What's new
Van's Air Force

Don't miss anything! Register now for full access to the definitive RV support community.

POLL...Remote control planes verses airparks

F

flybynight55

Member
Hi, guys... It may sound a little silly but i was wandering how many of you guys fly remote control model planes too.

My story is this... I recently purchased a lot in an airpark with a grass strip. Was ready to build a home and hangar. Mentioned to a future neighbor (airpark resident) that i looked forward to flying my models after i built my hangar and he went ballistic..LOL.. Needless to say an emergency home owners association (unofficially) meeting was called and it was decided to pass an ordinance banning rc model flying. 3 days later i sold the parcel of land to that same guy that started the fued.. I would like to know how many of you guys fly rc models and what your opinion is on the subject... I undertsand some of the concerns, but my opinion is that a model airplane in the hands of a skilled rc'er is as safe as a full scale plane and pilot.. I could come up with just as many concerns about full size planes. I saw this same guy take a friends wife up in his plane after having several "social" drinks..Just my thoughts and opinion...Thanks, Tom in Ga.
 
flybynight55 said:
my opinion is that a model airplane in the hands of a skilled rc'er is as safe as a full scale plane and pilot.. I could come up with just as many concerns about full size planes.
Click to expand...
While true, there are a lot of people who see you fly your RC with lots of skill and run out and buy an RC plane only to smash it into someone's house or plane. How do you determine if someone is a "skilled rc'er"?

At my airport, RC planes are allowed and I wish they weren't! One guy was out flying his RC when I pulled my plane out, loaded up, started up and started back taxing. I stopped and waited for him to move his plane. All he did was fly it higher so I could taxi under. This was NOT cool and I made my feelings known to the airport owner. Now they have to land the things when an airplane is operating on the field. He too was a very "skilled rc'er", just not a bright one.

BTW, I like RC planes but I have to agree, not at airports. What if your radio signal was jammed and you hit another plane? Sure you could pay to fix it but then the guy has damage history AND he can't use his plane until it is fixed.

flybynight55 said:
I saw this same guy take a friends wife up in his plane after having several "social" drinks..
Click to expand...
If that was the case, it is your responsibility to call the authorities. How would you have felt if this guy killed your friend's wife and you did nothing to stop it?
 
I probably won't fly any of my RC planes around an airport with planes parked along the runway. I couldn't afford to pay for the repairs. But if the planes land and go to their house then maybe I might fly. I fly my RC planes in my neighborhood, well mostly behind my house over the marshes. I don't think I would want to dent anybodies plane.
 
understand concerns

i understand and agree with with the concerns so far. I guess my point is> if your going to let me live in your airpark and accept my ability and sense of "responsibilty" to fly a full scale airplane with maybe only a 100 or so feet from your plane, home, family, etc. then why not set some rules and also accept the same for flying an rc plane. I know each airport is different from the next, but most of the airparks that i have visited, mostly grass, are not exactly what i would call "active". I was at the airpark mentioned above for about 4 or 5 months and never saw but 2 planes leave the ground. Of course i was not there all the time. Most of the planes are in a hangar and are not airworthy anyway(being worked on or being built). The other thing that bothered me was none of the residents seemed to have a problem with their dogs running up and down the runway or they themselves driving golf carts up and down and across the runway at all times of the day to visit each other. The dog thing was a real concern for me, but i figured, what the heck, i'm out of here anyway..Besides, the homeowners meetings were nothing but fueds about the rules and who and what new rules were needed..I don' think i am a "homeowners association" kind of guy anyway..I too used to living on my own acreage and minding my own business... LOL
 
Reminds me of an episode of Wings to Adventure where Bruce Bohannon is flying his full scale cub while his passenger is controlling a 1/4 scale cub model and they are flying in formation!
Of course, he owns his airstrip.
Whatever happened to Wings to Adventure anyway?
 
When you live on your own property out in the middle of nowhere you can fly your RV. Ride your dirt bikes with no muffler. Shoot your gun. Crank your stereo. Let your kids run wild. Let your dog run wild. Dump your garbage in the yard. Let the grass grow. Let the weeds grow. Run the rivet gun at 3am. Spray paint and let it drift. Burn trash in a barrel. And yes fly your radio controlled airplane!

If you choose to live in military base housing, a gated community, on a golf course, waterfront, view, or airpark type properties you must accept a higher level of responsibility. You must limit your activity from what you could do in the middle of nowhere. These "specialized" communities are interesting in that they bring out agitators and agitates. Much more so than a track home in Vanilla estates subdivision, Anytown USA.

When someone pays the premium to live in a "specialized" community they have a higher expectation. If you fly a radio controlled airplane it could easily been seen as a physical and financial threat. You are just asking for trouble. Don't be an agitator.

Likewise if you do buy a "specialized" property accept what it is. Don't buy on a golf course and get ticked off finding balls in the yard or a broken window once in a while. Don't buy waterfront and then get ticked when someone goes by making waves causing your boat to rub against the dock. Don't buy on an airpark and get ticked off when someone with a C/S amphib is doing a 6am takeoff. Don't be an agitatee.
 
Last edited:
dont know but

the insurance provided has such limitations that i doubt it would pay off if you had an accident. i have flown r/c at an airpark and it made the pilots very uneasy. there main gripe was they never kenw where i was and my planes were faster than theirs and would out climb them.never did it though, i always stayed very clear of them. i understood and quit flying there....several members and the airpark owner regularly flew r/c. but the complaints soon outweighed the flyers.... some just didnt want to come out and complain for a bit but jumped in on the group dynamic thing. i dont think i would want r/c near my stuff either. i can see without any problem why they would not want to allow it...like the old man told me, if you dont like the rules dont join the club.

and yes to all th reasons to live in the sticks...now my neighbors think "those little toy planes will scare the horses.....1000 ft away minimum. why is it everyone else can do what they want to do but you cant??????? i hate the smell of horse ****...i guess i should try to get them to stop feeding their horses. they dont even seem to mind riding through the yard and leaving little presents for me. they stop my flyin,,,,they have to find another route to the trails. it would be a shame for them to have trailer their horses across the street.i call it peaceful coexistance .BTW they are very nice folks...

 
Last edited:
Why yes, yes I do.

I fly RC at my airpark home but mostly just electrics. If there is anyone in the pattern, taxiing or starting up. I land. Period. I fly close, tight and quiet (acro/3D). Sometimes we have hours with nothing on the runway or the pattern, so I get in a few rc flights and call it quits. I don't operate near the runway, just in front of my house or even further away back towards another non-airpark subdivision where there are no aircraft at all. Neighbors have come out to watch and enjoy the show and no complaints have been noted. A buddy of mine also flies electric pattern/acro ships and helos. No complaints either. You just have to been respectful, talk it over and be reasonable. You can only hope the other guy/gal will also behave in a similar fashion. I'm blessed with very friendly neighbors who love aviation in all it's forms.

It's unfortunate you sold the lot. With some further negotiations, it might have turned around for you. Then, maybe not. Non rc savvy people can be hard to deal with. The city sponsored RC park in town has been threatened numerous times by people who chose to build a house RIGHT NEXT TO IT and then complained about the noise.

Why does this sound so familiar...
 
I think it boils down to which "click" you're in. We trust our fellow pilots because they are pilots. Got a license, had all that training. But watch out for them ultralight guys! Or R/C, in this case. We have R/C'ers put on an airshow during our Airport Awareness day. There is always someone who wants to break what few rules we have them follow, and someone else to take his side. It isn't any wonder that we are dubious. R/C'ers are to pilots what pilots are to chicken farmers--something else to be afraid of. (We have BIG chicken farms here. Don't EVER buzz one! And, no, I haven't.)

Don't take any of this personally, as you may well be totally "in control" of your planes. It is just a lack of trust, plus they don't want someone who would not be so safety minded to think it open to them, also.

A couple of years ago a golf course opened on the same section of land as our airport. So far, no dented planes that I know of, but coming down final and seeing a golf cart crossing the runway isn't pleasant. Life is a narrow road if we want acceptance. Walk straight.

Bob Kelly
 
I almost hit one on downwind once, and I was at the proper alt. Apparently there is a field by the airport; I don't like it one bit, they are much better places to fly rc airplanes. While you're paying attention at your airplane, another one can come in and create a hazardous situation. The pilot will likely be looking out for much bigger airplanes and might not see yours.
I understand that you try to be safe, but the fact is that rc flying near an airport does increase the risk for real airplanes.
 
R/C vs full sized planes

I have been flying R/C aircraft for the last 25 years and I have flown my R/C aircraft at an airport. Now that I'm a pilot of real aircraft, I would never do it again.

The AMA (Academy of model Aeronautics) has a rule that NO R/C aircraft can be flown within one mile of any airport by any of its membership. This rule should apply to all R/C aircraft whether under AMA rules (for members) or not. Anything can go wrong regardless of how "skilled" the R/C pilot may be.
 
Little ones

I live in a very unique airpark, P19. It is very urban with a World Class shopping mall and every restaurant known to man within 5 minutes. So, we really couldn't fly RC much anyway. We also have a rule in the CCR's that prohibit RC.

With the advent of the small electrics, there are many of us that fly here. We don't fly on the parallel taxiway or runway but on our perpendicular taxiways. Never close to the where full size planes fly.

At our annual open house we do a helicopter demo and I've flown a 40% Extra. No full size activity during this however.

We have an official City sponsored flying site only about 1 mile from the airpark. It is for small electrics and helicopters only.

I am the local representative for the AMA and had to chase a couple of people off that thought it would be okay to fly a .40 sized trainer off the taxiway. I guided them to the local flying fields.

RC and airplanes can coexist with proper guidelines and cooperation of everyone.
 
The airpark that I have my personnal experience with has some of the most paranoid, control freak(IMO) people living on it that I've ever known of (they are the vocal minority, however). There was a skydiving operation there (the reason the airport came into existance) and about a half dozen of R/C pilots, myself included. In 20+ years, there was never any property or personnal damage caused by either the skydiving or R/C flying, yet they forced the skydiving operation off of the airport, and mysteriously, 3-4 R/C pilots have had radio interference the last times they've flown, with zero instances in the past. All of the jumping and R/C flying took place opposite the traffic pattern over a 20 acre field.

Typically, it seemed the people that complained most were the people that flew least. One property owner complained about the smell of Jet A from the jump planes that were there operating long before he bought his house:rolleyes: Stuff like this does get under my skin- it's the typical "move onto or near an airport and complain about airplane noise" syndrome, except they express concerns of liability, property values, and personnal safety. Personally, I'd rather have an R/C airplane run into my house or plane than have a full size airplane do the same.......

Sorry for the rant:eek:
 
Thanks for the rant

Wow, for a moment i thought i was all alone on this subject..LOLOL I appreciate your viewpoint and agree whole heartedly. But at the same time i understand and respect everyone elses opinion that have contributed..And i respected the airpark in question, thats why i sold my lot back... Thanks, Tom in Ga.
 
1:1 Scale said:
and mysteriously, 3-4 R/C pilots have had radio interference the last times they've flown, with zero instances in the past.
Click to expand...

Every time an R/C pilot crashes ........... it's radio interference.. :D

As I've also flown many years with R/C; and I do believe that large planes and small ones --- don't mix! R/C at the air park = bad idea.

L.Adamson --- RV6A
 
There's no blanket AMA prohibition against flying near airports. The rule states no flying above 400 feet within 3 miles of an airport without notifying the airport manager. Otherwise you have no insurance. We have R/C, skydivers, gliders, ultralights, and airplanes at my field and it seems to work out.
 
S21 is a High End Resort

I think it is important for people reading this post to know that S21 is a high end resort community, not just an airpark. The airport is public use, privately owned and managed by the resort. Not sure how many homes are in the resort, but I would guess several thousand, if not ten thousand, the airpark being a very small section of the resort, and away from the major developments.

I know people in the airpark and I would suggest that it is very different than most airpark communities. The median home price in the airpark has to be well over $1M, highly geared towards the retired wealthy.

The airpark taxiways are long and quite removed from the main runway.
However, that said, I could not imagine anyone wanting to fly RC airplanes anywhere near the multimillion dollar private jets that frequent this airport. This airport also has a high density of transient traffic, myself included, as a popular spot for lunch, golf, or fishing...

Not trying to stir anything up as I have mixed feelings, but felt this needed to have this perspective.
http://www.sunriver-resort.com/sunriver-airport.php
 
We may have met?

1:1 Scale said:
No worries:) I actually don't live on the airport, just under the traffic pattern, so keep the noise down please... J/K:D
Click to expand...

I flew in with two other Rv's for lunch. Perhaps it was you that I met? I have the white red/gray 6.
 
Insurance?

I used to fly RC at my (underused) city airport when airplanes weren't flying. Then I went to watch an RC meet and one of the guys lost control and flew his plane into the door of the parked car just behind MY car! Put a massive dent and scrape in the door. Brings up the question on the odds of the RC'er having the capability to repair $thousands in damage to an airplane? And my guess is that blue plastic will NOT protect against a direct hit!!:D
 
mbell said:
There's no blanket AMA prohibition against flying near airports. The rule states no flying above 400 feet within 3 miles of an airport without notifying the airport manager. Otherwise you have no insurance. We have R/C, skydivers, gliders, ultralights, and airplanes at my field and it seems to work out.
Click to expand...


Oops - Sorry about that gang:eek:. mbell, you're right, I was thinking of something else all together.;)
 
My -.02 cents

Tom:

First let me set the stage and define my biases -- I am an avid RCer. I have flown for 20 years. My strongest interests are large aerobatic planes (30-40%) and turbine jets. I host an annual RC jet event at a full scale airport with the full support of the town, airport management and flying community. During the event we close one of the runways, restructure the traffic pattern and provide unicom advisories for three days so that our 200 mph jets can tear holes in the sky safely.

I am also a gung ho private pilot. I don't have as many full scale hours (500) as I do RC hours, but I am reasonably proficient.

All that said, I would never dream of flying any of my RCs at an airport or airpark without the consent of those who control and utilize the airport AND controls in place that assure dedicated, separated airspace for the two types of aircraft. If you can get your neighbors to agree to times that you can fly your RCs without interfering with full scale operations and without endangering their property, then that's great. However, it sounds like your airpark was designed not as a shared use airpark but solely for the use of full scale airplanes. Unfortunately if that is the case then you have to live with the desire of your neighbors that you not fly your RCs.

Best of luck either convincing your neighbors to let you fly or finding an airpark that is more welcoming to those of us who enjoy flight in yet another form -- RC aviation.

It's unfortunate that your neighbors don't realize that aviation in all forms should be encouraged. As I say every year to the full scale pilots who come to watch my event -- you never know which of the kids watching this show will be the next Blue Angel pilot (many are RCers), astronaut (John Glenn flew models), commercial airline pilot -- or just one of us average joe GA pilots.

Antony
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top