PointMagu

My Feedback: (11)

Since there isn't a "Safety" catagory per se on the site but as this issue crosses all boundries and interests, I thought
I'd pick this forum to post my experience today.

In the 25+ years I've been flying models, I've never used a teather line to secure my airplanes. While this sounds irresponsible and an invitation to disaster, I've never experienced a problem or accident. I've always been very cognizent of prop arcs, starter leads, etc.

I've always held the fuselage with my left hand while starting the engine with my right. I've never released my plane until I've throttled back, made sure all was clear and had the battery disconnected prior to taxiing out of the pits.

Last eveving, while reading an article in Model Aviation about safety stands and safety in general, I realized that my practices with 40-60 sized airframes were pretty much dangerous now that I'm flying larger models and running big 4-strokes.

As I packed up this morning for what promised to be a glorius flying day without a cloud in the sky, temps to be in the high 70's and nary a breath of wind, I decided to use a teather line for the very 1st time. I tossed 2 bungee cords and a 24" screwdriver into the trunk.

I'm typing this post with one hand and 3 fingers. My left hand is wrapped in a ball of gauze, protecting 5 lacerations and 35 stitches after my safety line failed. What went wrong?

Well, as best I can tell after looping the bungee around the aft fuselage of my Sukhoi, I moved around front, connected the battery and applied the torque starter to the spinner. The pressure I used to hold the cone against the spinner must have moved the airplane back just far enough to disengage the hooks holding the bungee cords together. So when the engine caught, I throttled back and placed the starter away from the model. The Saito began to load up a little so as I reached around with my left to disconnect the glo starter, I used my right to advance the idle just a tad.

The tad was enough to pull the airframe forward about 3" or just far enough to catch my hand reaching for the battery.

Needless to say, I spent the rest of the afternoon in the local Emergency Room.

I placed far too much trust into what I considered an idiot-proof improvement to my flying, "best-practices"... Yep, and the Titanic was unsinkable.

I'm convinced a teather is a safe thing to use but I'll not be using bungees with hooks ever again. In fact, once these stitches are removed and I regain full use of the hand, I'm building a much better restraining device.

Oh yeah, I'm also losing 6 days of work and potential income loss. All-in-all, a beautiful flying day that had a dark cloud afterall.

Be careful out there folks, very-very careful!

PM

Jim Thomerson

Thanks for sharing the story. Anytime I change my routine in any way, I try to stop and think about it before going on. Been caught short a couple of times.

alan0899

G'day Mate,
Over here in Australia, we use, what we call "restraints", they are 1/2" steel rods, with A/C insulation over them, to protect wings, see pix.
And NEVER disconnect glow driver or tune engine from the front of the plane, always from behind.
I know it is a bit late, sorry about your injuries.
Our clubs have a very good safety record, & we drum these procedures into our members, young & old, to keep it that way.

Rick W

My Feedback: (20)

Point,

Man, sorry to hear your story. As a season approaches it's time to sit down and think of your routine and pre-practice. Only takes a couple of minutes to get a good safty routine down. . Last year I made he mistake of adjusting the needle on a screaming OS .15 from the front, GOT LAZY and took a prop hit on the same finger I just had stitches taking out of from a stainless steel cut I got playing with my lathe. Needless to say It was a dumb on both parts but was good safety wake up call.

Mend well, take care and thanks for the heads up....
Rick

wjvail

My Feedback: (3)

I'm a believer in routine. I've done the ol' hold it with the left crank it with the right for too many years. If the models get big enough that I can't hold them with one hand, at full throttle and/or in reverse, I put a rope around the tail and around a screwdriver in the ground... or more often get someone to hold the tail. I often remove the glow igniter and tune an engine from the front. I know that labels me as a sinner but that is how I've done it for too many years.

I don't care for the stands shown in the AMA mag you referred to. I find them difficult to work on and around. I find them harder to get a running model off the stand and onto the ground. I've seen some nasty cuts from folks using these stands that hadn't considered the possibility the engine may start backward. When the model started moving backwards off the table/stand they reached for it and reached into the prop. Since my club only has these "safety stands", I start my model on the ground... just like I have for 40 years.

All of this isn't to say the stands aren't great. Again, routine is the key. If you've got an operation that works for you, do it. If that means the stands, who am I to say they aren't the perfect solution?

Bill Vail

Insanemoondoggie

I`m fairly new to the hobby and have never started one without restraint . It is just a habit I started from the beginning , and I prefer the starting stands so much , { I don`t bend so will anymore lol} that I`m building one for home . I think it will compliment the horse shoe pit nicely.

ag4ever

When starting at the field, I use the starting stands most of the time, but I still put a hand on the modle to steady it.

When starting it at home, I have some of the stakes that twist into the ground and have a loop on them at the top. I put them in the ground and then capture the landing gear in the loop so the plane won't move. This works good at home since I don't want the plane to fly and the stakes keep the plane on the ground and prevents it from going forward.

I don't see how just having upright in front of the plane or even having the tail tied down would keep you from needing to put a hand on the plane. I use my second hand to staedy the plane against the force I am applying against the engine to start it. If I did not, the plane would just roll back and the starter would not have enough force on the nose cone to actually start the engine.

Newc

A couple of comments/opinions...(First of all, sorry to hear of the injury!)

I hope that this statement will be revised to state "I'll not use bungee cords again", as with or without the hooks a bungee cord - by definition - will stretch and therefore is a really bad idea for a 'restraint'.

Yeah, routines can be great, but they can also be recipes for disaster since they can be the cause of complacency. A routine can be a good thing, but keep in mind that those who use routines frequently and safely - like full scale pilots - perform their routines with the aid of a written checklist to make sure that they are really paying attention to the proper routine and doing it correctly.

PointMagu

My Feedback: (11)

LOL...

Point taken. Fortunately, no skin grafting will be required and the stitches will be out in 2 weeks.

Actually, my "routine" had been the 2-handed approach I outlined in the original post. That routine served me many a year and I can't
say I won't "slip" back to it again when flying smaller models, :-)

As for my future "teather" plans, I'm considering a device that won't require lifting the aircraft off a table, untying a clothesline or spending a lot of money on a commercially available product.

My club pres uses a nylon rope, looped over the tail or sometimes one with a slip knot that he releases once his engine is "just right".

I'm thinking of a pickle fork arrangement, sort of an upside down goal-post that I can stick into the ground, (grass field) just in front of the stabilizer. Aluminum rods long enough to be secure but thin enough so as not to be bulky. Once the engine is purring, all I have to do is pull the fork out of the ground and taxi out of the pits.

If I had a fancy stationary place at our field, I could sink a couple of pipes into the ground and simply drop the fork into these. Either way, I'm thinking this method provides quick and safe teather control on any sized model.

I'll let y'all know if it works out the way I envision, lol...

PM

Capt. Crackup

My Feedback: (1)

PointMagu,
Thanks for sharing your mishap. Sometimes unfortunately, we have to see someone elses misfortune to really wake us up. I wish you well. Skip D