View From HQ - 2008/09

184 MODEL AVIATION
Executive Director Jim Cherry
called Liz Helms of the Publications
Department, who is tasked with the
unenviable job of putting some polish and
clarity to all of the vice presidents’,
president’s, and executive director’s columns
each month. My call was to clarify for what
month I should be writing my column. She
informed me that members would receive this
issue in late August or early September.
Wow! What happened to the summer?
She ran down that the membership would be
reading this on approximately Labor Day, the
Nats would be over, and the International
Radio Controlled Helicopter Association’s
(IRCHA’s) huge fly-in would likely be in
progress at the International Flying Site in
Muncie, Indiana. Where did the summer go?
I receive hundreds of telephone calls during
the week and enjoy the exchange with
members. I can tell when there is bad weather
in a section of the nation because the number
of calls from that area increases. If you can’t
fly, call the AMA I guess.
Right now the big news is the floods in the
Midwest, and I fear our fellow pilots in those
regions are in recovery mode and flying is out
of the question for a while.
Let me remind you that AMA has a
Disaster Relief program to help clubs recover
from a natural or man-made disaster. Find out
more information about this program on the
AMA Web site at www.modelaircraft.org/
PDF-files/714.pdf.
A few weeks ago I received a call that
pertains to all of us: safety at the flying site. In
2006, the Academy began requiring clubs to
have a designated safety officer listed as a
part of the club chartering process.
This position is one of those thankless jobs
that can make a huge difference in someone’s
life. The trouble is that some will never know
it. The club safety officer who stops or
prevents an unsafe practice and nothing
happens—that’s the good part. Nothing
happens and people didn’t get hurt.
The next time your club’s safety officer
points out a safer way to fly both in the air
and on the ground, thank him or her; he or she
is only looking out for you.
If you’re wondering why I’m on a safety
kick this month, it’s because Joe Hass made
the call I mentioned that pertains to all of us. I
I
asked Joe to write about the items we
discussed when he called because we can all
learn from his concerns. I have
included his letter
and a photo.
“I am writing as a concerned
modeler. With 54 years of modeling
experience, I am a current club president, a
past AMA vice president, an instructor, and a
Leader Member. I fly most everything. My
youngest son flies too. I have the scars and the
bills from an overnight hospital stay to prove
that I have made my share of mistakes.
“My concern is one of safety with those
rotational things that give us thrust:
propellers. We have been to a lot of flying
events. I have seen:
“• Engines being started while the pilot is
holding on to the transmitter
“• Engines being started with neck straps
hanging loose
“• Engines being started with the
transmitter attached to the neck strap and the
strap around the pilot’s neck
“• A pilot attaching the neck strap to the
transmitter (with the engine running) without
holding the throttle stick in the idle position
“• A pilot putting his leg between the
leading edge of the wing and the propeller
while the engine was running
“Now I’m sure that those involved would
say that ‘someone was holding on to the
airplane.’ In all the situations I described there
was a helper. Let’s look at the first three.
“It can take a lot of force to start an engine.
Even more to start a big one. Balance is
critical. Most anything can cause a loss of
balance or position. I can’t imagine the
damage to a body if the neck strap got caught
up in the prop, any prop, even a .40 size. A
helper can do nothing to stop the potential
carnage.
“Observation 4 may require a bit of
explanation. I have included a picture. I make
it a habit to always hold the throttle stick
down with my left thumb whenever the
engine is running. This prohibits the throttle
stick from accidentally being bumped while
walking to the flightline or any other activity.
“It is such a habit for me that I just usually
hold the transmitter this way regardless of
whether the engine is running or not. This
habit is a direct result of a personal incident a
few years ago. I bumped the throttle stick on
my leg while carrying a running 60-size
helicopter. The engine was now running at
full throttle. The clutch was burning up. The
exhaust smoke was thick. It took everything I
had to hold on to the rotor head, put the heli
down and get to the throttle stick. A very
dangerous situation.
“Observation 5 is the one that haunts me
the most. What would have happened if a bee
had stung the helper? Or the pilot? The
natural reaction is to jump. All I could see is
‘filet of calve’ as the carbon fiber prop
angrily sliced through human flesh.
“There is no way to legislate all of this. I
would be opposed to it anyway. But I do ask
that all modelers and Contest Directors make
it a point to courteously point out these types
of behaviors to their fellow modelers and
suggest alternatives. In most cases the
individual may not even realize what they
were doing.
“In full-scale aviation there is a term
called ‘Chain of Events.’ Accidents rarely
happen because of a single event. Rather a
series of things happened (a chain). Break the
chain and the accident never happens.
“Another aviation term is ‘Situational
Awareness.’ Take a moment to analyze the
activity, the ‘situation,’ and take proactive,
thoughtful steps to create the safest situation
possible.
“I like to stack the deck for safety and
have a great experience for all involved.”
Thanks, Joe, for helping us all to be safer
pilots.
The staff has been busy compiling the ballots
from Leader Members on the proposed
bylaws changes. We will know the results
soon.
We are compiling information regarding
the AMA presence at the Federal Aviation
Administration’s (FAA’s) Aviation
Rulemaking Committee on Unmanned Aerial
Systems (UASs) in Washington DC. The
FAA has requested the coordinates of every
model-aircraft flying site in the nation as it
studies the UAS issue.
Labor Day originated in 1882 and is the
symbolic end of summer. I would be remiss if
I didn’t take a moment this Labor Day to say
thank you to the AMA staff members for
their work and dedication to the Academy.
Many times cars are in the parking lot after
hours and on weekends to ensure that the
work is done in a timely manner.
My thanks and appreciation to all of you
who make this organization what it is in
serving the membership. MA
In the spirit of flight!
Jim Cherry
Executive Director
[email protected]
Accidents rarely happen
because of a single event.
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