Safety Comes First
Dave Gee | [email protected]
"A little nonsense now and then is cherished by the wisest men."
CARLO GODEL, one of the wisest men, has passed away. He expounded here recently on the subject of boron fiber. Always generous with his knowledge and talent, Carlo personified the quote by Willy Wonka from the movie Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory that is featured at the top of this column.
Careful management of Carlo’s chronic heart trouble let this eccentric character remain active for many years longer than the doctors predicted. I am honored to have known him.
Thousands of years ago, mankind began using fire. Apparently we still need practice.
Look at the card table in the picture to see what can happen when modelers try to barbecue at the field. The table had a pressboard surface, so some cardboard and tinfoil went on top to protect it from a disposable briquette grill. This plan ended badly, but I'm told that the fire-extinguisher powder gave the steaks a tangy flavor.
Mature, intelligent, hungry people used poor judgment but managed to handle the results well enough to avoid injury or further property damage. Semianonymous source Bud Matthews provided this story and is shopping for a new table.
Jerry Kerwin phoned the MA office with an excellent safety question. By coincidence his call came in on the day of my one and only visit to AMA Headquarters, so I pretended I had a big corner office and spoke with him.
Jerry was curious about the electric fuel pumps used to fill large RC models. He wondered why they aren't considered a fire hazard and whether it is dangerous to have switches, wiring, and motors in a gas-pumping system. Jerry and I have professional experience with flammable substances, but we were stumped on this one. A little research did the trick.
Experts from pump manufacturers and hobby distributors gave matching answers. To ignite gasoline, you need a spark or flame at the "flash point," which is where fuel vapors are mixed with the right amount of air. It's tough to get a hot-enough spark from the components of a 12-volt pump system.
Although the switches and motors are usually unsealed, they are often behind panels rather than openly exposed to gas fumes. Refueling takes place in the open air (or at least it should!), which makes it harder for the flashpoint to find an ignition source.
Although it is theoretically possible to ignite gas fumes with a refueling rig, it is extremely unlikely. I was unable to find any reports of such an accident. Even with this excellent safety record, some modelers still prefer hand cranks to electric fuel pumps. At least they get some exercise!
Van Nuys Airport (in sunny California) hosts an annual open-house event. The Black Sheep Squadron sets up a booth display, but this year the organizers wanted some action features for their ramp display of classic aircraft. Jerry Silver called out the Garden State Circle Burners club of New Jersey to present live flight demonstrations of CL models.
The picture shows how they were able to allow a close-up view of airplanes without worrying that spectators might wander into the circle. The visitors were thrilled to see CL Precision Aerobatics, or Stunt, aircraft in action, and the barriers kept things safe.
A great E-mail message came in from Steve Kolet. It reads:
"I am secretary of the Valley Forge Signal Seekers. Several folks in the club are under the impression that the AMA Safety Code says (1) an RC model must have a spinner installed, (2) you cannot fly alone, and (3) an airplane in flight may not intentionally touch the rudder, etc. when not landing (last year's big 3-D ground).
"They are good practices, but does AMA prescribe them in a document somewhere?"
It looks as though we have some aeromodelling urban legends. If you're reading this magazine, you have easy access to the AMA Safety Code because it is published here every month. Go take a quick look; I'll wait. Steve's three items don't seem to be mentioned in the basic Safety Code, right?
A visit to the AMA Web site (www.modelaircraft.org) gives you access to the entire rule book and other AMA documents, but I'll save you the trouble. The bottom line on these semimyths is that the "no-touch" thing has appeared in the competition rules for certain events, specifying that only the landing gear may touch the ground.
Until 3-D hovering came along, if your RC model's wingtip or rudder touched the ground it meant that you were having a terrible flight. There was a brouhaha for a while regarding rudder-touching during a hover, but the dust has settled by now and 3-D fliers can do their thing.
Spinners have occasionally been mandated for certain racing events with the idea that if you get hit by a fast model, the spinner will reduce your injuries. Fair enough, but I'd prefer not to put it to the test! Having a friend around when you fly is a good idea—not an AMA rule.
The code is an attempt to write down Good Sense in list form, and it is neither perfect nor all-encompassing. It is possible to obey all of the items and still fly like a dope. Steve's friends seem to have taken a couple of great suggestions and made them part of their routine. They sound like a sharp bunch and the sort of modelers I would like to see at my field.
Organizers of the RCX model show held in Anaheim, California, in May wanted new modelers to experience the joy of flight, so they set up a make-and-take test-flight booth staffed by teenagers. The young instructors taught visitors safe techniques for using cyanoacrylate glue to modify Sky Streaks for maximum-duration flights.
It's a successful program!
Randy Ryman is the newsletter editor for the Valley RC Flying Club in Virginia. I'm still laughing about the list he sent, which follows.
"The top ten reasons you might want to take a serious look at your flying habits.
- "#10—When you announce 'Taking off,' everyone else flying announces, 'Landing!'
- "#9—When you announce 'Landing,' everyone else takes cover!
- "#8—A lot of members keep asking you, 'How long did you say you've been flying?'
- "#7—You find you have the sky (and the flightline) to yourself!
- "#6—No one turns his or her back on you while you're flying.
Safety Comes First
Dave Gee
- "#5—When you crash, and don't hit anybody or anything but the earth, instead of 'awwwwww,' you hear a collective sigh of relief from the onlookers!
- "#4—No one offers to loan you a prop when you break the only one you have! (This also applies to fuel, glow plug, glow driver, etc.!)
- "#3—You see the Safety Officer taking a lot of notes!
- "#2—You hear people keep talking about your 'flying outside the envelope.'
"And the #1 reason you might want to take a look at your flying habits: You get the award for supplying the most kindling wood for the annual club bonfire!"
I mentioned earlier in the column that I had visited AMA Headquarters. It is a marvelous place and I highly recommend that you stop postponing your pilgrimage and get packing! The International Aeromodeling Center is one of the best flying sites in the world, with vast open grassland surrounding tidy RC runways and CL circles.
The National Model Aviation Museum is absolutely dazzling. Whatever your expectations, I promise that it is twice as much fun as you think it will be. The staff has built an amazing display of our hobby's history. As the "Safety Guy," I was fascinated to see the prototypes and development of many features we take for granted on our airplanes and helicopters.
The museum building also houses a fabulous research library and the infamous John Pond Plans collection. State-of-the-art scanners make perfect copies from the thousands of plans listed, with many more awaiting clearance.
My wife Sweet Diedra was highly amused at my excitement afterward and made cracks about my having cleaned out the gift shop. Then she saw my beautiful new AMA jacket and said, "Did you get one for me, too?" It was a small oversight which was quickly corrected! Luckily you can order all of the keen merchandise online or by phone. "Of course, dear! Yours is on the way."
AMA Headquarters is frequently mentioned in E-mails and letters I receive. There is sometimes an "us and them" feeling, and AMA staff members are "them." Readers aren't sure where I fit into the conspiracy, but they feel that Muncie is a place far removed from modeling, where unthinking decisions are made.
This frame of mind is understandable when you take a look at our organization. (Yes, it is ours.) All of the incredibly varied facets of aeromodeling come together as AMA represents our common interests and tries to deal fairly with conflicts between subgroups. Using the Safety Code as an example, it's easy to find rules that don't work for a certain type of model but are the best compromise for modeling.
To preserve my independence here, I am not on the AMA Safety Committee. However, I do serve on the Education Committee (apparently "they" thought I needed some) and have seen a bit of the AMA decision-making process.
My experience has been that those who are AMA leaders truly love aeromodeling and felt that merely building and flying models was not enough; they had to get involved in a larger way. They examine every possible alternative and realize that a compromise will not please everyone.
Sometimes I get plenty upset about policies and rulings, but every AMA leader I have met wants nothing more than for our hobby to advance and for modelers to enjoy themselves to the greatest extent possible. Now if they would only do things my way!
For just more than a year I have been honored to write this column. The terrific material that comes in via letters and E-mail is vital, and hearing from you is the best part of this job.
Please drop me a line if you had a close call or solved a problem. Your information could save someone else a lot of trouble! MA
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
