Got Ticket Flying 600 Nitro At Park

[TRAMTRAN]

Got ticket while flying my 600N lunch time today at soccer field in Houston 20 minutes ago. Anybody living in Houston area watchout when flying your heli at park. Police said, no any flying object at park anywhere in Houston even small elec heli.

[DebianDog]

Yep I usually try to go to a AMA field unless I am just doing a hover test then I just use my yard.

I would still find the EXACT law you are being charged with. I am sure there are other things going on in Houston to give tickets for :roll:

[SoftwareDrone]

Was it a moving violation (har har)?

Seriously, I'm curious as to what kind of ticket and how much.
:-)

[cd5]

Bummer. Last weekend we had police turn up where we fly, and they keep coming back. they enjoy watching us fly. Hopefully they will get their own helis and fly with us in their lunch break.Mind you we are only banging around 450s in a very isolated area.Nonetheless we are lucky i guess.

[TRAMTRAN]

I flew my heli at this field couple of times a month. Last time, there was another cop watching me flying, but he did not give me a ticket. Today, I am just out of luck with a different cop. $80 = disturbing in public area.

[TheBum]

Check your city ordinances. If Houston has an online system like McKinney, it's easy to do. That's how I found the one city park in McKinney where flying is permitted.

[beeflyer2]

I don't think I would fly a nitro in a park, but I've never had any trouble flying my 450 in parks almost every day for 2 years now. Had a few cops stop to chat, never kicked out or given a ticket. That sucks man!

[WillJames]

Seems like if they don't have a sign there that says you cannot fly anything there they would at least give a warning before a ticket. At the park near my Brother-in-laws in CT, there is a sign that says no R/C Airplanes but I am not going to push my luck with helis there.

[jet22b]

I have big sport complex, that have 4 soccer field, 3 baseball fields and a football field, only 3 min from my house that I sometime use when I need to checkout something on the helicopter's E & N. I have ben flying at this site for over 4 years untill one day a local cop said that there was no more fly in the complex. So I pack up my heli's and went home. The next day I went back to the complex and there was no sign to be see about flying RC toys. I did so digging and found out there was one person who sat on the board who hate RC flying and was on the record, that as long as he was on the board, there will be no rc flying in his parks!! To make a long story short, that person is no longer on the board and people still fly there when there is no games on for that day!! I say fight the ticket and let us know the outcome!!!

jet22b

[TRAMTRAN]

I will drive out there today again to check out the park if there is a sign "No RC Aircraft", I will fight for this ticket not for the money, but at least, I can fly my 500E there. I was upset about this cop that he said not even small electric heli can fly anywhere in Houston park or private land, except RC aircraft field.

[houstonrevo]

I live in Houston as well and I have a cop friend that lives in the neighborhood. I am going to ask him about this. By where I live, there is a big undeveloped field and I fly there all the time. This police friend of mine often stop by to chat and he didn't act like it was illegal to fly there. As a matter of fact he was looking at getting a heli. I think it is out of hand to say you can't fly anywhere even in private land. What about kite, can I fly a kite in a park? To tell you that you need to stop via a warning is one thing. To give you a ticket right on the spot is kinda mean.

[TheBum]

If you want to search for Houston city ordinances, here's the link:

http://www.municode.com/resources/gateway.asp?pid=10123

I checked the ordinances dealing with use of parks and the only thing I found that could be remotely applied to RC aircraft is use of vehicles in parks. However, it's obvious from the wording that the ordinances are referring to ground vehicles. If you're flying nitro, the noise ordinances would also apply.

[invertmast]

If you want to search for Houston city ordinances, here's the link:

http://www.municode.com/resources/gateway.asp?pid=10123

I checked the ordinances dealing with use of parks and the only thing I found that could be remotely applied to RC aircraft is use of vehicles in parks. However, it's obvious from the wording that the ordinances are referring to ground vehicles. If you're flying nitro, the noise ordinances would also apply.

from the way the ticket is worded "disturbing in public area" sounds more like a noise ordinance violation than a flying RC violation (unless, this is written on the ticket also).

[tec548]

I fly in a park on the North side of Houston (across from a sub station (Veterans and Cypresswood)) on Monday mornings. It is two baseball fields and four soccer fields. I have the cops out just about every week as they know what time I'm going to be there and I have had several different officers come out, watch and talk. I actually asked once if there was a problem with my flying there and he told me that he didn't know of a reason. The park is very large and no one is on the fields when I'm there... kind of why I go there. I usually burn about a gallon and a half each time so I'm there about three hours... never had any problems.

I'd look into it... please let us know how it turns out.

Joel

[TheBum]

If that's the case, I'd suggest that the poster get a sound pressure meter and measure the noise. I'm no lawyer, but as long as it's under 65 dB(A) as stated in section 30-6, possibly even 68 dB(A) if a park is considered a "non-residential area", I'd say there's a good chance for dismissal. I doubt that anybody in an open area such as a park would be able to sense "sympathetic vibrations or resonance".

[WiscHeli]

I run my Boats at a Park that the Sign there said No Motor Boats ,,, Rangers that come By love watching me Run the RC Boat No Problems even at 50-60Mph :YeaBaby:.. Just tell me if there are swimmers i have to wait till the water is Empty

[rfequity1]

Well, it turns out we have a city ordinance as well here in Apopka, Florida. I will have to seek a vacant lot.

[freeflyn2001]

Try keeping some Donuts with you next time you go to the Park to fly, Most cops take Bribes, especially a Donut and coffee.

[bmlasater]

fwiw..

One of my major pet peeves..Cops seem very adept at enforcing laws they themselves make up or don't fully understand..Main reason I went toward electrics...Nothing is illegal if you don't get caught!! ;)

JOhn.

[edkoz]

Nothing more frustrating than a "Jerk" with authority.

[helibalou]

Unfortunately we live in a country run by f'n morons !!!!

And it's just gonna get worse.......

[Steel Butcher]

600N lunch time today at soccer field

You need to stick to an RC field with a heli that size. The cop did you a favor.

[creightoncarr]

600N lunch time today at soccer field

You need to stick to an RC field with a heli that size. The cop did you a favor.

There's always one...

I'm sure you almost had a coronary when you saw JK flying in his front yard.:P


IMO, as long as you have plenty of room, there's no one around and you're not putting anyone or their property in danger, I see no problem with flying at public fields as long as there is no law against it. I've got a school field by my house bigger than most R/C fields. I fly at that field in evenings regularly even with my 90's. I'm sure there's someone here who'll tell me I'm going to hell. That may be, but not because I'm flying my helis at a non-AMA sanctioned field. :YeaBaby:

[rfequity1]

Does Steel Butcher own/ or flown a heli that size before he makes that statement?

[Dwntyme]

Got ticket while flying my 600N lunch time today at soccer field in Houston 20 minutes ago. Anybody living in Houston area watchout when flying your heli at park. Police said, no any flying object at park anywhere in Houston even small elec heli.

i guess throwing a Football or baseball is out of the question too.