Club Rejection

[JASO']

hi guys ,
Is it just me or do other newbies to this hobby find it difficult to find a heli supporting club. I went to a local plankers club 25 mins from home on the weekend and enquired about joining and told them I only had a heli and immediately they lost enthusiasm. Why is it that we seem to endure this "us and them" philosophy even though we all fly model aircraft. (Maybe the challenge is too great). So now I either continue to fly by myself down the local park or travel to a small heli club about 1 1/4 hours away. Was wondering if other people had similar experiences with our fascinating hobby.

[frankg11]

Well, let's see, plankers...

Take of from the runway.
Turn Left
Run NASCAR Racetrack patterns for 10 minutes
Turn Left
Land

or turn right if the pattern is reversed.

Fly Heli, go wherever the heck you want when ever the urge happens to hit you.

So what does that do to the plank patterns.

I have this same problem at another field I first joined. Now I just go an take over the field till I am done. Oh forgot, group of us went and got unlimited combat planes and flew 2 or 3 at a time just to say we fly planes too at the field. Still kept the down on the ground for a long time too.

It's a matter of we are just more accomplished flyers than they are and their angry.

[Ivan]

I think it is a fear of the unknown. Most of the plan fliers haven't ever tried helis, and are there by afraid of them. They tend to believe all the horror stories of how dangerous they are, you kow, the one that come from the other group of plankers:

The "Itried them once and it crashed on me, so they are terrible things" These are the guys that bought a Sport 500, or a Mantis and when the thing wouldn't get off the ground, the trashed it, or if they got it off the ground, it promptly crashed and they decided they had enough. Their experiance over the last twenty years has become a "fish story" that just keeps getting bigger.

I would recommend looking to fly at times when you know no one else will be there, IE sun up, and when the others show up, you have already had your flights in and they can have their fun. That or else, just go fly and if they complain, point out to them that AMA says they cant taxi in the pits, take off from the pits, fly behind the pilots line, consume alcoholic beverages, fly without thier AMA number somewhere on the plane, etc, so on and so forth. They won't understand, but that's ok, they are plankers. :mrgreen:

[tnreefguy]

I would join the club anyway. Probably after a couple of months they will come around. Maybe even become interested after no one gets killed.

[frankg11]

Just remember what they say about old dogs....

Good luck and let us know how it works out.

[WayneBrown]

DO like I do at a new field full of old plankers;
richen it up a few clicks.
Go hover upwind of them for a whole tank.
When told to go to the downwind end of the runway, refuse, stating that you can't Possibly hear a plane landing, and that it's unsafe for YOU.
Fly another tank upwind.
If there's anyone left at this point, lean it down and fly the snot out of it!!
Hey, it works for me! :D :D

[Ivan]

I agree with lame bird, and get some Red Max heli 30. that stuff smells bad enough to make a feed lot relocate.

[Bayou Talker]

Take of from the runway.
Turn Left
Run NASCAR Racetrack patterns for 10 minutes
Turn Left
Land


That was true until planks went 3D! If they allow a plank to 3D then what are they going to use for an excuse to dislike helis?

[frankg11]

That's true, and when a 3d plane goes up at my field, the plankers all ***** and moan and stop flying and complain about not being able to fly.

The rules at one field, are:

1. no hovering over the runway. (i.e. No helis, No 3d planes and enforced by plankers)
2. no low passes over the runway. (ignored by plankers) they do this to make it difficult for 3d'rs and helis to even take off.

3. The whole AMA no taxing zones (ignored by plankers)



I spent 2 hours at the field when first starting waiting for a planker to not yell,
"Landing" and then do a touch and go ( also against the rules)

I don't fly there anymore except when we (heli pilots) can come in force and take over the field.

[ausheli]

Hey Jaso, which club did you go to, the Whiteman Park Heli guys are all a cool bunch to fly with they fly out at Whiteman park from lunchtime on Sundays

[agoodman]

I agree it is no fun to fly at the park alone. I suggest finding other heli pilots in your area and try to get up with them. Get a friend in the hobby and help him learn to fly. A friend and I have been flying for a year and a half together. We do not wish to join a club because of the cost and having to wait to fly. Additionally the rules restrict your flying like frankg11 said. We just found a farmer who has allowed us to fly in his pasture and it is awesome. Lots of room, no restrictions other than being safe when you fly and no cost. Good luck,

tony

[JASO']

ausheli,

Im about an hour south of perth and whiteman park would be further still maybe like agoodman said I should find a vacant paddock and fly there. Another concern at the park is trying to keep other people away from where Im flying. Have thought about starting a club down this part of the world but thats about as far as its got.

[Bert Kammerer]

There is nothing worse than flying a heli in a field where airplanes predominate. I have experienced the exact same aggravation here in Orlando (I won't mention the field). But it turns out that even though I can fly my heli there, I have to:

- Give the right of way to airplanes.
- Look out for crazy planker pilots flying dangerously close to the flight line.
- Keep up with their "displeased attitude / grumpy faces".

If you are a 3D heli pilot who likes to fly in the box, simply forget about a planker field. If you can fly FAI style, then you might be OK as you can probably fly around the pattern too.

[ausheli]

Jaso, even if you make the effort to just once a month travel to Perth and fly with Perth RC Heli Club, i think you will find it invaluable, even to just to go and see Nigel Brown fly, now that he is Australian 3D Champion, it's always good to catch up with them guys when I'm in Perth and just chat about helis with no plankers getting in the way. I am the same here I'm the only 1 that can fly heli's with any sort of skill and a couple of others started to hover then chucked in, so i look forward to my Perth trips just for the heli time

[rc4stroker]

What I found is that if the "airplane flyer" cannot do it, they do not like it.
That goes for torque rolling, as well as flying a helicopter.
We all fly helis early ever Saturday before the airplanes show up after lunch time.

Note, I flew airplanes for many, many, years and just came out of the closet to try choppers :shock:
I am getting there!!

[EZ Money]

This is an interesting thread and much of what I read is true, but consider this:

Model airplanes were around waaay before helis. The Heli community is also responsible for some of the hate and discontent by their disdain of airplanes. Referring to them as "planks" or constantly saying that planes are boaring, is proof of this. If you think an inverted pass at 80 mph and pulling outside into an inverted snap roll is boaring, well you must be one helluva heli pilot.

I fly both. I have a Raptor, a T-Rex and a CP as well as a quarter scale Cap and two real nice Dragon Ladies and a foamy.

I think the trick to being able to co-exist is trying to show that you have respect for the other guy. Try not to block the runway in a hover, if a plane is dead stick try to get your heli clear (a mid air is bad for the heli too). Go over and talk to the airplane guys.

At the Field in Las Vegas, the heli and airplane guys seem to get along fine. Of course Vegas has two of the best heli flyers and the single best airplane flyer in the world hanging out on any given Saturday or Sunday. And, they are all friends.

Gotta go, I almost fell off of my soap box.

[WillJames]

I to feel JASO's pain. Our local club does not want us. I have Black Sheep about 2 hours away then everything else is an hour away. I am choosing Black Sheep at 2 hours cause the people who fly there......

[Bayou Talker]

Most of the problems I have seen with airplane guys not wanting to share airspace with helis has been with the older pilots. They have gotten to a point where they just want to fly the "pattern" and take a leisurely flight around the field. Most of them don't really like the 3D plane guys either if the truth is known. They just pretend to make friends with them so they are not by themselves against the heli guys. As they get older and out of the sport a lot of these problems will go away with them.

[MikeEast]

Its all dumb. I make friends.... REAL friends with all of the club members. Sure, they dont like it at 1st BUT, They are much more tolerant of their friends flying 3D and helis. I know that they can be crabby and totally unreasonable so Im not going to bend and give into that crap and fly in circles. Im going to continue doing what I like to do right over the runway... I just try to be so otherwise likeable that they cant help but learn to enjoy my flying. It takes time and patience to get it done. But its worth it,,, it works for me,,, I get to fly the way I like to fly and they all like me for it. Instead of landing and griping about my flying they all time their flights so that when Im flying 3D they can stop and watch their friend do something that they only wish they could do.... And when I came out with a HELI... Oh man, horror and uncontrollable curiosity at the same time. I heard all about decapitation and what not. They get over and accept it because they like me. :cool:

[Bayou Talker]

Mike,

I agree that it does make it easier if you are friends with the other pilots at the field. It also makes it easier if you also fly what they fly. I have been lucky in the clubs that I have belonged to in that there has never been any major problem with any type of aircraft or flying style. Like you said everyone just makes accomodations for the people they fly with and everyone has plenty of airtime and lots of fun. If you have a problem at your field, why not try to fly what the other guys fly? You just might surprise yourself and like it!! After all variety is the spice of life!!

[mike5334]

Being in Korea, I get to fly at the local Korean flying areas. What struck me about the Koreans is how easily helis and planes get along at the flying area. You rarely see a heli and plane flying at the same time, but it happens occasionally and the pilots seem to have no problems with it. Most of the time, the helis and planes just alternate flying, for instance the planes will go up and fly fo a while, then the helis get their turn to do the same. The pilots that want to fly all the time bring out a heli and a plane. There isn't a timer or a person keeping track of how long each segment flies, they just fly out a tank each. Heh.

If I had to make a WAG (wild ass guess) why this is this way, it would be because of two things: Korean fields tend to be somewhat disorganized (very few actual rules), and helis are just as popular if not more so than planes.

The main point is, it is possible for helis and planes to fly at the same field. It's just a matter of compromise ... just like being married is. :lol: