I must admit to being rather shocked at reading the article American tradegy on the Clyde View Model Heli Clubs website (http://www.rcaircraft.info/phpsite/index.php) concerning yet another fatal accident involving a R/C model this time a helicopter in the USA. It really does bring home the fact that all models have the potential to kill as we have witnessed three times in the UK in the past fifteen years or so.

Having recently rekindled my interest in Heli flying & wishing to progress through the SAA achievment scheme I must admit that I feel extremely uncomfortable at how close we are expected to fly these machines both during testing & in competition.

Is it time for a change? The achievement scheme I presume uses the guidelines set down by the relevant National & international bodies as a basis as to what constituits a reasonable seperation distance but is less than 5m enough? Personally I think not.

What if...Mechanical failure, Radio failure, Radio interference & of course pilot error. Whats more the din these things make will probably drown out any warnings shouted, not to mention the possibe damage you are doing to your hearing?

I suppose in the end it all boils down to your own level of risk assesment!

I would like to hear other rotary pilots views concerning this as I will be discussing the matter with the Chief examiner shortly

Pardon..what you say!!..didn't quite hear that!..put it in writing..

Have fun Barney