killioughtta

I was flying at the park accross the street where I live, the park I fly at two or three times a week, when a Park Ranger approached me and said I couldn't fly there. I thought he meant THERE: in the spot I was flying, because I had never flown there. So he then says "There are no RC planes allowed in the park." I said "I fly here all the time and have seen clubs flying internal combustion planes here, too." I was flying my HobbyZone Super Cub, a park flyer. He said NO RC PLANES at all allowed because of an incident that happened sometime in early May, 2009.

Apparently, a local RC club that had been allowed to fly at Amelia Earhart Park in Hialeah, the field we fly out of, has been banned from flying there and, with them, every RC plane. The story is that one of their members flew an airplane into a tree and, instead of getting a ladder or using some reasonable method to retrieve the aircraft, cut the tree down with a chainsaw. Now no one can fly there. That sucks since there are NO PUBLIC FIELDS IN MIAMI-DADE COUNTY.

If pilots mess things up for others like this, we won't be able to fly anywhere but private club-owned fields. Anyone knows who this club is? I spoke with a member that morning who approached me and asked me if they had told me to leave. I told his they never said anything to me. I guess I understand his concern now...

BarracudaHockey

My Feedback: (11)

I can tell you the exact same thing soured a relationship with a neighbor at a field up here and the person in question wasn't even a club member.  It didn't get the club kicked out but single minded behavior like that isn't new unfortunately.

killioughtta

Specially since the rangers had seen him get the chainsaw and told him "Don't do it." they offered to get a cherry-picker the next day and get the plane down for him. I guess he'd rather have a damaged plane the same day than wait til the next. I'm sure the plane was in a million pieces when it fell.

BarracudaHockey

My Feedback: (11)

I'd strongly urge you, or atleast the club involved, to contact AMA HQ and your district VP (Tony Stillman in your case) and see if they can negociate on the clubs behalf, they have a lot of experience with this, ban the idiot and move on.  Rangers and cops realize that just because one person did it doesn't mean the whole group would.  </p>

Unfortunately they took the easy course though and said, "ok we're going to be done with it" and that may be the final word but a little cool  headedness from everyone could go a long way.</p>

Wingman26

Its incredible they would bar all flying due to the misconduct of ONE PERSON, the individual who cut the tree down deserves to be punished, but not everyone!  People show up in parks everyday and do stupid and illegal things, do they ban everyone from the park because one person does something stupid?  Of course not! 

Punish the guilty but not the innocent!  [:@]

killioughtta

This is the guy and the video of the crash. Unfortunately, there's no video of the cutting of the tree.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qOzxptM8nj8[/youtube]

jetmech05

Cutting a tree down in a state park is a big deal......Unfortuatly for the good guys...we are all judged by the company we keep.....sorry this happened......
But the one thing about clubs...there are rules made for a reason...most written in blood....you have a recourse for a member that breaks the rules....everyone has insurance (AMA membership required)......
If you are an outlaw flyer...you're taking this kind of chance...again sorry this happened as it makes us all look bad

Ron Olson

My Feedback: (1)

They're still running RC boats at the park the last that I knew of even after a drowning occurred there. That was a case of stupidity also. The boat stalled on the water and other peole still ran their boats while he went out in an inflatable boat to retrieve it. One of the RC Boats still running hit the inflatable deflating it. He drowned while his family watched. Had he been there while the boat club was, they had an aluminum boat locked up onshore.
Yeah, they've got no sense of humor about using chainsaws on park property.

dude7422

i think the real shame is no one stoped the guy from cutting down
tree.. he may have waited till everyone was gone i dont know

3dd

My Feedback: (6)

as ron white would say YOU CAN'T FIX STUPID

dude7422

who carries a chainsaw in car DEE DEE DEE