52 M ODEL AVIATION
Gary A. Shaw
S a f e t y C ome s F i r s t
Box 4520, Milton FL 32572; E-mail: [email protected]
REtreevINGModels: I thought you might enjoy an accumulation
of model-retrieving events that provide some good lessons. Most
models were retrieved safely, but some attempts didn’t go so well.
Take the case of several gliders that were blown into trees
surrounding an event site on a gusty day. One of the contestants
decided the best way to get the glider down was to tie a large
rock to the end of a string and chuck it up over the branch
holding the model.
After getting a line over the branch, the next step would have
been to tie a bigger line to the smaller one and pull it up until the
branch had a strong enough line on it to shake the model free.
Neat idea, except that when the modeler threw the rock over the
tree branch, another individual looking up on the other side of the tree
didn’t see the rock coming down and caught it square in the teeth!
The outcome was several teeth damaged/lost and the model
rescued.
A warning about using this method: look around before chucking
a rock and/or ask people who might be in the way to move.
The next story involves a couple modelers who crashed a model
airplane into a nearby lake and decided to use a small rowboat to get
it. Although the weight of the modelers brought the edge of the boat
dangerously close to the water, this didn’t seem to bother them and
they set out to get the airplane before it sank.
As they began rowing toward the model, they realized a stiff
wind was pushing the wreckage farther out into the lake and it might
be hard to row back against the wind, but they kept going.
Shortly thereafter—and almost to the point of retrieving the
model—a strong thunderstorm came up, pushing the rowboat and
the model even farther out.
At the risk of sinking because of high wind and waves, the two
modelers began bailing water and looking for a way out. The pair
saw an island in the distance that could be reached before they
sank—if they rowed extremely hard.
Several hours after they began rowing, family members
discovered the modelers’ empty vehicle and flying gear next to
the lake, and promptly notified police. A search was initiated, and
after the lake was combed all night, both were found safe on the
island at daybreak.
The next event had a much more tragic ending. A large 1⁄4-scale
model got stuck in a high pine tree a few hundred yards from a
flying site. Thinking that the tree branches were strong enough to
support a couple hundred pounds, the modeler aggressively climbed
up to where the model was stuck.
Standing on the branch that held the model, the modeler began
jumping up and down. The branch broke and the fall was fatal.
Here’s an odd one. A modeler crashed his airplane into a cow
pasture full of—you know—cows. After crawling under an electric
fence and walking a few hundred yards to the airplane, the
individual noticed an upset cow coming his way very quickly. He
quickly grabbed his model and dashed for the fence.
With the cow getting too close for comfort, the individual tried to
long-jump the electric fence, but came up short. More specifically,
he ended up on top of it. Shocked, he dropped the model, which
became the focus of the cow’s anger.
Bruised and slightly electrified, the modeler slid under the fence,
only to watch the cow tromp his airplane to bits and pieces.
Need I provide a moral?
Since I’m on the subject of animals, another letter described a
large Telemaster cutting circles in the Idaho sun, when a lone eagle
decided it wanted to play.
After flying above the airplane for some time, the eagle suddenly
54 M ODEL AVIATION
pulled in its wings and dove toward the airplane.
In a split second, the left wing turned into
confetti and the airplane descended quickly.
During the airplane’s descent, it became
entangled in a high tree. To recover it, the
modeler purchased numerous pieces of male
and female PVC (polyvinyl chloride) pipe
that he fit together and fed up through the
branches to push the model free.
The model was successfully dislodged
and—I’m told—flew again.
My predecessor (John Preston) had
asked readers for alternative methods of
retrieving models, and he published
submitted material in his February 1991
column. A re-review of the column reveals
that the most novel idea (and the most
dangerous) was using a rifle to shoot
branches off trees that held stuck models.
Another idea was captured on tape,
beginning with the shot of a full-scale helicopter
hovering over a tree that held an Ugly Stik.
“An unknown person descended onto one of
the helicopter’s skids, reached down, and
plucked the undamaged model from the tree.”
That’s very risky, expensive, and not too
common (thank goodness).
Last is one of the strangest—but most
successful—methods of getting a model off
a half-frozen lake.
A large model crashed onto a frozen
pond. The modeler went home, brought out
a flat johnboat, and slid out onto the ice until
he reached his model. After retrieving it, he
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slid back to shore, packed everything up,
and went home.
I wasn’t told if he had flotation
equipment, or a way to contact anyone if
he became stranded. However, he did get
his model safely, which is what we all
hope happens in the long run.
’Nuff said!
“Tick Alert—How to Remove a Tick”: I run
this subject into the ground each spring, but
increases in the number of tick-borne Lyme
disease cases in recent years lead me to
believe we can all benefit from prevention
advice.
If you find ticks attached to you this
season, the following information from
the Lyme Disease Foundation can be of
help to you and your doctor.
“Ticks have harpoon-like barbs that are
used to penetrate and maintain attachment to
the skin. Ticks secrete a cement-like substance
that helps adhere them to humans and
animals.
“1. Using fine-point tweezers, grasp the
tick’s mouthparts (place of attachment) as
close to the skin as possible.
“2. Gently pull the tick straight out with
steady pressure. Do not twist or jerk the tick.
“3. Place the tick in a small vial with
a blade of grass and label with the date,
your name and address, and keep for
tick identification.
“4. Wash your hands! Disinfect the
tweezers and the bite site.
“5. Contact your doctor. The Lyme
Disease Foundation Medical Advisory
Committee recommends treatment on the bite
of ticks capable of transmitting Lyme Disease.
“Cautions:
“• Check pets carefully, especially around
the eyes and ears.
“• Children should be told to seek adult
help for proper tick removal.
“• Adults should have someone else
remove attached ticks.
“• It is better to wait for tweezer removal
than to pull the tick off with your fingers.
“• If you must remove the tick with your
fingers, use a tissue or leaf to avoid contact
with potentially infectious tick fluids.
“• Do not prick or burn the tick, as it may
cause the release of infectious tick secretions.
“• Do not try to smother the tick, as it
has enough oxygen to last through the
entire feeding.
“Ixodes ticks primarily transmit
disease. Tick names:
“• Black Legged Tick (Ixodes scapularis)
“• Western Black Legged Tick (Ixodes
pacificus)
“Tick size:
“• Larva (rarely infected)
May 2001 59
“• Nymph
“• Adult
“• Engorged adult (maximum size)
“Lyme Disease symptoms, early infection:
“• Flu-like symptoms: Headache, fever,
muscle or joint pain, unusual tiredness, loss
of appetite, or swollen glands
“• Skin: Single rash at the bite site. About
50% of infected people do not get a rash. This
rash occurs in many shapes and colors. It
appears as red or purplish on light skin and as
a bruise on dark skin. Discoloration at the bite
site within hours of tick removal may be skin
irritation and not disease.
“• Eye: Conjunctivitis
“Disseminated Infection:
“• General: Fatigue, loss of appetite,
vomiting
“• Brain: Severe headaches, cranial nerve
paralysis (e.g., facial droop, photosensitivity),
loss of reflexes, radiating sensations, memory
problems, stroke (rare), inflammation of the
spinal cord, brain, or nerves
“• Eye: Inflammation of various parts or
optic nerve, retinal detachments, double
vision
“• Skin: Single or multiple rashes (per bite)
occurring over the body, benign skin tumors
“• Joint and Muscle: Pain—mild to
severe and/or migratory, inflammation,
loss of tone
“• Heart: Irregular beats, heart block,
inflammation
“• Liver: Hepatitis, elevated liver enzymes
“Chronic Infection:
“• General: Chronic fatigue
“• Brain: Cognitive or behavioral
changes, disorders of the peripheral
nerves, severe headaches, inflammation
of the brain
“• Eyes: Loss of vision
“• Skin: Degeneration of the skin on the
hands or feet, recurring rashes
“• Joints: Disabling pain, intermittent or
chronic
“Pregnancy: The Lyme bacterium can
cross the placenta and infect the unborn.
Reported potential complications include
miscarriage, stillbirth, and death after birth.”
For more information on Lyme disease
or other tick-borne diseases, send a selfaddressed
stamped business-size envelope
to the Lyme Disease Foundation, 1
Financial Plaza, Hartford CT 06103, or
call the Lyme Disease National Hotline:
1-800-886-LYME. MA
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Safety
