SPORT DOMES for Indoor Flying
With the availability of improved micro radio systems through development, a great new era has been created in the growth and interest of flying model airplanes indoors. These are not rubber-powered—although they could be as in past indoor activity—but are powered with electric motors.
Outstanding developments have been made in the miniaturization of electric motors and control components. This, together with the latest in battery technology (using lithium batteries), offers great opportunities for building flying model airplanes with weights that can be less than 10 grams.
Craig Tamboia, an ardent modeler, recognizes the use of a sport dome for indoor flying. He is organizing a new club in the Brewster, New York, Sport Dome. Craig received a positive reception for the practice session on May 1 and others are scheduled. The dome has an area of 35,000 square feet and a ceiling height of 65 feet.
There is the potential of a larger 100,000 square-foot unit. Craig welcomes anyone interested to contact him:
- Phone: (845) 832-3321
- Email: [email protected]
He shares the following:
"My goal is to fill the void in this part of the state with a large indoor facility that can be used on a regular basis for indoor flying. I have always wanted to try to fly inside the dome since I work a few miles up the road.
"A few months ago I contacted the management and asked if they would mind if local fliers used their facility and they were very receptive. In a couple of years they will be moving their operation to a dome boasting more than 100,000 square feet (two indoor soccer fields with a 55-foot ceiling). The idea now is to become good friends and gain trust.
"Right now we are still in the introduction phase. Most people fly outdoors in the summer; however, this is the time when the dome is empty. I want to develop a relationship built on trust in addition to showing how profitable this venture could be.
"The dome staff is flexible about using it at different times, and in the future (during the cold months) perhaps we could use the dome at unusual hours. Maybe we could have a late-night flying meet. I would also like to see participation with local organizations. This could help us gain community support. Perhaps we could organize a flying clinic where people could get immediate stick time with veteran fliers and learn about the types of models and radio systems that are available.
"I am working with the management to set up a small hobby shop within the dome so that people could 'buy-and-fly' and have the full resources of a hobby shop during their flying session.
"All of this is possible once I get a good number of fliers to participate and support this venture. We have to look at what the future holds as far as a much larger facility."
Flying Site Assistance
According to AMA Programs Director Jay Mealy, much has been written about safety. As it relates to our model aircraft activities, safety is a word that is used in almost every paragraph of text written or conversation exchanged. It is a "must use" word in our area of interest if for no other reason than it sounds good. But what does safety really mean when it comes to keeping a flying field?
Defining safety
The Webster's New World Dictionary, Second College Edition defines safety as "the quality or condition of being safe; freedom from danger, injury, or damage; security." Good definition — sounds right — and pretty much describes the condition that we would expect to find at a safe flying field. But is that the only definition of safety? Hasn't Mr. Webster pretty much nailed it? Doesn't that say it all?
No. Let's say that the next time you go to your flying field there are five other people present, and if you were to ask each of them what their definition of safety was, you would get five different answers. So now Mr. Webster has five other definitions to compete with, plus yours, which makes six. What I'm getting at is that there are probably as many definitions of safety as there are people.
"Hey," you say, "maybe we can't define safety but we all know what it is. You have to be safe so you can enjoy your hobby without getting hurt. You must be safe so others are not fearful or not enjoying their flying activities because of your unsafe behavior or vice versa."
I guess what we are really bringing to light is that safety is nebulous. It is a tough concept to get your arms around, and even tougher to appreciate, comprehend, and most importantly, to put into action.
For the time being let's assume everyone has a good grasp of what safety is all about and return to our original question: What does safety really mean when it comes to keeping a flying site?
External and internal problems
Clubs are faced with two categories of problems: external and internal.
- External problems are those involving neighbors, the community, or any entity outside the club environment that may pose a problem that the club has no direct control over.
- Internal problems are those such as "How do we get more members to the meetings?" or "What is the best way to keep the gophers off our runway?"
In my experience, safety has to be the number one topic of conversation between a club member and me when a call is made to AMA Headquarters to discuss an internal problem. "We have a person (or persons) who just doesn't seem to be able to follow the field rules and safety code, and we aren't sure what to do."
Examples of this behavior include:
- A member who never quite got the hang of making right turns and is always flying behind the flightline over the pits.
- The "showboater" who ignores field rules to selfishly fulfill some personal need for attention.
We all could add to this list and we have all experienced this type of behavior.
How clubs should respond
The clubs that recognize this behavior as inappropriate and call for assistance are the clubs that survive. We can provide recommendations on how to correct such problems and provide examples of what other clubs have done in similar situations. The clubs that allow this type of behavior to continue unchecked and never attempt to rectify the situation or contact us for assistance are possibly setting a course for extinction.
The majority of modelers operate in a safe manner and are uncomfortable with the unsafe actions of other modelers. If the club as a whole is not doing anything to end these unsafe actions, then the members will begin to compensate for their discomfort in their own ways.
It begins subtly. The number of active fliers at the field on any given day starts to decrease. Fewer members show up at club meetings. There is less participation in club functions such as work days, picnics, and fun-flys. Members may start participating at other club sites or just decide to back off flying their models for a while. Whatever the cause may be, they will pursue it because they are not having good, safe fun at their own flying site.
The negative results of unsafe flying practices can take many forms, with the end results being the same: loss of a club, loss of a flying site, or — heaven forbid — something much worse. For these reasons, it is imperative for clubs and all members to take a strong position when it comes to safety at the club field. Don't allow people to do dumb things in the air, on the flightline, in the pits, or anywhere else.
Clubs that always operate safely have more fun and make more friends, both within the club and within their community, and virtually guarantee their longevity and success. Unsafe flight operations are like a rust spot on your car. If you don't take steps to eliminate the rust, it will eventually consume your entire car or at least make it unusable. The same thing can happen to a club and its flying site.
Share your experiences
If you would like to be part of the Flying Site Assistance column, please feel free to share any success stories—or even not-so-successful stories—with Joe Beshar and Wes De Cou. Often the successes and/or mistakes of others can be learning experiences for us all.
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
