here are many fun things to talk
and write about concerning
model airplanes. Certainly there
are enough subjects related to just
flying them to keep dialogue going between
modelers for hours when they get together to
compare notes. (You know, “bull sessions”!)
One subject that is rarely discussed much
in these sessions (at least in my experience)
is modeling safety. It seems that safety is not
an exciting or very interesting subject. It is
also a topic that can evoke some heated
comments and pointed opinions.
Webster’s defines safe as “freed from
injury or risk” and “without risk of mishap.”
Trust me; nothing in this world is totally risk
free. And with modern technology, the things
we have developed for our personal use often
have great potential for injury or risk.
I’m greatly sensitized to this subject
lately because of my involvement with
motorcycle safety. For the past five years
I’ve been a motorcycle RiderCoach
(instructor) and site coordinator for the
Pennsylvania Motorcycle Safety Program.
We subscribe to and teach the Basic Rider
Course (BRC) curriculum that the
Motorcycle Safety Foundation has
developed.
This curriculum was developed from,
among many other things, riding safety
issues that were brought to light by the Hurt
Report: a significantly funded study of
motorcycle accidents. The result of building
this curriculum around such studies has been
to infuse many new riders with the proper
skills that will allow them to learn to ride
safely and have the awareness to avoid
potentially dangerous situations.
However, the reality is that if a person is
prone to be dangerous behind the wheel of a
car, he or she will probably be equally
dangerous on a bike. Still, there is little room
for argument in that sport that safety training
has made a positive difference.
You cannot force someone to
acknowledge safety as important. On the
other hand, you can supply all the facts and
techniques that make it easier for others to
learn about safe practices.
To that end, in this issue we are
presenting the first of four modeling-safety
related articles by Don Brooks. These will
appear in sequential order as part of the
ongoing “From the Ground Up” series we
have been publishing in MA and posting on
the MA Web site.
Don starts with shop safety suggestions
and scenarios. Safety is not something we
should address only while flying our models;
it is important that we do not needlessly hurt
ourselves while assembling or building our
craft. The potential for serious injury in the
shop is just as—or more—likely as it is at the
field.
We are generally far more relaxed at
home in our shops. This can lead to
Aeromodeling Editor Bob Hunt
Safety can become a frame
of mind kind of thing ...
T
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complacency and even carelessness unless we
set safety guidelines that act as caution signs
and even stop signs for ourselves.
Eye and skin protection are often
overlooked. I have been a guest in many
shops when the host was performing grinding
operations without proper eyewear or
applying toxic materials using unprotected
fingers as application tools.
And I must confess that I’ve breeched
these safety rules myself from time to time. It
is typically when I get in a hurry and skip the
precautions.
Safety practices must be adhered to every
time if they are to be truly preventive; there
can be no lapses in safety awareness, or you
are not truly as safe as you can be. And that
is when accidents happen. A mishap can
usually be traced to at least one broken safety
rule.
Safety can become a frame of mind kind
of thing and be extremely satisfying. To know
that you are not only building and flying well,
but that you are doing it safely can be
rewarding. You have the confidence that you
are following all the rules—not just those that
get you to the field or your model into the air
quickly. Observing it all, including safety,
makes you a complete modeler.
Have you read the AMA Safety Code
recently? Now might be a good time to refresh
yourself on what we should all know and be
practicing to not only ensure our safety and
the safety of our fellow modelers, but the
long-term security of our beloved hobby/sport.
If you need to speak with me I can be found
sitting safely behind my desk from 8 a.m. to 5
p.m. Eastern Standard time. My telephone
number is (610) 614-1747, my E-mail address
is [email protected], and my postal address
is Box 68, Stockertown PA 18083. It is safe to
contact me via any of these methods. MA
Modeling Spoken Here
02sig1.QXD 12/22/05 10:13 AM Page 6
Edition: Model Aviation - 2006/02
Page Numbers: 6