Is F3p dangerous?
 

Recently I've been told and subsequently banned from flying F3p in my neighborhood, even if there are no cars and obviously no people present. my question is then, can F3P be regarded as dangerous? I'm trying to get an okay to fly in my schools gym, but it seems my school board also deems it as dangerous. Are their claims real, or is it just me trying to deny that flying 2m/s foamies are dangerous.

Alex, I suppose F3P planes could be dangerous if you were in a location where someone could be hit by the prop. I never fly in an area that is not 'controlled' or kids can get to without supervision. F3P planes are very light and slow but in the right circumstances could injure someone. My guess is the people you are trying to work with don't really understand the risks (or lack of) relative to other activities in gymnasiums. Properly managed/supervised, F3P should not be a dangerous activity.

Perhaps you could show those in charge a few videos of the F3P planes in flight, how slow they are, how light they are and work out a way to demonstrate what you are wanting to do.

Woodie

that is what I'm thinking of doing. My school is very busy, but I should be able to find open spaces in the schedule during the weekend. I'm also planning of showing them one in real life as well

How does someone ban you from flying a 5 ounce model in your neighborhood?

I would say the easiest way is for an HOA board to vote "No"...

FWIW... I wonder if the influence of the heli pilot getting killed in New York plays into this. It is recent enough to spark hesitation in anyones mind that doesn't understand.

With that said, I agree... Even a foamie is dangerous and the weirdest fluke, with odds less than being struck by lightening, could be fatal... With that said it is a reach IF all precautions are taken, like no spectators in the flying area and a safe zone clearly marked for spectators.

More could go wrong at a flying field for the larger planes than a F3P in a gym...

I suspect people are very sensitive given the recent loss of a RC Heli Pilot.

The other thought is if they approve F3P, then who is right behind you with a Heli... I would be willing to bet a Public school would error on the side of caution... They don't want to be the next school getting unpopular attention...

This is going to sound really harsh and to the point. No sugar coating. If you are sensitive to other people's opinion and lack of political correctness, stop reading now, hit the back button and forget of what I said.

So if you are still here reading, you are willing to hear what I have to say. Here we go.......


I can;t help it but to read between the lines. You have been told........ And subsequently banned....... So you were politely asked to stop, and somebody had to intervene and flat out ban you from performing an activity. An activity that in your mind is harmless. Any type of RC has it's risks. Of course some more than others. Flat Foam type aircraft carry a lot less risk than a nitro burning 700 sized helicopter with carbon blades (the guy in NY was flying an electric 700 FYI). But the risk is there anyway.

It seems to me like your approach has more to do with the outcome than the request itself. This is all based on the "reading between the lines" and has nothing against you personally. If the verbage in the initial post is incorrect, then my entire post is based in a fallacy, and can be ignored.

Hope you are still reading, and not remembering my mother.

Rafael

I would tell the m to go to hell. More freedom lost daily.

I wasn't told many times, just once and banned after that. I just finished building an f3p plane and then did some small circles in the neighborhood during the early evening to do a trim flight. I then got in trouble for this two minute flight.

Wow! Didn't hear about that RC Heli Pilots death. It's not often that people die in the RC community due to this type of accident. After reading the newspaper articles, it seems that this individual was quite at home taking risks. Sometimes it goes wrong. Such a shame for his family to witness such an incident too.

Down under, our governing body has instigated a rule that 3D and heli flying is to be 9m away from the pilot. People still ignore the rule though so it's only a matter of time before an accident occurs IMHO.

Regarding F3P, I used to run some indoor events here in Sydney. The main factor for the host was insurance. For this reason only insured pilots were allowed to fly and safety briefings were held before the start of flying. Our governing body (MAAA) also has a guideline for indoor events. http://d1070190-1981.myweb.westnetho...OOR-FLYING.pdf

Once the facility host sees that you are a responsible group of people and have insurance, their reservations will diminish.

Cheers,
Jason.

3D and Heli flying only 9 meters away? That's 30 feet. Are you allowed more space than that or are you only supposed to fly at 9 meters and that's it? It seems awful close to me especially when the pilots are not known.

Just this past weekend at our club's end of summer party, we had an IMAC guy flying 3D at the far side of the runway. That's was 100 feet away and way too close. Luckily no accidents happened

I think he was try to state that the closest a pilot is allowed to bring the aircraft by rules is a minimum of 9 meters between pilot and flyable airspace.

Hi Matt,

The 9m is the closest you're supposed to 3D or Hover a heli to other pilots or people. All RC flying is supposed to be minimum 30m from the public.
We've had the situation where people are hovering models above their head which is only one mistake away from either hurting themselves or the bloke standing next to him. Even the best 3D or heli pilots make mistakes. It goes with the territory. I suppose this is why events like the Tucson shootout have the pilots stand on the far edge of the runway...

With regards to indoor F3P models, space is at a premium so the 9m rule is impractical. They do however suggest a line limiting where flying is to occur.

Cheers,
Jason.

I can't see how you can be banned from flying a 5 oz foamy in your neighbourhood. It's ridiculous. Who done the banning, on what grounds and how are they going to enforce it anyway?

Has anyone thought about the fire potential from a shorted lipo? How about the traffic hazard from rubberneckers trying to drive and watch you fly at the same time? There are many more dangers then accidentally hitting someone with the airplane.

I could fight Neighborhood security or whatever, but I'm 17 and don't want to screw up now. Anyways I see it as them taking a loss, not able to see me fly :) My neighborhood is very quiet and I live in a dead end, so cross traffic never comes through, just my neighbors in the evening and early morning. Things are looking good with my school though, as I showed them that what I'm flying isn't dangerous at all.

You sound like a good young man with your head on your shoulders. I think you are wise to come on this forum and ask the questions you have and take the position you are.

The best advice I can give you now is to contact the AMA and ask to talk to somebody. I'm willing to bet that someone will step up to assist you with your efforts at school and make certain it is done in the best interest of the hobby.

Good luck with you efforts.

Larry Diamond

I'm lucky, My HOA is very tolerant. It allows foamie flying in my front yard, electric, glow, and gas model flying across the road in a vacant lot, and firearms practice in my back yard. Neighbors never complain either. LOL
Dave

I fly up to 42" foamies (F3P and freestyle) in my neighborhood almost daily. The HOA hasn't said anything yet but have appeared to nitpick minor things about my house in the past. I try to choose a flight path that avoids obvious dangers but there still is an element of risk. If I get any friction I plan to stop immediately. Sure is convenient to come home from work, step out the front door and catch a flight though. I will say the least of my concerns is LOC

You know what's kinda odd about the safety rules. There're some rules that don't apply if flying indoors, like touching a plane in flight or distance to pilot. But, technically those rules do apply flying outside even when flying a plane that normally would be flown indoors. So if you fly an F3P plane outdoors, you are supposed to follow the same rules as a larger plane. Doesn't really make much sense but there's no way to define an indoor plane flown outdoors.

Yet another fatal incident http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...rol-plane.html

Fatal accidents were being discussed at my flying field yesterday. One of the guys mentioned this tragic incident. Apparently a long standing local club utilises the park for RC flying.

With all these accidents, perhaps it's time to stand back and take a good look at what we are doing especially where the public has shared access.

Cheers,
Jason.