SAFETY COMES FIRST - 2012/06
Unscheduled Takeoff
On this particular day, somehow I powered off the 12FG prior to disarming the flight pack. In order to disarm, I must remove the canopy. I did not want to mess up that good-looking fuselage with an unsightly external arming device.
The failure—my failure—was turning off the transmitter first. I always turn off the receiver after disarming the flight pack, ESC, and motor. To my horror, the aircraft immediately revved up to approximately half throttle. I was petrified; there was absolutely nothing I could do, it moved so quickly. It was aimed at the pit area, as I always taxi off the runway toward where I'm standing. Fortunately, I was not standing in its way but to the side. The aircraft was careening toward the pits at warp speed, where a group of unsuspecting people were sitting near their parked vehicles.
A model belonging to a friend of mine was in the path, and my plane was destroyed by the impact. It could have been worse. His sacrificial model stopped mine and may have saved the people from harm. I was speechless and helpless; the only thing left to do was beg for forgiveness and replace his aircraft. My friend had lost a very nice, trimmed-out, winning aircraft. He had just won the Masters Class competition with this aircraft at a recent contest.
What have I learned from this? Well, for starters, I will install an external arming device posthaste. Second, I will never point an operational aircraft toward the pits ever again—fuel, gas, or electric. Third, I will never arm an electric aircraft in the pits, and I will always point the sharp end away from the pits while in the pits, whenever the flight pack is installed, armed or not.
I am humbled by this stupidity and will endeavor to have others verify my setup as a second set of eyes. There is always someone with more experience.
That incident could have been tragic instead of just scary. A model—even a special one—can be rebuilt or replaced, unlike the people who might have been hurt. Having an aircraft pointed at spectators is something to avoid.
Readers' Reports and Photos
Several readers sent me copies of an anonymous modeler's incident report. Richard Cline sent a picture of a scale biplane flying very close to the camera, which he snapped at a recent airshow. Sure, it was cool to see that airplane so close, but I was amazed that the situation was allowed by the organizers.
Flight paths and spectator areas are usually arranged so that if an engine quits, the airplane won't land on people. That's why the photo is so unusual. Experienced modelers know this trick and keep their flying machines pointed in safe directions as much as possible, just in case.
Maybe you have never had an inflight problem with any of your models, but I sure have. (Actually, I usually am the problem.) At such times, it is reassuring to know that if a crash happens, it will be in an unoccupied spot.
External Disconnects
On the subject of external power disconnects, Tom Traeger sent a note that confirms how useful they can be.
"I have seen my friend almost do bodily harm to himself three times now while trying to take the battery out of his E-flite Apprentice. He usually has the transmitter on a neck strap while he bends down to unhook the battery from the ESC. Bending down causes him to bump the throttle, thus endangering life and limb with a spinning prop."
Tom noted that there are now several commercial products on the market to meet this need. Some are switches and others have an arming plug that can be removed from the model. I am a believer in these things, although they might add weight and complexity to a small model. With my clumsy, inattentive ways, I need them the most.
Rubber Triangles
Dave Fritzke emailed me about the rubber triangles that slip over hobby knife handles (or pencils) to prevent them from rolling off of a table. He found an Internet source for them at just 30 cents apiece. That's a great price for something that can keep the knife from poking the top of your foot!
Zephyr Motors
Expansion motors are great fun! Remember the new Zephyr compressed-air motors that I mentioned in this column? Jim Sprenger told me that he and John Morrill have production units ready to ship. The basic motor sells for $175, with some great extras available. They are safer than the originals made roughly 80 years ago, although mine did some damage to my hobby budget.
Jim and John did careful overpressure testing on the tanks and found that even when abused, the pliable metal fails by tearing and bending, rather than shattering. I was glad to hear it, since my skin reacts poorly to shrapnel.
These power plants are made like fine jewelry, and you will be pleased with yours!
SOURCES
- Triangles for X-Acto knives
www.amazon.com/Triangle-Grip-TRI-300-Pencil-3-pack/dp/B002LLHTRMC
- Zephyr Compressed Air Motors
Jim Sprenger 7432 Irondale Ave. Winnetka, CA 91306 [email protected]
Fuel and Fire
Thinking might be useful to someone who needs a cigarette break during a flying session. Take a look at the cropped photo of an anonymous man smoking in the pit area. There are four gasoline or kerosene fuel containers within a few feet of him. Is there really no better spot to light up? Why take a chance with an open flame so close to where models are being fueled?
I was told that within five minutes of that photo being taken, one of the jet models ignited and had to be doused with fire extinguishers. Apparently, it was not because of the smoking, but fire and explosive fuel should be kept apart!
I have nothing against smokers. This is simply a common-sense issue about keeping fire away from places where fuel gets pumped, splashed, and spilled. And please, dear tobacco-using SAFETY COMES FIRST readers, I already know about how the cigarette itself is not hot enough to ignite gasoline. Take a few steps away from the fuel cans and we'll discuss it.
Is It Possible to Be Too Safe?
Is it possible to be too safe? Yes, I think so, and Wayne Norris agrees with me. He and I were discussing a photo he saw in a recent issue of this magazine, showing a young modeler in the days of black-and-white photographs. The kid was posing with his .049-powered CL aircraft, and its fuel and battery. When Wayne and I were that age, this would be considered normal fun for an unsupervised child. We noted that kids these days would rarely be allowed access to such dangerous machinery, even in a structured program.
That eager pilot probably burned himself on the hot engine (once) and even got a finger caught in the spinning propeller (once). Those mistakes would have stuck with him long after the bruises healed, and later in life when he was starting a much larger engine, he would have remembered to keep clear of the dangerous parts. Too many kids are now being raised in a zero-defect society, in which no risks are tolerated. In my opinion, this is a mistake. Overprotecting our kids might end up exposing them to worse danger in the end because of the critical skills and experience they fail to acquire. Fear of lawsuits can take this to an absurd degree.
We seem to be in an age where children are constantly under close supervision on teams, in programs, and in lesson groups. Independent play and experimentation are rare because of the “terrible danger” that there might be some minor harm to a kid. I disagree with that philosophy. Minor risks can be of great benefit, under the right circumstances. I think that letting kids have a certain freedom to experiment with a hobby and make normal beginner mistakes can pay off later in life. Whether they fail or succeed is less important than the knowledge and experience gained by the attempt.
Yikes, did I just come out in favor of child injuries? Guess so. I think that we are at risk of having a generation of adults who lack an understanding of how to safely handle dangerous implements, but think that they should sue someone when anything goes wrong. Wayne said he fears for new adult modelers who have never dealt with spinning propellers before. He signed off with a good tip for operators of model aircraft: "Slow down and think about what you are doing."
Contact Me
I like to hear from everyone, whether you agree with me or not. Letters can be mailed to me in care of this magazine, or sent through email. The topics and stories you see here were shared by selfless modelers who wanted others to avoid trouble. I'll keep your name out of it, if you prefer.
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
