No more (heavy) model flying for me in the new year >:(

[HighBypass 2,339]

I've just contacted the BMFA as I was thinking of repairing my Raptor 30 RC Heli. BMFA membership as a lot of you will know gives you 3rd party liability insurance. A necessary thing when the heli is 3kg of rotary death of course! Membership runs from January to December - no selective start date, hence my reason for phoning them now.

However, it now transpires that ANY flying model heavier than 0.25 kg has to have the user's unique I.D. number on it (granted by registering and paying the EXTRA fee over and above the normal membership).

I'll have to weigh my 1.8 metre powered glider and my 450 size electric heli too. Then again I already know the answer of course.

So, I guess it's time to not bother with the Rappy rebuild and get shut of the flying models.  Might get a couple of quid for them I suppose...

It's crazy that traditional, old school, line-of-sight-flown models with no autopilot or FPV equipment fit have to be treated in this fashion, just because new quadrotors can be chucked into the sky with gay abandon by someone with no RC flying skills at all and even less common sense. 

[tutmeister 695]

I feel your.pain. I have a nice trex and a custom framed belt drive t-rex from the US with all metal head and a t-rex lynx body shell with raised tail rotor mod sat here. I shelved them for a bit due to work etc and by the time I was ready to start flying the whole drone thing hit. The only automation was a tail rotor gyro. I suspect they are now past their prime due to how technology moves on and probably aren't worth anything.

Fortunately I have simming so there is less reason to get back into it.

[HighBypass 2,339]

I guess plenty of us here on AVSIM are past our prime an not worth much!  However, that's not the point. If the RC aircraft is perfectly serviceable and you gain enjoyment from flying it around then that is reason enough not to bother if it's past its prime or not. 

Both my "large" RC helis and the small ones only have tail rotor gyros as their "automation" - that's what makes them fun to fly IMHO. The glider has no automation.. unless you count the speed controller for the prop. 

Yes, there are always the sims. Thanks tutmeister! .

(I should resurrect my Traxxas JATO 2.5: Two speed gearbox 50mph actual across the ground on 33% nitro.)

[tutmeister 695]

By past its prime I mean it isn't worth selling as it is worth less than what it is worth to me even though I'll likely not fly it.

Ah now RC cars are something else! I do like a bit of truck bashing.

[Ezra 29]

You can still fly a Micro Heli Brushless (Collective Pitch fully 3D) under 250 grams completely exempt from the regulations other than the common sense close proximity rules etc.

 

 

[Matthew Kane 1,343]

I gave up my RC days when I got my pinky finger caught in the propeller starting it up on a 2-Stroke 0.40 engine, nearly lost the finger and I had to get it reconstructed from the tendons and the skin. They did a good job of it but it has limited movement, therefore I called it quits.

This was back around 1991 or so and the regulations back then aren't what they are today. It would be fun to get back into it but the regulations side of it doesn't look like fun anymore. These little plastic drone things would be a much easier thing to do these days.

[HighBypass 2,339]

11 hours ago, Matthew Kane said:

.....These little plastic drone things would be a much easier thing to do these days....

My emphasis, Matthew. That's why I'm upset. It takes far less skill thanks to full autopilot and GPS options, so no common sense required.

Unless you're talking about the tiny, indoor/very calm weather quads? Yep, those are still fun it has to be said.

Anyhow - Hope you're having a great Christmas!  Let us know how Boxing Day turns out!

[tttocs 301]

On 12/23/2019 at 5:35 AM, HighBypass said:

It's crazy that traditional, old school, line-of-sight-flown models with no autopilot or FPV equipment fit have to be treated in this fashion, just because new quadrotors can be chucked into the sky with gay abandon by someone with no RC flying skills at all and even less common sense. 

I like a good rant as much as the next guy, but I'm truly confused on this one Mark and I'm wondering if there's something I'm missing

For background, I started flying RC aircraft about the same time as I started flying for real but haven't actively flown in years.  As I believe it is in the UK, insurance isn't a legal requirement here in the US, but it's a practical one for personal protection and also because most (probably all) flying fields require it.

What I'm not understanding here is what, exactly, you believe drones have to do with the changes you describe?  Is it because you believe the proliferation of drones are causing the rates for your aircraft to go up?  From my limited perspective, most moderate to large traditional RC aircraft DO in fact pose larger risks, as they are 1) harder to fly and 2) do not have the sophisticated collision avoidance and signal loss capabilities as their drone brethren.

I'm also not understanding why this would cause you to give up a hobby you've obviously got a fair investment in.  A quick look at the BMFA website seems to indicate that yearly dues are now 38 GBP and each extra registration 9 GBP.  That hardly seems prohibitive relative to what you obviously have invested (unless you have a whole garage full of aircraft you're actively flying) and seems to be less than what I was paying in the US several decades ago.  Current AMA yearly membership (the US equivalent) is $75.

Not criticizing, just trying to understand the situation that has you a bit burnt.

Scott

[tttocs 301]

23 hours ago, Matthew Kane said:

I gave up my RC days when I got my pinky finger caught in the propeller starting it up on a 2-Stroke 0.40 engine, nearly lost the finger and I had to get it reconstructed from the tendons and the skin. They did a good job of it but it has limited movement, therefore I called it quits.

Please don't tell me you were propping with your finger!?  😨

Scott

[Matthew Kane 1,343]

3 hours ago, tttocs said:

Please don't tell me you were propping with your finger!?  😨

Scott

Nope I had a starter, but this was indoor at the time and I disconnected the fuel line but it was in idle and I did light the glow plug because I wanted to burn off whatever fuel was left to store it, It started up and ran high idle instantly due to the fuel line being disconnected and I nicked my finger not expecting it to run so high. Lesson learned, even on idle with no fuel line it will crank up to full throttle, not a good idea. 

 

15 hours ago, HighBypass said:

My emphasis, Matthew. That's why I'm upset. It takes far less skill thanks to full autopilot and GPS options, so no common sense required.

Unless you're talking about the tiny, indoor/very calm weather quads? Yep, those are still fun it has to be said.

Anyhow - Hope you're having a great Christmas!  Let us know how Boxing Day turns out!

Yes every RC I built took between 6 weeks minimum to up to 6 months to build and thousands of dollars, and inevitably everything you ever build will crash. Going out to the electronics box store and buying a ready to fly gadget for $100 that you can link to your smart phone is no comparison to the real hobby builders, but fun none the less.

It was a great Christmas and spent boxing day at the beach with my daughters. Christmas is the official start of summer in New Zealand and our weather is a cracker at the moment, hope all is well with yours too 😎

Edited December 26, 2019 by Matthew Kane

[HighBypass 2,339]

Scott thanks for your curiosity. It's not so much the rates - the BMFA membership fee is fine and I'd gladly pay that to enable me to fly in accessible public spaces (local soccer pitches). It's just the jumping through hoops to get "traditional" RC aircraft registered and then having to put your registration number on your models. Yes, the knee-jerk governmental reaction due to the proliferation of GPS-locked, fully autopilot-stabilised quadrotors and possible idiotic, hazardous operation of them is the direct cause of my rant & the direct cause for the extra bureaucracy. Big Brother and all that.

I should do a little more research:- I very much doubt the £9 reg.fee provides the flyer with stickers of their ID number to apply to the model(s). Is there a prescribed font and/or size & colour?

I live in a rural area - perhaps I can find a friendly farmer who will let me use his PRIVATE land for a small fee? No need for 3rd party liability or registration at all then ;)

[tttocs 301]

6 hours ago, HighBypass said:

Scott thanks for your curiosity. It's not so much the rates - the BMFA membership fee is fine and I'd gladly pay that to enable me to fly in accessible public spaces (local soccer pitches). It's just the jumping through hoops to get "traditional" RC aircraft registered and then having to put your registration number on your models.

Gotcha, thanks for the clarification.  I fully understand the resistance to knee-jerk over regulation.

6 hours ago, HighBypass said:

I live in a rural area - perhaps I can find a friendly farmer who will let me use his PRIVATE land for a small fee? No need for 3rd party liability or registration at all then ;)

A lot of my early flying was done exactly this way.  Flying off private land in a rural area with permission from the landowner. 

Scott