Safety Comes First!
John Preston
We reported an incident in the November 1982 issue that involved a "near miss" between a model airplane and a full-scale helicopter. The incident made headlines in the Chicago area. A follow-up, titled "Who Chases Helicopters?", comes to us via the newsletter of the Chicagoland R/C Modelers, Inc., written by their 1982 president, Bob Berkley.
No One Chases Helicopters
And that's just what the judge found when trying the case this past month. The bottom line is that a pilot flew his helicopter at a low altitude into an area where he knew model airplanes were present. What happened, in aviation terms, is a near mid-air collision. The helicopter pilot thought it was close, but the model pilots on the ground never saw the helicopter.
Such occurrences happen in the air all the time, and I'm disappointed that fellow R/Cers did not see this for what it was. The helicopter pilot said he pursued the issue because he feels we need more rules governing model airplanes. Just how far would he go to carry on his personal crusade? His actions were comparable to me walking across an expressway and then accusing a motorist of trying to kill me.
Full-scale aircraft have the right-of-way and should always be given it, but right-of-way infers knowledge of presence. When something traveling at better than 90 mph approaches, it is on you before you know it — and that's when you know it is coming and you're watching for it. What about when you aren't looking for it and, in fact, are concentrating and watching (with narrowed vision) another object in motion?
No sir, too much credence was given to the radio-hype personality on the air, and an unfortunate situation was given a carnival, childish appearance. I hope it never happens again. Yet, the helicopter company involved has not responded to our letter asking to meet and clear up this conflict.
It is unfortunate that, while the original incident received much publicity, there is no mention of the court case receiving similar attention from the media. The public is therefore left with the impression that modelers are irresponsible. We should all strive to prove that this is not so.
Traffic Patterns: Left-Handed or Right-Handed?
Are you a left-handed or a right-handed R/C flier? Or are you ambidextrous? No, we are not talking about whether you fly mode 1 or mode 2, nor whether your aileron/elevator stick is on the right or left side of your transmitter. Many among our ranks have a definite preference for the direction in which they perform their traffic pattern approach to landing. This may have something to do with the full-scale convention of a counterclockwise circuit of the field before landing.
An article on safety at the flying field, written by Dave Johnstone in Propwash (the newsletter of a Covington, KY R/C club), discusses landing approaches. Dave states: "The majority of pilots in our club make left-handed landing approaches at all times. That's fine if you are landing from left to right. But when you are landing from right to left, you must fly behind the pits in order to land. Landing approaches should always be done on the opposite side of the runway from the pits. This means that sometimes a right-handed landing approach will be in order. Let's all make this adjustment in the name of safety."
We recall that, back in 1968 when we first started flying R/C models, there was a fellow in our club who simply could not land his model from right to left. In all other respects he was a very accomplished flier. He was also a Navy pilot and had innumerable carrier landings to his credit. When the wind dictated a landing from right to left at our field, he would cross the active runway and land his model from his left — our right. Not a safe practice. In fact, we know of a flier who sustained a fractured arm when he was struck by a model while standing on the opposite side of the runway from all the other pilots.
No matter how your flying field is laid out, it goes without saying that pilots should all stand on the same side of the active runway — the same side as the pits — and no flying should take place behind the edge of the runway on which the pilots are standing. If you rank among those who cannot land their models from a right-handed approach and thus avoid flying over the pit area when the wind is from their left (when facing the runway), then you really cannot consider yourself an accomplished R/C pilot.
If your club has a flight training program for beginning fliers, it should be a requirement that, before a member is permitted to fly solo, he or she should demonstrate successful landings from either direction.
Club Flight Training Programs
Let us ask you: does your club have a flight training program? If your club consists of yourself and a half-dozen or so of your closest buddies, perhaps you don't need a formal training program for beginners. However, our hobby continues to draw newcomers, and pretty soon a club that used to have only a handful of members will grow to the point where you have no idea who all those strangers are at the flying field. Are you comfortable trusting your well-being to the assumed skill of those strangers?
It is unfortunate that as our ranks increase, in order to retain some harmony we have to establish formal rules for our operation. One of the two clubs to which we belong recently approved a flight training program for beginners. The club's membership had passed the 200 mark and a significant number were essentially "beginner" fliers. To promote safety at the flying field, it was desirable to have some formal guidelines on when a beginner had reached a level of proficiency that would permit him/her to fly unaccompanied by an instructor. For example: do a half-dozen successful flights on a Sig Kadet qualify a person to handle a piped, .60-powered Pattern model?
If your club already has a training program for beginners, we'd appreciate receiving a letter from you explaining how it works. Depending on the response, we will publish in a future column a summary of what clubs are doing to help newcomers to our hobby achieve their "wings."
Propeller Injuries
Never a month goes by without reading several accounts of incidents involving injuries associated with that whirling blade we put on the front of most of our models (sailplane fliers can skip this paragraph). This month our correspondent is Pat Greco, who wrote the following in Crosstalk, the newsletter of the San Jose Wavemasters R/C club.
Pat recounts three incidents that happened in a two-week period:
- One member was holding a plane while another was taking an RPM check at full throttle. The holder pointed to something and stuck his finger in the prop. He immediately jumped and let go of the plane revving at full throttle. Fortunately, the plane was stopped by his field box, sparing a worse injury.
- At an air show, a member holding a "Dog House" apparently pushed down on the front; the prop hit the ground, broke, and stuck in his chest.
- An engine was being revved up and the spinner came off and hit Pat in the face.
Fortunately, in all three incidents the injuries were minor.
We've had letters from readers who criticized us for reporting on "minor" injuries associated with props. Others have criticized us for not saying enough about prop hazards. It's a no-win situation, but as long as we receive letters from both sides, we feel we must be somewhere close to the correct course.
Fuel Hazards
Several months ago we received a letter from a reader who wanted to know how the explosive potential of glow fuel compared to that of gasoline. We were unable to quantitatively determine this. However, in the August 1982 issue of Transmitter, the newsletter of the Davenport R/C Society, John Haunersen (the editor) wrote the following:
"We have a new fuel on the market now being introduced at the flying field. It has an explosive power nine times that of dynamite. It can be ignited by spark or cigarette at a distance of 20 ft. or as still dry or about 5 ft. downwind in a light breeze. The flame temperature is over 1,500 degrees (that's hot enough to melt aluminum into a puddle), and the only way to extinguish it is to smother it."
Just imagine getting this stuff on you, your model, your buddy's model, or your buddy who is kind enough to hold your pride and joy while you start it. Who, you ask, would be so foolish as to use this stuff in his favorite airplane? Well, the new fuel showing up costs only about $1.32 a gallon and can be bought at any filling station. You guessed it — it's gasoline, and it is the fuel used in almost all of the 1/4-scale models with the Quadras, etc.
Frequency Monitors and an Incident at a Show
To conclude this month's safety column, we relate an incident that is a constant threat to the R/C modeler no matter how proficient he is or how well he takes care of his equipment. It came to us via the Gold Coast Flyer, edited by Art and Charlotte Johnson from Delray Beach, FL. It happened when the Florida Air Show Team was about to perform at Florida Atlantic University.
An incident ten minutes before show time gives pause for thought. The sound of a model engine starting in a parking lot a couple of hundred yards from the takeoff area was unexpected. A check with the Airtronics frequency monitor revealed a transmitter on 75.640 MHz. It turned out to be a couple of young fellows with a ready-built who had given no thought to the consequences of operating the radio where they could not hope to see the show team models ready for takeoff — a case of irresponsible ignorance.
They were cooperative when we explained the problem and invited them to watch the show and come out to the regular club field later if they wanted help.
When we were putting the models away after the show, we again heard an engine start up and a short time later a very loud thud as the model destroyed itself. Sure is hard to get across to some people that R/C models are not just toys.
In this incident, it was the sound of the engine that alerted the show team members to the presence of other modelers. However, if the intruders had been out of earshot, the team would still have learned of their presence by the radio signal on the Airtronics frequency monitor. How many other teams have had the wisdom to purchase a frequency monitor? An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
John Preston 7012 Elvira Ct. Falls Church, VA 22042
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
