Public parks...?

[Longbaorder23]

Hey all,
not quite positive if this is quite the right place to put this, but its relevant to everyone and their local parks. Ive noticed recently atleast that public parks are becoming more strict on rc models in a park? Ive been flying a miniquad in an *almost empty park* and no one complained, and the rangers kicked me out. I complied, as i always do, but really? I live in the Bellevue region of washington state, if any of you fliers live around here, Im looking for more flying buddies! But the Bellevue parks system, according to their exact regulations, you cant fly or drive ANY remote control device in ANY park. everything from an airhogs 50g tiny plane to a little brushless rc car. they will KICK YOU OUT. i mean jeez, you can be safe, its so annoying. There is next to no where for me to fly without worrying that someone will call the police on me, it even happened to me and a friend, *at the actual rc flying field*...... WHO? WHY? my local actual flying field in the summer is overrun by the "biggest soccer complex west of the mountains", so those children sleep at the field and play 24/7, Im left with no where to go. Id almost consider finding a business that owns a nice plot of land, and setting up some sort of deal with them, like a "i dont break anything and dont interfere, you guys let me fly here when i please" kind of deal.

Kind of rant-ish of me, but more onto local solutions. Especially for those like myself who live close to cities, and around a sizable number of airports. What do you guys do? Where do you guys go? Ive found some schools are good places in the summer, cus no ones there, and again as long as you dont break stuff, youre good haha. But other places??

If anyone is local and is up for a fly, that would be rad.

-LB

 

[FlyingMonkey]

I think what we need is a standardized letter that can be submitted to county or city officials asking why we're not allowed to use the parks the same way as other citizens. Something outlining the fact that ours is a very safe hobby, and requesting guidelines that can easily be met by us. If we violate those rules, then yes, kick us out, but until then, we shouldn't be excluded anymore than people with (insert hobby or sport that could pose a risk to others such as frisbees, baseballs, dogs, etc.) which are allowed in the parks.

 

[Longbaorder23]

Who would assemble such a thing? It's a great idea, but it needs to pack a punch if it's going to do anything. Meaning, it's gotta be signed by many people, or be submitted a lot to make it happen...

 

[nerdnic]

Fred isn't talking about a petition, but rather a well written letter that anyone can use. As a community we could write it for anyone to use in such a case like this.

So who would assemble it? You

 

[Longbaorder23]

I could draft such a thing haha. though my writing is quite bad, id present it for revisions of course. maybe i will! would it be more of an informative kind of letter rather than a request to change something?

 

[PeterGregory]

Some places actually welcome you. The Hudson Valley Radio Control Club in Haverstraw, NY http://www.hvrcc.com/ has become a big part of their town. They fly overlooking the Hudson on a retired land fill. There are standpipes off to the side (methane releases) but I don't think the flyers figure they interfere. The town is glad for the area to have a use, and they have an upcoming Haverstraw Airshow (models only).

Schools especially during the summer when they're closed
Landfills
Old quarries
Industrial parks with open land

Get a map of muni/county parks in your area. Sometimes there are remnant spaces not really used. I know of a northern NJ group that seems to have gotten in the good graces of a town and have tacit permission to fly in a lightly-used park.

If you have to tie it into education, try that. Work out a deal with the town/county to form a club and bring people into the sport.

Of course, getting a bunch of fliers, putting some money in a pot to lease a field may be your best option.

Just a few ideas.

 

[Longbaorder23]

being that i live in seattle, i figured there would be way more than just one *free* field for rc flight, and more than one club around here... Ive always been so close to trying to form a small amateur club of my own, because im sick of how the management around here is. the only other rc club is a paid and very corrupt place, and they just have so many dumb rules, gah. highy uninterested in joining their club. I just need to figure out whos in my area...

Landfills seem like a good try, i havent looked there yet. Does anyone like, watch those places? or is it just an expanse with methane pipes? In my area, its really a "dont get seen, dont get caught" kind of deal, because everyone hates model flyers here, so my best bets are places that arent watched...

 

[bstanley72]

....because im sick of how the management around here is. the only other rc club is a paid and very corrupt place, and they just have so many dumb rules, gah. highy uninterested in joining their club. I just need to figure out whos in my area...

What is your basis for making this claim? There was a guy on here the other day ranting about a local club. How they had so many rules etc. Turns out he had never actually gone to the club, just basing his opinion on what he saw on the website. A few of us in his thread encouraged him to go check out the club. Guess what, he had a blast. It wasn't anything like he thought it would be. I've seen this happen over on RCG as well.

If you actually do have previous experience with this club then you can find another. I just did a search for clubs around a random zip code in Seattle and came up with 14 within 25 miles. Surely you can find a club with like minded individuals.

If a club won't do then Google Earth is a wonderful tool for scoping out potential flying sites.

 

[FlyingMonkey]

What is your basis for making this claim? There was a guy on here the other day ranting about a local club. How they had so many rules etc. Turns out he had never actually gone to the club, just basing his opinion on what he saw on the website. A few of us in his thread encouraged him to go check out the club. Guess what, he had a blast. It wasn't anything like he thought it would be. I've seen this happen over on RCG as well.

I can be a bit of a "club basher" myself, but bstanley has a valid point. Also, you might just go on the day that the wrong person is there. Every club will have it's bad eggs. Don't discredit a club based on just one person you meet there.

We need clubs, and we need good people in those clubs. Because without them, we'll lose our flying fields, and we won't be able to fly in parks either. Pretty soon we'll have nice static models that might have been able to fly.

 

[Longbaorder23]

I guess its true, i havent been in there with the pilots myself, but im almost certain they dont allow FPV of any kind, as far as im aware. Id need to do a "licensing test" as well, and pay to go there. it doesnt seem much like my kind of place... bstanley, where did you search for those clubs? Ive never seen one. and ive spent many days driving around, googling, and scoping places out. The other park i DO fly at is wonderful, except for when soccer runs it over for months on end. There, they originally had an FPV ban, it was on a giant sign, but it got removed or someone removed them all, and there was no trouble or anyone getting in trouble or anything.

 

[jhitesma]

Schools especially during the summer when they're closed

Depends on where you live. Where I grew up in Ohio the schools all had open property, if there were fences they had either no gates or unlocked gates and no keep out signs. There were no regulations against public use of the school grounds and as kids we'd often ride our bikes over and play on the school playgrounds or use the fields.

Here in AZ though. The school grounds are all fenced, with gates that are locked and signs warning no trespassing

It was quite a shock to me when I moved here and discovered that. Not sure if it's a state law or just local or even if it's just convention and not an actual law. But it seems in AZ public school grounds are off limits to the public which just seems very backwards to me as a taxpayer and parent.

 

[gordynic]

I use the local park most of the time , but there are some awkward people there who want to use my airfield to play football (soccer) on the soccer pitches, or in the summer months they even play cricket, how very dare they!!!!... and don't get me started on the dog walkers , walking accross MY runway, anyone would think it was a public space..............and breathe!!!!
actually , in the summer months (whenever that is in Scotland between rain , and hurricane force winds)I usually go ther very early in the morning or late in the evening when it's pretty empty, usually just me and the odd dear

 

[Tritium]

Depends on where you live. Where I grew up in Ohio the schools all had open property, if there were fences they had either no gates or unlocked gates and no keep out signs. There were no regulations against public use of the school grounds and as kids we'd often ride our bikes over and play on the school playgrounds or use the fields.

Here in AZ though. The school grounds are all fenced, with gates that are locked and signs warning no trespassing

It was quite a shock to me when I moved here and discovered that. Not sure if it's a state law or just local or even if it's just convention and not an actual law. But it seems in AZ public school grounds are off limits to the public which just seems very backwards to me as a taxpayer and parent.

Jason at least you have many miles of desert to fly in.

Thurmond

 

[ika]

I think I know which park you're talking about with the soccer infestation I sometimes go there at 7am and there's no one there except the occasional tumpet player practising reveille. You just have to dodge the goal posts and pack up when the soccer crowd starts showing up.

 

[CrossedUpChris]

from my fairly limited experience flying in public parks in england I find that people react very differently to fixed wing and Quads. Whenever people see me flying my plane they always come over and speak to me very enthusiastically about it and say how much they want one - its normally teenage lads.

However when flying a quad that my friend had lent us (not even FPV) we got some dodgy looks from people as though we were spying on them. the kids themselves don't seem to care but some of the parents reactions were akin to that of someone who has been brain-washed by the media surrounding "drones".

My number one go-to place is a cricket field owned by a private club in the village i where i used to live as a kid. There is plenty of space, the grass is kept nice and short and i keep away from the parts where the wickets are as they like to keep them in tip-top condition. its about a 10 min drive out of the town where i now live and its quite rural but its definitely worth it for stress free flying.

I guess you don't have much cricket in america, but maybe try to find a privately owned sports field and see if you can speak to the groundsman or something.

so long as you are friendly, show respect to their grounds (like keeping away from the wickets) and don't get in the way of them using it for its primary function i wouldn't have thought they would have a problem.

 

[bhursey]

I guess its true, i havent been in there with the pilots myself, but im almost certain they dont allow FPV of any kind, as far as im aware. Id need to do a "licensing test" as well, and pay to go there. it doesnt seem much like my kind of place... bstanley, where did you search for those clubs? Ive never seen one. and ive spent many days driving around, googling, and scoping places out. The other park i DO fly at is wonderful, except for when soccer runs it over for months on end. There, they originally had an FPV ban, it was on a giant sign, but it got removed or someone removed them all, and there was no trouble or anyone getting in trouble or anything.

License test? You mean AMA? Clubs will normally allow FPV if you follow the guidelines set by AMA. which means a spotter and flying LOS. Why is this bad? Rules are meant to be there for safety. I was a member of a club for close to 6 years on the 90s. I am back into RC after 13 years. I am planning on joining local clubs. Some people at clubs can have a old school opinion. However some are warming up to new technologies. Normally you can visit clubs as long as you have AMA and fly. It is a Wonderfull place to meet other pilots. Believe me it is more fun to fly with a group of pilots than by your self. Pack a cooler, go out on a Saturday and fly. I actually fly many a total combined time of 30 min to an hour spread out. The rest is sitting around chatting with people and enjoying watching others fly. You can learn allot from clubs. One thing to however look into the clubs. See if they are nothing but huge gassers or a mix. Although some of the gasser clubs are getting more welcoming to electric. My old club was gass and in the 90s the majority of people switch to electric. My club was Fayyet Flyers and was actually the ones who started SEFF "south eastern electric fun fly" FT has been to it many times.

Try to visit a club you won't be sorry. Normally FPV is done at low times.. and always have a spotter. Im sure another pilot would be yours if you ask.

See the FPV rules here. I would actually suggest always following them.. https://www.modelaircraft.org/files/550.pdf

 

[makattack]

People are generally a reactive bunch... not to over generalize too much, but that's just what I observed in the recent evolution of FPV at my club. At first, there were so few FPV flyers at my club (CRRC) that it wasn't really given more of a thought other than it was kind of a novelty and let's just make sure these guys don't tangle with the winch lines (CRRC members love soaring).

Then, one day, while the president was out at the main field flying, he witnessed non-members / FPV multirotors getting into a predicament:

* People stepping on each other on the FPV 5.8GHz frequency
* Mini quad flyers flying into more expensive AP quads because they weren't aware of their presence (a DIY miniquad and DJI Phantom running into each other) -- both non members.

As a result of this, he brought this up at the next meeting and we discussed putting up a FPV frequency board and instructions on how to check for an available band (power VRX before VTX, etc) along with warnings about it being an AMA sanctioned field where AMA FPV rules need to be adhered to. Not that we would necessarily be draconian about enforcing the rules, because that's just not what the club culture is about -- but just that it be posted so that people are aware and fly safely. We have plenty of full, responsible members who still don't fly with spotters and fly beyond visual range despite the rules... they just don't do it when the field is crowded or if conditions just make it a safety concern.

We share a field with another club where there are fewer mixed users (no dog walkers, etc) -- it's on public land but has a locked gate, pilot stations, field pits, etc, and people there generally are more concerned because they fly more expensive gas powered/large scale planes. When I fly FPV there, I have to gauge the situation based on who's there and fly accordingly. It's just all about adjusting to the conditions.

 

[thenated0g]

Remember that you can fly in national forests, just not national parks.
I fly at baseball fields and parks and havent had any problems yet. By my work we have 2 empty lots that i use.
Only time i was told NO was at a local damn with my slope version of a versa. I was told "no drones" allowed. Like im going to be packing enough explosives to take out a damn. But some guy walking in with an 80lb backpack that could actually do some damage.. thats ok. anyways

My 2 cents on the Club bashing. I just went to my first Fun fly day at the local club. I had the general bad impression ahead of time that one gets if you only know about clubs from forum posts. Ahead of time i checked out the website so knew it was a bunch of "super old dudes" and went with one fpv plane for show but no plans to do fpv. Ends up they were doing fpv rides all day for the public. I had one of the best flying days yet at the club. Yes there are rules, which are needed at any gathering of more than a few people. Thats life everywhere even flitefest. It was really weird, i get nervous about crashing/maidening at parks when even a couple people around. At the club with like 50 people though i had no stress at all. This is what we were all their for. And everyone was crashing and laughing and having a good time. Definitely each club is going to have "the guy" that measures the grass and if its 1mm higher than its supposed to be everyone's going to hear about it. Thats fine, when he's their you try not to piss him off. These people are everywhere not just flying clubs. But by not checking out clubs you are definitely missing out on some good flying fellowship.

 

[bhursey]

Remember that you can fly in national forests, just not national parks.
I fly at baseball fields and parks and havent had any problems yet. By my work we have 2 empty lots that i use.
Only time i was told NO was at a local damn with my slope version of a versa. I was told "no drones" allowed. Like im going to be packing enough explosives to take out a damn. But some guy walking in with an 80lb backpack that could actually do some damage.. thats ok. anyways

My 2 cents on the Club bashing. I just went to my first Fun fly day at the local club. I had the general bad impression ahead of time that one gets if you only know about clubs from forum posts. Ahead of time i checked out the website so knew it was a bunch of "super old dudes" and went with one fpv plane for show but no plans to do fpv. Ends up they were doing fpv rides all day for the public. I had one of the best flying days yet at the club. Yes there are rules, which are needed at any gathering of more than a few people. Thats life everywhere even flitefest. It was really weird, i get nervous about crashing/maidening at parks when even a couple people around. At the club with like 50 people though i had no stress at all. This is what we were all their for. And everyone was crashing and laughing and having a good time. Definitely each club is going to have "the guy" that measures the grass and if its 1mm higher than its supposed to be everyone's going to hear about it. Thats fine, when he's their you try not to piss him off. These people are everywhere not just flying clubs. But by not checking out clubs you are definitely missing out on some good flying fellowship.

Fun flys rule i would really look forward to those back when i was flying in the 90s and erly 2000s Yah if some one crashes every one also goes out and helps pick up the pieces. If a plane is lost every one stops flying and as a group help find it.. I cant wait tell i can drive again so i can join the local club..


Me at the first SEFF in 2002. It was to windy to fly on the last day so we all just visited. Im in the white tshirt closest to the camera..

 

[razor02097]

I guess its true, i havent been in there with the pilots myself, but im almost certain they dont allow FPV of any kind, as far as im aware. Id need to do a "licensing test" as well, and pay to go there. it doesnt seem much like my kind of place... bstanley, where did you search for those clubs? Ive never seen one. and ive spent many days driving around, googling, and scoping places out. The other park i DO fly at is wonderful, except for when soccer runs it over for months on end. There, they originally had an FPV ban, it was on a giant sign, but it got removed or someone removed them all, and there was no trouble or anyone getting in trouble or anything.

One of the local clubs my RC friend belongs now requires an AMA membership as well as their $75 fee. To even get a membership there you'd be out $140. Then you have to pass a "competency test" which is basically you schedule a day and time where a senior member watches you take off, do a circuit and land to make sure you can control your aircraft.

The good part is I wouldn't have to worry about sports clogging up the field. The bad part is it costs quite a chunk of change now and it is a much further drive for me. I understand costs go up but most of the members volunteer and donate for the maintenance of the field. The fee used to be $25. So unless their lease tripled in the 10 years since I've been a member...I don't know what has changed...