Flying field etiquette

[spar]

If you want to fly in huge field that can accomodate multiple flyers and there is another flyer there, what should you do before flying?

There are two situations that bring up this question:

One night I arrived at the park after another flyer started flying. I asked him if my frequency was different than his. The flyer was polite, but acted as if it was unnecessary to check this out.

A couple of days later, I was flying and without warning, another RC plane started flying a safe distance from my plane. The flyer was a skilled pilot, but did not inquire what frequency I was using.

I'm a confused newbie. What should I do before flying around other planes?

[surjer]

You should always inquire on frequency usage before turning on any of your gear. They may have been using Spread Spektrum radio's which are virtually impossible to interfere with so maybe thats why he was acting as if it wasnt necessary. However you should always check just to be safe. I would hate to shoot someone out of the sky by turning on my TX knowing that I could have at least ASKED...

[duck9191]

i would always ask unless like surjer said your using a spread speckturm radio like the futaba fasst or specktrum. better to be safe then sorry.

[bearweasel]

Here's a story to illustrate how important it is to inquire about frequencies. Two of my friends and I went out slope soaring in the boonies. We were, literally, the only three humans around for miles and miles. While I was repairing my plane, my first friend was flying.

Guess what happened when my second friend turned on his transmitter?

Yep, the flying plane went out of control, straight into the ground. Both of them "just happened" to be on Channel 50. Their equipment had been purchased at different whens and wheres, yet the odds were still against them that day!

Always, ALWAYS ask, and if someone ignores you, be politely insistant. The problem of freqs can quickly get out of hand. At a local high school where people fly, the concept of a portable frequency board has been brought up. Not a bad idea, if you ask me. It'll be a very long time before everyone is on a spread spectrum transmitter.

[friedclutch]

If your plane is running stock gear then you are on a completely different radio band than all of thier planes. Most guys at the field are running on 72 mhz...... (channel 1 through whatever.) Stock SC equipment is running on 27 mhz.... (channel 1 through 6 I think) Experienced R/C pilots can tell by lookng at your radio, even from a distance, and know that you're on 27 mhz.

Even with all that said.... I still think it's wise to check with everyone even if they are flying a RTF model. My SC is converted to standardized R/C equipment on 72mhz. Judging my band based on just the plane would be an expensive mistake.