On the Fly - 2004/08

6 MODEL AVIATION
On the Fly
Late-breaking news
from Headquarters
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Telephone: (513) 829-4060; Fax: (513) 829-4065
President Dave Brown
Executive Vice President Doug Holland
Vice Presidents (addresses in AMA News section) District VI Charlie Bauer
District I Don Krafft District VII William Oberdieck
District II Dave Mathewson District VIII Sandy Frank
District III Bob Brown District IX Russ Miller
District IV Bliss Teague District X Richard Hanson
District V Jim McNeill District XI Bruce Nelson
AMA Executive Director Joyce Hager
NAA Representative Don Koranda
Published by The Academy of Model Aeronautics
Editorial offices: (765) 287-1256 ext. 224 (8 a.m.-5 p.m. weekdays.) Fax: (765) 281-7907
Director of Publications Rob Kurek
Managing Editor Shelia Ames Webb Art Director Carla Hart Kunz
Aeromodeling Editor Bob Hunt Production Associate Jennifer Orebaugh
AMA News Editor Elizabeth Helms Graphic Designer Lydia Whitehead
Account Executive Angela Martin Administrative Assistant Yolanda Jones
Technical Editor Bob Aberle
Stan Alexander
Bill Boss
Paul Bradley
Sal Calvagna
Curt Contrata
Duane Gall
Mike Garton
Dave Garwood
Eric Henderson
Mike Hurley
Louis Joyner
Mike Keville
Bob Kopski
Rich Lopez
Dave Mark
D.B. Mathews
Dave McDonald
Dennis Norman
Richard L. Perry
Dave Robelen
Greg Rose
Gene Smith
Bud Tenny
Joe Wagner
Dan Williams
Contributing Editors
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2004 AMA OFFICERS
MEMBERSHIP QUESTIONS? CALL (800) I FLY AMA (435-9262)
MODEL AVIATION Emergency Safety Alert
Lithium batteries are becoming popular for
control and power systems in our models
because of their very high energy density (amphours/
wt. ratio) compared to Ni-Cds and other
batteries. But with high energy comes increased
risk in their use.
The principal risk is fire, which can result
from improper charging, crash damage, or
shorting the batteries. All of these batteries’
vendors warn their customers of this and
recommend extreme caution during their use.
In spite of this, many fires have occurred
during the use of Li-Poly batteries. A Lithiumbattery
fire is extremely hot (several thousand
degrees) and is an excellent initiator for ancillary
fires.
The fires are caused by contact between
Lithium and oxygen in the air. They do not need
any other source of ignition or fuel to start, and
they burn almost explosively.
These batteries must be used in a manner that
precludes additional fires. The following is
recommended.
1) Store and charge them in a fireproof
container; never in your model.
2) Charge them in a protected area devoid of
combustibles. Stand watch over the charging
process. Never leave the charging process
unattended.
3) In the event of damage from crashes, etc.,
carefully move them to a safe place for at least a
half hour to observe. Physically damaged cells
could erupt into flame. After sufficient time to
ensure safety, discard damaged cells in
accordance with the instructions that came with
the batteries. Never attempt to charge a cell that
has physical damage, regardless of how slight.
4) Use chargers that are specifically designed
for charging Lithium cells, preferably with a
fixed setting for your particular pack. Many fires
occur when using selectable/adjustable chargers
that are improperly set. Never use chargers
designed for Ni-Cd batteries to charge Lithium
batteries.
5) Use charging systems that monitor and
control the charge state of each cell in the pack.
Unbalanced cells can lead to disaster if a charger
permits overcharge of a single cell in the pack. If
the batteries show any sign of swelling,
discontinue charging, remove them, and take
Continued on page 172
Jim McNeill: 1923-2004
District V Vice President Jim McNeill
passed away at his home on May 21, 2004.
Our condolences to his family and friends.
Jim served as a member of AMA’s
Executive Council for the past 33 years. Read
more about Jim McNeill in next month’s issue
of Model Aviation. MA
Correction
The AMA Membership Department’s tollfree
telephone number was incorrect in the
July 2004 “On the Fly.” The correct number is
(800) 435-9262. Our apologies for the error.
—MA staff
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