Sanford R/C Flying Site Rules and Regulations

City/Township Ordinances

  1. No alcoholic beverages permitted.
  2. No engines may be run before 9:00 AM or after 9:00 PM.
  3. All engines must be muffled, not to exceed 98dbA at three meters. A sound meter will be available at the field.
  4. All pets must be on a leash (It is better not to bring dogs).
  5. No radios, boom boxes, etc permitted.

Frequency Control

  1. AMA license required.
  2. All radios must meet 1991 standards.
  3. No transmitter may be turned on without having the correct frequency pin attached to the antenna and the operator's AMA card placed on the frequency board.
  4. The operating frequency of each transmitter shall be indicated by the display of its channel number on the antenna
  5. If two or more pilots are on the same frequency they shall take turns.
  6. Frequency pins are to be replaced on the board after flight.
  7. Transmitter impound may be in effect.

Safety Procedures

  1. All flying shall be in accordance with the AMA safety code.
  2. Flying can only be done from a flag marked flight station.
  3. Helicopters are to be flown in the designated helicopter flying area.
  4. Aircraft are to be carried or taxied under physical control directly east from the pits to the taxi area. No other taxiing is permitted in the pit area.
  5. After landing, models may be taxied to the flight station line. No taxiing into the pits from the flight station line is allowed.
  6. No low passes near the flight line.
  7. Deliberate flight behind (west of) the flight line is prohibited.
  8. All spectators must remain behind the row of bushes.
  9. The direction of take offs and landings and the pattern will be established by the field supervisor, based on the prevailing wind direction.
  10. The field supervisors, who are in charge of the field, will be wearing blue hats with the Milan RC logo and the words "Field Safety."
  11. Those individuals wearing the blue hats with the word "Instructor" are qualified flight instructors and are willing to help.

Care of the Facility

  1. This beautiful facility is owned by the City of Milan and administered by the Parks and Recreation Department. (734) 439-1549
  2. The facility is maintained by volunteers. You can help by signing up to work mowing and trimming.
  3. Pick up all scrap from the flight area and any crash sites. Broken props and pieces of piano wire mess up the mower!

Field Etiquette

Every activity has its rules of etiquette, which informally describe the behavior that is expected of all participants. For example, in bowling one doesn't distract a bowler on the adjacent lane who is preparing to bowl. All etiquette rules can be summarized as:

Do nothing that will detract from another's enjoyment of the activity.

This fundamental principle can be used as the basis for a few particular rules of behavior that are applicable to our flying at the Sanford Road Model Airfield:

  • Flying a model takes a lot of concentration. Try not to distract those with models in the air by taxiing, taking off, or landing close to the flight line. Fast low passes close to the flight line are also very distracting.
  • Extended engine break-ins should be performed at the north or south end of the pits, away from the flight stations.
  • Watch your prop blast. Don't blow dirt and junk into other airplanes or people. You can do this by starting your airplanes with them pointing towards the flight line (facing east).
  • All guests should be briefed about flight line safety. Please be responsible for children and pets. If your guests are young and energetic, please see that they stay behind the bushes.
  • If your actions cause the loss or damage of another's model, you ought to accept responsibility and make an offer of compensation.
  • Remember, when retrieving models from the farm field south of the flying field, you are on private property. Respect it and the growing crops--leave no trace of your retrieval activities.