Problems with starting your engine could blow you away
Safety Comes First Dave Gee | [email protected]
Also included in this column:
• RC Crash videos are a great
learning tool
• Model airplanes for utter
beginners
• Comments about demo pilots
• Cell-phone interference test
• What long storage periods will
do to your model
• This month’s Li-Poly battery
tale
• Advice to event organizers
about young pilots
Charging an electric model in style. It has an unremovable Li-Poly pack, but the owner
was watching it closely. Wouldn’t want to damage the airplane or the power source!
A basic rubber-powered, rise-off-ground model can make you a safer RC pilot. Plus
they’re fun! Justin Sorenson holds some colorful new AeroRacers kits.
Four-year-old Chris Malo is a better RC
pilot than the author. Should kids this
young be allowed on a flightline? See text.
I ALWAYS like to start with a bang, so
following is a story of burning interest from
John Rogalski.
“I read your piece about the exploding
airplane in the May 2006 issue—reminds
me of an episode back in the mid-1960s
when my brother and I were building and
flying Carrier airplanes. These airplanes
were Roberts Maulers, full fuselage
beauties, running glow Mac .60s on 40%
nitro, with crankcase pressure. These
engines churned out the power (at least for
that time!).
“We were having one heck of a time
getting this one airplane started (no electric
starters). Ordinarily these babies started on
the second or third flip, at most. We were
ready to give up when my brother decided to
put in a hotter plug—just in case.
“We made the plug swap, connected the
starting battery, and flipped the propeller.
The next thing I knew, he and I were both
October 2006 97
10sig4.QXD 8/24/06 12:35 PM Page 97on our backs, with a ringing in our ears, and
the Mauler fuselage opened up from cowl
to fin. The dry grass around us was on fire,
but fortunately we had a blanket that
snuffed everything out. By the grace of
God, nobody was hurt.
“Seems like there was a pinhole leak
where the fuel line exited the rear of the
crankcase, and every time we flipped the
propeller, fuel got pumped into the wellsealed
fuselage. With the hotter plug, the
engine backfired and ignited the pool of
fuel in the airplane.”
I’ll bet John got plenty of elbow room
in the pits after that! His was another
example of “target fixation,” where we
concentrate so hard on the problem at hand
that we miss other things. That’s one of my
specialties, by the way, and I have the scars
to prove it.
On the subject of mayhem, have you seen
those popular videos of RC model crashes?
They show one after the other, with
musical accompaniment, for an hour. These
unintentionally exciting flights are
entertaining but somewhat sad after awhile.
Wouldn’t it be great if all RC pilots had
a working knowledge of model-airplane
aerodynamics? As a FF flier I recognized
that most of the video crashes were caused
by CG problems—especially tailheaviness.
This is exactly the sort of thing
you can learn with a small Rubber model or
glider without the fleeting fame of seeing
your expensive Scale model scattered
across the field on high-definition DVD.
Coincidentally, AeroRacers (www.aero
racers.com) has a line of model airplanes for
utter beginners, with crystal-clear
instructions and precut lumber so a kid can
have success with no outside help at all. Said
kid (or adult) will gain an understanding of
flight and aerodynamics that will make him
or her a safer RC pilot later.
These kits aren’t hard to build; I was
able to construct one all by myself. The
covering is preprinted in an assortment of
eye-catching styles. I showed my Yellow
Peril to the kid next door, and he said it
looked “rad” and that it was “the balm.”
Or something like that.
These models are intended for use in
the Great American Aero Derby (www.
aeroderby.com), which looks like a great
way to get youngsters involved in our
hobby and teach them hands-on
techniques that are getting scarce in these
digital days.
Do you remember the picture in the
September column of a hobby-show
demonstration pilot flying his indoor RC
model close over spectators’ heads? It
brought in many comments about demo
pilots and their flying techniques. Some
guys cornered me in a hobby shop and told
me about a public demonstration during
which a 3-D pilot held the transmitter
behind his back and hovered his airplane
very close to himself.
I’m the first to admit that these
professional demo pilots are much more
skilled than I am. They are in the business
of showing what their cutting-edge
equipment can do, and they make their
models perform to the utmost.
In that case I’m not sure how much
danger existed. The airplane’s velocity was
zero, and the mass of the model was low,
but that propeller was spinning like mad
and contacting it would have smarted. The
reliability rate of radio-control systems is
extremely high these days, but it is not
100%.
A valid point is to compare these pro
fliers to the barnstormers and air-show
operators after World War I. They were in
fierce competition with one another, and
“topping” a rival required ever more
daring stunts. Eventually the accident rate
got more attention than the flying, and
aviation started to get a bad reputation.
These days, most hobby manufacturers
exercise great care with their teams. There
are some unbelievably cool products on
the market, and customers are perfectly
happy to see them demonstrated in safe
ways.
There’s always some dope in the crowd
who will go home and try whatever he
sees, regardless of his skill level and his
aircraft’s capability. Sometimes I am that
dope.
I recently commented on a muchforwarded
Internet report about cell-phone
interference with a radio-control system. I
called it an “urban legend,” but that is not
really accurate because the gist of the story
is true.
How is this for cool? I heard from the
guy at the heart of the story! His name is
Ron Delahoussaye. He wrote:
“I am a member of the faculty in the
School of Mechanical and Aerospace
Engineering at Oklahoma State University.
I am almost certainly the source of the
‘study’ you referred to in your article. We
found interference under certain
circumstances with a Futaba 9Z transmitter
with the synthesized RF module (not a
fixed frequency module).
“The problem occurred when a cell
phone received a call while close to the
transmitter. Right before the phone rings,
the servos jitter, showing signs of
corrupted signal. We used a PPM receiver
so we could see the jittering. A PCM
receiver would mask the jitters by going
into Hold or Failsafe.
“At some distance, there is no longer
any signal corruption generated when a
call is received by the phone. That would
be the ‘safe’ distance for that particular
phone. Try a different phone and a
different safe distance may be observed—
some longer and some shorter.
“You said that people should not panic,
and I fully agree. I would encourage any
who uses the synthesized 9Z transmitter tosimply try the test I have outlined and
determine for themselves their system’s
vulnerability, if any.”
Ron made it clear that he tested only
that particular radio, and it is what would
now be considered an older unit. I’ve heard
from many people who have made these
tests with different hardware at different
locations, and I am convinced that there is
little danger of cell-phone-related
interference. More recent Futaba
synthesized 9Z radios do not seem to be
vulnerable.
I’m not going to try this with every radio
and every cell phone. Test yours if you like,
but meanwhile keep a bit of space between
your phone and any RC transmitter.
On the other end of technology, there was
a recent Internet discussion about taking
old FF models out for a spin after a long
storage period. Is it possible or wise to
launch them without fully retrimming first?
This topic spills over to RC models,
although the RC pilot has a greater chance
of compensating for some hidden warp or
CG problem.
The FF fliers are aware of the lack of
control they have over an airplane once it is
launched, and a large Gas airplane packs
quite a wallop. They want to make sure the
already small risk to bystanders is
minimized to the maximum.
Nearly everyone had a story about an
“old dependable” model that was suddenly
not so dependable. Some modelers take
great care in packing their airplanes,
securing them to fixtures to keep wings and
tail surfaces straight. Others hang them up
or cram them into boxes.
I’m not too methodical when it comes
to storing models, but some of them have
been extraordinarily resilient and fly okay
despite my rough treatment. Other times I
learned (too late) that a given model had
“hangar rash,” and a cracked elevator led
to a cracked-up airplane.
The consensus was that although a
complete retrim is overkill, an extrathorough
preflight inspection is prudent if
a model has been stored away for awhile,
regardless of how reliable the model is or
how carefully it was packed.
Now for the monthly item about Li-Poly
batteries. I snapped a picture of an
expensive and elegant charging device in
use. Not everyone can afford a Porsche for
a power supply!
The owner of that car and airplane took
extra care by using the latest charger and
monitor, and he sat close by during the
charging process. He said he had total faith
in his equipment but took no chances.
Smart fellow.
Well-known Internet lurker NickV Emailed
me stating that “I keep trying to do
stupid things so I can write you about it, as
that’s about the only way I would ever get
mentioned.”
See, Nick, you don’t have to get hurt to
be mentioned, but it helps. I welcome
close-call stories and topic suggestions via
E-mail (my Internet name is StukaDave) or
Box 7081, Van Nuys CA 91409. There is a
big pile of stuff awaiting publication, so be
patient.
I have included a picture of young Chris
Malo, who is 4 years old and a competent
RC pilot. I’ve known his dad Bill since
high school. He’s a bit eccentric, but he’d
probably say the same about me.
Bill told me about an RC event he
attended where the organizers did not allow
Chris on the field, even though he is an
AMA member and a registered flier. I
wasn’t there and I don’t want to secondguess
the organizers, but I did meet Chris at
an all-electric fun-fly and watched him
conduct himself properly in the pits and on
the flightline. I also had to endure his
helpful hints on my flying. Apparently
Chris (like everyone else) is also a better
pilot than I am.
Without rendering any judgment from
my limited information about the other
event, it seems to me that such kids are the
present and future of aeromodeling, and I
encourage those in authority at any field or
event to make every effort to get these
youngsters into the thick of the action
whenever possible—unless they can fly
your model better than you can. MA
Edition: Model Aviation - 2006/10
Page Numbers: 97,98,99
Edition: Model Aviation - 2006/10
Page Numbers: 97,98,99
Problems with starting your engine could blow you away
Safety Comes First Dave Gee | [email protected]
Also included in this column:
• RC Crash videos are a great
learning tool
• Model airplanes for utter
beginners
• Comments about demo pilots
• Cell-phone interference test
• What long storage periods will
do to your model
• This month’s Li-Poly battery
tale
• Advice to event organizers
about young pilots
Charging an electric model in style. It has an unremovable Li-Poly pack, but the owner
was watching it closely. Wouldn’t want to damage the airplane or the power source!
A basic rubber-powered, rise-off-ground model can make you a safer RC pilot. Plus
they’re fun! Justin Sorenson holds some colorful new AeroRacers kits.
Four-year-old Chris Malo is a better RC
pilot than the author. Should kids this
young be allowed on a flightline? See text.
I ALWAYS like to start with a bang, so
following is a story of burning interest from
John Rogalski.
“I read your piece about the exploding
airplane in the May 2006 issue—reminds
me of an episode back in the mid-1960s
when my brother and I were building and
flying Carrier airplanes. These airplanes
were Roberts Maulers, full fuselage
beauties, running glow Mac .60s on 40%
nitro, with crankcase pressure. These
engines churned out the power (at least for
that time!).
“We were having one heck of a time
getting this one airplane started (no electric
starters). Ordinarily these babies started on
the second or third flip, at most. We were
ready to give up when my brother decided to
put in a hotter plug—just in case.
“We made the plug swap, connected the
starting battery, and flipped the propeller.
The next thing I knew, he and I were both
October 2006 97
10sig4.QXD 8/24/06 12:35 PM Page 97on our backs, with a ringing in our ears, and
the Mauler fuselage opened up from cowl
to fin. The dry grass around us was on fire,
but fortunately we had a blanket that
snuffed everything out. By the grace of
God, nobody was hurt.
“Seems like there was a pinhole leak
where the fuel line exited the rear of the
crankcase, and every time we flipped the
propeller, fuel got pumped into the wellsealed
fuselage. With the hotter plug, the
engine backfired and ignited the pool of
fuel in the airplane.”
I’ll bet John got plenty of elbow room
in the pits after that! His was another
example of “target fixation,” where we
concentrate so hard on the problem at hand
that we miss other things. That’s one of my
specialties, by the way, and I have the scars
to prove it.
On the subject of mayhem, have you seen
those popular videos of RC model crashes?
They show one after the other, with
musical accompaniment, for an hour. These
unintentionally exciting flights are
entertaining but somewhat sad after awhile.
Wouldn’t it be great if all RC pilots had
a working knowledge of model-airplane
aerodynamics? As a FF flier I recognized
that most of the video crashes were caused
by CG problems—especially tailheaviness.
This is exactly the sort of thing
you can learn with a small Rubber model or
glider without the fleeting fame of seeing
your expensive Scale model scattered
across the field on high-definition DVD.
Coincidentally, AeroRacers (www.aero
racers.com) has a line of model airplanes for
utter beginners, with crystal-clear
instructions and precut lumber so a kid can
have success with no outside help at all. Said
kid (or adult) will gain an understanding of
flight and aerodynamics that will make him
or her a safer RC pilot later.
These kits aren’t hard to build; I was
able to construct one all by myself. The
covering is preprinted in an assortment of
eye-catching styles. I showed my Yellow
Peril to the kid next door, and he said it
looked “rad” and that it was “the balm.”
Or something like that.
These models are intended for use in
the Great American Aero Derby (www.
aeroderby.com), which looks like a great
way to get youngsters involved in our
hobby and teach them hands-on
techniques that are getting scarce in these
digital days.
Do you remember the picture in the
September column of a hobby-show
demonstration pilot flying his indoor RC
model close over spectators’ heads? It
brought in many comments about demo
pilots and their flying techniques. Some
guys cornered me in a hobby shop and told
me about a public demonstration during
which a 3-D pilot held the transmitter
behind his back and hovered his airplane
very close to himself.
I’m the first to admit that these
professional demo pilots are much more
skilled than I am. They are in the business
of showing what their cutting-edge
equipment can do, and they make their
models perform to the utmost.
In that case I’m not sure how much
danger existed. The airplane’s velocity was
zero, and the mass of the model was low,
but that propeller was spinning like mad
and contacting it would have smarted. The
reliability rate of radio-control systems is
extremely high these days, but it is not
100%.
A valid point is to compare these pro
fliers to the barnstormers and air-show
operators after World War I. They were in
fierce competition with one another, and
“topping” a rival required ever more
daring stunts. Eventually the accident rate
got more attention than the flying, and
aviation started to get a bad reputation.
These days, most hobby manufacturers
exercise great care with their teams. There
are some unbelievably cool products on
the market, and customers are perfectly
happy to see them demonstrated in safe
ways.
There’s always some dope in the crowd
who will go home and try whatever he
sees, regardless of his skill level and his
aircraft’s capability. Sometimes I am that
dope.
I recently commented on a muchforwarded
Internet report about cell-phone
interference with a radio-control system. I
called it an “urban legend,” but that is not
really accurate because the gist of the story
is true.
How is this for cool? I heard from the
guy at the heart of the story! His name is
Ron Delahoussaye. He wrote:
“I am a member of the faculty in the
School of Mechanical and Aerospace
Engineering at Oklahoma State University.
I am almost certainly the source of the
‘study’ you referred to in your article. We
found interference under certain
circumstances with a Futaba 9Z transmitter
with the synthesized RF module (not a
fixed frequency module).
“The problem occurred when a cell
phone received a call while close to the
transmitter. Right before the phone rings,
the servos jitter, showing signs of
corrupted signal. We used a PPM receiver
so we could see the jittering. A PCM
receiver would mask the jitters by going
into Hold or Failsafe.
“At some distance, there is no longer
any signal corruption generated when a
call is received by the phone. That would
be the ‘safe’ distance for that particular
phone. Try a different phone and a
different safe distance may be observed—
some longer and some shorter.
“You said that people should not panic,
and I fully agree. I would encourage any
who uses the synthesized 9Z transmitter tosimply try the test I have outlined and
determine for themselves their system’s
vulnerability, if any.”
Ron made it clear that he tested only
that particular radio, and it is what would
now be considered an older unit. I’ve heard
from many people who have made these
tests with different hardware at different
locations, and I am convinced that there is
little danger of cell-phone-related
interference. More recent Futaba
synthesized 9Z radios do not seem to be
vulnerable.
I’m not going to try this with every radio
and every cell phone. Test yours if you like,
but meanwhile keep a bit of space between
your phone and any RC transmitter.
On the other end of technology, there was
a recent Internet discussion about taking
old FF models out for a spin after a long
storage period. Is it possible or wise to
launch them without fully retrimming first?
This topic spills over to RC models,
although the RC pilot has a greater chance
of compensating for some hidden warp or
CG problem.
The FF fliers are aware of the lack of
control they have over an airplane once it is
launched, and a large Gas airplane packs
quite a wallop. They want to make sure the
already small risk to bystanders is
minimized to the maximum.
Nearly everyone had a story about an
“old dependable” model that was suddenly
not so dependable. Some modelers take
great care in packing their airplanes,
securing them to fixtures to keep wings and
tail surfaces straight. Others hang them up
or cram them into boxes.
I’m not too methodical when it comes
to storing models, but some of them have
been extraordinarily resilient and fly okay
despite my rough treatment. Other times I
learned (too late) that a given model had
“hangar rash,” and a cracked elevator led
to a cracked-up airplane.
The consensus was that although a
complete retrim is overkill, an extrathorough
preflight inspection is prudent if
a model has been stored away for awhile,
regardless of how reliable the model is or
how carefully it was packed.
Now for the monthly item about Li-Poly
batteries. I snapped a picture of an
expensive and elegant charging device in
use. Not everyone can afford a Porsche for
a power supply!
The owner of that car and airplane took
extra care by using the latest charger and
monitor, and he sat close by during the
charging process. He said he had total faith
in his equipment but took no chances.
Smart fellow.
Well-known Internet lurker NickV Emailed
me stating that “I keep trying to do
stupid things so I can write you about it, as
that’s about the only way I would ever get
mentioned.”
See, Nick, you don’t have to get hurt to
be mentioned, but it helps. I welcome
close-call stories and topic suggestions via
E-mail (my Internet name is StukaDave) or
Box 7081, Van Nuys CA 91409. There is a
big pile of stuff awaiting publication, so be
patient.
I have included a picture of young Chris
Malo, who is 4 years old and a competent
RC pilot. I’ve known his dad Bill since
high school. He’s a bit eccentric, but he’d
probably say the same about me.
Bill told me about an RC event he
attended where the organizers did not allow
Chris on the field, even though he is an
AMA member and a registered flier. I
wasn’t there and I don’t want to secondguess
the organizers, but I did meet Chris at
an all-electric fun-fly and watched him
conduct himself properly in the pits and on
the flightline. I also had to endure his
helpful hints on my flying. Apparently
Chris (like everyone else) is also a better
pilot than I am.
Without rendering any judgment from
my limited information about the other
event, it seems to me that such kids are the
present and future of aeromodeling, and I
encourage those in authority at any field or
event to make every effort to get these
youngsters into the thick of the action
whenever possible—unless they can fly
your model better than you can. MA
Edition: Model Aviation - 2006/10
Page Numbers: 97,98,99
Problems with starting your engine could blow you away
Safety Comes First Dave Gee | [email protected]
Also included in this column:
• RC Crash videos are a great
learning tool
• Model airplanes for utter
beginners
• Comments about demo pilots
• Cell-phone interference test
• What long storage periods will
do to your model
• This month’s Li-Poly battery
tale
• Advice to event organizers
about young pilots
Charging an electric model in style. It has an unremovable Li-Poly pack, but the owner
was watching it closely. Wouldn’t want to damage the airplane or the power source!
A basic rubber-powered, rise-off-ground model can make you a safer RC pilot. Plus
they’re fun! Justin Sorenson holds some colorful new AeroRacers kits.
Four-year-old Chris Malo is a better RC
pilot than the author. Should kids this
young be allowed on a flightline? See text.
I ALWAYS like to start with a bang, so
following is a story of burning interest from
John Rogalski.
“I read your piece about the exploding
airplane in the May 2006 issue—reminds
me of an episode back in the mid-1960s
when my brother and I were building and
flying Carrier airplanes. These airplanes
were Roberts Maulers, full fuselage
beauties, running glow Mac .60s on 40%
nitro, with crankcase pressure. These
engines churned out the power (at least for
that time!).
“We were having one heck of a time
getting this one airplane started (no electric
starters). Ordinarily these babies started on
the second or third flip, at most. We were
ready to give up when my brother decided to
put in a hotter plug—just in case.
“We made the plug swap, connected the
starting battery, and flipped the propeller.
The next thing I knew, he and I were both
October 2006 97
10sig4.QXD 8/24/06 12:35 PM Page 97on our backs, with a ringing in our ears, and
the Mauler fuselage opened up from cowl
to fin. The dry grass around us was on fire,
but fortunately we had a blanket that
snuffed everything out. By the grace of
God, nobody was hurt.
“Seems like there was a pinhole leak
where the fuel line exited the rear of the
crankcase, and every time we flipped the
propeller, fuel got pumped into the wellsealed
fuselage. With the hotter plug, the
engine backfired and ignited the pool of
fuel in the airplane.”
I’ll bet John got plenty of elbow room
in the pits after that! His was another
example of “target fixation,” where we
concentrate so hard on the problem at hand
that we miss other things. That’s one of my
specialties, by the way, and I have the scars
to prove it.
On the subject of mayhem, have you seen
those popular videos of RC model crashes?
They show one after the other, with
musical accompaniment, for an hour. These
unintentionally exciting flights are
entertaining but somewhat sad after awhile.
Wouldn’t it be great if all RC pilots had
a working knowledge of model-airplane
aerodynamics? As a FF flier I recognized
that most of the video crashes were caused
by CG problems—especially tailheaviness.
This is exactly the sort of thing
you can learn with a small Rubber model or
glider without the fleeting fame of seeing
your expensive Scale model scattered
across the field on high-definition DVD.
Coincidentally, AeroRacers (www.aero
racers.com) has a line of model airplanes for
utter beginners, with crystal-clear
instructions and precut lumber so a kid can
have success with no outside help at all. Said
kid (or adult) will gain an understanding of
flight and aerodynamics that will make him
or her a safer RC pilot later.
These kits aren’t hard to build; I was
able to construct one all by myself. The
covering is preprinted in an assortment of
eye-catching styles. I showed my Yellow
Peril to the kid next door, and he said it
looked “rad” and that it was “the balm.”
Or something like that.
These models are intended for use in
the Great American Aero Derby (www.
aeroderby.com), which looks like a great
way to get youngsters involved in our
hobby and teach them hands-on
techniques that are getting scarce in these
digital days.
Do you remember the picture in the
September column of a hobby-show
demonstration pilot flying his indoor RC
model close over spectators’ heads? It
brought in many comments about demo
pilots and their flying techniques. Some
guys cornered me in a hobby shop and told
me about a public demonstration during
which a 3-D pilot held the transmitter
behind his back and hovered his airplane
very close to himself.
I’m the first to admit that these
professional demo pilots are much more
skilled than I am. They are in the business
of showing what their cutting-edge
equipment can do, and they make their
models perform to the utmost.
In that case I’m not sure how much
danger existed. The airplane’s velocity was
zero, and the mass of the model was low,
but that propeller was spinning like mad
and contacting it would have smarted. The
reliability rate of radio-control systems is
extremely high these days, but it is not
100%.
A valid point is to compare these pro
fliers to the barnstormers and air-show
operators after World War I. They were in
fierce competition with one another, and
“topping” a rival required ever more
daring stunts. Eventually the accident rate
got more attention than the flying, and
aviation started to get a bad reputation.
These days, most hobby manufacturers
exercise great care with their teams. There
are some unbelievably cool products on
the market, and customers are perfectly
happy to see them demonstrated in safe
ways.
There’s always some dope in the crowd
who will go home and try whatever he
sees, regardless of his skill level and his
aircraft’s capability. Sometimes I am that
dope.
I recently commented on a muchforwarded
Internet report about cell-phone
interference with a radio-control system. I
called it an “urban legend,” but that is not
really accurate because the gist of the story
is true.
How is this for cool? I heard from the
guy at the heart of the story! His name is
Ron Delahoussaye. He wrote:
“I am a member of the faculty in the
School of Mechanical and Aerospace
Engineering at Oklahoma State University.
I am almost certainly the source of the
‘study’ you referred to in your article. We
found interference under certain
circumstances with a Futaba 9Z transmitter
with the synthesized RF module (not a
fixed frequency module).
“The problem occurred when a cell
phone received a call while close to the
transmitter. Right before the phone rings,
the servos jitter, showing signs of
corrupted signal. We used a PPM receiver
so we could see the jittering. A PCM
receiver would mask the jitters by going
into Hold or Failsafe.
“At some distance, there is no longer
any signal corruption generated when a
call is received by the phone. That would
be the ‘safe’ distance for that particular
phone. Try a different phone and a
different safe distance may be observed—
some longer and some shorter.
“You said that people should not panic,
and I fully agree. I would encourage any
who uses the synthesized 9Z transmitter tosimply try the test I have outlined and
determine for themselves their system’s
vulnerability, if any.”
Ron made it clear that he tested only
that particular radio, and it is what would
now be considered an older unit. I’ve heard
from many people who have made these
tests with different hardware at different
locations, and I am convinced that there is
little danger of cell-phone-related
interference. More recent Futaba
synthesized 9Z radios do not seem to be
vulnerable.
I’m not going to try this with every radio
and every cell phone. Test yours if you like,
but meanwhile keep a bit of space between
your phone and any RC transmitter.
On the other end of technology, there was
a recent Internet discussion about taking
old FF models out for a spin after a long
storage period. Is it possible or wise to
launch them without fully retrimming first?
This topic spills over to RC models,
although the RC pilot has a greater chance
of compensating for some hidden warp or
CG problem.
The FF fliers are aware of the lack of
control they have over an airplane once it is
launched, and a large Gas airplane packs
quite a wallop. They want to make sure the
already small risk to bystanders is
minimized to the maximum.
Nearly everyone had a story about an
“old dependable” model that was suddenly
not so dependable. Some modelers take
great care in packing their airplanes,
securing them to fixtures to keep wings and
tail surfaces straight. Others hang them up
or cram them into boxes.
I’m not too methodical when it comes
to storing models, but some of them have
been extraordinarily resilient and fly okay
despite my rough treatment. Other times I
learned (too late) that a given model had
“hangar rash,” and a cracked elevator led
to a cracked-up airplane.
The consensus was that although a
complete retrim is overkill, an extrathorough
preflight inspection is prudent if
a model has been stored away for awhile,
regardless of how reliable the model is or
how carefully it was packed.
Now for the monthly item about Li-Poly
batteries. I snapped a picture of an
expensive and elegant charging device in
use. Not everyone can afford a Porsche for
a power supply!
The owner of that car and airplane took
extra care by using the latest charger and
monitor, and he sat close by during the
charging process. He said he had total faith
in his equipment but took no chances.
Smart fellow.
Well-known Internet lurker NickV Emailed
me stating that “I keep trying to do
stupid things so I can write you about it, as
that’s about the only way I would ever get
mentioned.”
See, Nick, you don’t have to get hurt to
be mentioned, but it helps. I welcome
close-call stories and topic suggestions via
E-mail (my Internet name is StukaDave) or
Box 7081, Van Nuys CA 91409. There is a
big pile of stuff awaiting publication, so be
patient.
I have included a picture of young Chris
Malo, who is 4 years old and a competent
RC pilot. I’ve known his dad Bill since
high school. He’s a bit eccentric, but he’d
probably say the same about me.
Bill told me about an RC event he
attended where the organizers did not allow
Chris on the field, even though he is an
AMA member and a registered flier. I
wasn’t there and I don’t want to secondguess
the organizers, but I did meet Chris at
an all-electric fun-fly and watched him
conduct himself properly in the pits and on
the flightline. I also had to endure his
helpful hints on my flying. Apparently
Chris (like everyone else) is also a better
pilot than I am.
Without rendering any judgment from
my limited information about the other
event, it seems to me that such kids are the
present and future of aeromodeling, and I
encourage those in authority at any field or
event to make every effort to get these
youngsters into the thick of the action
whenever possible—unless they can fly
your model better than you can. MA