Although we do not fly on days of total fireban your committee is concerned that on normal flying days there is still a considerable risk of fire from planes crashing into bushland and starting a fire from exploding lipos or hot exhausts in the dry grass or scrub. To that end the flying rules have been modified to include a requirement to have fire extinguishers available at all times when flying is occurring.
Because of the increasing age of our membership your committee is also concerned about higher risks from members flying alone and has recommended that, where possible, pilots fly with a friend or in a group.
The changes to the flying rules are:
- Fire extinguishers must be available at all times when flying at the field. You must open the main container (the key is in the frequency box) and place the fire extinguishers in the area behind the pits under the shade cloth structure.
- It is recommended that pilots do not fly alone. In the event of an incident it is easier to manage if there is more than 1 person on site.
This all sounds very sensible.
I just have one question – if we have our own fire extinguisher, can we bring that to the field and have it in the pits area, instead of having to get the one from the shipping container?
I think the answer to your question is Yes.
I totally agree with this. I have never flown alone and these new flying rules will make a real difference to my personal safety and the safety of our fantastic flying site.