Safety

Introduction

RC Helicopters can cause serious injury even death. I don't want to scare you away from the hobby, but these machines can cause serious injury and have been known to kill people, I've heard of 2 RC helicopter deaths (1, 2) worldwide since I started the hobby about 3 years ago, and a similar number in relation to RC aircraft. Like I said I don't want to scare you away from the hobby but I'd rather you know the dangers and practise good safety rather than hide these facts.

Such incidents are extremely rare and PRCHC has a 100% injury free record. The clubs safety document contains important information to ensure we operated our models safely. All new members are presented with a copy when they join and it's important to revisit it every now and then to remind yourself of the rules for safety :

PRCHC safety document issue 5 .

Below are some further safety related links which you can benefit from investigating further.

• MAAA Manual of Procedures
  http://www.maaa.asn.au/mop.html
• Developing rules and advisory material for aeromodellers http://rrp.casa.gov.au/interestgroup/aeromodel.asp
• Unmanned aircraft and rocket operations (CASR) Part 101
  http://rrp.casa.gov.au/casr/101.asp
• Civil Aviation Safety Regulations 1998 (CASR) Part 101
  http://casa.gov.au/avreg/rules/1998casr/101/101casr.pdf

Safety at the field

The following diagram shows a typical layout at the field. Members of the public are invited to browse the pits area, only MAAA members can leave the pits and approach the flight line. More than one pilot can fly at a time. For safety reasons it is encouraged only the pilot and perhaps one other member approach the flight line for any one flight (i.e. don't have 5 people standing beside the pilot during flight).

A typical field setup is shown below. Note: the red hats at the field don't have to strictly follow the diagram below, the red dots below represent a visual guide. Usually the we only have 5 or 6 red hats and only occasionally hover on the north of the field.

Don't just rely on the following diagram it is provided as a guideline, all club members are required to read the clubs safety document (issue 5), you would have received one when you first joined up. You need a PDF viewer to view this document, you probably already have it otherwise download it free from adobe.

We place signs around the field to alert members of the public to the dangers. The following is a common layout of signs at Hertha Reserve. The idea is to place a sign at the main pedestrian access points. Without the sings out there can be no flying. Again this is not a substitute for the clubs safety document (issue 5) please read it. To find out where the sings are stored speak to the guys down the field on Sunday or contact them via email.

Rodderick Clark is the clubs safety officer but remember safety is everyone responsibility, if you see something that looks unsafe its your responsibility to correct it. For example pointing out safety issues to the new members or members of the public visiting or crossing the field, the last thing we want is an accident.

This newer picture should clear up the above 2 diagrams a bit.