Safety Comes First - 2011/03

92 MODEL AVIATION
I’VE SEEN far too many recent reports about propeller-strike
accidents. The best number of incidents would be zero!
Most e-mails come with a clear analysis of the “root cause” of the
incident (usually a moment of inattention or distraction) and
suggestions concerning how to avoid doing it again. These are some
hard-won insights from new and experienced modelers.
It comes down to the concept of “what if.” Have you ever hurt
yourself when a wrench slipped or when knuckles were firmly pushing
a handle that suddenly smashed into something solid?
Plumbers and mechanics know the power of “what if” and plan for
slipping wrenches and other sudden changes in the situation. Generally
only one lesson is required to teach people who work with tools to
figure out “what if” before they apply force.
I’ve seen experienced workers warn youngsters in vain to beware of
“what if” and then watched with amusement as the new person learned
his or her own lesson.
In our sport that one lesson can be a doozy,
so it pays to keep “what if” in mind and try to
avoid that awful contact with a spinning
propeller. Sharp pilots think ahead and
consider what could happen if that propeller
nut comes loose, or the steering servo sticks,
and so on. They try to keep themselves and
others out of the path of trouble by being
distrustful of everything mechanical.
I visited the RC field recently and met
charming Martha Horvath, who was relaxing
with her husband and waiting for the wind to
drop before flying her Goldberg Tiger. She
graciously agreed to pose for me in a
dangerous position to show what not to do
when servicing a model.
Martha is a seasoned flier and knows better
than to spend time in the arc of the propeller.
Even if someone were holding the tail, she
wouldn’t kneel in such a way that if the
airplane rolled forward it could pivot against
her leg and bring the O.S. .41’s propeller into
contact with her body.
Dave Gee | Safety Comes First [email protected]
Plan for “what if ”
Also included in this column:
• Common propeller-strike
situations
• How to hurt our hobby
• What does that sculpture
have to do with anything?
• CL driver gets bitten
Was this giant sculpture in Los Angeles, made from full-scale airframe pieces, inspired by
the author’s notorious one-point landings?
The extended propeller arc is a good place to avoid. Minimize
your exposure to that area in case of a propeller failure.
Marta Horvath shows where not to be as she adjusts her Goldberg
Falcon’s O.S. .41 engine. What if it rolled forward and pivoted
against her leg?
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Martha kept asking, “Are you sure you
want me to be right here?” She instinctively
plans for “what if” and felt uncomfortable in
her risky pose, although the engine wasn’t
running.
The stance is a classic and frequent
accident situation. With or without a helper at
the rear of the fuselage, the pilot plants a foot
in front of the wing while starting or adjusting
the engine. Then somehow the aircraft rolls
forward until it bumps against a shin, at which
point it pivots toward disaster.
Electric-powered models can also do this if
the motor comes to life and catches the victim
by surprise. Don’t let yourself get caught in
that situation!
The “prop arc” is an imaginary extension
of the propeller’s disc, and it is a danger zone.
It is unusual for a model airplane propeller to
shatter, but if and when it does, you don’t
want to be in the path of the shards.
It is common for a model to nose-over,
letting the propeller strike the ground and
shatter. The pieces might go in any direction,
but they usually travel out along the propeller
arc and can cause serious injury.
I’d hate to trust chance in such a situation.
It is better to be watching from a safe angle!
Considering the fast-moving parts of our
models, I am surprised at the relatively low
percentage of pilots who wear eye protection
in the pits. It is a place where your eyesight is
at risk. A good pair of impact-resistant glasses
could save your vision, but many pilots go
without.
I’ve written about my fine Zurich
sunglasses many times. The company’s
products are advertised in this magazine, and
its glasses provide excellent protection from
harmful UV radiation as well as impact from
flying objects. These are not dime-store
sunglasses!
Whether you pick Zurich or another brand
of high-quality sunglasses, choose and use a
pair that suits your style. Several times
throughout the years I have had my safety
glasses gouged by flying debris at work or in
the shop. It gives me a cold chill to think that
my eyesight might have ended at that moment
without sturdy eyewear protection.
Ours is a visual hobby, so remember to
protect your vision!
I thought I was having a vision when I saw
the sculpture in the photograph. It is in
downtown Los Angeles in the courtyard of an
art museum. Remnants of many aircraft were
cobbled together and braced by cables to
create an eye-catching collage. I had to endure
the witty comments of my son, Jeff, who
dismissed the giant installation as looking like
“just another one of your landings, Dad.”
A close look at the piece reminds us of
how fragile a flying machine is. Extra weight
is trimmed from every possible spot on a fullscale
aircraft, and our models are no different.
This obsession with airframe weight is in
contrast with airborne power plants, which
must be as powerful as possible.
Steve Sobel wrote to me about an
encounter with a powerful gas engine in a CL
model. He claimed that the victim wished to
remain anonymous, but Steve was an
eyewitness to the incident.
He flies with a group of skilled and
experienced CL pilots. They have good
routines established for safely starting and
tuning their models.
A helper holds the model while the pilot
does the starting and preps the engine for
flight. Everyone watches each other to
double-check for problems or “what if”
situations.
On one occasion a pilot started his engine
and noticed that the needle valve required
some adjustment. If it were not done rapidly,
the engine would stall.
Another flier saw the situation and was in
a position to safely access the engine. He
made an adjustment, but it was soon clear that
a further tweak was needed. The pilot, who
was on the outboard side of the model,
reached in to finish the adjustment and his
hand entered the propeller disk.
He sustained several deep cuts on his
index finger. The wounds required more than
30 stitches, followed by a painful healing
period. Fortunately he made a full recovery
with no loss of function or sensation.
Steve wrote that the consensus was that it
happened because a safe routine was broken.
The fellow pilot who helped meant well and
could not have foreseen the accident, but
disrupting a standard procedure ended badly.
I want to repeat that this incident happened
to some experienced pilots—not a bunch of
newbies. There are some inherent dangers in
our sport, and these hazards will wait patiently
until we have a moment of inattention. Don’t
become complacent!
Steve’s report of this accident makes us all
safer, and he did our sport a favor. Shortly
before my press deadline, I heard about some
RC pilots who did the opposite. Their actions
made us all look bad, and they cast a dark
shadow on our activities.
These dopes flew a model in New York
using an FPV (First Person View) camera rig.
They piloted the airplane over and around
structures, bridges, and vehicles while
depending on every part of the model and
electronics to work perfectly.
They risked the safety of hundreds of
people. They put legitimate modelers at risk
of government action and then posted a video
of their foolishness on the Internet.
Nice going, dummies! At a time when we
are lobbying the government to save our
hobby from being legislated away, you
provide ammunition to our opponents.
I know some other pilots who fly FPV.
They are sharp and extremely aware of the
obligation they have to operate in a
responsible manner. The last thing they would
do is hurt our hobby by breaking safety rules.
And the videos they post are great fun to
watch!
Dale Lihl is another modeler who “gets
it.” He wrote to me about the dangers of
publicly posted videos that show unsafe
modeling activities.
Pyrotechnics, unsafe locations, and
dangerous maneuvers—it’s all there for the
public to see. People might not realize that
AMA members adhere to a Safety Code and
that the dangerous stuff on those videos
breaks every rule of common sense.
Dale is having a hard time adjusting to the
current trend of model flying, as opposed to
the model building of our youth. These days
there are more ARF pilots than ever, but they
are missing half the fun!
Still, the availability of so many great
RTFs at low prices is leading to a resurgence
of aeromodeling activity, and I’m in favor of
that. If this is to be the “Age of ARFs,” okay.
I even fly some premade foamie models
myself. Hey, fun is fun!
Please send me your thoughts about these or
any other issues, your best close-call story, or
suggestions about what you think should be
covered here. E-mail or paper letters is fine.
I’ll only use your name if you tell me it’s okay
to do so. MA
Sources:
Zurich
(800) 533-5665
www.extremeglaresunglasses.com
Dave Gee
Box 7081
Van Nuys CA 91409
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