A successful approach to the noise complaint problem demands an integrated set of solutions, with the flying site, flying habits, potential complainants and the emissions from models all being addressed.
A culture of noise avoidance needs to be promulgated within clubs, with committees being prepared to monitor and encourage a responsible attitude to the problem. They must also lead by example. As individual modellers, we need to think about noise in all aspects of our activities; this means building in quietness to our models from the outset, repeatedly testing our models for noise emissions, and operating them in a way that will minimise noise exposure for our neighbours.
Avoiding noise complaints is a complex subject; it is certainly not enough just to demonstrate compliance with the 82dBA guidelines set by the Department of the Environment. The measures suggested above provide an effective set of guidelines which are capable of helping us to retain our precious flying sites. |
