I was surprised that this didnât start a bigger discussion yesterday. Safety
is something that all of us should keep in the forefront of our minds as we go
to the field, even though itâs probably not something we like to discuss.
Itâs similar to getting a will â we all know how important it is, but
itâs certainly not a fun/happy topic to discuss.
I received three private responses:
One person asked for a compile, as their fieldsâ only rules are âYou must
be AMA, and no low high speed passes over pilotsâ. Both of which are good
rules, mind you, but wow. There are still a lot of opportunities for disaster
with this group.
Another person sent me their groupâs safety rules and bylaws. This group
does DS; itâs certainly encouraging to see that folks involved in such an
extreme sport have some rules around safe DS flying. I admit â Iâve never
done DS, but I know that it can be extremely dangerous (and therefore, such a
rush!)
Finally, there was a person who said that creating formal safety rules was a
recipe for disaster. He had some good points:
AMA doesnât have formal safety ârulesâ. They have a Safety Code
(guidelines by which to live)
Rules become points for litigation
Rules provide loopholes for site officials and insurance providers
This personâs final statement was: âthe single force powerful enough
to destroy a club and lose a flying site is safety ârulesââ.
All three of these folks provided some interesting and valuable feedback and
insight. What about others? Iâd love to see more input and comments on the
topic of safety. Even if you donât want to reply to the exchange, Iâd
appreciate private replies and suggestions. Iâll be more than happy to
provide an anonymous summary as I did above.
Thanks again for your time.
- Dave
_____________________________________________
From: Dave Brombaugh [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Sent: Wednesday, March 23, 2005 08:39
To: [email protected]
Subject: [RCSE] Safety rules - do you have them?
I tend to start decent discussions with my posts, hopefully this will be a good
one too.
Iâve been selected as the safety officer for the Seattle Area Soaring Society
(SASS) this year. I have been tasked with updating our Safety rules, and
providing a nice, simple handout that covers both AMAâs and SASSâ safety
rules. Iâm including a snippet of the rules we used from last year. Note
â there are some of these with which I do not necessarily agree, which is why
Iâm looking for alternative ideas (and, just general experience and ideas
from all of you out there!).
The SASS field is open for use for model rocketry, small electrics
(Zagi-type/speed and smaller), and of course, soaring. While this sounds like
a recipe for disaster, weâve been pretty successful so far. Folks launching
on the winch are very aware of people wandering around the field at/near
launch,
For those of you who are at a strict sailplane field â what are some of your
safety rules?
For those of you who have combined electrics/sailplanes at the same field â
what are some of your safety rules, specifically around the interaction between
the electric and sailplane pilots?
Finally, for those clubs with websites, could you provide me pointers to your
safety rules online, such that I can plagiarize^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^Huse them as
a potential resource? â
Thanks again for your assistance, everyone!
- Dave
SASS 2004 rules snippet:
* AMA required (even for 27MHz Firebirds)
* Electrics in electric area
* 4 electric pilots at a time, standing in pilot stations
* Size limit for electrics (park flier size, stock speed 400, or as
deemed acceptable by a member of the safety committee)
* Prohibit Flying low over soccer fields/116th St/parking area/pits when
occupied
* Prohibit Launching planes from pits (area around frequency board)
* Prohibit 1st flights away from pits
* Check aircraft for flight worthiness
* Winch training required to operate winch
2004 Electric Park Flier Rules
* All fliers must have AMA Insurance and post it on frequency board (this
INCLUDES aircraft flown on 27MHz frequencies)
* Pilots MUST stand in individual pilot stations at West edge of field
* Maximum of 4 Park Fliers in air at a time
* Park fliers are limited to slow-flier stock aircraft with stock Speed
400 motor or smaller (unless certified by member of SASS Safety Committee)
* Park fliers MUST limit flying to western 1/3 of field as indicated by
marker posts (see map). No flying over the rest of field is permitted
* Pilots may NOT walk directly across electric field when approaching
flying stations. Pilots should walk to the western edge of the field first,
then proceed south (or north) to the pilot stations, being aware of other
aircraft in the air at all times
* Electric assisted sailplanes are permitted to fly anywhere at 60-Acres
and are not restricted in size or power. They are to be flown with power ONLY
while climbing to altitude and flown as a glider for the remainder of flight
* F5B type high speed electrics are NOT permitted at 60-Acres
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