File: 08gee.ht1.doc
[Headline: Throwing up (gliders)]
How could a little balsa glider hurt anyone? Every child has tried them, but some kids stick with it and get serious about Hand-Launched Gliders (HLG). Competitive FF gliders can really perform and need to carry dethermalizers.
The event is evolving. Many competitors are getting older, and they find that the launch is more strain than a mature body can handle. I know a few HLG enthusiasts who have had serious physical problems from throwing “little toy gliders.” Instead of not competing in this challenging event, they have adopted alternate methods.
Old modelers are mentally flexible, if not physically, and thus we have seen the rise of catapult-launched FF gliders. A rubber band does the throwing and the pilot no longer needs pain medications after a contest. Aeromodeling is one of the few sports where contestants can be equally matched across generations, except maybe in HLG, where you need either a youthful arm or a tube of ointment.
A photo with this column shows the exertion that a hand launch requires compared with the low-impact catapult technique. You won’t get impressive flights from the one you buy at the drugstore unless you properly tweak it. These young pilots souped up their models to get proper rollout at the top of the climb, so the gliders could “climb like a rocket and float like a feather.”
I posted a how-to video online showing how to get this performance from a slip-together glider. Look it up on YouTube at the address listed in “Sources.”
A Friend Indeed
Richard Ranney is not a kid. He has been building and flying models for 68 years, but the story he shared happened in the 1950s. He wrote:
“I stuck my finger into the rotating propeller of an old favorite .46 engine. It was something that I could not have imagined would ever happen to me, but it did. At the time, I saw the review of safety procedures only as a dull presentation at a club meeting.
“Anyway, the important point is that a very kind flying associate saw what happened, stopped his plane, and attended to me—an injured and shocked person bleeding and trying to hold onto a slippery, roaring, and dangerous model plane. It was a complex and messy situation. He handled the still-running plane, tended to my shock condition and serious bleeding, and stayed with me all the way to the emergency room.”
Kindness and skilled care made a big difference to Richard. You might never witness such an incident, but it would be a good feeling to have the knowledge and presence of mind to help out like that. It’s not a bad idea to learn first-aid and be prepared. There may come a time when you could assist someone.
Canned Answers
Mike Powell wrote to me and asked about storing and transporting LiPo batteries in military ammunition cans. He wondered what would happen if a cell caught fire in a sealed can, and if drilled vent holes would prevent pressure buildup.
My opinions are skewed by the awful fire-damage pictures people send me. I realize that thousands of modelers use, store, and transport these batteries without a bit of trouble, but these rare incidences are scary as all heck. I’ve heard about situations where an ammunition can made all of the difference—allowing a modeler to move a smoking battery pack to a safe spot. Other times, the steel box adequately contained the heat, although it got hot.
My recommendation is to use a fire-resistant bag or box made specifically for this purpose, but a steel ammunition can is better than nothing. I use a charge bag and a double-walled steel box. Which one I use depends on where I’m going and which batteries I need. I wouldn’t expect either container to withstand a serious fire—only to give me the time to deal with the early stages of an eruption.
If you have had experience with a LiPo fire in a container, please let me know. We need more information about this question, and if a particular type of container is not up to the job, everyone will want to know about it.
I appreciate all suggestions, stories, advice, and wisdom that readers share. My email address is at the top of the page. Please write to me and share your experience, or just tell me I’m all wet about something, if you think I am.
Carry On?
A reader emailed me about taxiing in the pits. His club recently adopted a “do not taxi from the pits to the flightline” rule. Taxiways are great places to have accidents, but eliminating the ground movement of models can bring unforeseen side effects.
In this case, it means that a pilot will carry a model from the pits to the flightline with the engine running, sometimes with a transmitter in one hand and a model in the other. You could make a good case either way about which procedure is safer, and it might come down to the various models and pilots involved. We always try to find the best solution to a problem, but sometimes there is no perfect answer.
The fellow who wrote in has a twin-engine P-38 with an 82-inch wingspan. It weighs approximately 15 pounds and is awkward to carry with both hands, let alone one. With certain larger models, carrying is not an option. The alternative is to move the starter and battery from the pits to the flightline, which is not optimal. The reason for having a pit area is to get that stuff off the flightline, right?
I have no magic solution to these local field issues, but the most important ingredient for safe operation in the pits, on the taxiways, or on runways is common courtesy. Without that, all of the rules in the world won’t prevent trouble.
Trim Trouble
Greg Lambert found out that you don’t need a big, fancy model to get into trouble. He had issues with a relatively simple airplane.
“I was ready to fly my Horizon Hobby Stratos. After powering on the transmitter, I plugged in the flight battery. All controls responded properly except the two motors, which wouldn’t run. “Back at home I sat down to figure out what the problem was. Once again I powered up the transmitter, installed the flight battery, and again the controls responded but not the motors.
“I checked the plugs from the wings to the fuselage and they were tight. I checked the wires where they joined the circuit board in the fuselage and they were secure. I also checked the wires that are soldered to the motors and they were solid. Then I wondered if the throttle trim could be set wrong.
“Holding the wing in my left hand above the fuselage, I began hitting the throttle trim button (without checking the throttle stick, which was at about three-quarters throttle) and of course the motors came to life, jerking the wing out of my hand. One prop tore into the foam nose of the plane, the other prop sliced into the palm of my right hand. The props are plastic, but they cut like razor blades while spinning at three-quarters throttle.
“I bet I won’t do that again!”[dingbat]
SOURCES:
How-to video
www.youtube.com
