Safety Comes First
THINGS THAT GO BOOM: While scanning the local newspaper, I noted a story about a grain elevator that exploded, and several people died. One might assume that there was a gas leak, a buildup of sewer gas, or possibly stored chemicals that sparked the deadly explosion, but no; I'll bet my next airplane that the cause was airborne grain dust! How could grain dust create an explosion? When too much of any type of flammable material becomes airborne and trapped in a closed environment, it creates a concentrated mixture that needs only a source of ignition to burn-very, very rapidly (boom!). If grain dust and air mix in a closed environment (such as a grain silo), the mixture can be just as deadly as gas fumes waiting for a spark.
Safety Comes First
I ENJOY attending a good fun-fly. It's an opportunity to sit back and watch some good flying, pick up a few tips, see some new airplanes, meet new friends, and enjoy an afternoon. No matter what type of event, club fun-flys offer wholesome fun and an opportunity for individuals and families to get out and enjoy some fresh air. During a recent weekend here in Florida, I had an opportunity to attend an event put on by a local chapter of the International Miniature Aircraft Association (IMAA), an organization that represents hobbyists who fly the really big stuff. If memory serves me right, to qualify to fly in this category, the length of a wing has to meet or exceed 80 inches. It's not hard to find airplanes that from a distance almost appear large enough to take a human pilot for a ride!
Safety Comes First
HEAT-DEAD BATTERIES or Polarization? While scanning the Internet recently, I saw an interesting tidbit provided by The Society of Antique Modelers SAM 26 (Bob Angel, editor) which explained why numbers and letters on electronic displays sometimes seem to disappear. If memory serves, I've trashed or quit using a couple of pieces of equipment that didn't seem to be reliable: seems I may have wasted a few bucks! "My stopwatch was laying face-up in the hot sun, and I noticed the display had turned completely black and unreadable. Later, out of direct sun, it seemed to recover from the heat. We never had this problem with a mechanical watch!
Safety Comes First
SHORT ANTENNA: While I lived in Tennessee several years ago, I spent many Saturday afternoons flying with a group of guys at the Millington Barnstormers R/C Flying Club. It was an active club with many members who loved to fly, and several who liked build (but not fly) some of the oddest creations you could ever imagine. Anyway, we loved to get involved (heckle and cajole) whenever a new model was brought out to the field for its first flight. Being the good modelers that we were, it was fun to gather around, lend a few "constructive" comments, take a few pictures, offer to check trim, etc., then stand back to watch the aircraft's first flight. It was a time of great fun and many good memories.
Safety Comes First
SPLITTING FUEL JUGS: I indicated in my February 1998 column that a modeler wrote to alert me of a problem he encountered: plastic fuel jugs splitting open while in storage. Although not a new problem, several modelers inspected their supplies after reading the story and discovered similar fates-missing fuel. Robert McClure (Byron NY) provided a glimpse of frustrations and a possible solution: "Leaking fuel containers? I've had two. In 1996 a jug was in the original 4-bottle cardboard box, which I stored for two seasons in my home (no handling, no moving, no bumping, constant room temperature, no sun, etc.). I don't know when it leaked, and the jug was completely empty when I noticed the spot on the floor beneath the box. It had a crack in the center of the bottom of the jug.
