Here's the deal,  When we get our new field it will ONLY be on a trail basis this summer.  If we get complainants for neighbors about the noise the field is gone forever.  The club has it's own self imposed 85 db limit that most aircraft pass but that doesn't mean there not making too much noise.

What I'm talking about is prop or blade air cavitation that we have no way of measuring on the ground.  We have 700 size heli and large 3D planes that can be heard over 300 yards away at 60 Acres making this distinctive sound.   Allowing these stunts at the new field means our 2+ years of work to get it would all be wasted.   Houses completely surround this field and many don't want us there in the first place.

Now I don't want to outright ban these aircraft but may have to if there deemed to be making excessive noise.   Sure you can still do 3D stunts but just not all of them.  Any plane or heli caught with loud cavitation in the blades or props will be asked to leave.  Remember that this will be a private field and not open to the public so only members can fly there.

450 and 550 size heli and the smaller planes don't have this same problem and are much quieter.  Again it comes down to noise and keeping the field and I sure don't want to loose it because a few dozen members blow it for the rest of us.

Have your say on this topic please,  Lon

Last new rule,  Should ANYONE fly beyond the tree line and over houses they are gone for good.  There is just no reason for breaking this prime AMA rule and endangering the public.  If you have a fast plane and cant keep it inside the park then dont fly it !!!

Have your say on this topic also,  Lon

The matter seems pretty clear to me... If we have to limit certain activities to keep the field then that is just how it is. Thanks for your work in putting this together.

I agree with those rules, better to play it safe than sorry.

It sounds like the new field is a tighter space, lending itself better for parkflyer aircraft, or

planes up to 3 lbs.

Personally, I have no objections to keeping large 3D planes at home, I'd rather save

them for a venue with wide open spaces around.

I think that we all can have a lot of fun there and still fly safely and under the noise

radar.

I don't think anyone will feel the need to fly large 3D planes (4 - 6 cells) at the new field

anyways.

For the larger planes, more open space is preferred.

The smaller 3D planes (2 and 3 cell operated) are much quieter.

They are equipped with smaller props turning less RPM's, creating a smaller noise

footprint in the air.

I think we should all work together and fly on our best behavior, creating a good

impression to the local community as ambassadors of this hobby.

Personally, I plan to bring my small 3 cell planes such as the Midget Mustang, Flying

Mario Kart, and my new Isis F-22 and still have a blast!

-Chris

After all the time and work put into the new field, keeping it is priority one.

My take on the noise and this is just from observations is that a lot of people don't like EDF's.  They seem to me to have a higher pitch that travels farther.  I've heard comments like "reminds me of the dentist drill" from bystanders at the field.  Some of the pusher jets (Stryker, FunJet, etc) seem to be similar.

Hey I like the fast stuff too so don't light me up, not saying these should be banned.  Just pointing out what I've seen/heard and that at least in the "trial period" especially, some restraint could be shown.  If we start waking up babies from naps or annoying the residents in any way I can see this field going away all too soon.

RdJay

Seems appropriate to me. The 42" Slick I just got from Chris seems pretty quiet and should work well there. As well as my whisper quiet Trojan of course. What do you think Chris?

Are there any pictures of the field (360') we can take a look at? I'd like to see the buffer zone and layout at ground level, only because I'm curious.

sorry about the second post. scale of 100 feet is on bottom right. Hope this helps

When do we get to put boots on the ground at this new site?

I'll tell you guys right now, that most EDF's are going to be louder or at least as loud as a 3D plane performing hard prop-cavitating maneuvers such as knife edge spins.

If the aim is to fly "under the radar" for noise, than leave the EDF's at home.

They do sound like flying hair dryers, but the noise level varies from plane to plane.

Well-balanced EDF's are much quieter than factory installed ones. For example, Larry's Starmax F9F Panther is one of the quietest I've heard. He took the time when installing his own motor and EDF unit to properly balance the blades.

Same goes for pusher jets like the Funjet. Unless you're using a 6-7" propeller, stick to 3 cell power setups only.

Dreamer, the 42" Slock would be fine as long as you don't do any knife-edge spins.

Even when you do them, they aren't very loud on that plane but it still may irritate neighbors close by depending on where the house is in relation to the field.

Also, unless the ground is nice and even with well-cropped grass you'll munch the landing gear.

Until the field is established and mantained, save the 42" Slick for Marymoor only.

-Chris

Why not set a db limit and do sound tests like Marymoor?

Otherwise it seems that everything will be so subjective. Just because a plane is big doesn't necessarily mean that it is also loud.

Doing this would also allow NWEF to explain to neighbors that might complain that there is a sound limit, and all planes flying there are within that limit.

Just an idea.

A good thought, but the testing of sound pressure level (db) at one specific frequency and distance doesn't really give a definitive measure of the noise level at other frequencies or greater distances, nor for that matter how well neighbors can hear it or what they find objectionable.  The amount of intervening trees will affect this as will even the wind speed and direction, so it's going to be a touch and go, trial and error situation no matter what.

Exactly where on that site picture is the flying/parking area, and what about baseball practices/games on those ball fields?  That's another unknown.  Does the field look like that now (all rough dirt, weeds, etc. for the most part)?

Who's going to pay for all this sound Db testing? You all know if what you're flying is louder than neighbors like. That's why I fly at kenmore Jr. high for the last 6 years, nobody complains exept the dog walkers and when I bring up the fact that their dog left two piles on the ball field, they shut their mouths and leave. None of the neighbors complain about my 5s- 1400 watt funjet screaming by. Not one!

                    George

And that's why I brought up the sound issue, I'd be sure to bet that one of my 30cc electric (ie. Large 3D plane) birds is quieter than a 5s 1400 watt Funjet "screaming" by.

Jholen is right, his plane is very quiet compared to some of the EDFs and Funjets that are flown.

Also, db testing wouldn't cost a dime! Kosh already has a db meter for performing sound checks!

I've had my 6 cell, 1,200 watt pylon plane tested at Marymoor Park and it is too loud.

I was using a HET 3W-25 motor (1,700kv), and APC 6x5.5E prop, and 6 cell 2200mah pack, which resulted in a 91db reading.

Multiple sound tests were performed measured at 25 feet over grass.

I now use this HET 3W-25 motor in my Mini Midget Mustang on 4 cells with a 7x6E prop, and noise is no longer an issue.

Funjets make the problem worse, the motor is a rear-mounted pusher setup which amplifies the prop noise even more.

I would bet that your 1,400 watt 5s setup, if running a prop smaller than 6 inches in size, would be too loud according to the rules set by King County.

King County sound limit for RC Planes Gas/Glow/Electric = 90db.

-Chris

Yeah I don't want this sound testing to drag us down in rules and regulations, however was just wondering if there would be a set limit for the field, so we could take the guess work out of it.

Our club sets the limit at 85db at 25 feet away on grass at both fields.  While most planes can pass with our loudest hitting 83db from the many tests I have done.   The ones over 80 are mostly ducted fan jets and planes with pusher props.  A larger 3D planes doing certain stunts can go way above 85db and the same holds true for larger heli's.

I'm in the process of moving right now to a new place and just cant spend as much time as needed on here so please keep that in mind.

A dumb question from someone who hasn't been paying attention: is 60 acres out for flying after the new field becomes operational?  A second question: I thought I had heard that we weren't supposed to use the south field a 60 acres any longer, but I was out there Tuesday night and saw people flying on the south field.

You can fly on 60 acres from October 31st to June 1st, on both fields.

You can't fly on it at all during the summer, June 1st through October 31st, it is all soccer all the time.

On Wednesdays SASS technically has rights on the south field, so if you see winches and gliders on that day, don't fly on the South field.

I would like to clarify that June 1st through October 31st we can still fly at 60 acres as long as Soccer players are not on the field at all.  That will be a rare occurance in the summer but essentailly we or the public can use the field if not in use by soccer.  That is the reason King County is working with us gettting a field to fly during the peak soccer season.  If you see a group of soccer players on the field practicing then don't fly anywhere on the field even if they only take up a small part of the field.