President's Perspective
"Break's over, back on your heads," goes the punch line of an old (bad) joke. After getting last month off, our officers' columns are back. While we didn't have to write columns last month, it surely doesn't mean that we took time off! It seems like I sprint from one committee meeting to another lately.
We have been slowly and methodically increasing our dependence on committees as a way of contending with increasing workloads. It's important that we are prepared to change the way we do business as the world in which we live changes. Only by having committees dedicated to particular areas of concern can we hope to stay abreast of the times.
Old fuel hazard
I was talking with Don Lowe, my predecessor as AMA President and now chairman of the Safety Committee, and he related an incident involving a friend of his that should scare any of us. This friend had an old one‑gallon can of fuel in his shed, and when he attempted to open the can it exploded, causing him severe burns. While the man is expected to survive, he will be at least a year recovering from the accident.
What is frightening about this accident is that, as far as can be determined, the can exploded spontaneously, without any known external spark source. While it is possible that a spark was generated when the cap was twisted loose with pliers, the can was full and, without airspace, it shouldn't explode—even if there was a spark.
Judging by the brand, this can of fuel was very old (about 20 years), and the formulation might have used chemicals that became unstable over long periods of time. The problem is that we just don't know, and may never be sure of exactly what happened. We don't know if the fuel became shock‑sensitive, if movement or exposure to air caused it to detonate, or whether the can's rust played a role.
We have more questions than answers at this time, but I decided it was important to relate this situation so you can be extremely careful if you come across an old can of fuel. I don't know exactly what you should do if you find one in your shed, garage, or basement, but I'd rather risk being ridiculed for overreacting and calling the authorities than risk ending up recovering in a severe burn unit.
I also know I might be tempted to ignore it, but I'd have a hard time living with myself if some child chanced upon it and got hurt. Please understand that this was a very old can of fuel, and we believe it may have contained some ingredients not typically used in today's fuel.
Aerobatic safety pledge
Speaking of safety, I fly some full‑scale aerobatics and belong to the International Aerobatic Club. The members push safety as the paramount goal of their organization. They seem to have concluded that unsafe acts by people—as opposed to mechanical failure—cause the most accidents.
They have adopted a program in which all members sign an aerobatic safety pledge that not only says, "I will fly safely," but also that, "If I observe someone else flying in an unsafe manner, I will, in a non‑threatening manner, talk to that individual, pointing out his unsafe practices." It sounds like a good idea to me, as long as it doesn't become confrontational and is limited to genuine safety issues.
As an example, a couple of weeks ago I attended a small fly‑in, and near the end of the day I spotted an old friend alone on the field starting his engine. He was holding the airplane with his left hand and starting it with his right. I ran out and held the airplane; he responded that I needn't bother, that he was all right. I simply told him that I felt better holding the airplane than watching him start it alone, and that it was much safer. I was not confrontational, but I was effective in conveying my concern. Hopefully he and a few others who were standing around got the message.
Dave
Dave Brown AMA President dbrown@dbproducts.com
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
