Safety Comes First
ENGINES: Starting techniques. The injury associated with the sport of model airplanes which is most frequently reported is a laceration caused by contact with a rotating propeller. Judging by my mail, it seems that the most likely time that modelers will contact a turning prop is during the engine starting/tuning operation. If your model's engine is not equipped with a throttle (as is the case with most installations in Free Flight and Control Line models), you have no alternative but to flip the prop and expect the engine to scream at full bore the minute it fires. However, the greatest number of AMA members fly radio-controlled models, and most of the engines in these models are equipped with a throttle. So full-throttle starts can be-and in my opinion should be-avoided.
Safety Comes First
I'M RECOVERING from jet lag as I begin this month's Safety column. It is a result of a two-week visit to Hong Kong, Beijing, and Bangkok. A 12-hour time difference is about as much as you can get! This trip was business-related and, although I had no time to check out any hobby stores, during my stay in Hong Kong I visited a factory that produces RC cars but no model aircraft. I also had time for a brief walk on the Great Wall of China and visited Wat Phra Kaeo, the Grand Palace in Bangkok. It's no fun being back at work! Battery warning. This column has previously mentioned certain hazards that can result from a lack of knowledge of and/or respect for the batteries that we use in our hobby. A number of years ago I related an incident experienced by a fellow modeler who did extensive damage to his home when he inadvertently attempted to charge a Ni-Cd pack at a high rate and a fire resulted.
Safety Comes First
TRAINERS-basic, advanced, and beyond. Although there are about 450 people at my place of work, it seems that I am the only one who counts model aircraft as a hobby. As a result, in the weeks just prior to Christmas (I'm writing this column on January 2) I frequently will be asked for my recommendations on what model to select for Uncle Charlie or Cousin Jack, etc. This year was no exception, since one of my co-workers sought my advice on a second model for his father-in-law. Last year I had been asked for my suggestion for a first model for this person, and had come up with a list which included a Goldberg Eaglet, Sig Kadet, and PT-20 or -40. They chose the PT-40, and apparently father-in-law was successful in learning to fly with this, his first RC model.
Safety Comes First
CONSIDERING the amount of fuel that modelers consume during the course of a flying season and the casual manner in which many of us handle it, I hear of few incidents involving fires or explosions associated with this flammable liquid. One such incident, however, was reported to me a few weeks ago by Carl Begelman of Bayside, NY who spotted the following story in the New York Daily News on Sunday, April 7th. (It has been edited, slightly). EAGLE-EYE COP Saw `burglar,' makes rescue instead. A cop who ran into a West Side building after he thought he saw a burglar on a fire escape wound up rescuing a critically burned man from his blazing apartment. The 23-year-old occupant was critically burned about 2:00 p.m. when a can of model airplane fuel exploded in his face as he was testing a small engine in his apartment, police said. The blast sent flames throughout the railroad flat and left the man unconscious.
Safety Comes First
"The incident occurred when a pushrod in the Helicopter's rotor head snapped while the model was in flight. The particular linkage which broke was the one that controlled forward motion (cyclic pitch? JDP) of the Helicopter. The pushrod broke while the pilot was hovering the Helicopter with it pointing directly towards him. He found he was unable to stop the machine's forward motion, and, because he lacked the time to get out of its way, he was struck in the head by the tail rotor. The model immediately crashed just a few feet away. Although the pilot required stitches to close the wound, the injury he sustained was relatively minor, and he was able to return to the field later that day to collect his equipment. I feel there are two lessons to be learned from this incident.
