I'm reposting a message or discussion currently happening on the local email news group "SARFLY". Reason mainly is to keep the posted messages as if there is one thing I hate about SARFLY is how the discussion can be so easily dragged off topic and important thoughts that were brought up lost in the chaos. This is also for information to the forum members, and maybe we can get some more thoughts on the subject here.
[u]Original message posted by Lionel Brink whois the MGASA (Model gliding assosiation of South Africa) rep if you will. A very nice guy and IMHO some of the message was writting a little tongue in cheeck to inspire a smile on the reader's face if I know Lionel as well as I hope I do by now. [/u]
Hi,
I unfortunately have to remind everyone of the "drinking & flying" debacle that unfortunately occurred at a prominent inland slope soaring site during 2007. Most of the SAMAA registered slope soaring sites are on private property & no club is responsible for these (or singularly). Since more than one person/group/club generally has unrestricted access to these sites, it was decided that the most practical approach would be to request that someone assumes responsibility for the application of safety rules during their events at the site.
If you want to organise an informal event at a slope, then please feel free to notify the SAMAA office (by email, post or phone) of the event & who the responsible host will be. Based on the “first-come, first-served†approach, that specific club/group/individual is permitted to dictate the safety rules & application thereof for the event at the site. Naturally slope events on the MGA calendar already have responsible clubs/groups assigned & assume precedence over the informal events.
In future, don’t be surprised if unruly behavior, at even informal club level slope events, are dealt with swiftly & possibly much more harshly than at previous events where a blind eye was turned to disrespectful or unsociable behavior.
Please, fly safely.
Lionel
[u]My first reply:[/u]
Lo everyone,
Please do not label this as the "Friday stir" because that is the
last intention of this message. I cannot help seeing all kinds of red
lights going off when I read it however, I know Lionel by now and I
can read between the lines so I think/hope I know what his intentions
were and hope I'm right when I say the message was writtin to inspire
a smile on the reader's face.
Still the average person reading this might be inspired to dasterdly
behavior. The issue of "safety officer" which I'm sure is essentially
what this message is all about is always very deeply discussed in our
club (RAM) and from past experience we have learned that choosing a
safety officer is definitely not like some members or pilots would
say, just another formality in forming a club committee. Choosing the
correct safety officer(s) for the job is now even more of an issue
than choosing the chairman of the club. You cannot have someone that
is not absolutely objective and very well experienced in the hobby
posing as a safety officer of any club or event. Even more so it
doesn't help anybody in any way to have a confrontational person in
this position, the hobby does not only have school kids needing to be
disciplined practising it. It becomes a very difficult task and that
is putting it mildly.
One cannot simply enforce a ruling on something which you are
unfamilier with simply because you are just unfamilier with it, this
issue has been profusely discussed and we are still today fighting
the battle we simply call "3D flying". If you want examples of
institutions or groups that have and still do fight battles on this
subject do a little searching for The Profile Brotherhood. I've been
a member of this group since it's infant years and still today we
occasionally run into problems of people for instance going out and
banning 3D flying of any nature at a club because they deem it
dangerous (Simple example) when in the meantime they simply do so
because they are unfamilier with the practise and it conflicts on
what they are accustomed to. This sort of thing could just as well
happen on the slope as well seeing as anyone can now step up to the
plate and take charge of happenings on a site.
In my opinion common sense when it comes to safety is obviously every
single aeromodeler's responsibility but yes unfortunately we will
have the odd rebel always out of every 20 odd pilots. But if by
accident we empower the said jerk it could potentially ruin a
perfectly good trip to the slope for anyone or even worse a group of
people. I'm all for someone taking charge and taking care of a
situation like the picture of the "socalled drunken person" and I
will walk right beside this person to help straighten out the mess.
But please! Let us not open doors for powerhungry individuals that
could make it their vendetta to ruin everyone else's fun because they
think they're doing the safe thing.
I'm not sure if there is a black on white short list of simple rules
for slope soaring? If there is please post a link to these here so
everyone can download a copy and keep it in their cars when they do
decide to make a trip to a slope? Especially if we're going to take
the route of who ever arrives first could take charge? At least this
way we can have common sense still prevail with in writing
guidelines.
Groete,
Rudolf
[u]John Godwin's reply to my message:[/u]
We talked about safety at the JOMAC AGM.
We agreed that it was the job of all JOMAC members to ensure that we
flew safely.
In other words all JOMAC members are "safety officers".
If you see dangerous flying take it up with the person concerned.
After all are we "men or mice"?
Surely this common sense attitude applies at all sites?
John
[u]My reply to John:[/u]
Hi John,
Yes like I said:"In my opinion common sense when it comes to safety
is obviously every
single aeromodeler' s responsibility but yes unfortunately we will
have the odd rebel always out of every 20 odd pilots."
If we all had the common sense to enforce safety then essentially in
this perfect world the safety issue would never come up or need to be
discussed. This is not the case we know. Even in a club where
everyone is handed the responsibility of ensuring safety prevails
(And I'm sure this is the case in most if not all clubs or meetings
in the country) I feel it neccesary to have a person on the next step
up to help resolve arguments or essentially to have a final say on
whether something could be seen safe or not.
On the subject of "Men or mice" I can't help but get a chuckle (No
offence really). Believe it or not but more than half of the people
I've encountered over all my years of flying would (Hate to say this)
fall into the "mice" catagory. The majority of aeromodelers I've met
simply go to the field to get away from all the headache in their
daily life, the last thing these folks want to do is get into a
confrontation scenario at their getaway. Alot of these people are
very quick to bring up the subject around the peanut gallary or after
the day's flying for sure but it is hardly ever done the moment the
incident occurs with the guilty party. We're all friends at the
flying field with a common interest so some people simply don't have
to heart to potentially create an uncomfortable situation in their
minds when most of the time (yes most of the time not all the time)
if the situation is handled correctly everything will be fine
afterwards.
Groete,
Rudolf
[u]Gus Thomas's reply to John's message:[/u]
Slope sites are such a sensitive topic. We have to protect the few legal sites we have, and it only takes one irresponsible individual to ruin it for the majority.
We should all take it on our selves to protect what is in our own collective interest, being the enjoyment of sloping.
Save the dop for after the slope, its much better then.
Lets hope common sense prevails.
Good weekend to all.
Gus.
