mydartswinger
Heliman
Location: Fort Bragg, NC - USA
My Posts This: Topic Forum | I have seen both types of treatment. In my area, heli flyers are a minority, but despite that fact, I set out looking for a heli friendly field to get some assitance in advancing my skills (I couldn't even hover at that point) and set up knowledge.
About a year a go, a buddy of mine had bought a plane, but hadn't joined the AMA or a club, and had not flown the plane yet (he had the plane for a couple of months at that point). We decided one day to go out to a field that came recommended by our LHS. On arrival, we felt a bit uncomfortable in the atmosphere of the club, but hung out for a bit anyway. He got to asking questions about planes, and I got to asking about flying helis there. He had a bit more luck than I in getting a decent response. One older gentleman, who was introduced to us as the club's safety officer, was tweaking and test flying a scratch built Sptfire. He didn't take much time to answer our questions, nor was he very friendly about it. Him and the other few people at the field had also told me that helis were not allowed to be flown at the field (it is an AMA and IMAA chartered field). However, once the safety officer had left, there was a 12 y/o kid there (he'd been flying fixed wing for about 6 months to a year and was already flying a 50cc Extra 260) who had been asking me to "fly" my helis (at the time I only had an e-Flite 400, an e-Flite CP Pro, and a CX2). His father and another gentleman at the field said that it would be OK, since there was no one trying to fly their airplanes at the time, and that they were the only ones there. They knew that I was not a club member, nor an AMA member, but let me fly briefly anyway. The overall attitude that I got from all there but the kid was anti-helicopter.
Fast forward 2-3 months, and I have a trainer airplane and an AMA membership. I begin, again, my search for a heli-friendly field. This time, I used the AMA's charter field search and found my current club. I noted what the listing said that was allowed at the field, and I sent the e-mail to the person listed as the club president. We conversed back and forth through e-mail a couple of times, and come to find out, he flies a Raptor 90!!! Unfortunately, he was out of the country for a few more months, and could only provide me with the number of the actual club president (the gentleman that I had e-mailed was the one that submitted the charter, so he was the one listed on the AMA listing). After contacting the club president, we set up a meeting and I went to meet him at the field. After talking to him briefly, I was comfortable with the field and it's environment, and I joined then and there.
Once I began flying there, I had turned my attention away from helis for several months while a learned to fly fixed wing and progress a ways with it. Then the time finally came for me to see the Raptor 90 fly. After watching it fly (NO ONE else dared fly while he was flying it), my love for the heli came back to me in a HUGE way. I got my little 400 back together and began practicing much more with it. All of this time, I had had my eye on a Hirobo Shuttle ZXX that one of our skilled fixed wing pilots had, but had little luck with (he managed to walk behind it in his nearly empty neighborhood, but suffered a boom strike on landing). Fortunately (for me anyway), he knew he would not be getting any further use out of it, and I made him an offer on the heli of $100 as it sat (needed blades, main shaft, flybar, tail belt, tail boom, tail rotor casing, a new servo, other misc parts, and I chose to change the battery to a new battery for "cheap insurance" . It cost me about another $150 to get in the air. 3 months later, I'm doing forward flight and getting chased around by the fixed wing guys  . I still get the "You're going to crash the h*** out of that thing" and the "Just shoot it, it'll be easier" kind of remarks, but more in fun than in spite. Many of the fixed wing only guys at the field ask me questions about it, enjoy watching me fly it, and make "ego boosting" comments like, "I couldn't do that" or "that's to many parts for me" and "You're doing good with that thing". This weekend, I did get a comment of "make sure you fly it like an airplane", as I was flying it in the pattern with airplanes in the air. I took off after an airplane did, and knew that I should maintain the pattern while the planes were in the air. It kind of annoyed me a bit, but I believe he was only saying it to help me avoid trouble (my wife and I go to this guy's house and spend time with him and his family on weekends that we are able to). This flight was the flight where I was getting "chased" by a plane that couldn't go slow enough to barely get in my line of sight without stalling. That pilot's response was "It's good practice for ya".
Long story short, some clubs are just too high on their horse or stuck in their ways to let others enjoy their aspect of the hobby. Others can be very accomodating and enjoyable to fly at with fixed wing.
BTW, female pilots are always welcome at our field, even though we don't currently have any. Many spouses of our pilots are regulars at the field, including mine. My wife and I make it a family affair, despite the fact that she doesn't fly and has no desire to fly, so she just sits back, takes pictures, and talks the other pilot's ears off (what she's really good at, but they don't mind it, they actually find it amusing).
Happy flying to all.
Stop Playing Lawn Darts!!! AMA #909181
http://www.davisbridgeaeromodelers.com |
Electric or nitro, just post away. Obviously, there are specific forum areas for types of helicopters, but for general stuff there's the main and beginners areas. Not to mention the fact that you ladies have this forum area! 
