SubSailor
Veteran
Location: Austin, TX.
| Matt,
First of all, so you can put a face to me, I am the guy with the Hirobo Freya Evo with the orange & black canopy. You and Kevin Kelly helped me get my .90 running, it was running so rich we couldn't even get it off the ground. I believe this was in May. Ok, now let me fill you in on the FACTS.
I did notify a club member about this event, I told him last weekend but at the time neither I nor Javier realized that it would end up with this many people( Many of the people there were spectators and family members. I just looked at the photo's that Frolin posted and I can count around 13 or so pilots)EDIT: I would like to point out that out of those 13 six, yes 6, were CURRENT HCAM MEMBERS. So there was a WHOPPING total of 7 guests. Doesn't sound like a huge event to me. I don't want to get this officer in any "hot water" as I had told him we were having a few heli guys down for a little get together and like I said, at the time I thought it would be around 5-7 pilots. Either way, I would think that the club would want new members, would want participation but obviously I was mistaken. Seems some "Senior members" want just a "Good ole boys planes only club".
Matt, I don't even know where to even begin here. I haven't seen you since that day you helped me with my heli. I have been out there numerous times since then so you have missed quite a bit. Let me try and fill you in on how I feel and what's gone on lately. Since you decided to bring this into a public forum I guess I'll do it right here.
On my third time out with my BRAND NEW Hirobo .90 a "Planker" turned his radio on and shot me down. My brand new heli hit the concrete runway at about 40mph and was almost completely destroyed. He didn't face up, and most of the club took the attitude of "Oh well to bad". I had to buy an entire new kit, Hatori pipe, gyro, tail servo, blades etc. That little incident cost me over $1200!!
Luckily for me Javier(who is a Hirobo rep) and Jeff Green(Big Daddy from Hirobo USA) offered to step up and help me out. Jeff got me a kit at a discount and Javier wanted to come help me get it setup correctly when I got it built, BUT, he knew what field I flew at and was concerned as he had been mistreated at this very field two years prior(This field has a horrible reputation of not being helicopter friendly and is proving this to be fact, your sarcastic and accusing post is a fine example). I assured him that all was well, he was welcome to come on down and PLEASE, come and help me get it set up. So after some convincing he decided to come on down.
So, it's Saturday morning and Javier meets me at the field. While we were still unloading our stuff here comes one of the "Senior Plankers", marching down to the South end of the field. He begins trying to tell us we need to load our stuff up and move to the North end of the field. He is VERY persistant. When he realizes that we are not really interested in doing this he becomes more and more agitated, this is becoming obvious, obvious enough that even my eleven year old child notices!! He even insinuates that if "I had been at the other end of the field socalizing with the plane fliers that maybe I wouldn't have been shot down"!?! So finally he gives up and wanders on back down to his end of the field, but they aren't done yet.
After much worrying and nervousness Javier finaly decides to fly his heli. He follows all the rules, does everything right. After he's done we walk back to the pitts and sure enough, here comes another one. The President of the club marches down there and right in front of everyone starts in on me about Javier not having numbers on his radio. He was not nice about it, he was not respectful, he belittled me in front of ten people, including my wife and child and guests. "Well obviously you need to read the rules again" "Your not allowed to fly again until you put numbers on your radio" etc. At that very time there was several plankers flying with no numbers on their radio's. This could have been handled much more easily with some kind words, some descretion and a little bit of common courtesy, but it wasn't. I was embarrased and humiliated in front of Family, Friends and others. Javier was also on a "scouting mission" for several other heli fliers as they had interest in joining our field. Well, you can guess how that worked out.
It seems that there is a set group of "Senior Members" that DO NOT want heli's at this field and continue to press the issue and complain about the slightest little thing. It is painfully obvious. Let me point out a few incidents I witnessed that day:
1) One of the factory reps had just landed his heli (and announced "Heli on the runway, going to pick it up" ) on the runway and was walking out to pick it up when a plane flyer decided he was going to land, with the heli sitting right there and the pilot walking out to pick it up! The heli pilot had to yell again "HELI ON THE RUNWAY!!"The plane guy ended up having to swerve the plane off the runway over into the grass as the heli pilot jumped back! No one said a word.
2) A gentlemen was flying a very nice scale Cessna 172, several times his plane was pointed directly at all of us in the pitts on the south side of the field, coming directly at us at about 60 knots only to swerve away right at the fence line!! This pilot flew erraticly and he was most "definitely not flying the pattern". No one said a word.
3) While my 11yr old son was at the south end of the field in the designated hovering/3D area several different planes flew directly over his/our heads, one being a huge twin engine P-38 Lightining. I also witnessed this very same thing happen with several other planes. No one said a word.
4) Yesterday while at the field I was told that on Saturday the owner of the nice new large P-47 had announced "Landing" he told the story of how "a heli pilot suddenly was hovering over the runway and yelled at the P-47 pilot, Hey!! Get the hell out of the way"! Well someone(heli pilots) correct me if I somehow missed it but I, my Wife, my Son and my guests watched that P-47 fly every single time. I never saw any such thing and I asked all of them and they state that they never saw any such occurance. I can't imagine any of the heli pilots saying any such thing but if someone did then allow me to be the first to apologize.
5) Also while at the field yesterday I was told that the President of the club came into the LHS Saturday afternoon after leaving the field and was angry at all the heli pilots and he was saying how "he was going to do something about all these helicopters at the field" he spoke of making the field an "airplane only field" and/or "banning all heli pilots"!! Yeah, real helicopter friendly field.
That's enough examples as no need to go on. Did any of the heli pilots complain? NOPE. They didn't say a word. For the most part everyone thought it went very well and had alot of fun. The President of the club did come down and speak to everyone at the begining of the day, clairifying the rules etc. It was verified that all pilots that would be flying had AMA insurance. Several times Jim B. came down and visited us. Several times Jerry D. came down and spoke to us, he thought it turned out well. We had a few other airplane pilots come down and visit, seemed as though all was going well. Through out the day there were only a few airplanes at the other end of the field. We didn't "put them out" or "ruin their day" though that is the obvious message they have conveyed to you. There may have been an isolated incident or two but nothing out of the ordinary given the circumstances.
I had hoped to gain a few new members for the field and also help promote the field and show it is "Helicopter friendly" but as you and a select few plane pilots have made plainly obvious, I failed. Several people were going to join up and become members of our field but I have now been told "Nothing has changed there, we won't be joining". And I don't blame them. Contrary to what you may believe, this field IS NOT helicopter friendly. I have two friends who wanted to get into this hobby and were very close to "placing their order for new heli's etc" but after what they have witnessed from just being at this field as spectators have decided that "it's not worth it" and WILL NOT be joining the club. They feel VERY strongly that the "Heli pilots are getting the short end of the deal". This coming from neutral outsiders. If this is what "we" have accomplished in four years then it has failed and failed miserably!
Almost EVERY single time I go to the field someone(odd but every single time it has been a airplane pilot) comes marcing down to the south end and I get "advised" of this rule or that rule. I get told what a heli pilot did the other day, it's always something. It's so bad that my wife and child both get "knots in their stomach every time they see a planker walking down towards our area." Yesterday I went to the field around 5:30 p.m. There were a few plane pilots there and a couple of younger guys showed up to fly their heli's. This is a good group of kids, all young, that abide by the rules, fly safely and just want to enjoy the hobby. Their not out smoking crack or causing trouble. They are working their way through college and trying to have a good time. All three of them work for HobbyTown USA. They are all members of the ARCHA field up north, one or two of em are also members of our field also. One in particular comes down to fly with us every once in a while in accordance with OUR CLUB RULES. He has probably only been there twice in the last 4-6 weeks that I have seen. Both times I have seen him there he has been harrassed and belittled. I just find it incredible that the senior members would do this to our youth. It is saddening to me.
Matt, I don't even know where to go from here. Since you fly planes also and have been a member of this field for some time I have noticed that you are MUCH MORE welcome than new heli only pilots. If Javier and I had organized this event but everyone had been an airplane Pilot I have NO DOUBTS that we would be under entirely different circumstances right now. Hell, he and I would probably be hero's with the plane pilots! Of that I have no doubt. IF the club feels "cheated" over a landing fee then I will gladly take care of that. I was told a standard fee for something like this is around $10-15. I counted around 13 or so heli pilots there, I will gladly double the $10 fee and pay out of my own pocket $20 per pilot. Let me know where to send the check and I will send it ASAP. I have taken up enough band width all ready, if you wish to discuss this further I am going to pm you my work number, feel free to call me anytime today.
John
John
Fromeco Field Rep.
A day without sunshine is, well.., alot like night time. |
