Designated flying areas

[Purple Pyro]

Designated flying areas...

If this is in the wrong section can a mod’ please move it for me.

As my son and I are keen fliers of our electric fomies (supercub’s and wot-4’s) I have made contact with my local Tandridge Council regarding legal RC flight in our area. Our neighbouring councils (Sutton and Croydon) have designated areas model aircraft can be flown with clear rules regarding non jet propulsion, times IC engine planes can be flown, flight boundaries and the ‘user’ maintaining the runway strips. Tandridge Council seem to give no info on their web site, nor could the customer service person I spoke to on Friday answer this.

My local ward councillor will hopefully be coming back to me with the answer regarding bylaws and designated areas, but by the lack of info so far im presuming such detail dose not exist. This is a great shame as where we have been flying is a vast meadow on a large downs, we have other people walking through only 2-3 times a hour and can see them coming from 400+Mts, we always land and wait for them to pass (most of which stop for a chat about the planes). Even with our RC cars, we only take the nitros out on a disused air field in the middle of no were only use our electrics locally, and yet we fell like criminals!

The questions I have for you guys in order for me to decide whether to campaign the council are…

1 – Dose your council have a designated flying area, or dose your local by-laws allow you to fly electric fomies on green belt / common areas? I often see on youtube people flying in parks and commons so presume it is ok in some areas.
2- What is the yearly value of the RC industry in the UK.
3 – Anyone know the yearly value of RC flying in the UK
4 – Anyone have stats relating to injuries and damage caused by RC flying.
5 – What companies offer Public Liability insurance for RC flying. Although im not looking to start a club, if PL was in place that users could donate toward this may help.
6 – dose anyone have a copy or tips on the Risk Assessment for such a public flying area/club, i.e boundaries of flight, size and weight of aircraft etc.
7 – Any leisure rights we could claim as local residents.

If anyone can answer even one of the above please do as I need to gain some knowledge and stats before deciding whether to proceed.

[Richard]

Contact http://www.bmfa.org who will answer your questions.

My local council has designated flying areas which are covered in the local by-laws.