Gary A. Shaw
Safety Comes First
5063 Benton Boulevard, Pace, FL 32561
OUT OF THE BLUE
"Come on, Trent! Grab some cover! The storm's almost over the field and you're out in the open with a lightning rod in your hands!"
"Yeah, yeah, yeah, I'm landing the @#$% thing!" Trent growled over the sound of thunder in the distance. "Who does Ben think he's talking to, some dumb rookie?" he thought. "I've been flying at this field since I was knee-high to a grasshopper and I haven't lost one yet!"
Small raindrops started landing on Trent's transmitter as he desperately tried to navigate his Ultra Sport through the heavy gusts of the approaching squall line.
"Hurry, Trent! Line it up for a hot landing and get it down!" Sweat formed on Trent's forehead as he glanced over his shoulder at the approaching storm.
"Jesus!" he spat.
Not more than a few hundred yards away he saw a solid wall of gray, hugging the ground and moving in his direction. The air suddenly turned cool as large raindrops started slapping the clubhouse roof just a few feet behind him. "Come on, Baby!" Trent thought. "Another hundred feet to the threshold and I'll pancake it in!"
Something hit him. "Damn ... hail! Man, can't remember the last time a storm came up this quick! I should've packed up when I had the chance!"
Trent's small airplane jumped up and down in the rough air as it approached the threshold. "Come on, Trent!" someone yelled from the pits. "Full power! Hard right rudder!"
"Just a few more feet!" Trent thought.
The air around Trent seemed to explode as the sky instantly turned pinkish-white and blue. Glancing to his left, Trent thought he saw little blue sparks dancing around a safety-fence pole not 50 feet away. Suddenly a resounding boom almost shook the transmitter from his hands.
"Whew!" he thought. "That was close ... too close!" Slightly dazed, Trent looked back to the field just in time to see the remains of his Ultra Sport cartwheeling off the runway.
Through the pouring rain Trent dashed back to the pits, a bit shaken, a bit upset at the loss of such a fine model, and a little wiser.
Sound familiar? Could the story fit you?
Having lived in the lightning belt (Florida) for the past two years, I can tell you the events I just described are true, although the names were changed to protect the "electrified."
Think lightning isn't a concern because it's winter? Well, think again! Although lightning occurs much less frequently in the North this time of year, anytime cold air mixes with warm air (such as when cold and warm fronts collide) lightning becomes a distinct possibility.
In fact, as I sit at the computer I'm watching scenes of rain, lightning, and snow (mixed together) moving through the Midwest. What a mess! It makes me happy to be in the sun belt this time of year—although for us lightning is a constant reality; it never seems to go away.
"Think about how you start your engine. Most of the time you don't think about it anymore. It's just automatic—and dangerous."
On that note, while visiting an area golf course recently, I noticed odd-looking boxes attached to the rental golf carts. Being slightly curious, I asked the local pro what the boxes were, and he said they were lightning detectors! What a neat idea!
Maybe I'm out of touch, but the presence of the little box on my cart made me wonder why I hadn't heard of anyone using them at the flying field. If these can warn golfers of danger, why can't they do the same for modelers? They seem like reasonable insurance for those who fly in lightning-prone areas. Besides all that, they're gadgets, and we all know how modelers love gadgets!
Ironically, while browsing through the library files on CompuServe Modelnet, I came across a company that sells the detectors for use by modelers. If you're curious about these devices and would like more information, contact:
- Ken Sherman
- Airborne Research Associates, Waltham, MA 02154
- E-mail: 75363.3607@compuserve.com
I'd be interested in hearing from modelers who have used lightning detectors!
Pinkies in the Prop
Just when you thought I'd finally gotten over telling "hand in the prop" stories, a great newsletter arrived from the hard-working members of the Western Michigan Radio Aircraft Flyers.
In the March 1995 issue of Radio Flyer, I read with interest a unique story from September 1985 written by then-Field Safety Officer Tom Mettler. Although the story is several years old, it blends some seriousness with humor to (hopefully) make you think about what happens when you stick your hand in a prop.
"Three or four weeks ago we had one of our newer members stick his fingers into a prop—running, of course. He needed several stitches to close the wounds. Luckily, he had just cuts, but anytime someone gets caught in a prop it's serious, even if it's just a nick. How serious depends on how much flesh you stick in it.
"I stated above that it was one of our newer members, only because most of the 'older' members have done or seen such things before and have a little more respect for props. So to our newer members I say, 'be alert and move very deliberately when your motor is running.' Think about sticking your fingers into a prop at 10,000 rpm and see what comes out.
"Now us 'old-timers' know better, don't we? We've been doing this for years, right? Oh, maybe we've gotten a nick or two, but we're careful, aren't we? Now think about how you start your engine. Most of the time you don't think about it anymore. It's just automatic—and dangerous. Next time you get your engine running and before you get your glow plug disconnected, stop and think about your next move. It could be important."
"Now I suppose you think just because I am the FSO I am supposed to write about such things, right? Wrong! I couldn't care less. The problem I have is when someone sticks his hand in a prop real good, flesh and blood usually goes flying all over the pit area. Then someone with a weak stomach pukes, which will probably make someone else do the same, and so on and on and on, et cetera. Bad enough until the flies come, now I have to fly in this mess! Makes me sick!
If you're going to stick your pinkies in the prop just to make me sick, stay home. Keep the pit area neat!
Funny, I've always wondered why all the bugs in the world seem to show up at the flying field, now I know. Remember: You can't grow new body parts! Pay attention—and save some flesh!
Official Information Release
Summary of Pylon Safety Cage Static Test Results
The Academy of Model Aeronautics, Inc. commissioned Lee F. Webster (vice president of TestCo, Inc.) to perform various tests on Pylon safety cages.
The static-test program studied Pylon Racing safety-cage designs when subjected to simulated impact loads generated by Pylon racers flying at high speeds. Test results indicate that the straps used to secure the chain-link wire fabric to the cage frames can lead to substantial deflection of the fabric. Better results are achieved by welding the fabric to the frame.
Furthermore, #6 wire (1/32-inch minimum diameter) is preferred over #9; #6 reduces fabric deflection considerably.
Personnel in Pylon safety cages should position themselves at least 12 inches from the #6 wire cage wall fabric, and at least 18 inches from cage walls constructed from #9.
- Straps securing chain-link fabric can allow substantial deflection; welding fabric to the frame is better.
- Use #6 wire (1/32" min diameter) instead of #9 to reduce fabric deflection.
- Maintain at least 12 inches clearance from #6 wire cage walls and 18 inches from #9 wire walls.
Free Flight Failure
For those of you who enjoy the simple pleasures of free flight, you might be interested in a letter I recently received from avid free flighter Jean Andrews of Tucson, Arizona.
Jean describes a "virtual explosion" that occurred shortly after the launch of his model:
"A mutual friend had given a friend a K&B 6.5-powered free flight airplane, since his health precludes continuing the hobby. The airplane is set up for right-hand flying, and since his friend is left-handed he prevailed upon me to fly it with him. The drill was that he would prepare the ship, then I would utilize my starter and not start the engine, check the engine—off, timer, and then launch it.
"The first flight of the model, with its eight-foot span and its engine developing 22,000 rpm on a 10 x 4 prop, was awe-inspiring, as it climbed to over 500 feet on a five-second engine run and rolled into a beautiful glide.
"We were both enthusiastic. He quickly prepared the ship for its second flight, this time with a seven-second engine run, and handed it to me again for flight. I fired up the engine again, waited the engine run down to the seven-second mark, and launched it. Two seconds into the flight the model virtually exploded, with the wing breaking into two halves, and the wreckage, with the engine now shut off, falling to the ground not 50 feet from the launch point.
"Post-crash inspection disclosed that the screws holding the engine mount to the fuselage had backed completely out, allowing the engine to swing to the left and up into the wing, severing it and stopping the engine. The frightening thing was that if I had held the model an additional two seconds the engine, and even more, would have swung directly into the area where my left arm was holding the model. I doubt very much if I could have shut it down in time to prevent serious injury to my hand and arm.
"Lessons learned? I pilot full-scale aircraft, and I'm accustomed to thoroughly preflighting any airplane I fly, yet I completely omitted this important step, instead assuming that my friend, in readying the model for flight, had checked all engine screws and surface alignments prior to giving me the ship for flight.
"Believe me, in addition to checking over my own ships before each flight I will thoroughly go over any model I am asked to fly. Preflight inspections are just as important in miniature as well as full-scale flying and should never be neglected!"
Although it was a safe ending for those involved, it's too bad Jean had to experience a near mishap before he realized the truth of what we see in print every day: Always preflight your model!
Enjoy the building season while you can, and make sure you have plenty of ventilation when using glues and paints! Until next month, keep the cyanoacrylate off your fingers!
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
