Sun
– Where is the sun in relation to where you will be flying? Will it
affect your flight patterns? What
actions will you take if you accidentally fly ‘through
’ the sun? Should you be wearing sunglasses? Remember
that low sun in winter can be a particular problem.
Wind
– Consider the wind strength and direction. How will this affect your
flights? Will you have to modify
your normal take-off and, especially, your landing pa
tterns? From your local knowledge, will there be any
turbulence with ‘this’ wind direction and strength? And how bad might
it be?
Eventualities
– What will you do if you hear or see a full size
aircraft or helicopter flying at low level near
the field? What if the landing area is suddenly obstru
cted when you are on finals to land? What will you do
if a nearby footpath or bridle path suddenly has walkers or horses on
it?
Emergencies
– You may have an engine cut at any part of
a flight so consider where your dead-stick
landings might be safely made and which ground areas
you should definitely avoid. How will you warn other
field users if you have an emergency?
Transmitter Control
– Is the site pegboard in operation? If
not, why not? Where has the pegboard been
placed? Are you familiar with the syst
em and understand how it works?
Site Rules
– Are there any specific site rules you should be aware of? Most
importantly, where are the no-
fly zones or dead airspace areas on the site?
