Palmerston North Aeroneers

To garner some healthy discussion on the pits, taxi and airfield layouts.:D

1.  The circle pits.  Does having a model directly opposite you running and occassional pushed to high power make you cringe if it lets go... would a redsign elminate that fear.

2. Is the great circle a waste of ground?

3.  Taxi layout.  Is this the best practice we should be encouraging.  We have models being taxiied upto and past guys with no protection who have their eyes and ears firmly focused on their models in the sky?

4.  Can taxing your models past metal structres and fence standards be better managed and landing your models with a solid metal structure be redisgned to help  ease landing worries?

5, Airfeild layout? Would a crosswind small landing box help beginners and others land in a prevailing strong crosswinds?

Let the discussion begin.

Hi- maybe it is time to relook at the setup of our field.  with more bigger powerful planes. a) fence steel bars with foam for starting ya plane at-eg how imac comp days operate, facing the motor outwards allowing the pilot facing into the pit area, b) pit to be a rectangle box shape, will have to be measured out for space from electric fence wire,pilot comfortable room amount then room for plance to be mounted up at fence standards, then room to use hand to move to runway.  I feel the width and lenght of runway is more then enough, How much land / field can we actually use from the farmer point of view?  so yes agree it is time to thinklayout.

aeroneers at February 24, 2011 at 5:51 AM

To garner some healthy discussion on the pits, taxi and airfield layouts.:D

1.  The circle pits.  Does having a model directly opposite you running and occassional pushed to high power make you cringe if it lets go... would a redsign elminate that fear.

2. Is the great circle a waste of ground?

3.  Taxi layout.  Is this the best practice we should be encouraging.  We have models being taxiied upto and past guys with no protection who have their eyes and ears firmly focused on their models in the sky?

4.  Can taxing your models past metal structres and fence standards be better managed and landing your models with a solid metal structure be redisgned to help  ease landing worries?

5, Airfeild layout? Would a crosswind small landing box help beginners and others land in a prevailing strong crosswinds?

Let the discussion begin.

1. Yes there is inherent danger. No throttle ups within pit area or a redesign, or maybe starting restraints at the end of the taxi way, this is common at clubs in the US and is used here in NZ at IMAC events.

2. Yes. Way to big when looking at unused area in the centre.

3. No. Move flight line to the right of the taxi way, so as to open up the path of models and remove the possibility of a pilot being hit from behind.

4. Should not be a problem as these are on the outer edge of the run way for landing, and taxing should be a no brainer. (Added note) Pilots should not be standing on the run way when taking off.

5. No, as it will become the normal take off direction for some. You should evaluate the cross wind strength in regard to your ability and type of model.

Hi Just for a sense of context, and using my own experience as an example.

In the weekend ( Sunday) when I was having to rasie and lower throttle to test my idle on motor, should I have gone elsewhere to do this??

I certainly see the point you are both making.

So what is the new design. Should we go looking NZ and worldwide for ideas?

Seems that there are changes coming in general with aeromodelling.

Safety is paramount, unfortunately rules and regs follow any reveiw, if kept to a minimum then noone feels like they are being forced into soemthing new that restricts them.

However if we want to continue in a world which is constantly reveiwing with new technologies and easy access to RC Gear, then we need to set the A standard at the field.

Change is enivitable, make it one which works for us all and is easy to embrace.

IMHO A good honest review of our situation is timely especially with an open day coming up.

Hi, my thoughts are current pits is a bit of a waste of space and as commented a little dangerous, as no body uses centre area (to close tomodels on outside) and models are facing people on opposite side of circle also as pointed out.                    

also like idea of moving ironmongery away from edge of strip, pilot box should be 3 to4 metres from edge of strip, and also agree about bad practise of powered up models taxing so close to those flying

SUGGESTION use a long rectangular pit wide enough for models to pass behind those parked (ie facing out) with a taxi way at each end to main runway pilot boxes situated at end of taxiway, use dependent on wind direction

would of put a diagram in but cant work out how to do it

http://i465.photobucket.com/albums/rr16/aeroneers/misc/vvrcf12.jpg%22%20border=%220%22%20alt=%22Photobucket%22%3E%3C/a" />something like this..but with grass

Looks good, do we go the whole hog and build proper semi permanent  restraint areas.

Change is always difficult, but review is always wise.

Better outcomes are the key drivers and this sounds like a great review. Safe and simple.

Cheers Greg

At committee meeting on wednesday night, there is some warratahs being made up, these will be removed at end of each flying session, especially aerobatics days.

Simon & Melissa at March 4, 2011 at 6:25 PM

At committee meeting on wednesday night, there is some warratahs being made up, these will be removed at end of each flying session, especially aerobatics days.

????

Hi can you explain where these are going to go?

Is that mainly for protection of the flyers or is that for restraints?

In many ways it should be easy to change our layout, as long as the Farmers is ok with it.

Probably would not use any more surface area in land, but may address safety issues and pragmatic land use as well as provide taxiing away from the flyers.

Fantastic setups, where do they get the money to achieve tarmac and buildings!.

Right I know this has obviously been a hot topic in the past but as an informal survey is their anyone out their in the club who would like to see a layout change of the pit area, or are you happy with it the way it is. Let me know your thoughts even give me a sketch, for those who have given a sketch previous just let me know your thoughts!! The fence is currently down for the summer while the farmer trys for hay. Depending on the outcome and who participates in the survey i will then take to committee in the new year. So hit me!! 

Since we do not have a position on committee as a safety officer and we have to rely on the OSH act.  Here is a quote from the NZMAA club manual

NZMAA CLUB MANUAL Section 06: Safety

Page 06 - 2 MAY 2009

General

a) All members must at all times actively seek to identify aeromodelling hazards and reduce or eliminate them.

b) No modeller is to wilfully or negligently cause or permit a model aircraft to endanger any person or property.

c) No modeller is to do or say anything that would make another modeller perform any unsafe.......

We have models being taxiied upto and past guys with no protection who have their eyes and ears firmly focused on their models in the sky? We need to eliminate and isolate this hazard. 

I personally hate taxing upto the flying box with my Extra, mainly because I have to drop subtle hints to people who are on the wrong side of the fence when we taxi upto and past them to line up.

If we were to have 2 flight boxes either side of the taxi way would this help.  I can hear it now, but there is no protection if a model flys into me??? Why dont you go outside Colyton and see some of the other field setups.  Most will not have iron monsters beside the runways and especially not on full size airfields just in case you were wondering.

Change for Safety sake cant be a bad thing:D if only people would accept change.

YES. Three (3) more sets of starting posts, one side (2 sets) with poles closer together for glow. No starting or running of engines within the pit area. Make the pits into a rectangle with reduced area. Move Pilots away from  the edge of runway and to one side. One day someone will taxi into the back of Pilots at the flight line. Not if but when.

Geoff

Good points, i can't say i disagree with you, my understanding of the warratars was to protect you from planes landing (rudder issues me thinks). I will sometime soon get a stetch of what i think and put it up for viewing.

I get frustrated having to look through people when landing or doing a low pass, for some reason people make for a crap window

Hamish at December 7, 2011 at 9:16 PM

Good points, i can't say i disagree with you, my understanding of the warratars was to protect you from planes landing (rudder issues me thinks). I will sometime soon get a stetch of what i think and put it up for viewing.

I get frustrated having to look through people when landing or doing a low pass, for some reason people make for a crap window

"Like"

I agree with you all, as some of us fliers are getting bigger more powerful planes, this also increases the danger risk. NZMAA does have a flying field layout recommendations, and with any further improvement to each indivual club has to be a good thing. Please scale draw out what you guys think, and lets this put into action,once & for all. I am finding the fixed support posts working very well & super convenient. less gear needed too.