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One of the benefits of being at SAM is the fact that we are not
encumbered by dozens and dozens of rules. Our few rules emphasize
basic safety: safety to others, safety to ourselves, and the safety of
our airplanes. Over the past few weeks, several folks have pointed out
the need to reiterate some of these guidelines:
- Never fly over the pits. Never means never. In the event of
a low-altitude
emergency, you should not fly your plane over the pits in an
attempt to reach the runway. Use the cleared region past the
helicopter pad, or make a controlled slow landing into the brush. If
you have to make a choice between 1) risking sacrificing your
plane or 2) risking someone's life, ditch the
plane. Besides, it's usually best to make conservative movements in
low-altitude engine-outs (you are taught this in full-scale planes
too!). Wild attempts to turn around and land on the runway usually end
in splattered airplane parts - a slow, controlled glide into the
puckerbrush is usually much less damaging and certainly safer.
- Fly the pattern. If you are at pattern altitude, make sure
you make all over-the-runway passes into the wind, and downwind passes
on the far side of the runway. Keep your plane north of the
centerline. If everyone flies approximately the same
pattern, the risk for midair collisions is greatly reduced. Above
pattern altitude is free space - but you should still follow the
pattern if you aren't doing anything else (like aerobatics etc.).
- Exercise caution in the pits. Especially when starting and
running your engine, be aware of who is around your airplane. If your
plane gets loose, will it hit fellow pilots or spectators? If a prop
gets thrown, will it hit someone? Keeping basic personal safety in
mind when near others goes a long way towards ensuring an enjoyable
day for everyone.
Theme Sundays. Several people have proposed ideas for pseudo-organized
low-key ``events'' at SAM. Of course, anyone can fly anytime - but
this is a way to bring similar classes of models together. Let's talk
about this at the next meeting. A few possibilities might be:
- Sailplane Sundays! (hand-launch, slope, thermal, etc. ``All up, last down''?)
- A Cornucopia of Cubs! (Or... Pick a Peck of Pipers)
- Warbird Wildness! (P40's and Zeroes in the air at the same time? Uh oh...)
- Big Bird Bonanza! (Bring the biggest plane you 'got!)
- Scale Sundays! (From ``stand-way-the-heck-off scale'' to
precision scale)
- Combat Craziness! (Test your skills pure piloting mayhem! See
the ad for combat planes made by ``Bear'' Brock in this newsletter! Hmmm, a
geared cobalt 25 oughtta make those planes go vertical...)
- Float Flite! (Here's your chance to really make
some waves!)
Next: SAM Swap Shop
Up: Front Page
Previous: At the Last Meeting...
Craig Kulesa
Fri Dec 4 18:46:39 MST 1998