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Contents Listing - Articles & Features in this issue
Keilkraft "Student" test report
"Minuteman" - American Column
"Pirat" photo-feature
Channel One
Trade News
Quantum '70
Strictly for Soarers
Readers' Letters
Roland Scott Show
R/C Throttles - conclusion
Matters Marine
25Kc/s and all that
Scale Topics
Fokker EV-DVIII
Round the Clubs
For your diary
Article Snippets
THERE is only one thing which, on a national level, can "kill" this hobby of ours—noise. The farsighted policy of the SMAE, in introducing its silencer rule in 1965, to our knowledge retained the use of two popular flying sites, at that time in jeopardy because of noise complaints, and was instrumental in halting the trend of such losses. When the rule was "diluted" some 18 months ago this regrettable trend became apparent again.
Authorities are not concerned with distinctions of type — all power driven models are lumped together. The national body either requires silencers or it doesn't. If it takes the latter course, then the nuisance becomes that much easier to ban. In a noise conscious, age, people are frustrated by their apparent inability to stop the nuisance of full size aircraft noise etc., so they are happy to clutch at a straw and swat the buzzing toys.
A relatively easy exercise with immediate result. There is another aspect summed up in Mr. A. N. Wright's letter this month. Britain started off with a lead over the whole world, and its policy is confirmed correct, as is proved by the number of countries who now have silencer rules. It is only this which has led every major engine manufacturer, and many independsnt firms as well, to produce silencers. We also started off with a substantial lead in the use of silencers on competition aircraft, a condition which the FAI is insisting be applied to more and more classes.
Now all this progress is again in jeopardy. Following the decision of the SMAE to reintroduce its overall rule (with one or two obvious exceptions), an attempt is now being made to open up loopholes again. In an age when noise is one of the biggest social problems, and con- . sciousness that it must be reduced has led to government legislation, to suggest pursuing a policy which is contrary to this public trend is suicidal to modelling. Apparently an extraordinary general meeting of the SMAE is convened, with a resolution effectively allowing models to be flown unsilenced. If approved this could be the lever that so many sections of the community, who are anti-modelling because of the noise element, require to bring about an almost total ban. The outcome of the matter lies entirely with the clubs, who form the membership of the SMAE.
Authorities are not concerned with distinctions of type — all power driven models are lumped together. The national body either requires silencers or it doesn't. If it takes the latter course, then the nuisance becomes that much easier to ban. In a noise conscious, age, people are frustrated by their apparent inability to stop the nuisance of full size aircraft noise etc., so they are happy to clutch at a straw and swat the buzzing toys.
A relatively easy exercise with immediate result. There is another aspect summed up in Mr. A. N. Wright's letter this month. Britain started off with a lead over the whole world, and its policy is confirmed correct, as is proved by the number of countries who now have silencer rules. It is only this which has led every major engine manufacturer, and many independsnt firms as well, to produce silencers. We also started off with a substantial lead in the use of silencers on competition aircraft, a condition which the FAI is insisting be applied to more and more classes.
Now all this progress is again in jeopardy. Following the decision of the SMAE to reintroduce its overall rule (with one or two obvious exceptions), an attempt is now being made to open up loopholes again. In an age when noise is one of the biggest social problems, and con- . sciousness that it must be reduced has led to government legislation, to suggest pursuing a policy which is contrary to this public trend is suicidal to modelling. Apparently an extraordinary general meeting of the SMAE is convened, with a resolution effectively allowing models to be flown unsilenced. If approved this could be the lever that so many sections of the community, who are anti-modelling because of the noise element, require to bring about an almost total ban. The outcome of the matter lies entirely with the clubs, who form the membership of the SMAE.
