Club is trying to launch a drone program!

[LitterBug]

That's the exact opposite of what @sprzout wants you to do! Go build a quad and join his club!

I'd join his club, but it will take days to get to the field when I want to fly.....

 

[cranialrectosis]

Honestly? Our club will probably burn up in the next few years because of its flying site being sold off and a Walmart being put in its place instead. But I want to try and keep the hope alive, rather than just giving up. Otherwise, what's the point of even going out to fly?

Build, fly, crash, repeat.

Everything man builds is destroyed.

But that is why we build.

Because we are man, born with a passion to push the envelope and create and learn and evolve to be better than we started. We are agents of change who cannot deny our nature.

But every act of creation starts with an act of destruction and ends with an act of destruction.

Everything man builds man can rebuild.

Because we built it.

Build fly crash repeat. Try to be better each time. Use the experience to eliminate the fear and push harder.

Because we are man.

And it is man's nature.

If

 

[PsyBorg]

 

["Corpse"]

Build, fly, crash, repeat.

Everything man builds is destroyed.

But that is why we build.

Because we are man, born with a passion to push the envelope and create and learn and evolve to be better than we started. We are agents of change who cannot deny our nature.

But every act of creation starts with an act of destruction and ends with an act of destruction.

Everything man builds man can rebuild.

Because we built it.

Build fly crash repeat. Try to be better each time. Use the experience to eliminate the fear and push harder.

Because we are man.

And it is man's nature.

If

Love it!

 

[cranialrectosis]

This thread is making me too sad! I'm leaving.

Stick around.

RC flight has dips and crashes. But the launches and peaks are worth the whole ride.

 

[Tin Man]

Sounds like we have some work to do.

 

[sprzout]

That's the exact opposite of what @sprzout wants you to do! Go build a quad and join his club!

Exactly. I'm trying to find a way to bring people to the field in a POSITIVE way. Forget what you know; the attitude says that you've got to hide, regardless, and to heck with everyone else. Not really the camaraderie sort of attitude we all want for this hobby, and I hate to say it, but not exactly the FT mentality of fellowship and friendliness.

I look at it like this - if I didn't have my AMA, I wouldn't be able to fly at FliteFest (at least for the time being - that might change, but let's look at it as if nothing changed for these purposes). I live in a state where I'm required to have insurance for my motor vehicles, and a license. Those things are a necessary evil. Having AMA to fly legally? Also a necessary evil, as far as i'm concerned. And I'll keep it up to keep flying because I enjoy getting out and having fun on the weekends, practicing flying, getting better, and enjoying myself. I can't go fly at the parks here in San Diego (at least, not easily) because every park around me has signs specifically stating that the flying of model aircraft is prohibited. So I look at where I CAN fly without being harassed, and it seems like it's getting harder and harder to find a place to fly that's not a club field.

 

[cranialrectosis]

Exactly. I'm trying to find a way to bring people to the field in a POSITIVE way.

I am too.

Just be careful. AMA couldn't help us (we were fully AMA sanctioned with club insurance and all) and our club closed down. We did nothing wrong.

Being right or legal, having AMA insurance and club sponsorship, doesn't always mean you are safe from the state.

Start by asking why they don't already have a club of their own. Did you talk to the city about your plans?

Adding multi-rotors to your club will change your club dramatically. You will encounter problems you never have before. It adds a lot of political pressure and some people react angrily. It happened to us and we were powerless to stop it. It isn't as simple as AMA membership and registration for multi-rotor pilots. Just adding gates and obstacles to fly around may not be enough. It wasn't enough for us or any of the other AMA or Multi-GP multi-rotor clubs in El Paso County.

All those clubs are gone. ALL of them. The fixed wing clubs with multi-rotor bans still fly.

I'm not saying don't ride. I'm saying don't ride without proper safety precautions. This means protecting pilots, spectators AND your club.

We lost our AMA club over this. It sounds like you have a nice club. Don't lose it over multi-rotors.

 

[Timmy]

I'm back.

 

[JasonK]

We lost our AMA club over this. It sounds like you have a nice club. Don't lose it over multi-rotors.

was 'lost it'? was it the AMA pulling your club license, something local, or something else?

 

[cranialrectosis]

Cops showed up at an event we had advertised and started taking photos of all the cars and licence plates in the lot. They didn't stop anyone, arrest anyone or talk to anyone so far as I know but the message was received loud and clear.

Lot cleared out FAST. Membership dropped like a rock. Everyone just bailed and left us with the burgers and sodas and the cleanup.

Our club was 2 years old, had rising membership and was done in one day.

EDIT: I should also add, local club leadership decided to ban multi-rotors to try to save the remains, but it was too late. The fixed wing guys blamed the multi-rotor guys for the whole thing and the good will and half the paying members were gone.

 

[Captain Jay]

Our club, the Palomar RC Flyers out of San Diego, is trying to get an interest in drone flight and attract pilots to the field. We've had pilots come out before, loved the field and area that we have available, but after flying once or twice, they haven't come back out. I'm rather mystified as to why they don't want to continue flying, so I thought I would put it out to various forums and ask:

What would attract you to flying multirotors at a club field?

I know, pretty simple - but it's not something I've been able to nail down on why people don't want to come out and fly multirotors.

I KNOW there have been pilots who have been chased out of locations because they've been diving office buildings and people have nearly been hit; I know there have been people who have been banned from flying in parks or open areas because someone crashed and started a lipo fire. I know there's also been the random "Karen" who's gotten upset at the potential "spying" being done, and law enforcement has been called to chase people out.

So I'm asking (and it doesn't matter whether you live here in California or in another state or even another country - I'm trying to figure out what we can do for our club that would attract and KEEP pilots at our field. We already have a separate drone area, so we don't have to worry about accidentally flying into a helicopter or fixed wing pilot's flight path, and we have gates to fly through if you want to pursue racing. We've got plenty of varied terrain that you can fly over as well, with bushes and trees that you can loop around, over, and under, if you're a freestyle pilot.

So we have a great location, and we've been inviting - but nobody seems to want to fly at our field. So I ask - as a multi rotor pilot, what would attract you to flying at an established flying field?

Drones and drone pilots need their own club. You're a different bread of pilot. Heli and fixed wing pilots don't want anything to do with drones. Never have. Although, I wish I could come check out the field and fly my birds. I'd join because I don't give a shit if heli, drone and fixed wing fly at the same field. Others are very particular about that...

 

[JasonK]

Drones and drone pilots need their own club. You're a different bread of pilot. Heli and fixed wing pilots don't want anything to do with drones. Never have. Although, I wish I could come check out the field and fly my birds. I'd join because I don't give a shit if heli, drone and fixed wing fly at the same field. Others are very particular about that...

What about those of us that find all of them interesting?

 

[JasonK]

Cops showed up at an event we had advertised and started taking photos of all the cars and licence plates in the lot. They didn't stop anyone, arrest anyone or talk to anyone so far as I know but the message was received loud and clear.

Sounds like a possible harassment situation to me.

 

[clolsonus]

Cops showed up at an event we had advertised and started taking photos of all the cars and licence plates in the lot. They didn't stop anyone, arrest anyone or talk to anyone so far as I know but the message was received loud and clear.

Lot cleared out FAST. Membership dropped like a rock. Everyone just bailed and left us with the burgers and sodas and the cleanup.

Our club was 2 years old, had rising membership and was done in one day.

EDIT: I should also add, local club leadership decided to ban multi-rotors to try to save the remains, but it was too late. The fixed wing guys blamed the multi-rotor guys for the whole thing and the good will and half the paying members were gone.

This doesn't make sense to me. I haven't seen anywhere that the actual issue has been described ... why would the cops have shown up? Was there some law being violated (or close to violated?) Were neighbors complaining about noise? I missed seeing the beef. Edit: were the airplane guys brawling with the copter guys?

 

[cranialrectosis]

Sounds like a possible harassment situation to me.

Of course.

Who you gonna call?

Flying a copter is just not a hill everyone wants to die on.

Being legal isn't always enough if you don't have the power to impose the law upon those who are in power. There just aren't enough multi-rotor pilots and the fixed wing pilots aren't going to risk their hobby to help.

But it's not like we went away or stopped flying.

We just have to be VERY careful, particularly when we fly in groups. Creating a new club is just throwing good money after bad.

To be clear. Outside El Paso County Colorado is very different. Multi-GP runs just fine in Denver. There are some good clubs north of Monument Hill. This is a very local thing and things may be very different in San Diego.

I hope they are.

 

[Captain Jay]

What about those of us that find all of them interesting?

Ya, I don't know. I do like all aspect of flying as well. I think the whole FPV thing and noisy 4 rotors constantly whirling not to mention the attitude of a lot of drone pilots are just some of the factors...
I'm not sure there is a middle ground for this...

 

[cranialrectosis]

This doesn't make sense to me. I haven't seen anywhere that the actual issue has been described ... why would the cops have shown up? Was there some law being violated (or close to violated?) Were neighbors complaining about noise? I missed seeing the beef.

We were at one of the private airports, where RC flying still is legal. Our club was between the airport and a HUGE open field where the skydiving club likes to land. It's a private airport and we had permission and tower clearance. I can still fly (fixed wing) at the airport. We just don't have an AMA club anymore.

It is very literally easier to join a club to shoot out to 1000 yards than to fly a copter here. I know. The local range where I am a member won't permit flying of any kind even though automatic rifles and 1000 yd shooting are permitted at the Hannover range. The rifle range out to 300 yards is actually about 10 miles closer to the city than the RC airfield.

I can legally shoot a fully automatic M4 or Kalashnikov easier than I can legally fly a multi-rotor and closer to the city than the drone club used to be (Dragon man).

El Paso County has banned any type of flying or throwing of anything in any park since 2005. I need a permit to throw a frizbee, softball, football or fly a kite in a park here and they only issue permits to leagues (I know because I have called and been denied).

We think the cops just saw the ad and decided to try intimidation. It was 2016 and the FAA was announcing new registration rules and new FPV restrictions and possible bans. Drones were the talk of the day and all the talk was bad. I think they thought they were doing 'right' by 'nipping it in the bud' so to speak.

Just for reference, I am not some long haired, bong toking, cop hater type. I'm a veteran, an RSO at the local range, and I support my local sheriff even if I don't support some of the laws the pols make.

 

[Timmy]

I consider myself a newbie kinda and I was checking out the website of a local club.

Things that put me off:
-The price
-The sheer amount of rules

Things that made me want to join:
-runway
-lots of new flying buddies

The thing is, why would I pay for something I can do free and walk to in 10 mins? Plus I have two flying pals and that's enough for now. People around here seem to be pretty accepting of us flying. As a matter of fact My friend smacked someone and the victim was "alright" with it. Maybe he was lucky. People do see me on approach and don't move out of the way so I have to go around and with for them to pass which is annoying. People will literally be walking straight into my approach path. its like those mindless pedestrians who cross the street on their phone without looking both ways.

 

[Tin Man]

Well most people down here don’t have a clue about drones, they just don’t know, at least that’s been my experience. I think people are just scared of them because they don’t know anything about them. Just think about it your with you family at the park and then some dude shows up with strange containers and a strange thing with blades on it with some sort of camera on it and it’s loud and fast and then they call the sharif because they are worried about the kids. Which probably means we have to educate our society about them, and how do we do that you ask? I don’t have a clue.