My Cioycle

[Randy Ryan]

Well, I've been working on this for a month and a half and finally got to use it, the wind gave me a break. The old circle was further back and off to the right. I spoke to the next door neighbor Judy, a really nice lady who lost her husband last fall, and offered to mow the acre adjacent to mine in exchange for letting me lap my circle over it. I've been mowing and rolling and while it'll never be sweet, its very flyable if you don't mind some bouncy landings, there is still evidence of furrows and I'd have to grade them out and I can't afford that right now.

Anyway, this is where we'll fly at the Weenie Roast Saturday evening after events and the Michigan CL Championships. Ya'll come on out, we always have a blast

[Allan Perret]

Man, that looks nice. 
I am jealous..

[Paul Taylor]

I wish that was my back yard.

LUCKY!

[john e. holliday]

Same here, if I had a back yard like that I would be in stunt heaven.  DOC Holliday

[Randy Powell]

I could put a similar site in my back yard but for two problems. First is it would need a lot of excavation. Mine house is on a ridge and my backyard is a bit more, ah, vertical. The other problem is I live in Washington which automatically means that some woman that lives 24 miles away and thought she might have heard something would call the police to complain and my circle would be shut down pending an investigation. I've never seen a place where people were less tolerant of each other. If they can complain about something, they will and it doesn't really matter if a hundred people are in favor of something and there is one complaint, the one complaint will take precidence. Most every time. Unless, of course, someone is making money from it. Then it doesn't matter if you complain. But I'm not bitter.  

Yours sure looks nice, Randy.

[john e. holliday]

Don't feel lonesome Randy.  I have a neighbor that has a dog that barks from sun up to sun down and sometimes into the night.   I fired up a new engine in back yard to get some time on it.  I was only a Fox .15 Schnuerle.  Only two runs.  You think that is going to stop me from running my new carrier engine now?  The officer heard the dog also and asked if I wanted to  file a complaint.  Just need to remember to not run engines during daylight.  DOC Holliday

[Neville Legg]

Back in the mid 60's my dad replace the two motors in a control line scale twin with a couple of new 15 size diesels, after a few minutes of running them in our back garden to set them up, the old man that lived at the back of us was seen waving his stick and shouting at us. After my dad stopped the motors, the old man was swearing at us that the engines were interfering with his TV reception! He was told politely not to be so silly!
Better than that, I remember a time in about 1960, when my dad and I would go out very early in the morning to the local park, with rubber powered models to trim them in the still air. While getting a wakefield size model to fly around the park at about 7am, the local copper (policeman) stopped on his push bike to watch what was going on. Thinking he was interested, he summoned us over after the model landed, "has that got an engine in it"? he said in a very accusatory voice! My dad just said "did you hear anything then"? the copper gave us a dirty look and cycled off! Idiot.

[Randy Powell]

Nev,

Well, if I could figure out a way to say that my plane was somehow fighting global warming, then the locals would probably put up a circle and encourage me to fly as much as possible. It's amazing how gullible (to say nothing of foolish) some people are.

[Steven Kientz]

In the late sixties there was a wannabe drummer living next door to us. He usually started about 10pm. My father started breaking in his ST .35 at 8am on saturdays. After a couple of sessions the drummer changed his schedule.

Steve

[Richard Grogan]

Well, I've been working on this for a month and a half and finally got to use it, the wind gave me a break. The old circle was further back and off to the right. I spoke to the next door neighbor Judy, a really nice lady who lost her husband last fall, and offered to mow the acre adjacent to mine in exchange for letting me lap my circle over it. I've been mowing and rolling and while it'll never be sweet, its very flyable if you don't mind some bouncy landings, there is still evidence of furrows and I'd have to grade them out and I can't afford that right now.

Anyway, this is where we'll fly at the Weenie Roast Saturday evening after events and the Michigan CL Championships. Ya'll come on out, we always have a blast

What a nice neighbor! Mine just give me ugly looks when they see that I'm about to run a plane in the backyard. Funny thing is, that they also give me same look when I fly the Park Zone Cessna and Citabria micro electric RC planes in the street in front of the house.Or even electric helis.I guess maybe they experienced a bad childhood or something?? Oh, did I mention he(the husband) is a preacher?
You are very blessed my friend. Thats a great setup you have going,Randy!!

[Bradley Walker]

You have got to be kidding me...

[Randy Ryan]

Blessed I am for sure. When I go out to fly the neighbors bring out their lawn chairs and iced tea. I do limit my flying however so as not to overstay my welcome. Respect begets respect, usually.

[Randy Powell]

Randy,

I may put in a circle if I decide to g to electrics. But my circle would be surrounded by 100' fir trees. Be kinda ugly in the wind. I don't think my cranky neighbors would complain about electrics, but you never know. They managed to get my neighbor shut down that used to tune his off road jeep at 12:00pm on Saturdays. The police said he was exceeding the maximum db level allowed (didn't even know there was such a thing). No wonder they also shut down the Saturday evening concerts they used to have down at the Wolf's Den amphitheater (about 4 miles from my house). Might upset the squirrels.

[Mark Scarborough]

Randy,
with 100 foot trees,, you should be just fine flying in an opening there right? perfect shielding,, lol, oh well I guess there is that turbulance over the top thing to consider,, oh, and maybe not for any of your high aspect ratio stuff either huh,,

[John Paris]

Mark,
That shot that Randy posted is facing ENE, so most of the trees you are seeing would have little effect on the prevailing Westerly breezes.  I have flown over there a number of times at the weenie roast (thanks again Randy for putting those on) and have never had an issue with goofy winds.  There are some trees at the front of his house which is directly  upwind, but except for Muncie, Sig (when the winds are just right) and Signal Seekers  it is hard to find clean air at a lot of the contest locations.  Think of it as prepping for what you would normally encounter anyway.  Likewise my backyard field has some issues, but it is hard to beat the convenience.
John

EDIT:  Mark it would appear that I mixed up the Randy's in this case.  My bad on that one.  The post stands as it gives a better description of Randy Ryan's layout and is a good plug for the weenie roast.

[Randy Ryan]

Thanks John,

It really ins't too bad, the open area is upwind so I don't see as much turbulance as you might think, though I don't fly back there is its over 10MPH. It's good to have a quick practice and test circle for the time when I don't have time to pack up and go. Our field has been mudded in anyway, though It may be accessible by now, so this is the only way I can fly anyway.

John, with the new setup we can set up the pit right next to the tables and everone can be part of the flying. I think it'll work pretty well. Really ooking forward to the WR but not too hard because I want summer to pass SLOWLY.