Safety, Rules and General Guidelines for
Safe Flying
There are no hard and fast rules (except for one!), but
mainly common sense guidelines to ensure the safety of yourself
and others.
Rules
Rule 1: You must have valid insurance before using the flying
field.
Safety Guidelines
Field Access
Try to keep you speed to 30kph on the road approaching the field. This is to preserve the surface!
If you see a visitor arriving at the field, guide them to the pits area. Special care should be taken if there are your children present. They should be supervised at all times to make sure they are not in any danger.
Equipment and starting your engine.
If you have a new plane, especially if it is your first and you are inexperienced, have an experienced flyer check it out before attempting to fly. Make sure everything is secure and not liable to come loose because of vibration. Alter your first flight with a new plane, repeat these checks. Its amazing what can come loose.... engine mounting bolts, servos, ailerons!
Do bring along all the equipment you might need
Don't fly
alone. A helper is invaluable. Here are a few things a helper
can be used for:
Get your helper to hold your model while you
start it.
This stop you having to reach round behind the prop to
take off your glow-clip.
A helper is essential if you need to
perform a range check
If your your model goes down far away, a
helper can guide you to its possible location.
To hold you model
at 45 degrees while you test your engine prior to flying
To keep
an eye out for visitor while you are flying to ensure they are
not in any danger
Always turn on your transmitter before you turn on the plane.
Most people use 2.4G so Peg Boards are not used. If you are using 35MHz please make sure no one else is before you switch on your radio.
For the first flight of a members plane, the member will be given sole use the the sky.
Have somebody hold your model while starting.
Never reach around to 1) remove the glow clip or 2) make engine adjustments. These should be done from behind the propellor, or by your assistant
Don't stand in line with a running propeller, especially when its starting. Engines, especially 4-stoke, can “throw” a propellor, causing injury.
Flying
Don't fly over parked cars Don't fly overhead. It makes it difficult to control a model.
If your engine cuts during flight, shout “DEADSTICK”. All other fliers should then give you priority for landing.
When you are about to land, shout “LANDING”. This warns other about your intention to land, and make sure the field is clear of models about to take off or spectators. If you hear somebody call “LANDING”, and you have started your engine, stop it immediately. This is to allow the person landing to hear whether his engine is running
Once you model has landed, the engine should be cut. The model should then be retrieved immediately, preferably by an assistant. The assistant should turn off the model and then call “OFF”. Only then should the transmitter be turned off.
If a model you are
flying is likely to collide with a person / car / animal, then
ditch (i.e. Crash) the model rather than cause injury. Models
are replaceable, people aren't.