Cobb County Radio Control Club
Rules and Regulations 5-31-08
The objective of the Cobb Country Radio Control Modeler’s Club is to extend the privileges of enjoying the radio control hobby to all members and authorized guest(s), with maximum emphasis on safety and control. While this guide sets forth club rules for these objectives, nothing should overrule common sense and courtesy.
Any and all use of the Cobb County Sports Aviation Complex, other CCRC facilities as designated from time to time, or airspace above them constitutes both a full understanding and implied acceptance of these rules and regulations, rules which govern operations as an AMA sanctioned flying field, as well as those rules governing any Cobb County Park as determined from time to time by the Cobb County Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs Department.
Section I. General.
1. All pilots are required to be members in good standing of the Academy of Model Aeronautics (AMA) and must affix their current AMA card (or AMA acknowledgement of membership if the member has not received their card yet) to the frequency use board.
2. Consumption of alcoholic beverages or other controlled substances will not be tolerated at any CCRC facility or event, nor will any person under the influence thereof be allowed to fly.
3. Spectators and children shall remain behind the fence partitioning the common areas from the pit and flying areas. Members may provide escorted access to spectators to their pit table or to their flying station; however, in no event shall a spectator be left unattended in any of these areas.
4. Pets shall remain on a leash and behind the fence partitioning the common areas from the pit and flying areas.
5. Engines must meet the 98dB noise limit established by the club. The only exception to this rule may be a temporary lifting of this ban for club-sanctioned events, which may require it.
6. Contest flying and participants will be under the control of a Contest Director.
7. No person may trim or cut trees in the park.
Section II. Flying.
1. No engine starting or foreign objects are permitted on the runways.
2. No starting or flying of aircraft before or after the posted operating hours of the Cobb County Sports Aviation Complex as may be amended from time to time.
3. Both fixed wing and helicopter pilots shall remain proximate to one of the designated pilot flight stations when taking off, flying, and landing. Pilots shall always remain behind the orange safety fence except to retrieve their aircraft or helicopter.
4. Rotary wing flight will take place in the cleared area south of the helicopter orange safety fence. However; helicopter pilots may fly in the north field provided that no fixed wing pilots are present for the purpose of flying.
5. Park flyer, foamy and control line aircraft activity may take place in the helicopter flight area on a do not interfere basis.
6. All pilots operating near the runway should remain vigilant to aircraft taking-off or landing. Landing aircraft have the right-of-way. Flyers taxiing or preparing to take-off are responsible for watching for aircraft on approach to land. Pilots preparing to land or take-off should declare so in a loud voice from a designated pilot station. The direction for landing and take off will be established by the directional sign placed on the safety fence. Take offs or landings in the opposite direction must be declared in a loud voice and care taken to avoid other aircraft in the pattern.
7. Flight of radio-controlled aircraft shall be conducted north of the paved runway’s edge. Low passes over the grass runway shall be made in the direction of take off and all other low pass operations should remain north of the grass runway. There can be ABSOLUTELY no flying either above or beyond the eastern and western tree lines. Additionally, to help ensure that inadvertent flight does not encroach upon the established no fly zones, aerobatic maneuvers should not be performed near these areas.
8. All landing approaches from the east must remain below the tree tops when south of the no fly pole placed at the eastern tree line. Take offs to the east should be kept below the tree tops until north of the no fly pole. Additionally, there will be no over flight of the no fly zone located at the northwest part of the field as marked by a no fly pole which marks the southeastern edge of that area.
9. Overflight of the Pitner Road Dog Park is prohibited. A no fly pole has been erected at the tree line South East of the Dog Park. Flight is not to be conducted North of the tree line when you are West (to the left) of the pole. Additionally, when flying near this area you should reduce your altitude so that it will not appear that your aircraft is over the Dog Park when in fact it is not.
10. The pit area begins at the chain link fence bordering the parking lot and extends through the table area to the edge of the paved runway. The grass area beyond the orange pilot safety fence and extending to the paved runway’s southern edge is also considered an aircraft taxiway. Flying is never permitted above the pit area.
11. All pilots will exercise due care and diligence to avoid over flight or any other operation that may be interpreted as threatening to adjacent residential areas.
12. Three dimensional (3D) maneuvers are to be performed over or north of the grass runway.
13. Aircraft landing “dead stick” or helicopters landing on “auto rotate” have the right-of-way over all other aircraft and should be declared so in a loud voice.
14. A limit of five (5) fixed wing and (5) heli-type aircraft are allowed in the air at one time. Pilots are encouraged to have a spotter whenever three or more aircraft are in the air at the same time.
15. Pilots must perform a preflight check to help ensure that their aircraft will function properly. The preflight check will include a range check for new receivers or receivers that might have been damaged in a crash. Control surfaces and push rods must be periodically checked to determine that they are secure. Prior to each flight, the control surfaces must be checked to ensure that they are moving in the correct direction.
Section III. Frequency Control.
1. Every pilot has the responsibility of being a frequency/flight control officer.
2. All transmitters not in use will be kept switched off and the pin returned to the frequency board.
3. When a pilot does not have the frequency pin for his transmitter he will make certain to keep the transmitter off.
4. When ready to fly, the pilot will check the frequency board to see if their frequency is available. If available, the pilot will place his AMA card into the correct frequency slot and take the pin and attach it to their transmitter or clothing.
5. If the pilot’s frequency is in use, that pilot will check with the person using the frequency to determine if the person is actually using the frequency or is between flights.
6. It will be the responsibility of the pilots sharing frequencies to provide each other with satisfactory impound procedures. In any event, if two or more pilots share a frequency, all AMA cards will be put on the pin hook on the frequency board. While the transmitter is not required to be placed on the impound rack, the pilots will reach a mutual understanding on how they will protect each other from frequency interruption. When pilots are sharing a frequency, the pilot with the pin shall relinquish it to the other pilot(s) after each flight.
7. A pilot may only check-out a single pin from the frequency board at any one time.
Section IV. Flight Skills Qualification
1. Each new member shall fly only with an experienced club member pilot until they are ready for their qualification flight. New pilots must be signed off by a club instructor using the club’s proficiency check list and must demonstrate a clear understanding of the club’s flying rules. An additional signoff must be performed for anyone who is initially approved for park flyer type aircraft who wants to transition to larger aircraft.
2. A club instructor is a volunteer and is responsible only for doing the best he can do to control the aircraft and activities of the student pilot. The instructor is not responsible for any aircraft which might be damaged in the process of instruction.
3. The following basic maneuvers are necessary for positive control of an aircraft and must be demonstrated to a club appointed instructor to qualify as “checked out”. A check off list is used to establish the new pilot’s progress towards solo flight which includes but is not limited to:
1. Taxi and Take-off
2. Straight Flight (direction and altitude)
3. Controlled Turns
4. Use of the Traffic Pattern (both left and right)
5. Landing on a runway.
6. Demonstrated ability to be able to fly within the approved boarders of the club’s flying area.
Section V. Control of the County Park.
1. The Cobb County Sports Aviation Complex is for the use of CCRC members only and their accompanied guests.
2. Parking adjacent to the pit area is permitted at the risk of the owner and may neither block nor impede orderly traffic into and out of the park.
3. The last club member who leaves the facility should ensure that the storage room, bathrooms, first aid box, and main gate are locked and secure.
Section VI. Rules of Enforcement.
1. It shall be the duty of each club member to notify any member who advertently violates any of the Club’s rules and regulations. Any member who observes a willful violation of the club’s flying rules or a pilot’s inability to operate his/her aircraft in a safe manner should prepare a “grievance form” and submit it to the Safety Committee for appropriate action in accordance with the club’s bylaws.
2. Violation of these rules due to a member’s repeated inability to safely control their aircraft shall result in a requirement that they re-qualify in accordance with Section IV above and/or a suspension of the members flying privileges as outlined in the club’s bylaws.
Section VII. Accidents and Disagreements.
1. Anyone operating a transmitter without first placing their AMA card on the frequency control board and attaching the frequency control pin to their transmitter or clothing and thereby causing the crash of another pilot’s aircraft on the same frequency, is liable for all damages and injuries resulting from such a crash. These may include, but are not limited to:
1. Repair or replacement of radio equipment.
2. Repair or replacement of engine.
3. Repair or replacement of aircraft.
4. Repair or replacement of personal property.
5. Payment of all costs associated with personal injury to persons.
6. Any combination of the above.
2. The monetary value of damage to models should be determined by the parties involved. If satisfactory assessment of such damage cannot be reached in this manner, all parties agree to be bound by an evaluation made by the club’s officers.
3. Any accident resulting in personal injury or damage to park or personal property shall be reported immediately to a club officer.
