Now you're Talking
Lindsey Smith
I have at last decided to write an open letter addressed to my fellow modelers. It takes a while for me to get sufficiently worked up to compose a letter expressing my thoughts.
I have been actively involved in flying for over thirty years, fifteen in Scale. I also hold a VFR pilot license. Generally (although here in the Northeast, good flying weather is restricted to six months), like many active Scale modelers, I try to attend a fair share of Scale events. These events range from club-sanctioned Scale meets, Scale qualifiers, and IMAA (International Miniature Aircraft Association) fly-ins. Like many, I enjoy displaying and flying airplanes as well as meeting the public and talking about our sport.
I have witnessed for many years the tremendous growth in the physical size of Scale airplanes. It has made the hobby more exciting, and has increased both participation and our audience numbers. What a crowd pleaser to watch a 1/5-scale Cub fly, an Extra 300 with smoke burn up the skyline, or a line of warbirds on display.
I have seen airplane sizes increase from 1/6-scale, eight-pound airplanes, to 1/5-scale, 45-pound aircraft with 12 or greater horsepower gas burners. There has also been a tremendous increase in the quality of kits and radios from manufacturers. Engines are much more reliable today. Servos, batteries, and other composite materials are available that enable us to build larger and better airplanes. I, for one, feel that most pilots have become much more proficient at their game.
Along with the advances in scale technology, however, I see some problems developing. These problems are the increased safety risks that occur with the use of larger and heavier airplanes.
These safety risks can be grouped into three sets of new problems:
- The aircraft themselves
- The pilots
- The flying fields that we use
The Aircraft
Because of the increase in size and weight of the aircraft, the chance of injury and damage in case of an accident is much greater than in years past. This past flying season was the first time—and I hope the last—that I ever saw people requiring a hospital emergency trip for serious injuries.
Did you notice that the injuries were plural? That's right. At two separate events I witnessed accidents that required emergency room attention. The first required about thirty-six stitches. The second required eight.
But wait, there's more. At another event, I saw a helicopter lose a rotor and careen full throttle into several spectators.
These accidents are so shocking that in every case the whole flying event properly came to a sudden halt.
If this is representative and a trend in our sport, will these types of accidents put a real damper on our activities? Spectators may perceive our events to be too dangerous to attend. Will insurance rates skyrocket? Will clubs and pilots be sued?
This past season I have seen engines pull away from firewalls, radio interference, elevator servos let go—the list goes on—and I am not alone in witnessing these types of events. These are the accidents that could not be predicted.
Many of you will say, "But wait! We have a safety program at our field or we inspect each airplane prior to the contest." That's all commendable. But an external safety check is just that—external. You do not know the adequacy or quality of the internal parts. Furthermore, the events where these accidents occurred had safety checks. We need to find some way of inspecting more closely that might find problems with internals.
The Pilots
The problem is worse when the accident is caused by human behavior. I have attended contests on more than one occasion where I have seen this possibility firsthand—on too many occasions. Airplanes do flybys or maneuvers within a few feet of spectators or line personnel. A pilot guns his or her aircraft behind the flightline or in the pit area due to "plane rage."
These are not small, light airplanes with 60-inch wingspans, where this kind of pilot behavior could simply be frowned upon and attributed to the pilot's immaturity. With the bigger airplanes now more prevalent at our fields, this kind of activity is just plain dangerous. If you are going to play with the big boys it's time to grow up before you do bodily harm to others.
I am not suggesting, nor do I imply, that all accidents are avoidable. Many, however, could be avoided with proper safety precautions in place and enforced.
The Flying Fields
With the increase in size, we should now begin thinking about the physical sizes and layouts of our flying fields, and the safety standards we impose.
The question I pose for thought—maybe for club presidents, AMA officials, Contest Directors, and those pilots that enjoy the big birds—is this: Is your club field adequate to safely fly the big stuff? I recognize this is a subjective question, but let's think about it for a moment.
Think of the full-scale event last summer in Virginia Beach. An F-117A had structural problems and crashed. Fortunately there was no serious injury to any spectators. The spectators were adequately protected by the distance from the actual accident. We should be thinking about our safety policies. It's the field and the overall control of the program that is important. Do we provide enough space? Do we keep spectators confined to specific areas that are less likely to be in a flight path? This may seem too strict. However, we should be thinking about our safety policies now.
If this past season is indicative of trends into the future, then what? The accidents will become more serious. Maybe a coroner shows up. That's right—believe it or not, accidents of this magnitude do occur at full-scale events. As our flying events become closer to the crowd, the risks increase. It is only a matter of time.
I make a low-level pass at full throttle, close to a line of spectators, and something lets go. It could be the radio, elevator servo, pushrod, or any number of parts. The fact remains: I lost control. The airplane flies into the crowd of spectators and severs the artery of a victim, as well as inflicting other bodily injury. Could this type of accident be prevented?
At our events, we should provide some awareness to the public of safety rules and why they are important. Safety warnings should be clearly displayed. There should be serious field enforcement of flight safety. Adequate field space (distance from the flight line to the pit area to spectators, etc.) would go a long way in providing time to get out of the way and maybe prevent serious injury.
I am also thinking about the bigger picture. Allow me to pose some questions to think about regarding your particular field and event:
- Are your flying fields adequate to safely fly large airplanes?
- Is there sufficient space, in case something does go wrong, to provide the element of time to get out of the way?
- Are we flying these larger models at fields that are only adequate for the .40- to .60-size airplanes?
- Are we flying our airplanes too close to the flightline?
- Are our large airplanes with 100-inch or greater wingspans able to fly safely doing various flight patterns simultaneously?
- Are we starting our airplanes too close to flightline personnel?
By asking yourself these questions you can make an honest attempt at a safer approach to this sport.
I am not one who will suggest going overboard on this topic. The solutions should be thought out in terms of safety, pilot convenience, and common sense.
I, like many others, have been to events where safety standards consisted of a rope barrier across the taxi area. My guess was that this barrier was to keep pilots off the runway, when in fact the barrier acted as a potential trip wire and hazard to the contestant and airplane. Safety regulations should make sense.
Conclusion
If we continue to fly ever-larger airplanes, we need to think about these issues. If we do not, perhaps we are not ready to fly these bigger airplanes. I personally will never suggest that size and weight be forever limited. Quite the contrary.
No, my message is a simple one: our flying programs and fields should be designed in such a way that airspace and adequate distance provide a reasonable safety margin to contestants and spectators alike. Contest Directors and clubs need to have an honest discussion and evaluation of their own situations.
We model pilots, like our full-scale cousins, should make it our responsibility to enforce and ensure margins of flight safety. We should begin thinking about possible consequences of our personal behavior on the field. After all, we are risking not only our personal safety, but the investment we have made in our airplanes and beloved hobby.
Lindsey Smith 34 Seasons Lane Londonderry, NH 03053
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
