Rules of Truro and District Model Flying Club effective from 8th January 2025
1. Flying of models is restricted to club members or supervised guests and potential members.
2. All club members must be registered BMFA/SMAE members. As BMFA membership provides third party insurance cover all persons wishing to fly must produce evidence of membership upon request of any member. All members must register with the CAA and comply with all their requirements.
3. Flying is permitted on Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday, also Bank Holidays and Friday from 1st November to 31st March only. No flying before 11.00am and all flying to finish by 8.00pm for ic models. For electric models and gliders these times are flexible.
(To be checked by Martin with J Richards)
4. No cars permitted in the field unless permission is given by a committee member.
5. The field gate is to be kept closed.
6. No more than three two-stroke powered models to be flown at any one time.
7. All engines must be effectively silenced and comply with current limits. The BMFA recommended and club limit is 82db at 7 metres. All i/c models will be measured as well as other models which, subjectively, seem noisy.
8.Nearly all club members and visitors use 2.4GHz but a pegboard will be kept in the container for future use by 35MHz users.
9. All models must take off from and land on the patch. Pilots MUST clearly communicate their intentions with other pilots when taking models onto the patch and before retrieving models after landing. Pilots must stand together in a pilot box marked by two cones.
10. All models not being flown are to be kept behind the flight line in the pits area, again defined by two cones.
11. No models are allowed to take-off, overfly or land within the pits area.
12. No models are to be taxied in or out of the pits or pilot box areas.
13. All models to be physically restrained whilst starting i.c or live electric.
14. The flying of models over 7.5kg is permitted provided that they meet all club, BMFA and CAA rules.
15. The club will not permit the use of gas-turbine powered models on the site.
16. New members will be expected to demonstrate their competence to club officers for approval before flying unaccompanied. The required standard would involve a take-off followed by two level circuits in alternate directions, followed by a landing within the patch.
17. If it is considered that a member has transgressed club rules, acted dangerously or behaved in a manner that compromises the club, they will be given a written warning, countersigned by the reporting officer. Should a member’s actions prompt three such warnings within 12 months then their club membership will be withdrawn.
18. No litter is to be left on the field and this includes any items following a crash.
19. Membership numbers will be limited to 45.
20. BMFA rules and codes of conduct are to be observed at all times.
21. All members must observe the club safety guidelines.
22. All members using club grass cutting and rolling equipment must be familiar with the manufacturer’s operating instructions and have read the relevant safe system of working document.
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GUIDELINES FOR PITS/FLIGHT-LINE POSITIONING, ORGANISATION & SAFETY
These guidelines are to be applied in conjunction with our club rules and the relevant BMFA rules and guidelines.
1. Take-off, hand launching and landing should always be into wind where appropriate.
2. Where possible avoid taking-off towards the sun or landing from the sun. Be aware that the sun will move during the day.
3. Position the flight-line parallel to the direction of take-off and set back from the edge of the mown patch by 15 meters (approx. 20 paces).
4. Position the pits area a further 15 meters behind the flight-line. Motor running (IC and electric) is to be in this area only.
5. The socialising area, where sitting, chatting and picnicking takes place, is 5 metres behind the pits.
6. Keep an eye on the wind direction. If it changes and compromises safety MOVE THE PITS!
7. All take-off runs and hand launches to be made from the centre line of the mown patch.
8. When possible, have someone else carry your aircraft to the take-off point if the motor is running (IC) or connected(electric). It is recommended that you do not carry out a solo hand launch. Do not try to juggle the transmitter and aircraft yourself.
9. All landings to be on the mown area.
10. No flying is permitted in the ¼ circle area that contains the pits. All flying is to be restricted to the other ¾ of the circle.
11. All pilots must stand together in the pilot box. No more than 4 aircraft are to be airborne at any one time. Only pilots, observers (assisting pilots) and instructors are to be on the flight-line. No extraneous distractions are permitted.
12. All pilots must announce their intentions in a loud clear voice and ensure acknowledgement from the others in the pilot box. This is particularly important when taking an aircraft to the patch for take-off or recovering one after landing.
13. Pilots landing, including ‘dead stick’, having called out as above, must step forward to be clear of the others in the pilot box.
Dead stick calls must be audible to ALL on the field.
14. Anyone going on to the patch while aircraft are airborne must take great care, be aware that someone may need to land in a hurry, keep a sharp lookout, listen for calls from the flight-line and vacate the area as quickly as possible.
15. All FPV pilots must be accompanied by an observer, preferably one capable of taking over control in an emergency. This is a legal requirement.
16. No mobile phones allowed in the pits or in the pilot box. All phones to be left in the seating area.
PITS DIAGRAM
Pits Organisation 25 Nov 2024
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Committee members will monitor activities and advise as necessary but we can’t be there all the time. Members must take responsibility for their own actions with particular regard for the safety of fellow members. Think Safe and Be Safe. If you think something isn’t right stop and do something about it. And if you are ever in a situation where things are going wrong, a bad takeoff or a ‘dead stick’ for example, and there is a chance someone may be hurt then don’t fight to recover it, just dump the aircraft safely away from the pits. Much better to break a plane than someone’s head!