90 MODEL AVIATION
Another propeller-strike story!
Safety Comes First Dave Gee | [email protected]
Also included in this column:
from a club newsletter
Models are not all about danger; they can keep you young and
happy. Bud Matthews proves it as he launches his Fairchild FC-2.
Lav and Kush Kapil are twin test pilots of this twin-wing, twinmotor
RC RTF, designed for safe use by new modelers.
Li-Poly batteries are hot these days. Some get a little too hot, such
as Pete Basone’s. See the text for his advice.
WELCOME, FRIENDS! This month I’ll returned with no scarring.”
John is a real crowd-pleaser, eh? I get
more letters about propeller strikes than
any other topic, so I will continue to harp
on it. Watch the propeller! Oh, yeah, and
please send me more great stories like that
one at Box 7081, Van Nuys CA 91409.
Pete Basone let me photograph his burnedout
Li-Poly battery pack. He says it was
involved in a fairly minor crash but seemed
undamaged until recharging, when it puffed
up. Pete knew what this meant and how
much energy was inside, so he put it in a
bucket of salt water. Apparently it was
quite a fireworks show!
Almost everyone I know who has
switched to Li-Poly packs has had such an
episode. Be prepared for it! A crashsurviving
pack is suspect. Charging must
be done under constant observation and not
in the airplane or in the house. These
batteries are a great advancement but
require extra care.
The picture of my two young neighbors
illustrates how well designed an RTF
model can be from a safety standpoint.
These boys are even worse RC pilots than I
am (if you can imagine that!), yet they
were able to fly this model successfully
after hitting every wall and tree in a local
parking lot first.
The propellers are behind the wings, so
any impact involved only the soft foam
nose of the airplane. It is lightweight,
which keeps the kinetic energy to a
minimum. This model is the Micro Ultrix
Biplane and is available from FlyZone.
Another small RTF with a protected
propeller is the Wattage Rookie. I have had
way too much fun with mine, and it is hard
to imagine how anyone could be harmed by
either of these aircraft. I highly recommend
them for new or old RC pilots with limited
flying space.
Bob Martin of Irving, Texas, sent an Email
message asking that I remind
everyone of a hazard that comes with the
spring weather. He says that a friend of his
wore an unzipped jacket while working
near a running gas-powered RC model. The
metal zipper pull contacted the propeller,
and shrapnel shot into his eye. Bob’s friend
lost sight in that eye permanently.
Coincidentally I recently ran into Bruce
from Zurich Sunglasses—that tireless
promoter of eye safety. He is excited about
a new style of glasses in the Zurich line—
very hip-looking stuff.
His products are unusual in that they not
only filter sunlight and glare, but are also
impact resistant. This is great protection to
have when you’re around gas or electric
models, as the previous sad story proves.
I have and wear a pair of Zurichs: a fullcoverage
style my daughter calls “old guy
glasses.” The problem is that any glasses I
wear are, in fact, “old guy glasses.”
Graham in Shepperton, England, sent me
a story via the Internet. It follows.
“Last year I bought some wire brushes
for my Dremel, the ones that look like a
chimney sweep’s brush, from a very
reputable local model supply outlet.
[Right here I had to stop and find my
copy of Mary Poppins to find out what a
chimney sweep’s brush looks like.
According to the Disney prop department it
means one with radial bristles like a daisy.]
“The moment I touched the workpiece
with the brush, it disintegrated and the steel
wire ‘bristles’ flew everywhere; one
actually embedded itself in my cheek just
below the protective goggles I was
wearing. I tried another and that flew apart
just from the centrifugal force; I hadn’t
even touched the workpiece that time!
“I’d bought a dozen of them because I
knew they’d wear out fast, but this was
ridiculous! The rest went back and I got a
refund, of course. I told the salesperson
what had happened and she was quite
concerned. She said she’d inform the head
office and also the supplier.
“In their new catalogue, which we
received a month ago, I notice they’re still
selling them. I wonder how many people
have been blinded so far?”
I hope the answer is none because
begin with an entertaining and terrifying
story from John Kupinski.
“As former avid CL Combat pilots, my
son and I were used to making waist-high,
handheld, one-flip hand starts. On
Saturdays, we would join 15 to 20 other
like-minded ‘cowboys,’ members of
Henderson’s Combat Team, in a school
yard located on a busy county highway to
practice the various aspects of this event.
“Since the school was next to a
commercial area, the engine noise would
invariably draw spectators. One of these
Saturdays I was about to begin a practice
match assisted by my son. We were also
being watched by a family of four who had
stopped to observe.
“After I started the engine and as I
reached around the propeller arc (wooden)
to adjust the needle valve, I either reached
too far or my son swayed backward. This
resulted in the big knuckle of my index
finger being hit by the back of the blades.
Both blades were split lengthwise and the
two fragments went flying, luckily hitting
nothing.
“My initial reaction was to grab the
struck hand, utter a few expletives, and
then slowly start to examine the damage to
the hand. Amazingly, no blood, no cuts,
but the skin on the knuckle was pure white,
as apparently the blood in this area had
been driven out.
“I then noticed that the mother in the
spectator family had moved into some deep
grass, and was doubled over on her knees
and ‘losing her cookies.’ It appears she saw
the propeller blade fragments flying and
thought they were my fingers.
“She calmed down when I showed her
both my hands still had five fingers each.
The finger was stiff for about four days but
the whiteness in the knuckle stayed for
over a month before normal skin color
everyone wears proper eye protection with
power tools, right? Graham’s precautions
saved his vision, and his story teaches
some other lessons as well.
Even a name-brand product may have a
hidden flaw waiting to harm the unwary.
Modeling tools are small in size but can do
big damage if we break safety rules. I have
had cutoff wheels shatter, saw blades snap,
and drill bits break off. If you expect such
things and are properly prepared, you will
feel only anger (as Graham did) and not
pain.
Dusting off a topic from a recent column,
I’ve received plenty of E-mail about balsa
dust. I’m not the only one who finds
sanding residue from models much more
bothersome now than in my younger days.
Morris L. Coville and Tim Kagele were
the first to respond. They found that after
years of making model airplanes, they now
need to use paper dust masks to avoid
various physical symptoms from inhaling
balsa dust.
I cannot tell whether this is an acquired
intolerance or a hazard of aging. An
Internet search for sawdust exposure didn’t
reveal any scary medical hazards, but balsa
is a specialized substance that was not
studied directly. My advice is to put on a
mask when you pick up a sanding block.
I keep a little vacuum cleaner handy
and clean up immediately following any
sanding. This and the need for a mask tend
to make me save all the sanding work on a
given model for one session, but it’s not a
big deal.
I’ll wrap up with a great item from the
Valley RC Flying Club (Harrisonburg,
Virginia) newsletter.
“Let’s get serious about safety! Before
this flying season really gets underway, why
don’t we review our personal safety
procedures? I seem to recall that last year
we had several incidents of parts of our
bodies coming in contact with moving
propellers. I have never known of a case of
this to happen where the propeller didn’t
win.
“If you must put parts of your body into
props, then by all means start using wooden
props. Some of the props we are using
nowadays in the name of ‘better
performance’ are nothing more than
spinning steak knives.
“There are several ways to avoid a trip to
the emergency room on an otherwise nice
flying day.
“1. Find another hobby. (Not a good
choice if you like this one.)
“2. Get into ducted fans or turbines.
They will be harder to get your fingers into.
“3. Try sailplanes. (Personally, I don’t
like ’em—not enough noise!)
“Actually, there are more practical
things to do to avoid contact with props than
the drastic measures mentioned above (and I
don’t really dislike sailplanes).
“1. Use a chicken stick. Maybe ‘chicken
stick’ isn’t a good word for the devices
some use to start the engines. Sounds like it
isn’t macho or something. Maybe they
should be called ‘smart sticks’ instead. In
any event, they keep your fingers safely
away from the props.
“2. Use a starter. Yes, I know they are
expensive. So are hospital bills and
insurance premiums and time lost from
work. Lots of us depend on our fingers to
make a living, or at least help with it.
Starters work really well and will help
protect your fingers.get a good, heavy leather glove to wear if
you insist (like I do) on starting an engine
by hand. If you get kicked by a prop, it
might hurt, but I’ve never been cut
through a glove—yet. But I also don’t fly
those certain type props either.
“I use a glove because: A. I get a
better feel of what the engine is doing, or
trying to do. B. I’m pretty intolerant of an
engine that I can’t start by hand. C. I
think a glove is handier to use than a
starter or one of those ‘sticks.’ I used the
sticks before, until one day when I was
using one to start a gasser, and within 10
minutes I had ruined two $25 props
because the engine kicked and hit the
stick before I got it out of the way.
Haven’t used one since.
“4. Last, if you are fortunate enough to
have never experienced shredding your
fingers in a prop, try this for a day. Take
whichever hand you use to start the
engine and tape up your index and middle
finger tightly together so they are
basically useless, then go about your
normal daily tasks—or try to!
“After you’re tired of that, think that it
could be a permanent condition if you get
careless around these models. And yes,
that prop is more than likely going to get
more than one finger!
“Be safe; accidents don’t just
happen—they are caused!”
Edition: Model Aviation - 2006/02
Page Numbers: 90,92,94,96
Edition: Model Aviation - 2006/02
Page Numbers: 90,92,94,96
90 MODEL AVIATION
Another propeller-strike story!
Safety Comes First Dave Gee | [email protected]
Also included in this column:
from a club newsletter
Models are not all about danger; they can keep you young and
happy. Bud Matthews proves it as he launches his Fairchild FC-2.
Lav and Kush Kapil are twin test pilots of this twin-wing, twinmotor
RC RTF, designed for safe use by new modelers.
Li-Poly batteries are hot these days. Some get a little too hot, such
as Pete Basone’s. See the text for his advice.
WELCOME, FRIENDS! This month I’ll returned with no scarring.”
John is a real crowd-pleaser, eh? I get
more letters about propeller strikes than
any other topic, so I will continue to harp
on it. Watch the propeller! Oh, yeah, and
please send me more great stories like that
one at Box 7081, Van Nuys CA 91409.
Pete Basone let me photograph his burnedout
Li-Poly battery pack. He says it was
involved in a fairly minor crash but seemed
undamaged until recharging, when it puffed
up. Pete knew what this meant and how
much energy was inside, so he put it in a
bucket of salt water. Apparently it was
quite a fireworks show!
Almost everyone I know who has
switched to Li-Poly packs has had such an
episode. Be prepared for it! A crashsurviving
pack is suspect. Charging must
be done under constant observation and not
in the airplane or in the house. These
batteries are a great advancement but
require extra care.
The picture of my two young neighbors
illustrates how well designed an RTF
model can be from a safety standpoint.
These boys are even worse RC pilots than I
am (if you can imagine that!), yet they
were able to fly this model successfully
after hitting every wall and tree in a local
parking lot first.
The propellers are behind the wings, so
any impact involved only the soft foam
nose of the airplane. It is lightweight,
which keeps the kinetic energy to a
minimum. This model is the Micro Ultrix
Biplane and is available from FlyZone.
Another small RTF with a protected
propeller is the Wattage Rookie. I have had
way too much fun with mine, and it is hard
to imagine how anyone could be harmed by
either of these aircraft. I highly recommend
them for new or old RC pilots with limited
flying space.
Bob Martin of Irving, Texas, sent an Email
message asking that I remind
everyone of a hazard that comes with the
spring weather. He says that a friend of his
wore an unzipped jacket while working
near a running gas-powered RC model. The
metal zipper pull contacted the propeller,
and shrapnel shot into his eye. Bob’s friend
lost sight in that eye permanently.
Coincidentally I recently ran into Bruce
from Zurich Sunglasses—that tireless
promoter of eye safety. He is excited about
a new style of glasses in the Zurich line—
very hip-looking stuff.
His products are unusual in that they not
only filter sunlight and glare, but are also
impact resistant. This is great protection to
have when you’re around gas or electric
models, as the previous sad story proves.
I have and wear a pair of Zurichs: a fullcoverage
style my daughter calls “old guy
glasses.” The problem is that any glasses I
wear are, in fact, “old guy glasses.”
Graham in Shepperton, England, sent me
a story via the Internet. It follows.
“Last year I bought some wire brushes
for my Dremel, the ones that look like a
chimney sweep’s brush, from a very
reputable local model supply outlet.
[Right here I had to stop and find my
copy of Mary Poppins to find out what a
chimney sweep’s brush looks like.
According to the Disney prop department it
means one with radial bristles like a daisy.]
“The moment I touched the workpiece
with the brush, it disintegrated and the steel
wire ‘bristles’ flew everywhere; one
actually embedded itself in my cheek just
below the protective goggles I was
wearing. I tried another and that flew apart
just from the centrifugal force; I hadn’t
even touched the workpiece that time!
“I’d bought a dozen of them because I
knew they’d wear out fast, but this was
ridiculous! The rest went back and I got a
refund, of course. I told the salesperson
what had happened and she was quite
concerned. She said she’d inform the head
office and also the supplier.
“In their new catalogue, which we
received a month ago, I notice they’re still
selling them. I wonder how many people
have been blinded so far?”
I hope the answer is none because
begin with an entertaining and terrifying
story from John Kupinski.
“As former avid CL Combat pilots, my
son and I were used to making waist-high,
handheld, one-flip hand starts. On
Saturdays, we would join 15 to 20 other
like-minded ‘cowboys,’ members of
Henderson’s Combat Team, in a school
yard located on a busy county highway to
practice the various aspects of this event.
“Since the school was next to a
commercial area, the engine noise would
invariably draw spectators. One of these
Saturdays I was about to begin a practice
match assisted by my son. We were also
being watched by a family of four who had
stopped to observe.
“After I started the engine and as I
reached around the propeller arc (wooden)
to adjust the needle valve, I either reached
too far or my son swayed backward. This
resulted in the big knuckle of my index
finger being hit by the back of the blades.
Both blades were split lengthwise and the
two fragments went flying, luckily hitting
nothing.
“My initial reaction was to grab the
struck hand, utter a few expletives, and
then slowly start to examine the damage to
the hand. Amazingly, no blood, no cuts,
but the skin on the knuckle was pure white,
as apparently the blood in this area had
been driven out.
“I then noticed that the mother in the
spectator family had moved into some deep
grass, and was doubled over on her knees
and ‘losing her cookies.’ It appears she saw
the propeller blade fragments flying and
thought they were my fingers.
“She calmed down when I showed her
both my hands still had five fingers each.
The finger was stiff for about four days but
the whiteness in the knuckle stayed for
over a month before normal skin color
everyone wears proper eye protection with
power tools, right? Graham’s precautions
saved his vision, and his story teaches
some other lessons as well.
Even a name-brand product may have a
hidden flaw waiting to harm the unwary.
Modeling tools are small in size but can do
big damage if we break safety rules. I have
had cutoff wheels shatter, saw blades snap,
and drill bits break off. If you expect such
things and are properly prepared, you will
feel only anger (as Graham did) and not
pain.
Dusting off a topic from a recent column,
I’ve received plenty of E-mail about balsa
dust. I’m not the only one who finds
sanding residue from models much more
bothersome now than in my younger days.
Morris L. Coville and Tim Kagele were
the first to respond. They found that after
years of making model airplanes, they now
need to use paper dust masks to avoid
various physical symptoms from inhaling
balsa dust.
I cannot tell whether this is an acquired
intolerance or a hazard of aging. An
Internet search for sawdust exposure didn’t
reveal any scary medical hazards, but balsa
is a specialized substance that was not
studied directly. My advice is to put on a
mask when you pick up a sanding block.
I keep a little vacuum cleaner handy
and clean up immediately following any
sanding. This and the need for a mask tend
to make me save all the sanding work on a
given model for one session, but it’s not a
big deal.
I’ll wrap up with a great item from the
Valley RC Flying Club (Harrisonburg,
Virginia) newsletter.
“Let’s get serious about safety! Before
this flying season really gets underway, why
don’t we review our personal safety
procedures? I seem to recall that last year
we had several incidents of parts of our
bodies coming in contact with moving
propellers. I have never known of a case of
this to happen where the propeller didn’t
win.
“If you must put parts of your body into
props, then by all means start using wooden
props. Some of the props we are using
nowadays in the name of ‘better
performance’ are nothing more than
spinning steak knives.
“There are several ways to avoid a trip to
the emergency room on an otherwise nice
flying day.
“1. Find another hobby. (Not a good
choice if you like this one.)
“2. Get into ducted fans or turbines.
They will be harder to get your fingers into.
“3. Try sailplanes. (Personally, I don’t
like ’em—not enough noise!)
“Actually, there are more practical
things to do to avoid contact with props than
the drastic measures mentioned above (and I
don’t really dislike sailplanes).
“1. Use a chicken stick. Maybe ‘chicken
stick’ isn’t a good word for the devices
some use to start the engines. Sounds like it
isn’t macho or something. Maybe they
should be called ‘smart sticks’ instead. In
any event, they keep your fingers safely
away from the props.
“2. Use a starter. Yes, I know they are
expensive. So are hospital bills and
insurance premiums and time lost from
work. Lots of us depend on our fingers to
make a living, or at least help with it.
Starters work really well and will help
protect your fingers.get a good, heavy leather glove to wear if
you insist (like I do) on starting an engine
by hand. If you get kicked by a prop, it
might hurt, but I’ve never been cut
through a glove—yet. But I also don’t fly
those certain type props either.
“I use a glove because: A. I get a
better feel of what the engine is doing, or
trying to do. B. I’m pretty intolerant of an
engine that I can’t start by hand. C. I
think a glove is handier to use than a
starter or one of those ‘sticks.’ I used the
sticks before, until one day when I was
using one to start a gasser, and within 10
minutes I had ruined two $25 props
because the engine kicked and hit the
stick before I got it out of the way.
Haven’t used one since.
“4. Last, if you are fortunate enough to
have never experienced shredding your
fingers in a prop, try this for a day. Take
whichever hand you use to start the
engine and tape up your index and middle
finger tightly together so they are
basically useless, then go about your
normal daily tasks—or try to!
“After you’re tired of that, think that it
could be a permanent condition if you get
careless around these models. And yes,
that prop is more than likely going to get
more than one finger!
“Be safe; accidents don’t just
happen—they are caused!”
Edition: Model Aviation - 2006/02
Page Numbers: 90,92,94,96
90 MODEL AVIATION
Another propeller-strike story!
Safety Comes First Dave Gee | [email protected]
Also included in this column:
from a club newsletter
Models are not all about danger; they can keep you young and
happy. Bud Matthews proves it as he launches his Fairchild FC-2.
Lav and Kush Kapil are twin test pilots of this twin-wing, twinmotor
RC RTF, designed for safe use by new modelers.
Li-Poly batteries are hot these days. Some get a little too hot, such
as Pete Basone’s. See the text for his advice.
WELCOME, FRIENDS! This month I’ll returned with no scarring.”
John is a real crowd-pleaser, eh? I get
more letters about propeller strikes than
any other topic, so I will continue to harp
on it. Watch the propeller! Oh, yeah, and
please send me more great stories like that
one at Box 7081, Van Nuys CA 91409.
Pete Basone let me photograph his burnedout
Li-Poly battery pack. He says it was
involved in a fairly minor crash but seemed
undamaged until recharging, when it puffed
up. Pete knew what this meant and how
much energy was inside, so he put it in a
bucket of salt water. Apparently it was
quite a fireworks show!
Almost everyone I know who has
switched to Li-Poly packs has had such an
episode. Be prepared for it! A crashsurviving
pack is suspect. Charging must
be done under constant observation and not
in the airplane or in the house. These
batteries are a great advancement but
require extra care.
The picture of my two young neighbors
illustrates how well designed an RTF
model can be from a safety standpoint.
These boys are even worse RC pilots than I
am (if you can imagine that!), yet they
were able to fly this model successfully
after hitting every wall and tree in a local
parking lot first.
The propellers are behind the wings, so
any impact involved only the soft foam
nose of the airplane. It is lightweight,
which keeps the kinetic energy to a
minimum. This model is the Micro Ultrix
Biplane and is available from FlyZone.
Another small RTF with a protected
propeller is the Wattage Rookie. I have had
way too much fun with mine, and it is hard
to imagine how anyone could be harmed by
either of these aircraft. I highly recommend
them for new or old RC pilots with limited
flying space.
Bob Martin of Irving, Texas, sent an Email
message asking that I remind
everyone of a hazard that comes with the
spring weather. He says that a friend of his
wore an unzipped jacket while working
near a running gas-powered RC model. The
metal zipper pull contacted the propeller,
and shrapnel shot into his eye. Bob’s friend
lost sight in that eye permanently.
Coincidentally I recently ran into Bruce
from Zurich Sunglasses—that tireless
promoter of eye safety. He is excited about
a new style of glasses in the Zurich line—
very hip-looking stuff.
His products are unusual in that they not
only filter sunlight and glare, but are also
impact resistant. This is great protection to
have when you’re around gas or electric
models, as the previous sad story proves.
I have and wear a pair of Zurichs: a fullcoverage
style my daughter calls “old guy
glasses.” The problem is that any glasses I
wear are, in fact, “old guy glasses.”
Graham in Shepperton, England, sent me
a story via the Internet. It follows.
“Last year I bought some wire brushes
for my Dremel, the ones that look like a
chimney sweep’s brush, from a very
reputable local model supply outlet.
[Right here I had to stop and find my
copy of Mary Poppins to find out what a
chimney sweep’s brush looks like.
According to the Disney prop department it
means one with radial bristles like a daisy.]
“The moment I touched the workpiece
with the brush, it disintegrated and the steel
wire ‘bristles’ flew everywhere; one
actually embedded itself in my cheek just
below the protective goggles I was
wearing. I tried another and that flew apart
just from the centrifugal force; I hadn’t
even touched the workpiece that time!
“I’d bought a dozen of them because I
knew they’d wear out fast, but this was
ridiculous! The rest went back and I got a
refund, of course. I told the salesperson
what had happened and she was quite
concerned. She said she’d inform the head
office and also the supplier.
“In their new catalogue, which we
received a month ago, I notice they’re still
selling them. I wonder how many people
have been blinded so far?”
I hope the answer is none because
begin with an entertaining and terrifying
story from John Kupinski.
“As former avid CL Combat pilots, my
son and I were used to making waist-high,
handheld, one-flip hand starts. On
Saturdays, we would join 15 to 20 other
like-minded ‘cowboys,’ members of
Henderson’s Combat Team, in a school
yard located on a busy county highway to
practice the various aspects of this event.
“Since the school was next to a
commercial area, the engine noise would
invariably draw spectators. One of these
Saturdays I was about to begin a practice
match assisted by my son. We were also
being watched by a family of four who had
stopped to observe.
“After I started the engine and as I
reached around the propeller arc (wooden)
to adjust the needle valve, I either reached
too far or my son swayed backward. This
resulted in the big knuckle of my index
finger being hit by the back of the blades.
Both blades were split lengthwise and the
two fragments went flying, luckily hitting
nothing.
“My initial reaction was to grab the
struck hand, utter a few expletives, and
then slowly start to examine the damage to
the hand. Amazingly, no blood, no cuts,
but the skin on the knuckle was pure white,
as apparently the blood in this area had
been driven out.
“I then noticed that the mother in the
spectator family had moved into some deep
grass, and was doubled over on her knees
and ‘losing her cookies.’ It appears she saw
the propeller blade fragments flying and
thought they were my fingers.
“She calmed down when I showed her
both my hands still had five fingers each.
The finger was stiff for about four days but
the whiteness in the knuckle stayed for
over a month before normal skin color
everyone wears proper eye protection with
power tools, right? Graham’s precautions
saved his vision, and his story teaches
some other lessons as well.
Even a name-brand product may have a
hidden flaw waiting to harm the unwary.
Modeling tools are small in size but can do
big damage if we break safety rules. I have
had cutoff wheels shatter, saw blades snap,
and drill bits break off. If you expect such
things and are properly prepared, you will
feel only anger (as Graham did) and not
pain.
Dusting off a topic from a recent column,
I’ve received plenty of E-mail about balsa
dust. I’m not the only one who finds
sanding residue from models much more
bothersome now than in my younger days.
Morris L. Coville and Tim Kagele were
the first to respond. They found that after
years of making model airplanes, they now
need to use paper dust masks to avoid
various physical symptoms from inhaling
balsa dust.
I cannot tell whether this is an acquired
intolerance or a hazard of aging. An
Internet search for sawdust exposure didn’t
reveal any scary medical hazards, but balsa
is a specialized substance that was not
studied directly. My advice is to put on a
mask when you pick up a sanding block.
I keep a little vacuum cleaner handy
and clean up immediately following any
sanding. This and the need for a mask tend
to make me save all the sanding work on a
given model for one session, but it’s not a
big deal.
I’ll wrap up with a great item from the
Valley RC Flying Club (Harrisonburg,
Virginia) newsletter.
“Let’s get serious about safety! Before
this flying season really gets underway, why
don’t we review our personal safety
procedures? I seem to recall that last year
we had several incidents of parts of our
bodies coming in contact with moving
propellers. I have never known of a case of
this to happen where the propeller didn’t
win.
“If you must put parts of your body into
props, then by all means start using wooden
props. Some of the props we are using
nowadays in the name of ‘better
performance’ are nothing more than
spinning steak knives.
“There are several ways to avoid a trip to
the emergency room on an otherwise nice
flying day.
“1. Find another hobby. (Not a good
choice if you like this one.)
“2. Get into ducted fans or turbines.
They will be harder to get your fingers into.
“3. Try sailplanes. (Personally, I don’t
like ’em—not enough noise!)
“Actually, there are more practical
things to do to avoid contact with props than
the drastic measures mentioned above (and I
don’t really dislike sailplanes).
“1. Use a chicken stick. Maybe ‘chicken
stick’ isn’t a good word for the devices
some use to start the engines. Sounds like it
isn’t macho or something. Maybe they
should be called ‘smart sticks’ instead. In
any event, they keep your fingers safely
away from the props.
“2. Use a starter. Yes, I know they are
expensive. So are hospital bills and
insurance premiums and time lost from
work. Lots of us depend on our fingers to
make a living, or at least help with it.
Starters work really well and will help
protect your fingers.get a good, heavy leather glove to wear if
you insist (like I do) on starting an engine
by hand. If you get kicked by a prop, it
might hurt, but I’ve never been cut
through a glove—yet. But I also don’t fly
those certain type props either.
“I use a glove because: A. I get a
better feel of what the engine is doing, or
trying to do. B. I’m pretty intolerant of an
engine that I can’t start by hand. C. I
think a glove is handier to use than a
starter or one of those ‘sticks.’ I used the
sticks before, until one day when I was
using one to start a gasser, and within 10
minutes I had ruined two $25 props
because the engine kicked and hit the
stick before I got it out of the way.
Haven’t used one since.
“4. Last, if you are fortunate enough to
have never experienced shredding your
fingers in a prop, try this for a day. Take
whichever hand you use to start the
engine and tape up your index and middle
finger tightly together so they are
basically useless, then go about your
normal daily tasks—or try to!
“After you’re tired of that, think that it
could be a permanent condition if you get
careless around these models. And yes,
that prop is more than likely going to get
more than one finger!
“Be safe; accidents don’t just
happen—they are caused!”
Edition: Model Aviation - 2006/02
Page Numbers: 90,92,94,96
90 MODEL AVIATION
Another propeller-strike story!
Safety Comes First Dave Gee | [email protected]
Also included in this column:
from a club newsletter
Models are not all about danger; they can keep you young and
happy. Bud Matthews proves it as he launches his Fairchild FC-2.
Lav and Kush Kapil are twin test pilots of this twin-wing, twinmotor
RC RTF, designed for safe use by new modelers.
Li-Poly batteries are hot these days. Some get a little too hot, such
as Pete Basone’s. See the text for his advice.
WELCOME, FRIENDS! This month I’ll returned with no scarring.”
John is a real crowd-pleaser, eh? I get
more letters about propeller strikes than
any other topic, so I will continue to harp
on it. Watch the propeller! Oh, yeah, and
please send me more great stories like that
one at Box 7081, Van Nuys CA 91409.
Pete Basone let me photograph his burnedout
Li-Poly battery pack. He says it was
involved in a fairly minor crash but seemed
undamaged until recharging, when it puffed
up. Pete knew what this meant and how
much energy was inside, so he put it in a
bucket of salt water. Apparently it was
quite a fireworks show!
Almost everyone I know who has
switched to Li-Poly packs has had such an
episode. Be prepared for it! A crashsurviving
pack is suspect. Charging must
be done under constant observation and not
in the airplane or in the house. These
batteries are a great advancement but
require extra care.
The picture of my two young neighbors
illustrates how well designed an RTF
model can be from a safety standpoint.
These boys are even worse RC pilots than I
am (if you can imagine that!), yet they
were able to fly this model successfully
after hitting every wall and tree in a local
parking lot first.
The propellers are behind the wings, so
any impact involved only the soft foam
nose of the airplane. It is lightweight,
which keeps the kinetic energy to a
minimum. This model is the Micro Ultrix
Biplane and is available from FlyZone.
Another small RTF with a protected
propeller is the Wattage Rookie. I have had
way too much fun with mine, and it is hard
to imagine how anyone could be harmed by
either of these aircraft. I highly recommend
them for new or old RC pilots with limited
flying space.
Bob Martin of Irving, Texas, sent an Email
message asking that I remind
everyone of a hazard that comes with the
spring weather. He says that a friend of his
wore an unzipped jacket while working
near a running gas-powered RC model. The
metal zipper pull contacted the propeller,
and shrapnel shot into his eye. Bob’s friend
lost sight in that eye permanently.
Coincidentally I recently ran into Bruce
from Zurich Sunglasses—that tireless
promoter of eye safety. He is excited about
a new style of glasses in the Zurich line—
very hip-looking stuff.
His products are unusual in that they not
only filter sunlight and glare, but are also
impact resistant. This is great protection to
have when you’re around gas or electric
models, as the previous sad story proves.
I have and wear a pair of Zurichs: a fullcoverage
style my daughter calls “old guy
glasses.” The problem is that any glasses I
wear are, in fact, “old guy glasses.”
Graham in Shepperton, England, sent me
a story via the Internet. It follows.
“Last year I bought some wire brushes
for my Dremel, the ones that look like a
chimney sweep’s brush, from a very
reputable local model supply outlet.
[Right here I had to stop and find my
copy of Mary Poppins to find out what a
chimney sweep’s brush looks like.
According to the Disney prop department it
means one with radial bristles like a daisy.]
“The moment I touched the workpiece
with the brush, it disintegrated and the steel
wire ‘bristles’ flew everywhere; one
actually embedded itself in my cheek just
below the protective goggles I was
wearing. I tried another and that flew apart
just from the centrifugal force; I hadn’t
even touched the workpiece that time!
“I’d bought a dozen of them because I
knew they’d wear out fast, but this was
ridiculous! The rest went back and I got a
refund, of course. I told the salesperson
what had happened and she was quite
concerned. She said she’d inform the head
office and also the supplier.
“In their new catalogue, which we
received a month ago, I notice they’re still
selling them. I wonder how many people
have been blinded so far?”
I hope the answer is none because
begin with an entertaining and terrifying
story from John Kupinski.
“As former avid CL Combat pilots, my
son and I were used to making waist-high,
handheld, one-flip hand starts. On
Saturdays, we would join 15 to 20 other
like-minded ‘cowboys,’ members of
Henderson’s Combat Team, in a school
yard located on a busy county highway to
practice the various aspects of this event.
“Since the school was next to a
commercial area, the engine noise would
invariably draw spectators. One of these
Saturdays I was about to begin a practice
match assisted by my son. We were also
being watched by a family of four who had
stopped to observe.
“After I started the engine and as I
reached around the propeller arc (wooden)
to adjust the needle valve, I either reached
too far or my son swayed backward. This
resulted in the big knuckle of my index
finger being hit by the back of the blades.
Both blades were split lengthwise and the
two fragments went flying, luckily hitting
nothing.
“My initial reaction was to grab the
struck hand, utter a few expletives, and
then slowly start to examine the damage to
the hand. Amazingly, no blood, no cuts,
but the skin on the knuckle was pure white,
as apparently the blood in this area had
been driven out.
“I then noticed that the mother in the
spectator family had moved into some deep
grass, and was doubled over on her knees
and ‘losing her cookies.’ It appears she saw
the propeller blade fragments flying and
thought they were my fingers.
“She calmed down when I showed her
both my hands still had five fingers each.
The finger was stiff for about four days but
the whiteness in the knuckle stayed for
over a month before normal skin color
everyone wears proper eye protection with
power tools, right? Graham’s precautions
saved his vision, and his story teaches
some other lessons as well.
Even a name-brand product may have a
hidden flaw waiting to harm the unwary.
Modeling tools are small in size but can do
big damage if we break safety rules. I have
had cutoff wheels shatter, saw blades snap,
and drill bits break off. If you expect such
things and are properly prepared, you will
feel only anger (as Graham did) and not
pain.
Dusting off a topic from a recent column,
I’ve received plenty of E-mail about balsa
dust. I’m not the only one who finds
sanding residue from models much more
bothersome now than in my younger days.
Morris L. Coville and Tim Kagele were
the first to respond. They found that after
years of making model airplanes, they now
need to use paper dust masks to avoid
various physical symptoms from inhaling
balsa dust.
I cannot tell whether this is an acquired
intolerance or a hazard of aging. An
Internet search for sawdust exposure didn’t
reveal any scary medical hazards, but balsa
is a specialized substance that was not
studied directly. My advice is to put on a
mask when you pick up a sanding block.
I keep a little vacuum cleaner handy
and clean up immediately following any
sanding. This and the need for a mask tend
to make me save all the sanding work on a
given model for one session, but it’s not a
big deal.
I’ll wrap up with a great item from the
Valley RC Flying Club (Harrisonburg,
Virginia) newsletter.
“Let’s get serious about safety! Before
this flying season really gets underway, why
don’t we review our personal safety
procedures? I seem to recall that last year
we had several incidents of parts of our
bodies coming in contact with moving
propellers. I have never known of a case of
this to happen where the propeller didn’t
win.
“If you must put parts of your body into
props, then by all means start using wooden
props. Some of the props we are using
nowadays in the name of ‘better
performance’ are nothing more than
spinning steak knives.
“There are several ways to avoid a trip to
the emergency room on an otherwise nice
flying day.
“1. Find another hobby. (Not a good
choice if you like this one.)
“2. Get into ducted fans or turbines.
They will be harder to get your fingers into.
“3. Try sailplanes. (Personally, I don’t
like ’em—not enough noise!)
“Actually, there are more practical
things to do to avoid contact with props than
the drastic measures mentioned above (and I
don’t really dislike sailplanes).
“1. Use a chicken stick. Maybe ‘chicken
stick’ isn’t a good word for the devices
some use to start the engines. Sounds like it
isn’t macho or something. Maybe they
should be called ‘smart sticks’ instead. In
any event, they keep your fingers safely
away from the props.
“2. Use a starter. Yes, I know they are
expensive. So are hospital bills and
insurance premiums and time lost from
work. Lots of us depend on our fingers to
make a living, or at least help with it.
Starters work really well and will help
protect your fingers.get a good, heavy leather glove to wear if
you insist (like I do) on starting an engine
by hand. If you get kicked by a prop, it
might hurt, but I’ve never been cut
through a glove—yet. But I also don’t fly
those certain type props either.
“I use a glove because: A. I get a
better feel of what the engine is doing, or
trying to do. B. I’m pretty intolerant of an
engine that I can’t start by hand. C. I
think a glove is handier to use than a
starter or one of those ‘sticks.’ I used the
sticks before, until one day when I was
using one to start a gasser, and within 10
minutes I had ruined two $25 props
because the engine kicked and hit the
stick before I got it out of the way.
Haven’t used one since.
“4. Last, if you are fortunate enough to
have never experienced shredding your
fingers in a prop, try this for a day. Take
whichever hand you use to start the
engine and tape up your index and middle
finger tightly together so they are
basically useless, then go about your
normal daily tasks—or try to!
“After you’re tired of that, think that it
could be a permanent condition if you get
careless around these models. And yes,
that prop is more than likely going to get
more than one finger!
“Be safe; accidents don’t just
happen—they are caused!”