SWAP
Modelers Field Rules
General:
1. Safety shall be the primary concern and
responsibility of all members.
2. The designated Field Safety Officer is in
charge of ALL operation at the field.
All members, guests and spectators present are required to abide by his ON THE SPOT
decisions and directions without immediate protest. When the Safety Officer is not present, a
temporary Officer will be designated by the group present. The designated Safety Officer is charged with
enforcing these rules, and establishing any temporary rules deemed necessary
for the Safety of the group. He has the
authority to temporarily GROUND any pilot for infractions of the rules or for
operating equipment that may create a safety hazard.
3. Students may not fly unassisted. Student flight is permitted only when
accompanied by an instructor or a pilot.
4. Appropriate muffling devices are required on
all engines, and a conscientious effort must be made to see that all model
aircraft engines operate at a sound level of 100 dB, or lower when measured at
a distance of 9 feet from the source. Attachment
B to these regulations provides details related to sound measurement
procedures.
5. All propellers must be of wood, carbon fiber
or fiberglass, or reinforced nylon construction. Propellers with diameter of six inches or
less are exempt from this rule.
6. A fire extinguisher of the proper type will
be readily available in the pits whenever a GASOLINE engine is operated.
7. Every member is responsible for the proper
disposition of litter and the general upkeep of the facility.
8. All flyers, including nonmembers, are
required to display their current AMA Open membership identification card when
flying. In case of oversight, the flyer
will produce proof of membership upon demand.
9. Parking at the field: Club members may park their cars at the field
during the open hours of the park. In the
event of extremely crowded field conditions guests may drive up, unload their
cars, and then move their cars back outside the gate. Of course, they can also bring their car in
to load it back up. Guests must be
escorted by a member while this is going on, and NO non-members should have
knowledge of the gate lock combination.
10. NO NONMEMBER OF AMA will be permitted
to operate aircraft at the field. (THERE
ARE NO EXCEPTIONS TO THIS RULE.)
Frequency
Control:
In the
interest of safety and courtesy, the following provisions related to frequency
control will be strictly adhered to:
1. When not otherwise properly in use, all
transmitters on site will be switched off.
THERE ARE NO EXCEPTIONS TO THIS BASIC REGULATION.
2. Each flyer shall place his/her current Open
Membership AMA card in the appropriate slot in the posted frequency control
board to secure the frequency being used before turning on their
transmitter. (By doing this, the
frequency in use is effectively blocked out and should not be utilized until
the current user is done with it.)
3. No one may turn on a transmitter until they
have determined that the frequency is clear and that there is no known
opportunity for interference with other active frequencies. The burden and responsibility for making this
determination lies with each member.
4. To assure that all members will have an equal
opportunity to participate, AMA cards should be promptly removed whenever the
active transmitter is turned off (i.e. when the flight or test is terminated).
Flight
Operations:
1. All flying, from takeoff through landing,
will be conducted from the designated pilot area, maintaining a minimum of
twenty-five feet separation between transmitters to reduce frequency
interference. All takeoff runs will
begin from a center point on the runway.
Takeoffs from the flight-line or pits will not be permitted.
2. A maximum of five flyers are permitted to fly
at any one time.
3. Engines may be started in the pits, then
plane must be carried to the flight line.
Taxiing in or into the pits is prohibited. Engines must be started with the propeller
blast directed toward the flight-line, away from pilots and/or other aircraft,
people, or equipment.
4. All flight operation will take place beyond
the FLIGHT SAFETY LINE established by the inner edge of the paved runway. This is to prevent possible over flight of
spectators, pit area, parking area, pilot and other sensitive areas.
5. The direction of takeoffs and landings, when not
dictated by the wind, will be determined by the safety officer present. The landing pattern will be either left or
right handed as required.
6. The initial post-takeoff climb should always
be made away from the FLIGHT SAFETY LINE, unless extreme wind conditions create
situations where this is impossible.
7. Close encounters with full sized aircraft
will be avoided at all costs. A maximum
altitude of 100 feet will be in effect whenever a full-sized aircraft is in the
immediate area at less than 1,000 feet.
Under normal conditions, the maximum altitude for level flight will be
400 feet (national standard).
8. All landings will be announced loud and clear
by the pilot. Call out "COMING IN" when the turn is made onto final, or "DEAD-STICK" whenever power is lost and landing is
imperative. No one will go beyond the
FLIGHT SAFETY LINE without loudly calling
"MAN ON THE FIELD".
After landing and the aircraft is clear of the runway, "FIELD CLEAR" will be called by the pilot having just
landed.
9. The turn onto final approach WILL NOT be made
unless the field is clear. If it is not
clear, the landing will be aborted and the pattern reflown until the field is
clear.
10. If at any point in the landing procedure,
short of actual touch-down, the call
DEAD-STICK is heard, the landing
will be aborted and the pattern reflown until the field is clear.
11. Aircraft will not be left unattended on the
flight line. Between flights, parking
will be done in the pit area only.
12. Spectators are not permitted in the pits or
on the flight line.
"Spectators" is intended to mean anyone not actively
participating in flight operations, including guest of members as well as
casual observers.
13. Flying Times:
Weekdays and Saturday: From
Sundays and Major Holidays: From 12:00 noon until Park Closing
Guests
1. A guest may fly three (3) times
in a one year period.
2. A guest must be accompanied by his or
her sponsor, who must be a current AMA and SWAP member.
3. Guests must follow all club rules. The guest's sponsor is responsible for
ensuring that the guest knows the rules.
4. Ignorance of the rules may be cause for the
board to take action. If the aforementioned
rules are violated, one of the following will ensue: a. The guest will be banned from flying. b. The guest will be banned from the flying
field. c. The sponsor may be asked to
leave the club.
Turbine
Aircraft
1. The pilot must display an AMA waiver
and his/her current Open Membership AMA card with an up to date club
sticker.
2. No non-member of SWAP may fly turbine
aircraft at any time.
We
strongly urge you to place a small label on you plane with your name, address,
phone #, and AMA #. This is an AMA rule,
and if there is ever a lawsuit involved with one of your planes, and you did
not have a label on it, your AMA coverage may be void.
Attachment B: Noise Abatement and
Measurement
It is mandatory that a conscientious
effort be made at attaining an acceptable sound limit of 100dB or lower by all
model aircraft engines at the field.
(All engines must be fitted with appropriate muffling devices.) During special events at the field (i. e.
"T.O.C. of
Measurement
The club owned
sound meter will be made available to any member upon request. The meter will be held by one of the club
officers when it is not signed out to a club member. If you are asked by a club officer or other
official designated by an officer to have your plane tested you must
comply. If the engine is found to be
operating in excess of the noise requirements of the club, an officer reserves
the right to ask you to "ground" your aircraft until modifications
have been made to decrease your sound output.
Noise
Measurement is performed as follows:
1. Motor/Aircraft is located upwind
from meter, with the fuselage held perpendicular to the prevailing wind.
2. Aircraft is help approximately 3
feet above a hard surface.
3. Exhaust/muffler is positioned
perpendicular to the meter.
4.
5. Meter is positioned 9 feet
downwind from the motor/aircraft.
6. Meter is
positioned approximately 3 feet above surface and help approximately 12 inches
in front of operator.