SAFETY COMES FIRST - 2012/07
Is an oldie a goodie?
Dave Gee [email protected]
Mike Gragg is an idea man. He was recently named safety coordinator of the Loudoun County Aeromodelers Association and asked if I had ever put together a list of safety hints. The answer was no, because I wasn't smart enough to think of doing it. It'd be pretty handy, though, and fun to compile.
Mike dreamed up the concept, so we'll call it "Mike's List." He even supplied the first item: Never reach over a turning propeller to adjust the carburetor on your airplane engine. This is a great start since that practice is a consistent source of injuries.
Despite the obvious danger, many pilots still take this little shortcut and sometimes get cut short. A starting routine should be arranged in such a way that it eliminates the temptation to reach around a running airscrew.
I'll add my own item to Mike's List: Treat an electric propeller or rotor as though it will come to life at any moment. Unexpected electric motor activation is another all-too-common occurrence.
Some of us old-timers still aren't used to the difference between an inert gas engine and an electric motor that is always ready to go (with the accidental flip of a switch). I sometimes find myself putting my fingers in or near an inactive propeller arc when I could grasp the model farther aft and not run the risk of getting my digits trimmed.
Please send me your favorite modeling safety tip for inclusion in Mike's List. You'll see the results here, and maybe I'll put the list on a T-shirt. I wear a 2X, so my shirt could hold plenty of suggestions.
Mike's List (starter items)
- Never reach over a turning propeller to adjust the carburetor.
- Treat an electric propeller or rotor as though it can start at any moment.
- Read and follow the instructions carefully; when in doubt, ask for help.
Riley Schupak
As long as you're sending that email, consider including your guess on the mystery airplane in the cropped photo. Hint: this airplane is seldom modeled, but the cockpit canopy is unique. I was deluged with responses to the last couple of these contests, and sent out loads of the digital prize plans to winners and to those who just like free plans.
I am unable to predict which of these puzzle pictures will be easy, hard, or popular with readers. Perhaps this one will be a hit.
There were several hundred correct guesses for the last mystery airplane contest, but the first one was from 14-year-old Riley Schupak, who identified it as a TBF Avenger. He recognized the model because he had seen it in a collection of static scale models owned by his grandfather, Tom.
Riley first showed interest in aeromodeling at the age of three months when he grabbed the control stick from his father, Steve, who was flying an RC glider. Riley popped the flaps at an inconvenient moment. (Lesson: Don't carry your kid in a papoose-rig while you fly, unless he understands soaring contests.) I asked young Riley for a Mike's List tip, and he came up with a keeper: Read and follow the instructions carefully, and when in doubt, ask for help.
Ralph Gee's Improved Plan
The mystery airplane prize this time is digital FF Rubber plans drawn by my father, Ralph Gee. He saw me working on a 1936 Guillow's Endurance Flyer but was appalled by the crude "period engineering" of this classic airplane.
His upgrade to the plans includes a stronger and simplified landing gear, various reinforcements, and a smaller overall size to fit today's flying sites. The new aircraft is called the 2012 Endurance Flyer. It flew with little trimming and is suitable for small fields or indoor sites. You don't have to get the right answer to get the plans—just ask for them. They are in JPEG format only.
Ralph's changes to the 1936-style structure were a lesson to me about how far modeling has advanced. My model, built from an antique kit, is bothersome to wind and launch because of weak spots in the fuselage. I have made repairs that Ralph's airplane will never need because he planned ahead with careful reinforcement.
It's funny that I like to build authentic, old-style models—flaws and all—while my father prefers newer-design methods. Maybe he got his fill of broken longerons back in the olden days.
Check Your Linkages
Modern models of all types are designed so well that we take for granted the strength and resilience of an airframe. The 1936 Endurance Flyer has a flimsy balsa-stick undercarriage that would have broken on each landing. I deviated from the plans and used music wire. Who wants busted landing gear each time the airplane touches down?
FF aircraft sometimes make abrupt arrivals, so the time to consider landing loads is while the gear is being made.
Today's engineering, along with amazing new materials, has made our models stronger, safer, and more fun, because you don't have to repair them after each flight (unless you land your RC airplanes the way I do). A good example is the modern tip-launched glider, which survives unbelievable launch stress because of expert design and construction.
Sport aircraft have also benefited from these engineering advances. If you are a pilot who shares my complaint that the earth sometimes gets too close to your RC models, imagine how difficult it was to fix them in the olden days with slow glue, messy finishes, and a marginal understanding of airframe design.
Even with all the technological advances, sometimes a model is released with a glitch. Steve Sobel wrote to me about his CL PT-19, an ARF from Hangar 9. He said that several pilots in his club purchased and flew this fine model.
Although all agreed that it is a well-engineered kit, Steve said the way the pushrod attaches to the bellcrank can allow it to slip out. One of the airplanes crashed because of this. The solution is to lock a wheel collar on the end of the pushrod where it comes through the bellcrank. Steve urged all PT-19 pilots to inspect their control systems and make sure that the pushrod is secure.
Situations such as this are one reason why building your own model can be an advantage. Assembling a model aircraft lets you see and understand its structure. If you need to make repairs as often as I do, every bit of knowledge helps. Plus, making it is half the fun!
Drone Crisis
As dangerous as my thumb on a transmitter stick is to an RC model, there are worse threats. Readers have sent me copies of some newspaper editorials that could mean trouble for our hobby. The opinion pieces are about unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in our national airspace.
Terms such as "domestic drones" are mentioned interchangeably with our sporting airplanes and helicopters. A reader could easily get model aircraft confused with commercial UAVs, which are made to sound dangerous and threatening. Great! Just what our hobby needs—an image makeover from fun and educational to ominous and scary.
Aeromodeling has few downsides. It is an exciting and beneficial pursuit that deserves protection and encouragement from the government and the public. The large UAVs that may soon appear in the national airspace are different from most of our models and will have a separate set of rules to follow.
I urge all modelers to share the truth with their friends and neighbors, and don't let questions about the "drone crisis" go unanswered. Get your own letter in a newspaper, and show by example that our sport deserves support, not suppression.
Backward Bristol
"Mick" Mickelson has been a modeling supporter and participant since he made his first airplane in 1932. AMA Headquarters forwarded me a letter that he wrote, using real paper and a typewriter, which shows what a classy guy he is.
Mick said he has had plenty of time to make all the typical mistakes. His letter described a moment of adventure at a local RC field. Mick built a Bristol M1 and mounted the O.S. .46 engine cylinder at 8 o'clock to direct the messy exhaust down the belly.
One day the engine got liquid-locked from fuel in the cylinder head. Mick removed the glow plug and cranked it over with the starter, then replaced the plug and gave it a spin.
He was shocked when the engine started backward with enough power to push it off the starting stand and cut his hand as the propeller passed by. Apparently, there was enough fuel left in the cylinder to raise the compression ratio.
Poor Mick ended up in the emergency room. He says he was not alone at the field, and having someone to help him and drive him to the hospital was vital that day.
The engines in our airplanes have surprising power, especially when they move unexpectedly. If you've been surprised by a model and want to share the story as a warning and lesson to others, please email me. Other pilots will thank you, and I won't use your name unless you say it's okay.
Sources
- Hangar 9
(877) 504-0233 www.hangar-9.com
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
