RC India

Good time for the whole planet, but for Bangaloreans, its a f***ing tragedy when it comes to Aero modelling.

why?

Is it because the airfields are hard to access or shut down?

Well,my dad did convince me to let go of flying and convinced me to buy a car instead.But now,I am a happy kid with my new car. :giggle:

Where to fly?

Vinay, it's the same story mostly everywhere. Unless you have a private field it is only going to get difficult everywhere.

I heard that chennai atleast has an official place to fly right?

Yes it has, but nothing official, it is private.  But imagine doing 250 Km round trip to go fly?

Ya, Hmm, I agree. I think I will stick to helis as long as I stay in India  8-)

250 km!!!!!

What the HELL!!!!! :o :o :o :o :o

Hard to access? I would have accessed it even if it was 100 KM!

Good choice indeed!

We go there one or twice a month to drive our cars on the track.. No one has offered such a facility in India..This is a expensive hobby and we all know that.. Now that Sholavaram is shut down, not many choices are left..  

Sholavaram is fully shut down ?

This has been going on for years!.. I don't know if its just another rumour or something real

Not fully shut down but we keep having difficulties, all options are being explored. Keeping fingers crossed.

Could someone kindly elaborate on the situation...... I last flew there(at the crossroads opp to the big building under construction) for a couple of hours on a sunday evening four monthes ago and all was fine then and no intervention except for a group of eager kids looking amused at my flyin skills. Havent been there for a few months now but was definitely planning to go............ Any info, pls let me know.

I know many may not like this, I just hope Sholavaram is shut before authorities shut RC in chennai. One freak accident will cause a bad name for the entire hobby. A bad accident is surely waiting to happen with so many locals, cars, bikes running around when models are flown. Then frequencies, fuel, imports will all come under the scanner.

I know its very very difficult, I humbly request all to stop using Sholavaram. RCPA distance is a big issue. We can try car pooling, hiring a common vehicle etc. If there is a will, there is a way.

I believe that keeping things simple is the best way to build a hobby. If u really have to travel a few hundred kms to indulge in a hobby, then it becomes an endeavor - much like hunting or trekking or skiing or such. However, rc flying, especially at the parkflyer and 3dlevel is practiced worldwide in parks and indoor stadiums with presence of ample general public still. I do agree that the RCPA facility is an excellent initiative and a laudable milestone in the rc scenario in our country in general and our state in particular, but I do believe that sholavaram is a gr8 place too for electrics atleast if it has not changed much in the past few months. I know that the way the machinery operates in our land is quite a bit different, but still         .......... >:D its quite near to me  :banghead: so anyways ajo, my opinion could be a BIT biased............    but then again when I see RCP Dave flyin his models in parks and such, I wonder if we are a bit too sensitive. It is always better to err on the side of safety though!  :)

When I visited Sholavaram couple of months back, it did not seem in any "verge of disaster" situation.  I was there for about 2 hours. 

I think it is time proper clubs are formed, and people invest in renting (or even buying) barren land not too far from cities.  Looks like the Delhi folks have done this very well (Capt Tahlan and others), with multiple fields around Delhi.

YES..As fas as i have heard.. Some of the planes were seized by locals. There were couple of instances close call with passers by.. After a huge fight with the locals no one dares to go there any more..

Wow ! It got THAT bad ?  Time to pool up and find alternatives.

???? When did this happen? Are you referring to Sholavaram? Some of us flew there this Sunday without any issues

This happened about a Month back.. I heard this happened and the flyer at the time was let of with a warning. I'm trying to get this verified..

Hmm! never heard about that. There was an incident where some ones scanner came under the wheels of a vehicle and was crushed badly. Fault was both parties, the flyer did not have a lookout the car driver did not bother.
SOP at the field is to have a lookout so that the flier could be given clearance when he wants to land.

I remember Sai's (RCforall) tiger 60 crushed under a SUV wheel. But that was delebrately done by the driver. He saw the model and delebrately ran over it..

The main problem with Sholavram is too much public traffic on the tarmac. Most of the time, the locals are friendly and just too curious. There have been few times where the locals have helped to fetch the models that landed in the middle of a pond near by. Sometimes it gets too crowded (esp on Sunday mornings) and you need to watch your belongings. There are few odd balls who would not hesitate to lay their hands on "any" of your stuff and just vanish. - Last time some guy disappeard with a PVC tube that I used as chicken stick... Don't know what he would do with that!

Further, there is no point in arguing with the locals. They have lived there for years and would not tolerate anyone from outside telling them what to do and not to. Especially, if someone of them is hurt by a model.

Overall, Sholavaram is one of the best places to fly. Just need to follow a few simple/common rules of flying. When I flew there, usually about 11 am or so the tarmac will be almost deserted. Most flyers would have packed up by then and the public movement would be thin. At this time you can tryout all your crazy moves close to you.

Ismail,
Now you know why I come late (compared to early birds) to the field

 ;D - Good for you.  But not a good idea in summer. It gets awfully hot with absolutely no shade anywhere near.

Braving the sun is nothing compared to the risk of running your model under a vehicle/ into someone