Welcome to the Club!

The Rochester Aero Modeling Society welcomes you to our club. Whether you're new to the R/C flying scene, or an old hand, there's some information you need to know, some you should know, and some you may want to know. It is our hope that this booklet will provide much of it.

The RAMS does most of its communicating electronically. We have a monthly newsletter. We mail black and white hard copy to those that don't have web access, but we prefer to post our newsletters on our website (http://ramsrc.org/). We also have an email mailing list which is used to communicate general announcements by any member concerning the club or hobby, including when new newsletters are available, and R/C related items for sale. The website has a lot of information about the club including: maps, past and future events, past and current newsletters, pictures, movies, field rules, bylaws, the content of our library, and contact information of directors and members. If you don't have network access at home, remember that most libraries offer it free. There are also internet cafés. As a final option, you can ask a member or director to print some of this information for you.

We also conduct monthly meetings. The meetings are held at the Goodwill Center, 50 Webster Commons Blvd in Webster. Usually the meetings are held the last Tuesday of each month at 7:00, however January and December are exceptions. The time and place of each meeting is published in the newsletter. The meetings normally consist of a program on some aspect of the hobby, then announcements, new member voting, and business. At the end of the meeting we do show-and-tell. This is where members show and tell about a recent project. Anyone who participates gets a free ticket in the 50/50 raffle drawn at each meeting.

If you're new to the hobby the first thing you will want to do is buy an airplane or helicopter, go to the field, and try it. Don't do it! You don't want to spend a lot of money, invest time in assembling your aircraft only to have it smash into countless pieces the first time you take it to the field. Besides that, even relatively small aircraft can be very dangerous.

There are a few safe options for getting started:

1. Hook up with an instructor. Modern radio transmitters allow two to be tied together via a wire in a "buddy-box" configuration. The instructor has the master control. When he holds a switch or presses a button, the student's box is in control of the airplane. If needed, the instructor lets go of the switch or button, and he is now flying the plane. In theory, the student cannot crash, because the instructor has all of the control authority. The club has many people qualified to help you learn how to fly. You can go to the field and ask, and chances are you will find someone willing to help. Of course you may not know whether they're qualified, but if they're willing to help, chances are, they are. We also have a flight instruction coordinator, Bob Hendrickson(http://ramsrc.org/directory.html), who will help you find a qualified instructor. It is then up to you to call the instructor and arrange times. During the fair weather months, we also have a weekly instruction night, where you can be sure to find qualified instructors, weather permitting. Our instructors have  a lot of experience, but remember that anything can happen, and the instructor is not responsible for fixing your airplane in the event of damage.
2. There are a couple of really good R/C flight simulators on the market. One of them is RealFlight (version 2 and 3 are both good). They either come with a controller or can be hooked up to your real radio. Many people start with these, and once confident with the simulator are able to come out to the field and do it for real in a very short time. For airplanes, the first thing the student must overcome is a condition called control reversal. Pilots of full-scale aircraft never experience this phenomena. Control reversal is first observed when the plane is flying toward the pilot; left and right are reversed. For some, this is very difficult to overcome, but must be overcome to the point that it is second nature (no conscious thought) because all landings are done with the plane coming toward the pilot. Control reversal happens in other orientations as well, such as when the plane is inverted (upside-down). In that case the rudder and elevator are reversed. Flight simulators are fantastic tools for overcoming control reversal. Landings can actually be more difficult on a simulator because there is a lack of peripheral vision.  Learning to hover a helicopter can be challenging, but on a flight simulator the lack of peripheral vision does not hamper the helicopter student.
3. Another way to learn (for those that absolutely must do it completely on their own) is to buy a slow park flier. These are very docile planes, usually made of foam, and always electric powered. They are light weight (under a pound) and fly slowly with a small electric motor. The propeller might be able to cut you, but it's not going to do serious bodily injury to you or anyone else. There are many models to choose from. Check with one of our local hobby stores. Going this route does not keep you from using the buddy-box method as well. Modern motors, controllers, and batteries can easily provide over 20 minutes of flight on a single charge. One positive thing about going this way, is you can fly in a local park or school yard. On the downside, these planes cannot handle much wind. Most will not do well in anything over 5 mph, and some demand even less.

If this is your first time building or assembling a plane or helicopter, have someone check it out for you. We want to make sure your plane won't disassemble in mid-air. We want to make sure the controls move in the right direction and are hooked up to the correct sticks.

Field Rules and Etiquette

(Complete and official rules can be found on the website)

Frequency control

Current radio transmitters operate on a set frequency. Frequencies are broken up into channels. These channels should not be confused with the number of channels a transmitter, receive, or plane has (as in, I have a 3-channel plane). If someone is flying on a given frequency (say channel 24), and someone else turns on their transmitter, and it is also on channel 24, there is a real good chance that you will "shoot down" the other plane. In other words, you will interfere with his control and he will very likely crash. To control this situation all clubs implement a frequency control program. At our fields we have a frequency control board which has a clothes pin for every frequency. Before you turn your transmitter on, it is your responsibility to place your membership card in the slot next to your frequency channel, take the clothes pin and attach it to your radio. If you "shoot down" someone who has the pin, you are responsible for the damage to his plane. When you are done using your transmitter, place your transmitter either in the impound area (next to the frequency board) or in your vehicle, replace the frequency pin, and take your membership card.  If you need a frequency that is in use, look at the membership card in the slot, find that person, and let him know that you will be sharing that frequency. Members will make sure they don't hog the pin if they know someone is waiting for it.

Flight Line

Between the pilot stations and the runway (field) there are high grass barriers. The outer edge of this grass is called the flight line. Draw a line down that edge of the grass and extend it in both directions forever. That's the flight line. It is against the rules to intentionally fly behind that line.

Fordham Field Runways

Fordham Field is fortunate to have two runways. This allows us to reduce crosswind take off and landings by switching runways so that we take off and land into the wind as much as possible. However, only one is in use at a time. The flight line rule is in effect for the runway in use. That means that it is against the rules to intentionally fly from one runway, around the bend and over the other runway.

Communication

When two or more aircraft are operating at once, communication between pilots is key to safety. Don't be shy. After starting your airplane, and taxiing out to the runway, shout out "TAXIING". Pilots should acknowledge you. They may ask you to hold for a landing, or wait for someone to return from the field. After you get setup for take off, yell "TAKING OFF". Unless someone tells you other wise, go ahead and take off. As you're setting up for a landing, yell "LANDING". This lets others know not to walk onto the field. If your engine quits in flight, yell "DEAD STICK". This lets others know that you will be landing and need priority on the field. They only time you won't get it is if there is a body on the field. They will let you know that. They may try to husstle off the field, but ultimately it is your responsibility to avoid them, even if it means ditching your plane in the weeds or elsewhere. Safety first! If you need to go out onto the field while others are flying, yell "ON THE FIELD" and wait for acknowledgement from each pilot. They will not land, and should not fly over your vicinity when you are on the field. Remember that if someone has gone onto the field and you have acknowledged them, you will be responsible for any injuries your plane causes him. Expensive planes are a lot cheaper than health.

The Pattern

Normally our members "burn holes in the sky". We don't strictly practice "flying the pattern" as some clubs do. However, if you request that others fly the pattern or visa-versa, everyone should do that while the requestor is flying. Flying the pattern means flying up-wind when over the runway, then turning so that when flying down-wind your plane is well beyond the runway. Think of it as flying a big rectangle such that when the plane is close to you, you are flying up-wind. If you want to do a loop, or other aerobatic maneuvers, you should do it while flying up-wind over the runway. This keeps the closing speed between planes in the air low, and allows you to see potential threats in time to take action. Even so, mid-air collisions do happen, but flying the pattern greatly reduces the chances.

Requesting the field

Sometimes pilots have a reason for wanting the field to themselves. For example, they are nervous about a maiden flight of a high performance airplane. After they ask for the field, no more planes should take off, and they should be allowed to use the field for a reasonably short time.

Helicopters and Airplanes together

 If you are a beginning helicopter pilot, you will be learning to hover. If this is all you are doing, you should do it in a designated hover area. Each field has one. The Field Rules explain where they are, and what the rules are. We have many high performance 3-D helicopter pilots in our club. They fly over the field, and generally do not fly like an airplane at all. They are sensitive to this, and if asked, will share the field, giving airplanes times when they can fly without helicopters. Alternatively, they may say that they will fly the pattern, and then they will fly their helicopter in a manner consistent with airplanes. But don't just stand around believing that they know you want to use the field without helicopters in the air, or they will assume you are either just hanging out or admiring their skills!

The Gate

The fields are locked when not in use. It is your responsibility of the last person to leave to lock the gate. Both fields share the same combination, as do private areas of the website. The membership director will provide the combination to you when you join. If you don't know the combination, show a member your current card and they will provide you with the combination. You may also ask the president or membership director who will know your membership status. The combination may change from time-to-time. Baring special circumstances, we will do this only on January 1 so that the new combination is provided with your membership renewal.

New to the hobby?