I got kicked out of a Plano City park this evening for flying my 480 powered Wattage Impress. The official showed me a document stating a special permit is required to use model rockets, boats and model airplanes. I had checked the Plano City website and it only stated model rockets and boat. The sign at the park didn't mention planes. The local hobby store in Plano said it was OK. Oh well back to my vacant industrial park.

Kelvin,
I've been thrown off a vacant city park at 6:55 AM. A groundskeeper came running out from behind the bush he was working on as I took the plane out of my trunk! "Those are classified as projectiles!" he yelled at me. Funny, later that day I saw a group kids taking batting practice in the same park. I guess baseballs being hit by aluminum bats are not classified as projectiles.
Bill

I was almost thrown out of a local park (CA) for flying two planes. no, not rc electric. not gas. free flight toys. the 30g graupner micro-taxi, and one of those 3oz air-powered pump-planes, all trimmed to fly in a climbing circle. After flying them in the vacant park at 5pm for about two minutes, a ranger came tearing up in a truck, 'you can't do that here!'

'do what? these are flying kids TOYS. they're not even rc.' (I was there with my sister's 3yr-old kid to get him interested in planes...

'Oh. I guess you can use them then.'

I can only think that the air-powered engine sounds kinda like a quiet gas engine...

and yet kids throw baseballs back and forth there all the time.

Perhaps it's those awful signs everyone has read for generations about no horseback riding, golfing, skateboarding, or model airplane flying permitted, that has educated, reinforced, and every time you drive by one re-reinforced to the public the horrors associated with such evils.
Dē

My boy lives in a close-in suburb of Washington, DC.
He finds he can fly in public parks before 6AM in the winter, before the gov-types come out for their little doggy poop runs.

Summertime, he comes out here (Southeastern WV mountains)
Lift over every hill. Nothing but buzzards and an occasional hawk here to take exception.

When they do, defend your airspace! Drive the bandits out! Have a ball!

(Actually, I fly so poorly that the buzzards make me land before they can wreck my plane. Also, Seriously, there's nothing we can do but drive out far enough to find some open space. Tough to do in CA.).

I think the eventual answer is going to be clubs/dedicated fields for planes (gas, large electrics, fast elecrics, anything faster than a slowflier) and micro, micro planes for the park or backyard. if you make it small enough and light enough you can fly it VERY close to yourself, limiting the chance of hitting someone far away from you, and if it weighs an ounce and is 12" wingspan, and flies 7mph, I'd like to see the soccer mom that would protest you flying it in a public space...

I'm working on two things. first, a plane slow enough to fly in my backyard (not TOO small, but lots of obstacles, have to get it into the sky... takeoff from the roof or have a plane that can climb at a 60 degree angle...

next, a plane that can fly slowly indoors, so I can fly any time without disturbing anyone, regardless of the weather, time of day, etc.

ahhh....your tax dollars at work. Aren't you glad you pay enough taxes to make sure there are enough people around to stop you from having fun?

I guess we can't call our electrics park flyers anymore. I wonder if there are rules about flying in school fields. If every town is as critical as Plano then where do you fly. I'm fortunate that there are still alot of open spaces near me. I wonder what flyers in Los Angeles do if they can't fly in city parks? I used to live out there many years ago and my parents would take me out to the Sepulveda dam in the San Fernando valley to fly my free flight planes.

I guess eventually we'll all have to join clubs at dedicated fields. The locals here are $100 to join and $60 a year but they each maintain a dedicated field in the country.

Kelvin

Ouch! I thought $20 to join and $15 a year thereafter was bad.... Of course I'm required to join the AMA so add another $48.

So far no one cares around here where you fly. Course they haven't been any 'incidents' either and we pack up if to many people are using the park. That's why we usually fly early in the morning or just before dusk if flying at the parks.

I recommend flying at a club field. At least make sure you are not near enough to one to crash their expensive planes when you fly yours. Clubs maintain freq control at their fields (usually) to minimize this. Besides, you can develop great friendships and get help. Hey, $60 a year is only $5 a month.

I fly parkflyers on the golf course behind the house, but still enjoy driving to the club field 20 miles away to watch and learn and fly with the other local flyers (electric and gas).
<><
James

BTW we are members and this winter we have been flying at the R/C field. It is nice. No trees or fences to hit, wide open spaces -- just sagebrush. Since my son and I are the only ones who fly electric -- they are not much help in that line (this forum has been great)! In the winter so far, we have had the field to our selves. The IC guys usually don't show up tell about 11 or 12 (like the warm sun and so far only on weekends).... By then the wind is starting to pick up and we are usually packing it in for the day....

worse off than ... We've all heard the phrase. A British comedian once said that somewhere in the world there must be one person worse off than anybody else. I'd like to meet that person, shake his hand and try to ruin his record.

At our club we pay the equivalent of $140 to join and then $25 every month - and it's still worth every cent - there's a waiting list to get in! Who needs the park when you can get a dedicated field, runway, club house and facilities plus nearly a hundred other friendly experts? What's cheap is usually expensive anyway.

I paid $130 for the priviledge of flying at a club field ($50 AMA + $80 annual dues) and find I'm just as happy flying in the park down the street... Not only would I prefer to drive 2 miles as opposed to 30 minutes, I don't really like flying when anyone else is in the air as my attention is split between flying and avoiding a collision, and I'm not good enough to do both effortlessly yet Plus, I can't hear my motor over even an idleing slimer! I'm lucky enough to have 3 parks nearby that are suitible for flying- an elementry school where I know the evening janitor, the middle school accross the street, and a neighborhood "park" a little ways down the road that's basically a mowed wasteland built (I think) to meet "green" codes for a large development. I've never heard any complaints any of these places, but I might just be lucky to live in a municipality that's not anti-R/C- they even let glow helos fly en mass and unregulated at another city park

I don't really like flying when anyone else is in the air as my attention is split between flying and avoiding a collision, and I'm not good enough to do both effortlessly yet

Steve, why not ask one of your clubmates to spot for you (monitor other planes while you fly yours) when you fly at your club field and the pattern is crowded. You will earn the respect of those around you for your safety-consciousness.

I think using spotters is a practice that should be encouraged during busy periods at a field.

You should see our field on Training Night. About 20-30 planes in the air all at once with about 50% of them flying Avistars!! One second not looking at your plane, and OOPS.