Silent Flight

Location of Leigh Park Farm

Leigh Park Farm is situated to the North West of Leigh village. We treat this field as a silent flight site - Gliders and Electric powered models. Our use of this site extends throughout the year

Flying Rules for Leigh Park Farm (Silent Flight)

1. Flying at Leigh Park Farm is permitted on Sundays from 10am to 2pm, on Saturdays from 1pm to 6pm (12 noon to dusk in the Winter), on Wednesdays from 10am to 2pm and on Thursdays from 5pm until dusk. Also from 10am to 2pm on Bank Holidays. If bad weather precludes flying on Wednesdays, flying may be carried out on the next day, Thursday, from 1pm until the evening session commences at 5pm.
   
   
2. Guest flyers are allowed with prior permission from a committee member. They will pay a day membership and must prove they have BMFA membership.
   
   
3. Parking is only permitted in the lay-bys, or on the borders of the field being used. The concrete roadway must NEVER be obstructed in any way because of the large milk lorries using it frequently.
   
   
4. Flying will take place usually in the large area adjoining the old oak tree, near the oast, but when the farmer is grazing cattle there, use the area adjoining the tree line. If both areas are occupied by cattle, use the field on the other side of the farm road but take care to avoid the power lines.
   
   
5. The rules as laid out in 'Club Details' and 'The Constitution' will apply to Leigh Park Farm except for setting up the control compound, for which 6 below is substituted.
   
   
6. The first flyer to arrive at the site will set up a frequency control area by placing his or her frequency pennant in a suitable place adjoining the cars, so that it is visible to any subsequent arrivals. After placing these boards in ascending order of Tx frequency, flyers can take their transmitters with them to the flight line together with their models. It is essential that where there is more than one person on the same frequency, that they liaise together so that only one of them has their Tx on at any one time. If it becomes necessary for anyone on the flight line to change frequency, his or her board in the control compound must be changed immediately. The models and transmitters should be parked in a compound situated behind and in line with the launch point. Spectators and all persons not actually flying their models should remain in this compound until they leave the site.
   


7. When ready to launch and after checking that the airspace above and behind is clear and no one else is about to launch, pilots should call out clearly 'launching'. If more than one model is in the air, the pilots should stand as close together as is practicable, in order to reduce the effects of adjacent channel interference.
   
   
8. The areas for landing are situated on both sides of the launch area. Landings must always be carried out in either landing area INTO WIND, unless an emergency dictates otherwise.
   
   
9. Whenever possible, a clearcut square approach pattern should be adhered to comprising initially joining the circuit on the downwind leg, completion of the downwind led, turn crosswind and then turn into wind for the final approach and landing. When on the base leg, pilots should call out clearly, 'Landing'. Models should be retrieved from the landing area quickly, after ensuring that there are no other models on a landing approach.
   
   
10. If at any time during flight, difficulties are encountered, clear audible warning should be given to other members and spectators on the field.
    
    
11. The field is sometimes used by microlite operators and the following precautions should be taken at all times:-
    
    
1. Whenever possible, the launching and landing of models should take place in the part of the field not being used by the microlites. However if the wind direction is such that it is necessary to lay a bungee across the part of the field used by the microlites, the microlite operators should be informed, so that they may be aware of the bungee position, on take off and landing run.
   
   
2. Models should not be launched if a microlite is taxying out or taking off and should only be released when the microlite is well clear of the launch area.
   
   
3. Always ensure that your approach circuit is carried out on the opposite side of to field to the microlite area and keep a careful look out for microlites approaching to land when you are on your base leg and final approach, taking avoiding action as necessary.
   
   
4. When flying, aim to keep a good angular separation between your model and the microlite and do not forget that your depth perception can often be very poor at the distances concerned.
   
   
5. Avoid flying in the critical airspace associated with thee designated microlite take off and landing areas.
   
   
6. Avoid your model being .shielded from your vision by a microlite.
   
   
7.  If a collision becomes likely, the much better agility of your model, compared to the microlite means that your role will probably be the more significant one in avoiding action. It is not possible to give hard and fast collision avoidance procedure, but to minimise the effects of depth perceptions and orientation, 'up' and 'down' manoeuvres by the mode! are likely to be the, most sensible action. Remember that a microlite operator will probably not be able to see a mode! when it is above or behind him.
   

BARCS RECOMMENDED PROCEDURES FOR SAFETY AT COMPETITIONS

When one of our gliders lands, in its last six feet to the ground, it sweeps across some 40 yards of flying site with its many feet of wingspan, thus presenting a high capacity for collecting people as it goes - people who are likely to be concentrating their attentions elsewhere as it makes its silent approach.

Now is the time to recognise the probability of what the annual injury statistics could amount to. We do not want to be hurt, we do not want our colleagues hurt and we do not want to spend our summer weekends wearing safety helmets.

What follows was distilled from a discussion of the subject at a BARCS committee meeting.

1.     Landing areas must be maintained as clear as possible. - This is the     responsibility of everyone on the site from spectator to organiser.

2.     The control point should not be sited downwind of the landing area.

3.     In competitions involving landing targets, each competitor in each slot should have his own 25-metre diameter circle. On restricted sites, the circles may overlap with a minimum of 10 metres between centres.
Only the pilot and one helper are allowed to enter the landing area during the landing manoeuvre.

4.     In competitions not involving landing targets, an ideal safe landing area can be marked off by isolating one side of the site by a low barrier parallel to the direction of towing and opposite to the site access point. This way only retrievers need to enter the landing area.