86 MODEL AVIATION
Be careful of cyanoacrylate fumes in confined spaces
Safety Comes First Dave Gee | [email protected]
Also included in this column:
• MRC helicopter clarification
• More about “Mary Poppins”-
type rotary brushes
• Why remove your Li-Poly
pack before charging?
• Have you ever had “target
fixation?”
“Apparently I had trapped the accelerator
vapor inside the structure with the covering,
and the butane match (used to heat the
shrink tubing) lit it off. No harm or
permanent damage but lots of shock and a
destroyed model.”
Who would have thought about
flammable fumes confined in a fuselage?
As rarely as we use an open flame in our
hobby, igniting such fumes would not have
occurred to me since I would have switched
mental gears from chemicals (is the room
ventilated well enough?) to electrical work
(watch that hot soldering iron!). I never
would have thought about possibly blowing
up the fuselage. Thanks to Sandy for a
unique story.
If you have a tale of disaster or narrow
escape and don’t mind a little fame (or
infamy), please send it to me. For those who
prefer classic pen-and-ink communication,
WE’RE GONNA start off with a bang this
month! A note from Sandy Frank was
forwarded to me, and it follows.
“Yesterday I was working on a balsaframework
built-up model. It needed some
slight repairs, so I used cyanoacrylate glue
and accelerator to fix it prior to patching the
MonoKote covering. I used a flammable
cyanoacrylate accelerator.
“About 20 minutes later I noted some
frayed servo wires, so I soldered them
back and was installing some heat-shrink
tubing over the solder joint when to my
surprise, kaboom! The covered structure
popped loudly. It was a small boom with
no visible fire, but it did melt the covering
and destroy the balsa structure.
Pete Basone’s student at AMA Convention 2006 make-and-take
booth prepares to launch. The next flier stands ready. Dick
Terry photo.
North Hollywood High School students Jennifer Young, Tracy Chou, Hank Song, and
Emily Ye with Wright Stuff models. Science Olympiad teaches craftsmanship,
modeling safety, and aerodynamics.
“Mary Poppins” rotary-tool brushes mentioned in a recent
column. The author has no idea how the Baka Bomb glider got
into the shot.
it is either because they are extra good and
deserve a plug or they have been horribly
misused and the wreckage is photogenic
and/or educational. In this case, a beautiful
little RC helicopter was destroyed because a
damaged charger overfilled the battery pack.
Frank’s point was that modeling products
are extremely safe when used properly. I
agree with him.
The helicopter picture was an illustration
of how not to treat a model, and I hope the
funny yet tragic photo (along with the
perpetrator’s amusing account) got the
message across. I received several E-mails
from readers who commiserated with the
pilot, and the phrase “follow the
instructions” kept cropping up.
Why is it so hard for grown-up hobbyists
to do that simple thing? If I had a nickel for
every modeling item I’ve foolishly ruined,
I’d have a nice pile of nickels to go with my
collection of busted airplanes.
The guy who sent the picture was so
pleased with his MRC helicopter that twice
he bought replacements for models that “bit
the dust.” A man after my own heart.
I recently shared a note about the “Mary
Poppins brush” type of rotary-tool
accessory. Look at the accompanying photo
to see what this item looks like. A modeler
had several come apart when in use, new
right out of the package. I got many E-mail
messages about the story, so more research
was required.
This type of brush does not get much use
in my workshop, but I found several in my
rotary-tool rack, with metal and nonmetal
bristles. Some were Dremel products and
some were no-namers from unknown
manufacturers. Several companies make
similar items.
Dremel is the standard by which such
tools are measured, and a close inspection
showed that brand’s products to be of much
higher quality than some others. I contacted
Dremel and learned that its versions of this
product (in several styles) are rated for
15,000 rpm. That seems like a high speed,
and I wondered how the poorly made
knockoffs would hold up.
After taking extreme precautions, each
brush in my collection went for a little spin
at top speed. No actual polishing or grinding
was done.
By the way, we use eye protection
whenever we use rotary tools, right? That
way if a brush sheds its bristles, for any
reason, we will be protected, right? Every
single time, right?
Anyway, all of the brushes stayed
together during the test, but I tossed a
poorly made one afterward. The close look
I took at the construction variations made
me decide to stick with higher-quality
tools.
Never fear; there was some blood
drawn during this experiment. After steelbristle
brushes are used once or twice,
individual bristles poke out at odd angles.
If it gets picked up by the shaft, things are
fine, but my rotary-tool rack is a board
with holes in it, and the bits slip neatly into
the holes for storage. Thus when I grabbed
the steel brush, I got punctured. Your safety
columnist in action, bandages and all.
Skilled modeler Dick Terry is also in
bandages, recovering from heart surgery,
so I am using one of his photographs this
month to cheer him up. He took the picture
at AMA Convention 2006, in the makeand-
take test-flight area. Each kid not only
got to construct an airplane but received
guidance from an instructor in building
and flying it safely and successfully.
It is a fine thing when experienced
modelers pass their knowledge on to
beginners. Not only does it perpetuate our
hobby, but it saves the newcomers from
learning safety lessons the hard way.
Another group of newcomers got their
picture taken during a visit to a local
hobby shop. North Hollywood High School,
in sunny California, boasts a crack team of
Science Olympians who work together to
produce meticulous Indoor models.
The safe and methodical way these kids
work will serve them well later if they step
down from Indoor flying to RC. Just
kidding about stepping down! No irate Email
please!
I got a copy of a message from Bob
Lindfolk with a great question about Li-
Poly batteries: why should we remove the
pack for charging? Some models that are
converted from other power systems do
not lend themselves to this, and hatches
add weight and complexity.
One great reason to remove Li-Polys
from the model for charging (and to
construct the airplane with this in mind) is
that a visual inspection is needed during
each cycle to make sure the pack isn’t
“puffed up” and ready to have an episode.
We always stand by while a Li-Poly pack
charges, unlike with Ni-Cds which can chug
along unattended. If you can’t see the pack,
not only will you miss the warning signs of
problems, but when it pops you lose the
model too.
Just as we modify a gas-powered model’s
engine mount to accept electric power, we
should add a hatch to provide easy access to
the batteries. Safe practice is to remove the
pack from the model and put it in a proper
container for charging. Ceramic flowerpotsspecifically for this purpose.
David Narance sent a thoughtful account of
an incident at his RC field. He wrote:
“Here’s a story that illustrates the
principle of target blindness, that even 1 to 1
pilots need to overcome, when they become
focused upon a target and disregard their
surroundings.
“During an air show, an RC pilot and his
ground crewman fired up a large-scale
Demoiselle. As in the original aircraft,
ground steering during takeoff was a
challenge in a crosswind and the model
became caught in the taller grass on the
downwind edge of the paved runway.
“The helper ran out onto the runway to
free the aircraft. Just then, a 1/3-scale Fw
190D was on approach to land. The Fw pilot
just caught sight of the man running onto the
runway. He firewalled the engine and pulled
the Fw up into a steep climb to avoid hitting
the man.
“A young teenager and his dad were
sitting next to me in the spectator area, and I
saw that he had captured the moment on his
digital camera. The boy remarked how close
the Demoiselle air crewman came to a
decapitation as he played back the event on
the view screen.
“Although the two pilots had a very
animated discussion, the angry talk gave
way to apologies and we witnessed
everyone shaking hands.
“The Demoiselle pilot and crew had
target fixation. They had become focused
on untangling their airplane from the grass
and forgot that there were other airplanes in
the air above the runway. The sight of that
Fw just missing that man shows how
quickly a tragic accident can happen.”
I’ll wrap up with a reminder about the
possibility of a cell phone interfering with
your RC system. This subject comes up on
the Internet from time to time—usually as a
“study” from the School of Mechanical and
Aerospace Engineering at Oklahoma State
University.
It boils down to the fact that some years
ago there was a project involving RC
models, and the students found that under
certain circumstances certain radios were
disturbed when they were close to certain
types of cell phones at the moment they
received a call. I researched the matter a bit
more and feel that there is no call for panic.
It seems like a rather bad idea to use your
cell phone while flying. (Can you imagine
how much worse my landings would get if I
work well, as do sand buckets, and don’t
Edition: Model Aviation - 2006/05
Page Numbers: 86,88,90
Edition: Model Aviation - 2006/05
Page Numbers: 86,88,90
86 MODEL AVIATION
Be careful of cyanoacrylate fumes in confined spaces
Safety Comes First Dave Gee | [email protected]
Also included in this column:
• MRC helicopter clarification
• More about “Mary Poppins”-
type rotary brushes
• Why remove your Li-Poly
pack before charging?
• Have you ever had “target
fixation?”
“Apparently I had trapped the accelerator
vapor inside the structure with the covering,
and the butane match (used to heat the
shrink tubing) lit it off. No harm or
permanent damage but lots of shock and a
destroyed model.”
Who would have thought about
flammable fumes confined in a fuselage?
As rarely as we use an open flame in our
hobby, igniting such fumes would not have
occurred to me since I would have switched
mental gears from chemicals (is the room
ventilated well enough?) to electrical work
(watch that hot soldering iron!). I never
would have thought about possibly blowing
up the fuselage. Thanks to Sandy for a
unique story.
If you have a tale of disaster or narrow
escape and don’t mind a little fame (or
infamy), please send it to me. For those who
prefer classic pen-and-ink communication,
WE’RE GONNA start off with a bang this
month! A note from Sandy Frank was
forwarded to me, and it follows.
“Yesterday I was working on a balsaframework
built-up model. It needed some
slight repairs, so I used cyanoacrylate glue
and accelerator to fix it prior to patching the
MonoKote covering. I used a flammable
cyanoacrylate accelerator.
“About 20 minutes later I noted some
frayed servo wires, so I soldered them
back and was installing some heat-shrink
tubing over the solder joint when to my
surprise, kaboom! The covered structure
popped loudly. It was a small boom with
no visible fire, but it did melt the covering
and destroy the balsa structure.
Pete Basone’s student at AMA Convention 2006 make-and-take
booth prepares to launch. The next flier stands ready. Dick
Terry photo.
North Hollywood High School students Jennifer Young, Tracy Chou, Hank Song, and
Emily Ye with Wright Stuff models. Science Olympiad teaches craftsmanship,
modeling safety, and aerodynamics.
“Mary Poppins” rotary-tool brushes mentioned in a recent
column. The author has no idea how the Baka Bomb glider got
into the shot.
it is either because they are extra good and
deserve a plug or they have been horribly
misused and the wreckage is photogenic
and/or educational. In this case, a beautiful
little RC helicopter was destroyed because a
damaged charger overfilled the battery pack.
Frank’s point was that modeling products
are extremely safe when used properly. I
agree with him.
The helicopter picture was an illustration
of how not to treat a model, and I hope the
funny yet tragic photo (along with the
perpetrator’s amusing account) got the
message across. I received several E-mails
from readers who commiserated with the
pilot, and the phrase “follow the
instructions” kept cropping up.
Why is it so hard for grown-up hobbyists
to do that simple thing? If I had a nickel for
every modeling item I’ve foolishly ruined,
I’d have a nice pile of nickels to go with my
collection of busted airplanes.
The guy who sent the picture was so
pleased with his MRC helicopter that twice
he bought replacements for models that “bit
the dust.” A man after my own heart.
I recently shared a note about the “Mary
Poppins brush” type of rotary-tool
accessory. Look at the accompanying photo
to see what this item looks like. A modeler
had several come apart when in use, new
right out of the package. I got many E-mail
messages about the story, so more research
was required.
This type of brush does not get much use
in my workshop, but I found several in my
rotary-tool rack, with metal and nonmetal
bristles. Some were Dremel products and
some were no-namers from unknown
manufacturers. Several companies make
similar items.
Dremel is the standard by which such
tools are measured, and a close inspection
showed that brand’s products to be of much
higher quality than some others. I contacted
Dremel and learned that its versions of this
product (in several styles) are rated for
15,000 rpm. That seems like a high speed,
and I wondered how the poorly made
knockoffs would hold up.
After taking extreme precautions, each
brush in my collection went for a little spin
at top speed. No actual polishing or grinding
was done.
By the way, we use eye protection
whenever we use rotary tools, right? That
way if a brush sheds its bristles, for any
reason, we will be protected, right? Every
single time, right?
Anyway, all of the brushes stayed
together during the test, but I tossed a
poorly made one afterward. The close look
I took at the construction variations made
me decide to stick with higher-quality
tools.
Never fear; there was some blood
drawn during this experiment. After steelbristle
brushes are used once or twice,
individual bristles poke out at odd angles.
If it gets picked up by the shaft, things are
fine, but my rotary-tool rack is a board
with holes in it, and the bits slip neatly into
the holes for storage. Thus when I grabbed
the steel brush, I got punctured. Your safety
columnist in action, bandages and all.
Skilled modeler Dick Terry is also in
bandages, recovering from heart surgery,
so I am using one of his photographs this
month to cheer him up. He took the picture
at AMA Convention 2006, in the makeand-
take test-flight area. Each kid not only
got to construct an airplane but received
guidance from an instructor in building
and flying it safely and successfully.
It is a fine thing when experienced
modelers pass their knowledge on to
beginners. Not only does it perpetuate our
hobby, but it saves the newcomers from
learning safety lessons the hard way.
Another group of newcomers got their
picture taken during a visit to a local
hobby shop. North Hollywood High School,
in sunny California, boasts a crack team of
Science Olympians who work together to
produce meticulous Indoor models.
The safe and methodical way these kids
work will serve them well later if they step
down from Indoor flying to RC. Just
kidding about stepping down! No irate Email
please!
I got a copy of a message from Bob
Lindfolk with a great question about Li-
Poly batteries: why should we remove the
pack for charging? Some models that are
converted from other power systems do
not lend themselves to this, and hatches
add weight and complexity.
One great reason to remove Li-Polys
from the model for charging (and to
construct the airplane with this in mind) is
that a visual inspection is needed during
each cycle to make sure the pack isn’t
“puffed up” and ready to have an episode.
We always stand by while a Li-Poly pack
charges, unlike with Ni-Cds which can chug
along unattended. If you can’t see the pack,
not only will you miss the warning signs of
problems, but when it pops you lose the
model too.
Just as we modify a gas-powered model’s
engine mount to accept electric power, we
should add a hatch to provide easy access to
the batteries. Safe practice is to remove the
pack from the model and put it in a proper
container for charging. Ceramic flowerpotsspecifically for this purpose.
David Narance sent a thoughtful account of
an incident at his RC field. He wrote:
“Here’s a story that illustrates the
principle of target blindness, that even 1 to 1
pilots need to overcome, when they become
focused upon a target and disregard their
surroundings.
“During an air show, an RC pilot and his
ground crewman fired up a large-scale
Demoiselle. As in the original aircraft,
ground steering during takeoff was a
challenge in a crosswind and the model
became caught in the taller grass on the
downwind edge of the paved runway.
“The helper ran out onto the runway to
free the aircraft. Just then, a 1/3-scale Fw
190D was on approach to land. The Fw pilot
just caught sight of the man running onto the
runway. He firewalled the engine and pulled
the Fw up into a steep climb to avoid hitting
the man.
“A young teenager and his dad were
sitting next to me in the spectator area, and I
saw that he had captured the moment on his
digital camera. The boy remarked how close
the Demoiselle air crewman came to a
decapitation as he played back the event on
the view screen.
“Although the two pilots had a very
animated discussion, the angry talk gave
way to apologies and we witnessed
everyone shaking hands.
“The Demoiselle pilot and crew had
target fixation. They had become focused
on untangling their airplane from the grass
and forgot that there were other airplanes in
the air above the runway. The sight of that
Fw just missing that man shows how
quickly a tragic accident can happen.”
I’ll wrap up with a reminder about the
possibility of a cell phone interfering with
your RC system. This subject comes up on
the Internet from time to time—usually as a
“study” from the School of Mechanical and
Aerospace Engineering at Oklahoma State
University.
It boils down to the fact that some years
ago there was a project involving RC
models, and the students found that under
certain circumstances certain radios were
disturbed when they were close to certain
types of cell phones at the moment they
received a call. I researched the matter a bit
more and feel that there is no call for panic.
It seems like a rather bad idea to use your
cell phone while flying. (Can you imagine
how much worse my landings would get if I
work well, as do sand buckets, and don’t
Edition: Model Aviation - 2006/05
Page Numbers: 86,88,90
86 MODEL AVIATION
Be careful of cyanoacrylate fumes in confined spaces
Safety Comes First Dave Gee | [email protected]
Also included in this column:
• MRC helicopter clarification
• More about “Mary Poppins”-
type rotary brushes
• Why remove your Li-Poly
pack before charging?
• Have you ever had “target
fixation?”
“Apparently I had trapped the accelerator
vapor inside the structure with the covering,
and the butane match (used to heat the
shrink tubing) lit it off. No harm or
permanent damage but lots of shock and a
destroyed model.”
Who would have thought about
flammable fumes confined in a fuselage?
As rarely as we use an open flame in our
hobby, igniting such fumes would not have
occurred to me since I would have switched
mental gears from chemicals (is the room
ventilated well enough?) to electrical work
(watch that hot soldering iron!). I never
would have thought about possibly blowing
up the fuselage. Thanks to Sandy for a
unique story.
If you have a tale of disaster or narrow
escape and don’t mind a little fame (or
infamy), please send it to me. For those who
prefer classic pen-and-ink communication,
WE’RE GONNA start off with a bang this
month! A note from Sandy Frank was
forwarded to me, and it follows.
“Yesterday I was working on a balsaframework
built-up model. It needed some
slight repairs, so I used cyanoacrylate glue
and accelerator to fix it prior to patching the
MonoKote covering. I used a flammable
cyanoacrylate accelerator.
“About 20 minutes later I noted some
frayed servo wires, so I soldered them
back and was installing some heat-shrink
tubing over the solder joint when to my
surprise, kaboom! The covered structure
popped loudly. It was a small boom with
no visible fire, but it did melt the covering
and destroy the balsa structure.
Pete Basone’s student at AMA Convention 2006 make-and-take
booth prepares to launch. The next flier stands ready. Dick
Terry photo.
North Hollywood High School students Jennifer Young, Tracy Chou, Hank Song, and
Emily Ye with Wright Stuff models. Science Olympiad teaches craftsmanship,
modeling safety, and aerodynamics.
“Mary Poppins” rotary-tool brushes mentioned in a recent
column. The author has no idea how the Baka Bomb glider got
into the shot.
it is either because they are extra good and
deserve a plug or they have been horribly
misused and the wreckage is photogenic
and/or educational. In this case, a beautiful
little RC helicopter was destroyed because a
damaged charger overfilled the battery pack.
Frank’s point was that modeling products
are extremely safe when used properly. I
agree with him.
The helicopter picture was an illustration
of how not to treat a model, and I hope the
funny yet tragic photo (along with the
perpetrator’s amusing account) got the
message across. I received several E-mails
from readers who commiserated with the
pilot, and the phrase “follow the
instructions” kept cropping up.
Why is it so hard for grown-up hobbyists
to do that simple thing? If I had a nickel for
every modeling item I’ve foolishly ruined,
I’d have a nice pile of nickels to go with my
collection of busted airplanes.
The guy who sent the picture was so
pleased with his MRC helicopter that twice
he bought replacements for models that “bit
the dust.” A man after my own heart.
I recently shared a note about the “Mary
Poppins brush” type of rotary-tool
accessory. Look at the accompanying photo
to see what this item looks like. A modeler
had several come apart when in use, new
right out of the package. I got many E-mail
messages about the story, so more research
was required.
This type of brush does not get much use
in my workshop, but I found several in my
rotary-tool rack, with metal and nonmetal
bristles. Some were Dremel products and
some were no-namers from unknown
manufacturers. Several companies make
similar items.
Dremel is the standard by which such
tools are measured, and a close inspection
showed that brand’s products to be of much
higher quality than some others. I contacted
Dremel and learned that its versions of this
product (in several styles) are rated for
15,000 rpm. That seems like a high speed,
and I wondered how the poorly made
knockoffs would hold up.
After taking extreme precautions, each
brush in my collection went for a little spin
at top speed. No actual polishing or grinding
was done.
By the way, we use eye protection
whenever we use rotary tools, right? That
way if a brush sheds its bristles, for any
reason, we will be protected, right? Every
single time, right?
Anyway, all of the brushes stayed
together during the test, but I tossed a
poorly made one afterward. The close look
I took at the construction variations made
me decide to stick with higher-quality
tools.
Never fear; there was some blood
drawn during this experiment. After steelbristle
brushes are used once or twice,
individual bristles poke out at odd angles.
If it gets picked up by the shaft, things are
fine, but my rotary-tool rack is a board
with holes in it, and the bits slip neatly into
the holes for storage. Thus when I grabbed
the steel brush, I got punctured. Your safety
columnist in action, bandages and all.
Skilled modeler Dick Terry is also in
bandages, recovering from heart surgery,
so I am using one of his photographs this
month to cheer him up. He took the picture
at AMA Convention 2006, in the makeand-
take test-flight area. Each kid not only
got to construct an airplane but received
guidance from an instructor in building
and flying it safely and successfully.
It is a fine thing when experienced
modelers pass their knowledge on to
beginners. Not only does it perpetuate our
hobby, but it saves the newcomers from
learning safety lessons the hard way.
Another group of newcomers got their
picture taken during a visit to a local
hobby shop. North Hollywood High School,
in sunny California, boasts a crack team of
Science Olympians who work together to
produce meticulous Indoor models.
The safe and methodical way these kids
work will serve them well later if they step
down from Indoor flying to RC. Just
kidding about stepping down! No irate Email
please!
I got a copy of a message from Bob
Lindfolk with a great question about Li-
Poly batteries: why should we remove the
pack for charging? Some models that are
converted from other power systems do
not lend themselves to this, and hatches
add weight and complexity.
One great reason to remove Li-Polys
from the model for charging (and to
construct the airplane with this in mind) is
that a visual inspection is needed during
each cycle to make sure the pack isn’t
“puffed up” and ready to have an episode.
We always stand by while a Li-Poly pack
charges, unlike with Ni-Cds which can chug
along unattended. If you can’t see the pack,
not only will you miss the warning signs of
problems, but when it pops you lose the
model too.
Just as we modify a gas-powered model’s
engine mount to accept electric power, we
should add a hatch to provide easy access to
the batteries. Safe practice is to remove the
pack from the model and put it in a proper
container for charging. Ceramic flowerpotsspecifically for this purpose.
David Narance sent a thoughtful account of
an incident at his RC field. He wrote:
“Here’s a story that illustrates the
principle of target blindness, that even 1 to 1
pilots need to overcome, when they become
focused upon a target and disregard their
surroundings.
“During an air show, an RC pilot and his
ground crewman fired up a large-scale
Demoiselle. As in the original aircraft,
ground steering during takeoff was a
challenge in a crosswind and the model
became caught in the taller grass on the
downwind edge of the paved runway.
“The helper ran out onto the runway to
free the aircraft. Just then, a 1/3-scale Fw
190D was on approach to land. The Fw pilot
just caught sight of the man running onto the
runway. He firewalled the engine and pulled
the Fw up into a steep climb to avoid hitting
the man.
“A young teenager and his dad were
sitting next to me in the spectator area, and I
saw that he had captured the moment on his
digital camera. The boy remarked how close
the Demoiselle air crewman came to a
decapitation as he played back the event on
the view screen.
“Although the two pilots had a very
animated discussion, the angry talk gave
way to apologies and we witnessed
everyone shaking hands.
“The Demoiselle pilot and crew had
target fixation. They had become focused
on untangling their airplane from the grass
and forgot that there were other airplanes in
the air above the runway. The sight of that
Fw just missing that man shows how
quickly a tragic accident can happen.”
I’ll wrap up with a reminder about the
possibility of a cell phone interfering with
your RC system. This subject comes up on
the Internet from time to time—usually as a
“study” from the School of Mechanical and
Aerospace Engineering at Oklahoma State
University.
It boils down to the fact that some years
ago there was a project involving RC
models, and the students found that under
certain circumstances certain radios were
disturbed when they were close to certain
types of cell phones at the moment they
received a call. I researched the matter a bit
more and feel that there is no call for panic.
It seems like a rather bad idea to use your
cell phone while flying. (Can you imagine
how much worse my landings would get if I
work well, as do sand buckets, and don’t