Jason Nowell
10-24-2000, 01:58 PM
Ladies and Gents
There has been quite a bit of discussion concerning guidelines for
lightweight aircraft indoors. The AMA has presented two sets of guidelines
for review and comment (August and October 2000 issues). The first set was
simple and most of us feel very comfortable with those as written. The
second set was another matter and caused quite a bit of discussion amongst
the indoor community. NIRAC (www.NIRAC.org) has been ask by some of its members
and also nonmembers to publish some kind of guidelines for the immediate
future and thus is the reason for this message.
The guidelines first released from the AMA in the August issue of Model
Aviation are a simple, common sense approach to flying indoors. Personally,
I am very comfortable with them and can see no reason for us not to adopt
them as the first official flying guidelines of NIRAC. The six
guidelines/rules are as follows:
1. Define the flying area.
2. Select a flight line (where pilot will stand when flying).
3. Behind the flight line, designate a "pit area" (where assembly, repairs,
etc, are done).
4. Make it known to all that an area behind the "pits" is the place that
spectators will be (spectators could enter the pit area at the fliers
discretion).
5. At no time should spectators venture into an active flying area, and
fliers should enter only to retrieve a model after clearing it with any
other active fliers.
6. A frequency control system must be employed.
Rules for the sake of rules is not what we want at this time. Also, things
such as minimum/maximum wing area versus weight, motor size, aircraft
overall size and maximum all up weight are issues that will have to be
addressed in the future.
Your comments are solicited here as you are the flyers. What NIRAC proposes
is a start and your help is greatly appreciated. Contact me offline if you
wish or throw it out to the group as a whole, your call. NIRAC member or
not, your input is appreciated.
There has been quite a bit of discussion concerning guidelines for
lightweight aircraft indoors. The AMA has presented two sets of guidelines
for review and comment (August and October 2000 issues). The first set was
simple and most of us feel very comfortable with those as written. The
second set was another matter and caused quite a bit of discussion amongst
the indoor community. NIRAC (www.NIRAC.org) has been ask by some of its members
and also nonmembers to publish some kind of guidelines for the immediate
future and thus is the reason for this message.
The guidelines first released from the AMA in the August issue of Model
Aviation are a simple, common sense approach to flying indoors. Personally,
I am very comfortable with them and can see no reason for us not to adopt
them as the first official flying guidelines of NIRAC. The six
guidelines/rules are as follows:
1. Define the flying area.
2. Select a flight line (where pilot will stand when flying).
3. Behind the flight line, designate a "pit area" (where assembly, repairs,
etc, are done).
4. Make it known to all that an area behind the "pits" is the place that
spectators will be (spectators could enter the pit area at the fliers
discretion).
5. At no time should spectators venture into an active flying area, and
fliers should enter only to retrieve a model after clearing it with any
other active fliers.
6. A frequency control system must be employed.
Rules for the sake of rules is not what we want at this time. Also, things
such as minimum/maximum wing area versus weight, motor size, aircraft
overall size and maximum all up weight are issues that will have to be
addressed in the future.
Your comments are solicited here as you are the flyers. What NIRAC proposes
is a start and your help is greatly appreciated. Contact me offline if you
wish or throw it out to the group as a whole, your call. NIRAC member or
not, your input is appreciated.