How do you get the seasoned airplane pilots to embrace heli pilots

[BT Bones]

This has been a problem since I started flying airplanes in 2004. I just started flying helicopters a few months ago and getting helicopter pilots to join the club is a road to far. Given that I am still learning to hover, so I stay off to the side and keep out of everyone’s way.

Any suggestions from those of you that have bridged this gap and broaden the club scope.

Bobbie

[jrohland]

In my limited experience, probably the best you can hope for is the plank fliers will tolerate helis. At the few fixed-wing fields over which I've flown, the plane guys required you to fly the pattern with the planes unless you had the entire field to yourself. Mostly they wanted you to fly over a tiny side field or, better yet, go away.

The truth is, the field layout is so different, most clubs just necessarily specialize. If there is enough room for both kinds of fields, then I've not had problems.

So, unless you have a second field well designed for helis, most heli pilots are going to go elsewhere. A few clubs actually have two separate venues for the fixed and rotary wing aircraft.

[Trooper Sam]

At my clubs, we just get along well. The guys at one of my clubs know that I like to get in flights by myself, so they ask me if I'd like to fly, and voluntarily ground themselves and watch while I do.

At the other club, the standing gentleman's agreement is that planks stay down while helis are up, and vice-versa. No drama, no stress. We seem to play well with others. :)

[BarracudaHockey]

Some helicopter people either by perception or deservedly, give off the impression that they are better because they fly helis. Once the fixed wing crowd is exposed to someone like that its an uphill battle that takes patience and persistence to overcome.

I showed up at a warbird fly in this weekend with my MD530 (along with a P-51), to my surprise they not only allowed, but encouraged me to fly it. It's all in the prevailing attitude.

In truth there's no difference in a heli flying around than a 30 percent extra hovering over the end of the runway.

The key is for adults to act like adults and everyone gets along.

[BT Bones]

Thanks to all that replied. I will continue to work on this issue.

[skypup]

PS

Don't wear a shirt that says "airplanes are for people who can't fly helicopters". My daughter got me one a few years ago and without thinking I wore it to the flying field. The rest is history.

[captcasper7]

PS

Don't wear a shirt that says "airplanes are for people who can't fly helicopters". My daughter got me one a few years ago and without thinking I wore it to the flying field. The rest is history.

Where did you get it from, must get myself one to wear at my club

[invertmast]

I'm one of 2 hopefully 3 or 4 at the first of the year heli guys at my field. We aren't priviledged enough to have a field set aside for just me to fly. When i'm flying, they typically dont. When they fly, i dont. simple as that. but the problem is, we have very limited hours during the hunting season, so sunday is really the only day we have to fly, and i only get 3 maybe 4 flights a day, which doesn't do all that well for the learning experience of 3D. And if i have to do setup adjustments or tweaking on the heli, i take the far corner of the parking lot to do it.

As long as your respectful and curteous, most of the guys dont seem to have a problem and like to watch the heli stuff.. but if your constantly hovering over the runway for a couple of tanks a day, your going to get on their nerves and they will be less patient and enthusiastic of you.

[Randallhurd]

I feel pretty good about the fact that there are no Flying Fields around here. We just had LHS open up 10 miles from me (Hobby Town) Rockwall Texas but of course Mack comes in a little late on Saturdays Ha ha. In Texas if your within 25 miles, it's just around the corner. I'm thinking that things are going to change pretty soon Hobby Town moved in. Which by the way, If you wanted to open a RC Store that would be the place to do it. Average income for that Area is over $200,000.00 + a year. The Starbucks just around the corner on Sundays is loaded with local bussiness owners. But for now when I go flying, I usually have high speed spectators passing by. I guess I'm pretty lucky for that. After reading some of the threads on here, it does give a heads up. I wished there were a Flying club around here.
I run Platoons and Squads in the Army, but I think a club might be a little differant.
I guess that's why I'm still on here, Helifreak is a pretty outstanding club in it of itself. And that's fine with me for now. But having a eyeball to eyeball club would deffinantly be a plus. Lord knows we have the room for atleast ten differant flying fields where I'm at ( Royse City Texas). There's one field / pasture up the street with some excellant parking, you could fly Jet engine / Nitro Planks and Heli's simutaneously with no problems. And it's right off the freeway. I30 "Fate" Texas I30 (MM 74) :thumbup:

[Rodan]

One way is to outnumber them...

For many years at the club I joined in January, there was only one heli guy. In January, when I joined, there were three of us. A few weeks ago, one Saturday morning, we had 6 heli pilots and 14 helis, and outnumbered the planks that morning! We around 10 guys flying helis now, and unlike a lot of the plankers, we actually fly when we go to the field.

All kidding aside, we had some growing pains in the club as we started to outgrow the "corner" we were stuck in. We developed some procedures for helis flying in the regular pattern, and added a helipad on the pit side of the runway, off to one end of the flying stations to allow spool up/down without tieing up the runway. It's been working well so far.

[Jermo]

I've found most people around me are pretty nice. If you encounter an asshat just chalk that up to "there's always one in every bunch". Just ignore the bad and embrace the rest. You'll find alot of very awesum people that way ;)

[DebianDog]

We are lucky in our club I would say over 25% of the people have a helicopter. It was not till I went to other clubs that people asked me to land or fly way out because a plane was taking off or landing. I was like "are you freaking serious?"

[WayneBrown]

get there earlier than everyone else. :)
vote a heli guy pres.
have a heli guy take the CD test.
be meaner than everyone else, and terrorize the plankers.
cut the grass only in little squares.
have your wife bring a camp grill and cook on weekends for all that show up.
my personal favorite; ask them if you can try their plank and outfly THEM with it..

[BarracudaHockey]

More and more of our regular chopper pilots are showing up with airplanes, its making the plankers nervous :D they asked on Sunday if we were changing religions.

[invertmast]

my personal favorite; ask them if you can try their plank and outfly THEM with it..

LMAO.. i love doing that... especially when its a 30% or larger plank.. they get maaaddddd

[Gr4yb3ard]

Good Topic!

As with anything, though, I think the real trick is to be a good neighbor. Funny to be shunned by the plank drivers (hey i'm one too!!) whilst the folks in the trailer park want to run off the noisy r/c planes and the locals want the trailers out...... sheesh.

... and hey, RandallHurd! I'm out of Waxahachie, Texas, but get up to Rockwall occasionally. You can blame Max and his bunch of crazies at HobbyTown for getting me into this mess ;-) Holler at me if you see this.

Gr4yb3ard
PPL, Sailplane racer, CPP, B-400, Trex v2, and/or just plane crazy...

[AXE3D]

A bit inappropriate, but one day the plankers were flying 1/3 scale airplanes over the heli 3D area. After about the 5th high-speed flight into our area my friend took after it with his Trex-600N Pro. “Rexter” quickly caught up to the 1/3 scale Extra 300 and despite the plankers best efforts to out maneuver the heli, my friend stayed parked right on his tail. The dog fight ensued for what seemed like several minutes and ended when the planker chose to take the chase into the vertical. Unfortunately, with about 85 mph of forward speed, Rexter quickly out climbed the 1/3 scale ship while doing rolls.

I think out large scale, gas powered planker friend found a new respect for the power to rate ratio of .50 size helis and their unrivaled maneuverability. The flight ended with Rexter flying down their flight line inverted. It was the last planker that flew patterns through our heli area. In all honesty, some of these old bastards are so set in their ways there is no hope in bringing them into a new era so you just have to drive a wedge into their reality; that wedge being that there are other types of pilots and both require respect of their preference.

[Gr4yb3ard]

I don't think you guys get it.....


Gr4yb3ard

[WayneBrown]

I can honestly say that in my previous post, I've pulled off all of the above. :)
cutting little squares was a classic! Feeding only the heli guys was mean, but effective. and Outflying the local hotshot planker with his own plank was PRICELESS..
Of course having the current pres, VP and safety officer as rotorheads with the only planker officer the treasurer also gets it done..;)

[Hawk18052]

I go to the local club with my friend who's a fixed wing flyer and he enjoys it but he's already told me (he doesn't know I'm getting a heli) that they should be able to shoot the heli's in the field like skeet. I don't think there will ever be peice between the 2 groups a my local club which is why I found other places to fly.

Hawk

[Skarn]

I don't think you guys get it.....


Gr4yb3ard


Care to enlighten everyone then?

Skarn

[Gr4yb3ard]

Ah Skarn! you know better than to encourage me ;-)

Actually though, I missed the "inappropriate" line and "don't get it" was my reaction.

Think twice, post once!

I sorta bristled at the thought of chasing an old-tyme plank driver around, that would be some really, really bad PR. But having re-read it, I calmed down.

I woulda retracted that, but since I just put a little kerosine into the air instead of lighting up the flamethrower, I let it go.

You've seen my posts on the subject. Heck all this stuff is good. For example, I cannot for the life of me figure out why someone would want to go skydiving, but one of my best friends is a 'chute rigger and instructor. It's not up to me to say whats trivial, silly, etc., man, to each their own.

Gr4yb3ard
"If God had intended man to fly, we would have all been born with trust funds..."