District VIII - 2006/12

December 2006 183
BEWARE: an editorial and my personal
opinion follows!
This, for some AMA members, may be the
most important district column that I have
ever written! It may well save your model
aircraft, your means of transportation, your
workshop, your motel room, your home, or
possibly even save your life or the lives of
those whom you hold near and dear from the
results of a catastrophic failure and
spectacular fire! I mentioned that this is
important so if this doesn’t apply to you now,
someday it may so please review this column.
The catastrophic failure of several types of
rechargeable batteries which are regularly
used in aeromodeling can result in an
awesome and spectacular fire.
I will not belabor this subject by trying to
relate the causes of such catastrophic failures.
I’ve seen very knowledgeable people debate
for hours the possible causes and who or what
is at fault. Just know that it can and does
happen!
Having seen such a fire, I would compare
it to igniting of a pile of gunpowder or
lighting a large box full of Fourth of July
fireworks all at once!
For your own information, do an Internet
search (or ask a friend to do one for you)
using any popular search engine. Search on
LIPO or Li-Poly fire. You will find numerous
still pictures and videos of actual fires as well
as spectacular staged fires involving batteries
commonly used in aeromodeling.
Catastrophic failures and dramatic fires
can and do happen! Please be reminded of
recent events in the laptop-computer battery
industry: a recall of millions of units. As
stated, I will not be discussing the why of
these failures, but please be forewarned by
this information and by what you may find on
the Internet, of the potential for catastrophic
failures and devastating fires; they are
infrequent but quite real and always
unexpected.
For some peace of mind and the cheapest
insurance you could ever purchase to protect
yourself, obtain a fire-resistant container. Use
it at all times for the storage, transportation,
and charging of any and all batteries that have
the potential for a catastrophic failure and fire.
The cost of doing this may range from just
pennies to less than a hundred dollars!
Heavy-duty
c r o c k p o t
liners can be
p u r c h a s e d
inexpensively
from secondhand
stores.
I have bought ammunition boxes from surplus
stores for a small fee.
I have used purpose-built, fire-resistant,
home-storage document safes purchased new
from discount stores for less than $20.
Purpose-built, fire-resistant containers are
also available in the modeling industry.
Once it happens, it does not matter what
the cause of the catastrophic failure or
spectacular fire might be. The protection from
such failures and fires is vital, and could be
some of the most important—yet cheapest—
insurance and peace of mind you could ever
purchase.
Problems with rechargeable batteries used
in aeromodeling are infrequent, often
unexpected, but are quite real. An ounce of
prevention ... I cannot overstate the
importance of this information. It does happen
but damage or death are totally avoidable!
SANE: Safe Aeromodeling is No accidEnt!
Flying, Fun, and Fellowship. Sandy Frank.
District VIII
Dr. Sandy Frank, District VIII Vice President; [email protected]
Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas
Dr. Sandy Frank
Vice President
105 N. Brazos St.,
Weatherford TX 76086
Tel.: (817) 791-6079
www.AMA-Dist-8.org
Associate Vice
Presidents
Buzz Averill, Albuquerque NM;
(505) 298-6870
Lester L. Barry, Bethany OK;
(405) 789-5373
Max Blose, Waco TX; (254) 662-
5587
Bill Fulmer, Gretna LA; (504)
392-3620
Bill Lee, Chandler TX; (903) 852-
5599
Jim D. Marshall, Mission TX;
(956) 585-6446
Douglas E. Powell, Wichita Falls
TX; (940) 691-8348
Jim Rice, Universal City TX; (210)
945-8221
Ron Stanfield, Maumelle AR;
(501) 851-1697
Charles Stevens, Pasadena TX;
(713) 473-4995
Frequency Coordinator
North: Joe DuMond, Ft. Worth
TX; (817) 457-6685
South: Gene Kent, Tomball TX;
(281) 255-4805
AMA Display Coordinator
Karen Hopkins, Arlington TX;
(817) 467-9211
District VIII Volunteers