Safety Comes First!
Good etiquette at the RC field. More on superglue and eye injuries. We need information on propeller failures!
- John Preston
Etiquette at the flying field
As we write this column (at the end of March), spring has just arrived in the Washington, DC area. Last night we attended a meeting of the Northern Virginia RC Club which featured the Annual Building Contest. This is held every spring, and members bring new models created during the winter months and have them judged by their peers for Best Finish, Most Unique, Best Scale, etc. In a week or so (when the soggy flying field dries out), these models will be making their first flights.
Copies of the club's March newsletter were available at the meeting. Featured was an article by the president, Larry Parfitt, who had some interesting remarks about etiquette at the flying field. The following statements, extracted from Larry's article, will show you how being considerate of your fellow club members can also improve the safety of your field's operations.
High-speed passes and/or aerobatics within the traffic pattern area, especially while students and recently-soloed club members are in the traffic pattern, are not acceptable. I know several club members who have wanted to fly — their frequency pin was available — but would not because what was going on up and down the runway made them feel uncomfortable. Now, in the event that some of you think that Larry's become senile, chicken, or both, all I can say is: there is a time and place for everything. Certainly, Arcola (the name of the flying field) is the place. But Saturdays and Sundays, during the busy part of the day when many pilots whose skill levels range from novice to intermediate are flying — or hoping to fly — is not the time.
Now here's another kind of rude, inconsiderate, and dangerous person. He's the guy who runs up his engine in the pit. This guy is apparently oblivious to the havoc he's creating behind him, especially when his propwash is directed up or down the pit line. Ever seen an aircraft flipped onto its back — or stood up on its nose? Or maybe you, too, have had pit crud blown into your face a few times? Somewhat irritating, isn't it?
Then there are the inconsiderate folks who go out on the runway and forget to yell "Man on the field" so all can hear. Then they get their aircraft and walk back to the pit area without yelling "All clear." Ever been low on fuel and about to go deadstick while waiting for an "All clear" call that never came?
Still another kind of person who appears on the scene occasionally is the one who starts his takeoff roll back in the pit area and roars out at a 90° angle to the runway and into the air. I think we'd all agree that we can do nicely without those kinds of takeoffs.
Probably the most dangerous situation of all, however, and one that will curl your hair, is to be out on the flight line flying when, all of a sudden, a glider or 1/4 A (launched from somewhere back in the pit area) comes sailing overhead. To put the subject on a very personal basis, I was standing beside a club member one day while his aircraft was on final approach. All of a sudden, someone shouted, "Heads up." Sure enough, there was a glider overhead that had been launched from the pit area with the switch OFF. After several diving circles back toward the flight line, both of us hit the dirt as the glider flew into the ground about six feet away. Fortunately, no one was hurt — but guess what? After we stood up, the aircraft that was on final wasn't there anymore. Man, there must be a message here somewhere.
By the time you receive this issue of Model Aviation, the 1982 flying season (for those clubs that shut down operations for the winter) will be well under way. We ask that you please treat your fellow fliers with some respect in the hope that, by doing so, you ensure their safety as well as your own.
AMA flying site specifications and insurance
Staying on the subject of RC flying field operations, during March we received a package of information from AMA HQ that contained, among other things, a Voluntary Flying Site Specifications Standard that is applicable to RC activities. The specifications were accompanied by an Information Release that stated that all AMA chartered clubs will be provided with $2,000,000 liability insurance coverage during 1982. However, during 1983, only clubs that meet the requirements of the flying site specifications will be able to apply for and obtain this amount of coverage.
We assume that the specifications will be published in a future issue of Model Aviation. It appeared in the June "AMA News" and is also in the 1982–83 rule book. We guess the majority of RC clubs' fields do not meet the specifications. However, with some minor changes, many clubs might be able to comply with the requirements. If your club is planning for a new field, we suggest you study the specifications immediately. It would save you some money in the long run if you wish to observe these guidelines. Apparently there are specifications for CL and FF sites in the works. These are expected to be published during 1982.
Cyanoacrylate glues — inhalation and overheating risks
We also had a letter this month from Peter Miller who resides in England. Peter is now writing a safety column in the British magazine Radio Control Models & Electronics. In his letter was a safety tip about the use of cyanoacrylate glues. It read as follows:
"In the February issue of RCM&E, Dave Boddington suggested that metal to be soldered could be held together with cyanoacrylate glue. As a result of this, I got a letter from Dr. Michael F. Hawkins, Senior Aviation Medical Specialist, Aeromedical Centre, British Aircraft Corporation, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia. He tells me that technicians working in an electronics lab were complaining of breathlessness and headaches. His colleague, Dr. Adolph, carried out an investigation and found that their blood contained some carbon monoxide and cyanide. These had originated from cyanoacrylate applied to electronic components and then heated with an iron during soldering. The practice was banned. Dr. Hawkins points out that there should be a considerable difference between regular exposure at work and occasional exposure in a hobby. However, if you must do it, good ventilation is a must. I also feel that from the foregoing, one must keep cyanoacrylate away from any possible risk of overheating the tube or bottle.
"Dr. Hawkins also states that when spraying polyurethane paint, a filter gas mask does not give adequate protection. Proper practice is to use a remote air supply.
"I like Dr. Hawkins' last paragraph and I quote: 'So, after doing your soldering in a fume cupboard and using your aquaglung to spray on the paint, you start the engine, and catch your tie in the propeller, requiring 24 stitches. Oh well, that's Safety for you.' "
Superglue and eye injuries
Another letter on the subject of cyanoacrylate glues came from Barry Nealis, who works at the Naval Air Engineering Center at Lakehurst, N.J. Barry enclosed a clipping from the base paper, Airscoop, with a headline: "Superglue mishaps cause increase in eye injuries." Although we have talked about superglues (cyanoacrylates) in previous columns, we neglected to mention the hazard outlined in the clipping which is as follows:
A. T. Picaroni, NAEC General Safety Officer, warns that a dramatic increase in the number of people mistakenly using so-called superglues instead of eye drops has been recorded by the National Society to Prevent Blindness.
Some superglues are packaged similarly to popular brands of eye drops, and this is believed to be contributing to the confusion.
The superglues may contain cyanoacrylate, which is highly irritating to the eye and can cause severe reaction. One of the cases reported involved a 58-year-old man who had recently had cataract surgery. Another involved a four-year-old boy who was apparently imitating adults he had seen using eye drops.
The U. S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is concerned about these cases, and some glue manufacturers are investigating alternative packaging. Public warnings seem to have succeeded in removing hazardous glue packages from shelves in some areas.
Picaroni said that eye drops should be stored separately from any substance that could be mistaken for them and should be kept out of reach of children. Be sure to check labels carefully before each use.
Ordinarily, the first aid procedure for foreign substances in the eye is to rinse them immediately and continuously with clean water. However, some types of glue will not wash out easily, and it is important to contact an ophthalmologist or go to a hospital emergency room immediately, Picaroni warned.
Take the substance that was accidentally placed in the eye, along with the box it came in (if possible), to the hospital, he said.
Before any manufacturers of cyanoacrylate glues take issue with some statements in the Airscoop article, let us state that we think the eye injuries may be overstated in terms of permanent damage. We would describe cyanoacrylates as "very irritating" to the eye rather than outright "toxic." Also, to our knowledge there are few confirmed cases of permanent scarring and blindness. Contact with the eye will cause the eyelids to be instantaneously glued shut, and if this ever happens to you do not try to separate them yourself. Seek medical aid immediately. Although eyelids are surgically separated by a professional, there is usually extreme discomfort for several weeks.
To the best of our knowledge, none of the cyanoacrylate glues that you see advertised in the hobby magazines are packaged in bottles that are also used by the manufacturers of eye drops. Although the Airscoop article stated that some superglues and eye drops "are packaged similarly," those that the U.S. CPSC was concerned about were actually in identical bottles. The glue manufacturers in question have now changed their packaging to make their glue bottles readily distinguishable from bottles containing eye drops.
Nevertheless, we suggest you don't keep your glue in the bathroom medicine cabinet nor your eye drops in the field box. Needless to say, you should always store all of your hobby glues (and paints, solvents, fuel, etc.) out of reach of children. Two out of three bottles of hobby variety cyanoacrylate glue that we just checked in our workshop did state "Keep Out Of Reach Of Children."
In case you are thinking that there are few people in this world that would be dumb enough to use cyanoacrylate glue as eye drops, let us leave you with a specific case that we find hard to believe but which came to us from a very reliable source. It seems that a lady had the misfortune to bond one eyelid closed when she mistook an identically-packaged superglue for her eye drops. A visit to an ophthalmologist was successful in parting the eyelids without any damage to the eye. Great, so what's so special about that story? Well, a couple of days later she was back at the ophthalmologist's after having repeated her mistake and bonding the other eye shut. Hard to believe, perhaps, but it gives you some idea about the weaknesses of human beings that, in turn, sends us to the typewriter once a month to tell you about it. We hope that you may learn from the mistakes of others.
Preflight checks — clevis and control horn
Speaking of mistakes, even writers of safety columns can stand accused. Back in the November 1981 issue of MA we discussed preflight checks of RC models. Not one word did we say about inspecting the connection between the pushrod clevis and the control horn. A letter that arrived after we wrote that column enclosed a photograph of a clevis and control horn (both appeared to be nylon) that had been on a MEN Trainer powered by a Fox .25. A docile airplane, but the clevis pin had sheared.
Bob Hanson of Albuquerque, NM sent us the picture and, in an accompanying letter, told us that the failure was discovered while the model's loose tail wheel was being tightened. In his letter Bob states: "Many of us religiously complete a thorough preflight of our high-powered Pattern ships, but tend to downplay or neglect this function when it comes to the more docile, less-powerful models."
In our response to Bob's letter we stated: "Unfortunately, there are many who believe that if it worked last weekend it will work again this weekend." Maybe it will and maybe it won't. It never hurts to check and be sure that all appears to be well.
Propeller failures — GRP prop hazards and request for reports
The final topic this month concerns a breakage of a component in which it may be hard or even impossible to detect flaws but could result in serious injury or even death. This is our old friend (or is it enemy?) the propeller.
Charlie Johnson, MA's CL Combat contributing editor, sent us the pieces of a GRP (glass-reinforced plastic) propeller from which both blades had parted company with the hub while in the air. It appeared to be in otherwise good condition, but examination revealed that the hub area had developed crazing and the retaining structure had failed. The failure was progressive and had probably been developing for some time before the blades separated. We suggest that anyone using GRP props inspect the hub and blade-root areas very carefully and discard any prop showing signs of crazing, cracking, or other deterioration.
One had been mounted on a Slow Combat model with a mild engine, and one blade was hurled into the ground very close to some spectators. This is not the first time we've heard of this type of incident.
We have been asked to do a follow-up to determine if there is some kind of special problem with this type of prop. Since we are not in a position to do tests in a controlled environment, we are at a loss on where to go from here. We would like to ask our readers for help in the hope that, if there is a problem, we can detect it by establishing a pattern from the incidents that are reported.
If you have experienced a case of propeller blade separation (other than by contact with the ground or other solid object), please let us know about it. We are interested in failures of propellers of any brand, material and size. If possible, include the following information:
- Propeller: Brand name, size, material. Any modifications to the prop.
- Engine: Brand name, size, rpm at full throttle (if known).
- Type of model: e.g. RC Pattern, CL Stunt, etc.
- Weather conditions at time of incident: temperature and approximate humidity.
- Age of propeller: months since purchase date, approximate number of flights, any prior abuses (crashes).
Meanwhile, let us remind you to minimize the time that you spend in line with the arc of a spinning propeller. Also be alert to the location of bystanders and rubber-neckers who seem to be drawn like a magnet to the sound of a screaming engine.
Have a safe month.
John Preston 7012 Elvira Court, Falls Church, VA 22042.
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
