Pilot Zone

07 Jun 2016 6:45 PM | Marshall Henley

by Jonathon Hendrickson

For many years Pilots at SLRCFA have used the 6 individual pilot stations (at each end) to fly their aircraft from.  This setup was implemented to reduce interference when multiple pilots were flying at the same time using 72mhz transmitters. Often this distance between station 1 and station 6 made it extremely difficult to hear pilots making callouts like “LANDING!!!”  Now fast forward to 2016, most of our members fly with 2.4ghz and this separation is no longer necessary.

What is the greatest benefit that can be gained to promote safety and comradery while flying at SLRCFA? COMMUNICATION!!  What we are going to try out are called “Pilot Zones.” These “Pilot Zones” consist of the center 2 pilot stations combined at each end of the runway. The “Pilot Zones” are clearly marked as the area inside of the white fences. Pilots may stand anywhere inside of this zone while flying.

Effective immediately, pilots must fly from ONE “Pilot Zone” (boxed area) and the zone used will dictated by wind direction. Pilots are permitted to stand nearer to the END of the runway for take-off and landing ONLY (e.g. warbirds, jets).

During all other phases of flight, pilots should fly from the “Pilot Zone."

Let’s give these new “Pilot Zones” a try, promoting camaraderie while increasing safety through clearer communication.



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