Laws

helpdogscat

are there any regarding flying models, bought an electric plane off the net, can I just take it out the field and go ?

Fobia

Well, most clubs feel insurance if quite important. For flying model planes the general standard is membership with MACI - www.maci.ie . You'll need to find out the details of the field you're flying in (you'll need someone to teach you!) so when you do that ask them about insurance also.

To find a club near you, try the charter/faq thing in this board.

Best of luck,
Fobia.

Shrimp

*EDITED CONTENT*

Broke Rules number 2 and 5 if the charter;

2.No posting unrelated to the thread in question. <-- A rule I wont enforce too strictly but you clearly broke it....

5. Keep your posts (within reason) clean and (within reason) mature. <-- simply broken.


Just a warning for now - I don't want to start banning people on this board as the people here have proven themselves to be mature and respectful so far but Shrimp: if you keep breaking them then a tempban will follow.

Capt'n Midnight

Don't you still need a license from the post office any more ?

coolwings

You also need to be using a legal frequency for Ireland.
This is 35FM
Other countries use frequencies for flying which are allocated to other users in Ireland, eg 72FM for the USA, which I think, is used by the construction industry for remote control heavy lifting gear, but is certainly "owned" by "legal" users.
Not having the correct frequency will invalidate all attempts to insure for 3rd party damage and put liability back on the modeller.

Fobia

coolwings wrote:

You also need to be using a legal frequency for Ireland.
This is 35FM
Other countries use frequencies for flying which are allocated to other users in Ireland, eg 72FM for the USA, which I think, is used by the construction industry for remote control heavy lifting gear, but is certainly "owned" by "legal" users.
Not having the correct frequency will invalidate all attempts to insure for 3rd party damage and put liability back on the modeller.

Forgot about that

With regards to the channels on the 35FM frequency most clubs have rules for them too - the most popular method is the "clothes peg" method, ie they have a list of channels on a board each with a clothespeg attached to it, when you want to fly on that channel you have to have the clothespeg, if you don't then someone else does and you could be interfering with their gear.....which most people arent too happy about!

helpdogscat

coolwings wrote:

You also need to be using a legal frequency for Ireland.
This is 35FM
Other countries use frequencies for flying which are allocated to other users in Ireland, eg 72FM for the USA, which I think, is used by the construction industry for remote control heavy lifting gear, but is certainly "owned" by "legal" users.
Not having the correct frequency will invalidate all attempts to insure for 3rd party damage and put liability back on the modeller.

just checked the remote controller, it says its a channel-40 72.590 mhz, is that ok ?

the field i was gonna fly it in is greenspace amongst housing estates, its quite big, about 600 meters by 180 meters, is that enough ?
the plane i got is this kit here http://www.hobby-lobby.com/bf109.htm
im a total newbie to rc so its prolly junk, I thought i'd just take it out myself when I build it (it say's nearly ready to fly but they are big liars, theres a fair bit of work in putting it together :eek: ) most of fhe cost was the battery, motor, controller etc etc which are fairly solid and should survive a crash so ill only have to replace the styrofoam body, I'm assuming i'll destroy it the first flight i attempt, just hope i get good enough to control it before my wallet is empty hehe

coolwings

You appear to have a 72FM transmitter.
Use of this for leisure hobby purposes is illegal in Ireland, the UK and Europe.
No flying club will allow you to use it where they fly because they are responsible for montioring safety at their flying place, and once they are aware of the frequency, they must act or else they themselves would also be open to being sued in the event of an accident.
You should be aware that I am not making a "big" thing of this, it IS important ... people get killed by model planes from time to time, and these events when they occur, are investigated by the police.
If a modeller has an expensive crash, ( maybe dropping a model onto someones car for example, which I have seen happen during the last 12 months) they will do their best to make sure it is someone elses fault, and if you are around things will be said that you do not want to hear.
Send the radio back, or bin it. People like to sue for damages in this lovely little country of ours.

Fobia

coolwings wrote:

You appear to have a 72FM transmitter.
Use of this for leisure hobby purposes is illegal in Ireland, the UK and Europe.
No flying club will allow you to use it where they fly because they are responsible for montioring safety at their flying place, and once they are aware of the frequency, they must act or else they themselves would also be open to being sued in the event of an accident.
You should be aware that I am not making a "big" thing of this, it IS important ... people get killed by model planes from time to time, and these events when they occur, are investigated by the police.
If a modeller has an expensive crash, ( maybe dropping a model onto someones car for example, which I have seen happen during the last 12 months) they will do their best to make sure it is someone elses fault, and if you are around things will be said that you do not want to hear.
Send the radio back, or bin it. People like to sue for damages in this lovely little country of ours.

It'll be hard to do but it has to be done - unless you can find some kind of converter, but a google found nothing for me, sorry.

Also, once you get a proper transmitter, you still need an instructor - if you live too far away from a club then at the very LEAST try a simulator.

A good free one - http://n.ethz.ch/student/mmoeller/fms/index_e.html

g'luck, hope it works out for you,
Fobia.

loz_the_boz

This same for helicoptors ?

I'm gettign one for xmas, assumed i could just go done phoenix park with it !

coolwings

loz_the_boz wrote:

This same for helicoptors ?
I'm gettign one for xmas, assumed i could just go done phoenix park with it !

The radio situation is the same for helis. The heli instructor situation is that there are a couple (no more) of instructors in the Phoenix park, so you can be waiting a bit for their time (they fly their own models too )

Have you spoken to anyone from the Leinster Flying Club yet? It would be a good idea to do that before spending money on stuff they might not like to teach on. They have their favourites when it comes to advise. But they are helpful guys. It pays to ask first, thats all.

The LMAC has a link in the general sticky thread on this forum, it would be a good idea to drop them a message checking out the options & so on ....