on track?
clear!
HOBIzone · 10-minute talks · 08
The unwritten rules
What does everyone at the track expect from you, that nobody ever tells you?
Takeaway
Fly so that everyone else can fly too.
Free to use in your own trainings. Just tell people where you got it.
HOBIZONE.ORG
08 · The unwritten rules · fig. 1
Written and unwritten
Some rules are written down. The rest you only learn by watching good pilots.
Written
The law, the club rules, the race rules. Break them and someone stops you.
can I go on?
thanks!
down!
Unwritten
What good pilots just do. Nobody fines you for breaking them, but everybody notices.
Free to use in your own trainings. Just tell people where you got it.
HOBIZONE.ORG
Safety · flying together
Flying together
A drone in the air is fast and has sharp props. Everyone around you needs to know what you’re doing.
Book your channel
On the reservation screen, before you plug in. Someone on your channel? Wait your turn.
25 mW, always
Video power never higher, in practice and in races.
taking off!
Say it out loud
“Plugging in!” “Taking off!” “Landing!” “Crash!”
Never over people
Stay in the pilot area. Never fly over or towards anyone.
More in the guide Know your channel.
Free to use in your own trainings. Just tell people where you got it.
HOBIZONE.ORG
08 · The unwritten rules · fig. 2
Before you plug in
Your video reaches every pair of goggles in the hall. Plugging in is the moment that matters.
R1
R2
R3
R4
R5
R6
R7
R8
1
Book it
Look at the screen. Is your channel free? Book it, then plug in.
2
No quick tests in the pits
A quick test in the pits is someone else’s crash on the track.
3
Unplug when you land
Your video is on until the battery is out.
Free to use in your own trainings. Just tell people where you got it.
HOBIZONE.ORG
08 · The unwritten rules · fig. 3
On the track
The track belongs to whoever is flying right now.
can I go on?
down!
1
Ask before you walk on
Wait for “track clear!”. Never walk out while anyone is flying.
2
Crashed? Leave it
Say “down!”, take your goggles off. The drone waits until everyone has landed.
3
Take turns
Busy night? Fly a battery, then let the next pilot go.
Free to use in your own trainings. Just tell people where you got it.
HOBIZONE.ORG
08 · The unwritten rules · fig. 4
In the pits
Everyone’s gear is precious, fragile, and usually bought with saved-up money.
may I?
1
Ask before you touch
Someone else’s drone, radio or goggles: ask first, every time.
2
Borrowed? Bring it back
Tools, batteries, chargers. Back to the owner, in the same shape.
3
Your bench, your mess
Props, zip ties and wire ends off the table. Cables off the floor.
Free to use in your own trainings. Just tell people where you got it.
HOBIZONE.ORG
08 · The unwritten rules · fig. 5
People
Everyone in the hall was a beginner once. Most of them still remember who helped.
like this
nice heat!
1
Help the new pilot
Answer the question. Show, don’t take the radio away.
2
Cheer every heat
Win or crash, a high five after the heat. Losing well is a skill.
3
Build it, pack it
The track doesn’t build itself. Stay until it is packed away.
Free to use in your own trainings. Just tell people where you got it.
HOBIZONE.ORG
08 · The unwritten rules · fig. 6
When it goes wrong
nobody else is cooking
We fly frying pans: you are in charge. Whatever happens, it is yours to sort out.
1
Hit someone’s drone?
Say sorry, and check both drones.
2
Broke a gate?
Tell the trainer and help fix it.
3
Lost a drone in the grass?
Everyone helps look. Next time it’s yours.
4
Bad video, bad heat?
Fix what you can. It isn’t somebody else’s fault.
Free to use in your own trainings. Just tell people where you got it.
HOBIZONE.ORG
08 · The unwritten rules · fig. 7
Leave it better
We are guests everywhere we fly: the hall, the field, the forest. Leave it better than you found it.
thank you!
1
Pick it up
Broken props, zip ties, tape, rubbish. Yours and the ones you find.
2
Be a good guest
Thank the owner and the organisers. Keep it quiet for the neighbours.
3
Walkers and dogs?
Land and wait until they have passed.
Free to use in your own trainings. Just tell people where you got it.
HOBIZONE.ORG
Remember
Fly so that everyone else can fly too.
1
Plug in only on a free, booked channel. No quick tests in the pits.
2
Ask before you walk on the track. Crashed? Leave it until everyone lands.
3
Ask before you touch anyone’s gear. Bring back what you borrow.
4
Help the new pilot, cheer every heat, help build and pack up.
5
Your crash, your call: say sorry, help fix, help search.
6
Leave the hall and the field better than you found them.
Free to use in your own trainings. Just tell people where you got it.
HOBIZONE.ORG
✕

Turn your phone

The slides are made for a wide screen. Turn your phone sideways, or read it as an article instead.

Read the article