General RC restrictions

[sneezy007]

Hey guys,

Not sure if this is the right place for this thread.

What kind of restrictions do you guys have in the US for RC. In my city all RC has been banned from city parks. In fact you can't even fly a kite in a city park. If bylaw officers or cops catch you, they will ticket you and take your RC gear away.

To fly you have to join a club and be a member of MAAC which is the equivalent of your AMA.
Our RC clubs are being pushed further and further out of the city. It's not uncommon for people to have to drive an hour to the field.

Cheers,
Dino

 

[PLANETGETLOW]

Here in Arizona we are pretty liberal. We can fly helis pretty much anywhere, and if i wanted i could carry my AK47 strapped to my shoulder!

 

[trainrider06]

Some of the cities don't want R/C's to be flown in parks here, I guess I can understand that to a point if it's a heavy usage park.
But there are places people go to that no one complains or hassles anyone. I joined my club a few years ago, just so I'd know I have a place to fly without worry of any hassles or risks to others. I know one guy that was flying in a vacant field and dumped his heli off a ways and was walking to get it and these people ran up on a 4 wheeler and stole it! He was pissed! I would be too!

 

[murankar]

Ohio is fairly open for flying. The AMA is not required to fly unless you fly in a club that is AMA sanctioned. Most of the clubs in Ohio are sanctioned.

 

[Stambo]

New Zealand sucks now, we used to be able to fly pretty much where we liked as long as we stay below 400 feet and clear of airfields, heliports and restricted or low flying ares.
Now we must have permission of the property owner or occupier which as far as I am concerned, on private land is fair enough but on land that is publicly owned is just wrong. I pay for the upkeep of public land with my taxes and rates, as a member of the public of NZ I am a part owner of this land yet I am not even allowed to fly a 15 gram toy there without permission.
Other people can throw, hit or kick their 160 gram cricket balls and 400+ gram soccer balls with impunity.
Don't get me wrong, as far as I am concerned if there is other people there I just don't even want to fly but there are so many places that I would like to stop on my travels and get a little spur of the moment aerial video.
Our rules have just become too restrictive.

 

[Smoggie]

Other people can throw, hit or kick their 160 gram cricket balls and 400+ gram soccer balls with impunity.

You make a good point. My personal bugbear is golfers. Here in Scotland Golf is hugely popular. Golf courses are everywhere, like a blight on the land. But golfers also practice on any field they find and while some are fine, a few seem to take the attitude that it's up to everyone else to get out of their way. I was flying a year or two back and a couple of golfers turn up and start driving their balls to what I can only guess was an imaginary hole placed about 10yds from where me and my buddy were flying. I at first assumed they were just wayward shots but no, it became obvious that it was deliberate. So i walked over picked up a few of their balls and screamed over that if they hit one more I'd stick their balls where the sun doesnt shine... they left and I've not been bothered with them since

But it's no joke far more people die from being hit by golf balls than by RC models yet the weight of the law seems to be increasingly bearing down on RC.

Fortunately it's still relatively ok here in the UK. We can fly in public places as long as we take common sense precautions, not near airports, not over 400ft etc.

 

[trainrider06]

Although a fanatic golfer at one time, I haven't played in years, those dudes must have been just real idiots, I never even attempted to hit a golf ball on the course or away if I even thought of an errant shot. Golf over here is dying out from what I hear. There are courses going by the wayside, and being plowed under, and fee's have knocked a lot out of the sport. At $50.00-$60.00 bucks a round on average is pretty costly!
It seems the AMA has won the battle against the government with cooler heads prevailing. Most all proposed restrictions have been eliminated except for the registration part. The Model aircraft agreement still stands.

 

[Smoggie]

Good to hear that the regulations in the US havent gone the way some feared.

 

[sneezy007]

Interesting to see how restrictions vary from state to state and even from country to country.

Thanks guys,
Dino

 

[Admiral]

Australia has the same laws as New Zealand, but public land is controlled mainly by the Local Councils and access varies from council to council, there are no restrictions that I'm aware of where I live but, requires written permission in the council next to us.
Written permission is difficult to get for individuals by possible for clubs.