The International Cessna^® 170 Association

Mid Air with an R/C model and a Pitts during a R/C exhibit. FAA is going to go crazy over this one!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rvcN-0Pi ... r_embedded#!

The actions of the retarded few always make life harder for the conscious many.

Not a big fan of the high speed fly-by either. Showing off for someone not paying attention rarely ends well.

One of the crazies who couldn't make Oshkosh this year.

I once made an abrupt go-around due to what I perceived as a near-miss at an uncontrolled field. I was over the threshold of a crossing runway and the other airplane appeared to be about 100 feet to my right on a right-to-left crossing-path collision-course.
It turned out not to be another airplane on the crossing runway... it was a RC model in the parking lot at the airport. Those guys were flying their RC at an AIRPORT!

When I landed and walked over to them to tell them how dangerous their activity was (and how it was likely illegal as well) they became verbally abusive and threatening.

Unfortunately for them, the man who'd come to pick me up at the airport and was with me during their tirade was the local Justice of the Peace. He didn't tell them who he was, he simply got on his radio (in his vehicle) and radioed the police as the yokel's drove away, still waving obscene hand-signals at us.

They were stopped by local police about a mile away, and found themselves in the JP's courtroom the following month. (I would have loved to have seen their faces when they walked into that courtoom to recognize the prime witness against them to their offense of violating a local ordinance. (Unauthorized use of the city airport. He gave them 24 hrs of community service mowing the grass and picking up trash at the airport.)

FAA also paid them a call, but took no action other than to warn them that without the airport authority's permission RC aircraft are not allowed in the traffic area, and that future violations might result in enforcement action.

1SeventyZ wrote:...Not a big fan of the high speed fly-by either. Showing off for someone not paying attention rarely ends well.

I'm no fan of high-speed passes, but I'm not sure it was causal in this case; the outcome could easily have been the same for a normal takeoff, landing, or go-around. Bottom line is RC flying doesn't mix well with full-scale traffic.

Before we go and hang all model airplane fliers, (I said before...I didn't say anyone had) take a good look a the video. The second person in the frame is talking on a hand held and is watching the approach of the Pitts. It would appear the model folks were aware of the Pitt's approach and made no attempt to clear the runway. My guess is that it was a coordinated event...unable to tell for sure from the info provided. Like most things, there are rules - FAA and AMA - that address flying models close to airports. The issue is not what they were doing as much as how they were doing it.

We used to fly RC at our airport, and we were very discrete and cautious about it, never over the runway, being pilots ourselves of course. Then one day somebody else started do it, did something dumb, and got into a pissing match with the airport manager when he cautioned them about the risks. The following day a "no flying RC" sign went up on the gate. Thanks a lot.