the cra**y attitudes displayed by a few club members. Most of the members thought this was unacceptable and are going to bring it up at the regular meeting in 3 weeks. In the meantime and all of my own future I won't have to worry about it.

fozjared

congrats on the swap over! 2.4 is the way of the future no more pins! now you dont have to even have the concern about someone turning on their trans. hanging in the back of your mind anymore, no worries! nor do you have to bother with getting a pin off the board or finding who has it and waiting to share, you simply go to the field and immediately start flying!

somegeek

My Feedback: (2)

Regarding 2.4g fliers - at our field, you're still required to hang your AMA card on a clip in the 2.4 gig slots. It helps keep track of how many people are flying.

This isn't the freq board at my field but it's the same concept:



Pretty easy to see who is on what channels.

somegeek

somegeek

My Feedback: (2)

Nice! Pretty cool that you have the gear to make the transition for $710 for 5 planes. My move to 2.4g will be a few $ more since I'll need a radio as well. Hoping they come down in price in the not to distant future.

There was an incident at our field yesterday. Ultra Stik 1.20 being pulled by a Saito 1.8. Guy didn't know how to properly use his controller and as a result had it dialed in for minimal throws and as a result of not performing a ground check with his new settings, circled around behind our runway and he ended up buzzing our pits from behind at 15 ft then nosing it down to crash land it. Freaked me out as I was up at the time and it buzzed my right side by about 40 ft. Trying to fly my plane and wonder if this idiot was gonna hit us. The guy kinda chuckled and said that that's one way to learn... I was angry. Our field has to maintain the peace with our neighbors so we don't have to move anytime soon and this guy's attitude seemed pretty much 'oh well'.

Some folks are oblivious to other people.

somegeek

jetmech05

The field where I learned at used freq pins..with no cards or names on the board...the rule there is..if you don't have the pin you don't turn on your transmitter...suspension or removal from the club could result if you become a habitual offender....
where I fly now it's your AMA card in a slot on the board with no pin.....
Bottom line your club instructor made an error..no pin you don't turn on your radio..that simple

rwright142

I agree with Jetmech05 - your club instructor screwed up. I'd calmly hand him the bill for the new canopy and I'd do it at the next club meeting. State the club rules, that you obeyed them, but that he did not.

It's just common sense to me - no pin, no fly. The first thing I would have done was ask the guys on the flight line is on what channel they are flying. The only other possibility I would consider is that only after asking everyone else then you might be safe in assuming someone may have taken the pin home accidentally.
However, I'd still be nervous about flying without the pin.

Insanemoondoggie

I have been shot down this year. Guy didnt check the freq board , turned his radio on in the pits. Lock me out and plane did a death spiral from about 200 ft. The guy owned up to it and paid for the damages . Can`t ask for more than that. And it made the Club a little more aware of freq policing.
I just switch 3 of my plane over to DX7 . Freedom at last ! Well at least I don`t have to worry about freqs any more.

dr_wogz

My Feedback: (3)

We have a board, all painted up & pretty
In 2 colums, are all teh frequencies & channels marked, with a 1" x 4" area. Thi is for your 'tag'. The panel is a metal panel, and your 'tag' is a magnet (those strip magnets from Micheals or the like). When you join / renew, you get a magnet, or a label to apply to your magnet. You then attach your magnet on the board, beside your frequency (or channel #). That way, you have the channel blocked, and others can see who has the channel blocked (and hunt you donw!).

There are always a few 'extra' magnets on the board, in the center 'waiting' pile. Just grab one if you need. Works just like the card system, or peg system.. Only, you're responcible for your own magnet.

Sometimes we get someone who'se taped off teh frequency, with masking tape (hey, what ever works!) or a clothes pin...


Now, we have an issue with someone blocking the frequency, then leaving it up all day... even when not flying..



An intersting event happened this summer. A new, young student showed up. A great flyer was assigned to help the newbie. (Instructors are in short supply..) She asked him to block his channel. He looked at the board, and saw his channel was blocked. Being a newbie, he figured that meant he was blocked & OK.
"Is your channel blocked?" "Yes, my channel was blocked"
But that was mis-interpreted, it was that it was blocked by someone else. Someone on the flight line....

Needless to say, a few words and cheque handed over for the 're-kitted' stick.

Lesson here, is that the person in charge should have ensured he understood what 'blocked' meant, and verified for themselves that all was OK..

KW_Counter

Skreamer,
Unfortunately, you are both at fault!

You didn't put up an ID, that is part of your procedures and you didn't follow through.
I have a laminated card I use with my name, AMA number and frequency on it and carry it in my flight box. I always have it.

The guest and the instructor are at fault for assuming that there is no pin instead of checking with everyone there. Really poor form on the instructor's part unless missing pins is a normal occurance. If that is the case then the club's Safety Coordiantor is at fault.

At our field before turning on a xmtr we always yell out our channel and everyone responds by yelling their channel. This would have prevented this problem.

Sounds like you guys need to tighten up your controls.

Good Luck,
KW_Counter

Jazzy

Beware! Idiots and attitudes are everywhere!

I think KW is right. Both parties are to blame. I will say though that 75% of the blame lies on the part of the instructor. The guest and his actions are the responsibility of the member sponsoring him.
It would seem that the instructor thought he was a big shot and was showing off for his buddy/guest. Not maintaining proper procedure/protocal was both parties faults but, as an instructor, he should have known better. Topping it all off was his attempt at not loosing face in front of his guest by saying it was your fault.

Definately bring it up at the next meeting! Demand an appology from the instructor for disregarding the rules and puting everyone at the field in jeopardy.

Personally, I don't think anyone there would NOT know how I felt if that happened to me and some moron - instructor or not - said that!

Let us know what happens at the next meeting!

skreamer

My Feedback: (5)

Yeah, my card should have been up there. I'll pay to fix my own stuff. Now that I switched to 2.4 I won't have to worry about it. If the fella would have called out so every one heard this could have been avoided. I'm sure that the instructor did'nt want to look dumb and another member said he apologized to his guest, said he was sorry and would order parts to fix his buddies heli. Complacency is the enemy. I'm sure that by now the news has spread like wild fire and will be hashed to death by the next meeting. I'll try real hard to go to that meeting but am pretty sure I will be out of state at the time. I'll post the outcome when I know. I like seeing the different freq. control in diff. regions.

jetmech05

people do be careful how and what you say at the club meeting...if you bring up a members short comings have the courtsey to do it in private first....if you can resolve the problem then ask if it would bother him to bring it up at the meeting as a teaching tool...if you can't resolve the issue then inform the member you want to get an officer of the club involved..again do this in private...it'll come out soon enough anyway,,,
there is an old rule......always always praise someone publicly.....always always critisize privately
you just might make a friend

BillyGoat

Well since you asked… The frequency control at our field is the same as yours, Take-a-pin with a membership card in the corresponding slot.

We switched to this method a few years ago from the add-a-pin or blocking the frequency as it was called further up in this thread. Under the old system we had several frequency mishaps yearly. Since the switch there have been only a couple.

sscherin

My Feedback: (1)

My Club used a card slot system.. Your AMA card goes in the slot for your frequency

Last month I flew at another club field I was thinking of joining since it's closer to my house.

They pit by frequency and use a pin system. Bring your own pin and pin up the peg for your frequency when you take it out of impound.

After I got setup I asked the other guys in my pit who all is on my frequency.. One of the guys was nice enough to point out who all was on my channel..
That included the guy just heading out to fly a 33% Edge who didn't bother to pin up.

If I hadn't asked around first I would have shot him down.

That plus a few other safety issues that day kept me from joining that club..