Conference vmszoo::rc

    Hmm, next thing you know someone is going to petition the AMA to
    mandate Range Safety Officers like on rocket launches.  You know,
    the guys with the keys that have the responsability of setting off
    the destruct charges.....
    
    Speaking of safety, what size or speed regulations does the AMA
    have for cars?  If I were to outfit a D-10 bulldozer with radio
    controls, would it be covered for damage?  :+)
    
    Willie

    Anker, you may find this of particular interest.  
    
    This past Saturday we closed our field for annual revamping.  We
    decided that we could make the field safer by redoing the pits and
    parking areas.  It used to look like this:
    
    -----------------------------------------------------------
    
    Runway - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
    
    ------------------------------------------------------------
    
    
    
    ............................................................
    
    Pit Area
    ............................................................
    Fence===============  ==================  ==============  ==
    
    Parking ->                                                 <-
    
    -------------------------------------------------------------
    
    
    Roadway
    
    -------------------------------------------------------------
    
    
    Well we moved the parking area to the opposite side of the roadway
    and moved the separating fence back to the roadway.  This put more
    distance between the runway and the pits (not to mention the cars).
    
    Now that you can see how things changed, this is what happened Sunday.
    
    
    Our resident DF flyer had built a replacement Byron's F16 for the
    one he lost last year.  He got it out and readied it for its maiden
    voyage.  This new F16 was the same as the last only he opted for
    a Rossi .81 instead of the usual OS .77.   Every thing was checked
    out and ready to go so he headed out to the runway.  He pointed
    it into the wind revved it up and let'er go.  I snapped a picture
    for you all to see.    As it got halfway down the runway, I snapped
    another shot.  I was following it in my view finder when it rotated
    and as I was about to snap a shot, it went knife edge (Top towards
    me) about 2 inches off the deck.
    
    When I saw this I dropped the camera from my eyeballs (I should'a
    got that shot).  It was obvious that something was wrong!  Well,
    it nosed into the ground, thus removing the right wing, followed
    by alot of tumbling that removed the rest of the wing, stab, rudder,
    nose, etc...    The darn thing ended up facing back towards which
    it came.  Only it was about 10 feet in front of the new pit area
    which was lined up with about 20+ planes (my new Kougar included). 
    
    Well at that point we were looking down the throat of what was referred
    to as a tasmanian devil.  You got it,  all there was to be seen
    was our ---holes and elbows.  I never dreamed that I could pivot
    faster on one foot than a Pro Basketball Player.   
    
    The engine was still wide open on the now wingless beast.  It ran
    back down the old pit area line trying to get airborne.  The pilot
    had zero control.  It managed to get enough air to make a left
    turn/roll into the fence.  It laid there upside down screaming full
    throttle.  At this point everyone came up from behind the cars,
    seeing the F16 safely netted by the fencing.  The pilot had to come
    over and yank the tank to stop the engine.               
    
    We were lucky, no planes or persons were hurt.  As I went back to
    my planes, one of my buddies picks up the battery pack that had
    been in the nose of the F16.  It was now obvious why there was no
    radio after the crash, but none as to what initated it.  Everything,
    including the radio was new.
    
    Moral of this story is "we saved some planes and injuries by relocating
    as far from the runway as the geography allowed."
    
     __  X
     \ \/__
    __\/__Z_  Chris
    
    Yep, its a crummy rendition of a crash, but I wanted in on the action.
    

    Re: .1
    
    	I think they'll insure everything smaller than a D-8, so your
    D-10 should be covered.
    
    	All seriousness aside, AMA don't insure cars.  The second "A"
    is for airplanes and other flying things.  Do the R/C car folk have
    their own organization?  How do car clubs handle the liability issue
    if this isn't the case?  Are their weight/size/speed limits on cars?

    next time, don't be so polite and make sure that he understands
    that doing some things is just plain stupid. BTW, this guy may end
    up having the club loose its rights to the filed if he doesn't watch
    it !!
    
    md

  Well yesterday I went to the Acton swamp and met Kevin Ladd for the 
first time.  While watching a few planes in the air I noticed Kevins
trainee? come real close to needing a head transplant.  It would appear
that this one guy was taking off and his plane veered off of the runway
and towards the pit area.  Instead of aborting he gunned it and pulled
straight up missing Kevins friends (I just can't remember his name) head
by what appeared to me to be no more than 2 feet!  It scared the SH__ out
of me to see that!  I also didn't notice anyone saying anything to the
pilot about it either. 
  It seems that the swamp has more than it share of problems....



   Jim

>  Well yesterday I went to the Acton swamp and met Kevin Ladd for the 
>first time.  While watching a few planes in the air I noticed Kevins

Hey Jim - I was there also - how come you didn't introduce yourself
to me?  

Bob Burley and I were the two fools launching gliders right in front
of the end of the runway.

I ended up landing in one of the water puddles and my receiver got wet
and started acting up.  Its laying open drying out today.  Bob may
be back out again this afternoon.

              _!_      
Bye        ----O----   
Kay R. Fisher / \     

================================================================================

Kay,

  Kevin did point you out but you looked to interested in seeing how far
you could stretch that highstart out, and how long you could hold it at
that length :-).  I did see Kevin try to catch the line once as it fell 
back to the ground!  Strangest aerobatics I've ever seen! 

  Dan, the plane in question was not yellow.  I seem to recall that it was
a blue fuse with black wing but I won't swear to it as there 3 or 4 planes
flying and I kept forgetting who was flying which one.  Kevin might be able
to give more info on it as he was only about another 3 feet away from it.

  When you said that someone was going to eat a prop some day you hit this 
incident right on the mark.  That is literally what would have happen had
the distance been 2 feet less!


  Jim


  

    yes, my friend rich almost got hit in the face with a plane yesterday.
    he was standing over me as i was starting my plane, i saw it coming
    at the last second but was so shocked i could only make gurgling
    noises.  i've never seen the guy before who was piloting the other
    plane, but it wasnt a yellow cub.  dan, are you talking about dick?
    
    the acton field is out of control.  i'll restrain myself from further
    comment...  (my lip is bleeding).
    
    jim, was nice meeting you.  hopefully we'll see each other again
    wednesday!
    
    kevin
                                     

    since everyone is dumping on acton, I tought I might do so as well...
    last spring, I went up to acton to fly my etude, I drove my brand
    new (at the time) Toyota Supra, which I parked in the lot area near
    the entrance to the field.  While getting set up, there was a guy
    flying a something or other (I never bothered to look while it was
    flying), he overflew the building that's off to the left, when you look
    west. I heard a *SNAP* and looked up to see a folded wing attached
    to a plane that was corkscrewing straight in at full throttle,
    perpendicular to the ground, on a line that bisected my new car!
    He missed it by a few feet but I was ready to Kill.  Since then,
    I only fly at acton when I can get there during the morning or
    afternoon and there is noone there I don't know.  I joined CMRC,
    and will be joining CRRC this year.  NOTHING compares to flying
    at a sight where everyone, or almost anyway, has some concern and
    respect for the other flyers present.
    

    well i just cant resist mentioning the other incident of yesterday
    in acton.  while flying i got hit.  i cant remember when that has
    last happened to me.  my futaba fm has been good to me.
    
    i suspect the problem was the helicopter pilot who left after he
    noticed he and i were on the same channel, both fm to boot.  he
    said he was going to fly at some small clearing in concord.  i didnt
    think much of it assuming concord was far away.  now i wonder if we
    wasnt 2 miles down the road.
    
    i survived.  there was a small portion of the sky that i kept getting
    hit in and it only happened twice.

    al, i'll resume trip report tomorrow, i promise!
    k

This isn't a safety horror story - but I couldn't find a generic
safety note.

In the May 88 Model Aviation (just out) on page 146 hidden deep within
the RC Soaring column there is a section titled "Nonallergenic cyanoacrylates".

It should be required reading for those of you who have or are developing
a reaction to CYA.  In summary it says that Loctite has recently developed
a series of glues that are the answer to your problems.

If you don't have the "Model Aviation" magazine they you probably haven't
paid your AMA dues yet - so do it now!

Also please folks take a look at the frequency banners that you have on your 
radios.  If they are over a year old then they do NOT meet the 1988 AMA 
standards - for most folks the colored banners are history.  You should have
a Red "Aircraft Only" banner at the top of your antenna and a large black on
white number tag at the bottom of your antenna.

Willie - have you sent your illegal radio in yet?

              _!_      
Bye        ----O----   
Kay R. Fisher / \     

================================================================================

    I'm glad that I don't have any scarry experiences to relate here
    from my flying this spring at CMRC, but I do have some safety advice
    for the beginning of the season.
    
    CHECK OUT YOUR EQUUIPMENT CAREFULLY!  
    
    Don't assume that because everything worked well last time you flew,
    and for most of us that was about last november, do a careful
    inspection.  Especially, check your batteries.  I have been providing
    a cycling service for people I work with for transmitter and receiver
    batteries, and I can tell you that many radios greater than 2 years
    old have faulty batteries.  I had one shorted cell in my 3 year
    old transmitter. One transmitter that I tested had two shorted cells.
    A third had one shorted cell, and a fourrth only ran for 20 minutes
    before going south.  THere is a radio battery failure incident in
    an earlier reply to this note.  Don't be the next one!
    	If you have a shorted cell, the charger will overcharge the
    other cells because the charging current will go up.  The chargers
    that come with radio sets are not current sources.  My radio output
    meter registered good with the pack charged and one shorted cell.
    My experience has been that transmitter battery packs are more 
    likely to have problems with shorted cells.  I think that this is
    because there are eight cells in series and they eventually get
    unbalanced in charge enough for one to discharge way before the
    rest.  Most of us charge our radios every time we fly which means
    that the pack never gets discharged very far.  Frequent cycling
    should help this.  I have only been cycling my batteries a couple
    of times a year, but I am going to try it more frequently now.
    
    Charlie
    

    Kay,
    
    	I'm not an AMA member, could I get a copy of that article on
    "Nonallergenic cyanoacrylates"?  I can't get anywhere near Krazy
    Glue et al...
    
    The Tyke's radio hasn't gone in yet, I'm waiting for the new modules to
    arrive so I can send the old ones back for the frequency change, then
    send the new ones back when those arrive.  I'll have to give McManus' a
    call to check the status.  In the meantime I only run it either
    at night or during_the_day_with_the_antenna_down.
    
    Willie 

>    	I'm not an AMA member, could I get a copy of that article on
>    "Nonallergenic cyanoacrylates"?  I can't get anywhere near Krazy
>    Glue et al...

"No problem Willie" - Sound like ALF don't I.

I just copied the two pages and they are in my office on the table right 
next to the door in case you come up and I'm out - help yourself.
Just below the Chrome Bi-Plane.

Al - you'd like this - it's a novelty item that flies around in a circle.
It takes 1 D cell and goes about a month.  It has been flying over my desk
for about 3 years now.  

              _!_      
Bye        ----O----   
Kay R. Fisher / \     

================================================================================

    Dan,
    
    Sounds like it was a CAT-astrophy!  (snicker...snicker)  :-)
    
    You're lucky nothing was hurt, but your pride (rhymes with hide).
    Gads, I'm feelin my oats this morning.  It's actually quiet on the
    front and I'm used to being fired at.  Guess I'm just cathin' up
    on my instigating.
    
    Your buddy?
    
    Chris

    
    Taking the Desert Rat's advice and trying to get used to being around
    big rotating unshielded props.  He says "Get out there and get used
    to them!"
    	
    	I went out to the Acton Field on Sunday, just to sit there and
    spectate (beyooooteful day, 70+ degrees, deep blue sky, with variable
    winds), and watched.  I mentioned Dan Snow and DECRCM to a father-son
    team who seemed rather competent.  They remembered you, dan.  Their
    name was Res___ick or something similar; nice people, good planes,
    good flyers too.  Dad had a little gray goatee, if that helps.
    	
    	Well, there were a couple of flyers out there who were less
    safety-concious than this father-son team.  One in particular did:
    	
    1) smoked while fueling
    	
    2) NEVER did a control check before starting (yes, I watched)
    	
    3) NEVER asked for someone to hold the plane while he started it.
    	
    4) ALWAYS started it with the plane aimed at the pilots/pit.
    	
    5) SAT HIMSELF directly in front of the plane.  Held it (on the
    	oily canopy) with one hand.  Then hit the electric starter.
    
                    
    Well, he managed (after a number of attempts at takeoff) to get
    it up into the air by taking off pretty much toward the pit... It
    was a hand-launch because his .45 wasn't juicy enough to do a ground
    launch.  He took it off almost directly toward the pit... not like
    he couldn't have walked a hundred steps east or west...
    	
    This problem resolved itself as he brought the plane in for a landing;
    he stalled it at about 15 feet, hit full throttle, right in at about 45
    degrees, broke both blades off the prop and broke the needle valve
    right off the engine! 
    
    	I felt a LOT safer after that happened; evolution does apply
    to unsafe/stupid pilots.        :-)
    	
    	Thanks, Al.  You don't know how much better I feel now. :-)
                                                                  
		\__    		-Bill
	  {((___O===--0'         Yerazunis
    

    Bill,
    
    You've discovered the awful truth: safety (or lack of same) is a
    very personal/individual thing.  You can choose to be safety conscious
    or you can ingore safety and all common sense to the jeopardy of
    yourself and everyone else around you.
    
    You must take responsibility for your own actions/practices and
    be constantly aware of what's going on around you lest some yo-yo
    lands up your back while your not looking.  When flying, you must
    keep track of your own plane (obviously) and also what all other
    traffic id doing as well.  That's why you should always have a spotter
    standing with you when you fly: to watch traffic and protect your
    backside.
    
    The unfortunate fact of the matter is that there are far too many
    of the types you described out there.  I'm just like you; despite
    feeling a little guilty for thinking it, I'm relieved (almost glad)
    when some potential disaster like the guy in your story rolls his
    plane into a ball and can no longer be a threat to everyone on the
    field.  Frankly, that's one of the reasons that I and my small group
    of flying buddies prefer to pass on the improved/paved fields and
    go out to our dirt-field-in-the-middle-of-nowhere.  I have no patience
    for inconsiderate, unsafe people and will not hesitate to say so
    cause it could be _my_ skin this yahoo is jeopardizing...i prefer
    to avoid the confrontations!
    
      |
      | |      00	 Adios,      Al
    |_|_|      ( >o
      |    Z__(O_\_	(The Desert Rat)

    Although I don't have a pilots license, I have flown a number of
    times with friends and relatives.  the first thing I had to learn
    before anyone would "give me the stick" (aside from straight and
    level flight) was that you must constantly be on the lookout for
    other traffic.  Even though everyone in the air is supposed to be
    a responsible, trained pilot, there are always those who are
    sightseeing (or sunday flying, if you like) and are totally oblivious
    of their responsibilities toward others.  The bottom line is that
    if you expect others to look out for you, you invite disaster. 
    This is a rule that occurs in many aspects of "modern" life, like
    driving your car (where the operational rules are very similar to
    those for flying), or, surprise, flying model aircraft.  The rule
    I use is to look out for myself, and not depend on the responsibility
    of other flyers.  Even the most responsible flyers sometimes have
    potentially dangerous slipups, and if you're not looking out, you
    have only yourself to blame.  In addition, I like to look out for
    other flyers who may not be looking out for themselves (for whatever
    reason), but I NEVER expect anyone to look out for me.  I beleive
    that this is the safest way to fly, for both myself and others at
    the field at the same time.
    
    I think that, rather than bemoan the fact that some people who fly
    are not at all safety minded, we should instead be promoting ways
    for those who are safety minded to improve their abilities to protect
    themselves.  There will always be some *SSHOLE who isn't going to
    give a damn about the others around him.  I personally think that
    its even more dangerous to have 99% of the flyers "safe" than 50%
    of them "safe".  The 99% "safe" flyers at a club could easily lapse
    into an attitude where they no longer look out for themselves, under
    the mistaken impression that they can trust everyone at the field,
    just to get nailed on the back of the head by a 20 pound scale Corsair,
    or something (no offense to any Corsair owners out there).  I prefer
    to know that there are unsafe flyers, because this keeps me "on
    my toes", looking out for potential problems.  This is the attitude
    I promote in others I bring along with me when I fly.  Like they
    say at the end of the movie "The Thing" (the original, not that
    shoddy remake) "Tell everyone, Watch the skies, keep watching the
    skies..." (but look out for whats on the ground, too !).
                                                            

    Well, it's time for another safety story. This afternoon I had the
    honor of wisking a guy off to the hospital for some stitches. Actually,
    there's no big story to tell here. The guy was warming up his Cub
    in the pits (Acton field) by himself. He told me he was leaning
    on his elbow when his shoulder sort of buckled and he lost his balance.
    As he regained balance, he brought his fingers through the spinning
    prop. I was only about 15 feet away talking to someone and didn't
    notice it happen. Then I noticed that he had unrolled about 10 sheets
    of paper towls and was wrapping it around his hand. It looked like
    he had cut a couple of fingers to the bone, so he's going to be
    sore for a while. 
    
    I don't fly powered planes yet (I have to admit the prop makes me
    real nervous) so I'm no expert on them, but I suspect that it would
    have been less likely to happen if he had a helper holding the plane
    for him. Funny thing is, I've noticed that most people start up
    their planes themselves, even when people are floating around who
    could help out.

    I'll stick to gliders for a while longer.
    
    Dave
    

    
    	I know... there's always one in the crowd...
    
    	I start one of my planes by myself.  I don't think that's unsafe.
    I'm aimed at the runway when I do it.  Only person that's going
    to get hurt is me.  The engine is a .25FSR.  Anyone have any objection
    to this??????????????  I mean, let's take a poll here guys...  How
    many of you with small planes (.40 or smaller) start your planes
    without a helper?
    
    	For a .40FSR I get a bit more paranoid.  Plus that plane doesn't
    have a nice, sure handle on it like the .25 one does (a mini pipe).
    And when I start a 4-stroke I do even better: I hold the plane and
    ask someone else to start it for me!

    Well, I dunno a .25FSR from anything else, but there seem to be
    a few flaws in your logic:
    
    >  Only person that's going
    > to get hurt is me. 
      
    This is acceptable?  What about the inconvenience to the person
    who gets to drive you to the hospital when you lacerate your fingers?
    What about the 'inconvenience' (worst case) to the person who finds
    your body at the field the next day?
    
    >    I'm aimed at the runway when I do it.
     
    I take it that if the prop tears your fingers off as the engine
    runs away you will always have the presence of mind to shut the
    plane off, and it will never veer off course and 'attack' another
    person?  How do you arrange that?
    
    OK, I'm taking worst cases to their limit perhaps, but I'm willing
    to bet that at .25FSR (whatever it is) at full throttle could do
    some serious damage to a person.....
    
    Willie

    I, like Fred generally start my 40 and under planes without a helper.
    (Not by myself at the field)  It is not as safe as using a helper,
    but I don't always bring a helper to the field.  Most of the time
    I fly, there are only one or two other pilots there, and they are
    busy starting and flying their planes without helpers.  I consider
    myself safety conscious and I don't do this with my 60 powered ships.
    Any engine of any size can bite you, but the larger ones generate
    much more thrust to yank the plane out of your grasp if you start
    it at full throttle by mistake.  Frankly, I'm much more worried
    about other people doing something dumb around me than what I'm
    going to do to myself.  There are plenty of crazy people out there
    that think of everything but safety.  Running engines and flying
    planes takes maximum concentration to to it safely.  I have stopped
    flying for the day when the conditions have been perfect when I
    have noticed that my concentration is going.  It is impossible for
    me to fly for hours without losing my edge on concentration.  Injuries
    happen when people are tired or distracted or just plain lazy.
    
    Charlie
    

        Re:< Note 499.25 by SNDCSL::SMITH "William P.N. (WOOKIE::) Smith" >

                Even though  I  agree  it  is hightly desorable to have a
        helper when starting an engine it is often extremely impractical.
        My plan is to  buy  one of the aluminum cradles that Towe Hobbies
        sells, which should decrease the chances  of  the  plane  running
        away.
        
                Most of the time, I start my  smaller  planes  alone, but
        have someone help hold my bigger ones.   The Super Sportster with
        a Saito .80 is really quite scary when it  powers up.  The 13 x 8
        prop is something nobody would want to mess with.
        
                I do have one inviolate rule.  I NEVER fly alone.  Having
        been the person that had to be taken to the hospital  I  can  say
        from experience  that  the  bleeding  and chock after having been
        lacerated by a prop makes it difficult to take care of oneself.
        
        
                      _ 
                     / |
        |  _====____/==|
        |-/____________|
        |    |        o \
             O           \ 
                          O
         Hang in there! o_|_
                          |
             Anker      \_|_/

    I too confess to starting my planes alone, but I have a home-made
    field box with a built in cradle on top.  the plane can't go any-
    where, even at full throttle.  The only danger is accidently put-
    ting you fingers in the prop, or brushing your arm into it.  then
    who is there to help out.  
    
    Safety is first, but sometimes we just get overcome with our chance
    to hit the skies when no one is around to help us.  I guess I'll
    always have a helper with my .90 since its a lot bigger than the
    .25 I 've been using all along.
    
    Ken

    For those of us (like me) who are prop-shy:
    	
    	U.S. General Tool Co. (Crossgates Mall, Albany, NY) sells Kevlar
    gloves, designed to prevent lacerations while (mis)using knives,
    cutting and installing glass,  etc.
    
    Cost is 9.95, one size fits pretty big.  They look like they won't
    prevent a stab wound, but would change a cut into a bruise. They're a
    very tight knit, not a woven fabric (which is what you want if you want
    energy absorption, slash prevention and penetration containment).
    They are gloves, not gauntlets- they protect your hand and wrist,
    not your forearm.
    
    
    I haven't tested them... :-)
    
    I wouldn't go so far as to say they _replace_ normal safety procedure,
    but they might do to augment normal safety procedure (I'd rather
    have a mega bruise than cut the tendons and nerves)
    
    (they take plastic and phone orders. :-) )
    
    
		\__    		-Bill
	  {((___O===--0'         Yerazunis
    

        I have a pair of the Kevlar gloves. They are intended for the
        mail-room worker, to prevent paper cuts. Just to see, I tried
        slashing one with my scalpel/modelling knife. Much to my surprise,
        it cut like cotton cloth. The knit isn't that tight either. I
        don't think they would protect you any more than a good pair of
        work gloves. 
        
        I've tried cutting real Kevlar cloth the same way, and it just
        doesn't cut. It makes me wonder just how much KOPevlar is in those
        gloves, and how much is just cotton thread dyed yellow. 

    Do we have the same gloves???
    
    (now I'm worried- I'll have to maybe sacrifice one of mine tonight...
    		:-(
    			)
	
    
               	\__    		-Bill
	  {((___O===--0'         Yerazunis
    	

    I have seen another type of glove used to start big engines.  It
    looks like Kevlar, but it has little round beads of hard material
    on the palm and fingers to improve penetration resistance.  They
    sound like a good idea when swinging a big prop.  I saw a guy using
    these to start a Supertigre 3000 in a Bud Lite Laser.  I forgot
    to ask where he got them.
    
    Charlie
    

        Re:< Note 499.32 by LEDS::WATT >

                I have  two  disaster-prevention  aids.    The first is a
        "chickenfinger", which is  a  rubber  thingy that slips over your
        finger.  I sue  this  for  my smaller engines when hand starting.
        The other is a pair of heavy leather gloves that I purchased at a
        hardware store.  I don't think the kevlar gloves really will help
        because  it's  possible  to  lacerate a hand  or  finger  without
        tearing the glove.  You need something thick that will spread the
        impact  across  a  broad  area  of  tissue.    Looking    at   my
        "chickenfinger"  I can see a number of fairly deep gouges  caused
        by  the  prop  kicking  back.   On particular instance was really
        scary:   I  had fueled the Sportster .60 with the Saito 80 engine
        for the first  flight  of  the  day.    I  never choke the engine
        because I always start  it with an electric starter, so I got the
        strater ready and moved the  prop to the compression point in the
        reverse  direction with the glow plug attached.    The  moment  I
        reached compression the darn thing ignited and gave  me  a  solid
        whack over the hand.  Luckily I was rotating the prop with a full
        hand  and  the  impact  was stread out enough that I  didn't  cut
        myself, but boy did it smart.  Lessnon number 7976487 learned.  I
        now  attach the glowplug just before I use that starter and never
        touch the prop with my hand when the glowplug is on.
        
        Anker

    I tried cutting one of the yarns in the Kevlar gloves; they were
    considerably more cut-resistant than either cotton or nylon.  This
    is with a *very* sharp knife; ground, honed, and stropped.  It wasn't
    _hard_ to cut them, just took a few strokes.  None of the other
    yarns around took even one stroke to cut through.
    
    (I took a look at the thread fibers- they definitely are NOT cotton.
    Some kind of synthetic, for sure.  The individual fibers are
    continuous, not 1-2" long like cotton).
                       
    
    Wonder where we can get plate-mail gloves made up? :-)
    
		\__    		-Bill
	  {((___O===--0'         Yerazunis
                                                          

        I must admit that in almost 25 years of flying model rockets, I've
        never even heard of anyone being hurt by a prop :-) Seriously,
        we've had a much more rigid safety code from day one than what
        applies to model airplanes. I've seen some tightening of the
        airplane rules, while at the same time ours are loosening. Maybe
        Harry Stine was right all those years ago. 

RE .-1,
    
>       I must admit that in almost 25 years of flying model rockets, I've
>       never even heard of anyone being hurt by a prop :-) 




    Model rockets with Props !?

        Of course not! Did you miss the ":-)"?

>       Of course not! Did you miss the ":-)"?

    I was unaware that there was some specific significance attached
    to ":-)", what does it mean ?

>    I was unaware that there was some specific significance attached
>    to ":-)", what does it mean ?

It is suppose to look like a smiling face (although turned sideways).
There are several variations on it but in general when someone says
"You're a Jerk :-)" they are only joking.

There are probably several notes about it in the "Notes Etiquette" notes
file on Human::Etiquette.  Yes - there is a notes file on just about
everything.  You can get a list of all non-restricted notes files
by copying the file anchor""::net$library:easynotes.lis.

Bye          --+--
Kay R. Fisher  |
---------------O---------------
================================================================================

    I have two incidents to share with everyone, both fall under the
    class of dumb things to do that could get someone hurt.
    
    About two weeks ago at the GMAC field in Greenbelt, MD late in the
    afternoon, a rainstorm blew in.  Most of us huddled under the canopy
    over the transmitter impound area to enjoy the cooling breeze and
    to tell stories until the rain stopped.  All but our club president.
    Bill had just fired up his Telemaster 40 when the rain started,
    but this didn't stop him, he took off anyway!  After about 5 minutes
    of flying around in the rain the plane nosed over and from about
    300 feet in the air dived straight into the ground!  The remains
    were dug out of the ground a few feet from where spectators can
    watch at the extreme edge of our field!  We don't know why the plane
    crashed but I'm sure the rain had something to do with it, he should
    have known better!
    
    Story two is about group stupidity.  Saturday was the hottest day
    in Washington, D.C. in 52 years!  Where were the members of the
    GMAC club?  Yep, flying in that heat!  Saturday is daddy's day away
    from home, the wife, and the 18 month old, so I'll fly if I have
    to be carried to the field!  
    
    Well we all arrived about noon and began our flying for the day,
    by three o'clock and five flights later, I began to get a violent
    headache and had a hard time concentrating on flying, so I decided
    to quit and go home.  That headache lasted all night and the next
    day I still didn't feel quite right.  I was about one flight away
    from heat exhaustion.  Some fun if I was flying and suddenly there
    was an incoherent pilot at the controls!  The moral of the story
    is take it easy in the heat, and sometimes sitting in the shade
    and drinking plenty of fluids doesn't help.  Flying demands a lot
    of concentration and that alone is physically demanding, so watch
    it in the heat!  When the temperature goes over 90 I'm going into
    my workshop!!
    
    Scott

    As Dan Snow mentioned in 607.14, I showed up for the DECRCM Fly-In
    on Saturday but didn't fly.  After all, it was winds that strong
    (and pilot error) that caused the Electrostreak to crash last time. 
    I didn't want to crash it again just after I finished re-building
    it.

    After we left to go look at the Lancaster field, my Dad, brother and
    I went to the Pattern competition in Orange, MA and had a good time
    watching the events.  On our way back, we stopped at the Acton field
    again because the wind had let up some and I wanted to see if the
    'streak would still fly.  (It turned too windy shortly after we
    arrived.)

    Anyway, back to SAFETY.  There was a guy there with a 1/4 scale Cub
    with a 1.20 four stroke.  He was teaching his son to fly and was
    doing a fairly good job.  When he (the dad) took the transmitter
    back, he did some very low to the ground loops, rolls, stall turns,
    etc.  Judging by the way he executed the maneuvers, I'd say he was a
    very good pilot and could get away with all of this.  However, since
    the (strong) wind was across the runway, and the corn is still
    pretty low, he decided to land _ACROSS_ the runway.  This might not
    have been so bad, but this was directly facing the pits!!  In other
    words, if he had overshot a little, he would have planted a heavy
    1/4 scale bird with 1.20 engine and 18" prop right in the pits.

    I wasn't pleased with all of this, but am too much of a wimp to say
    anything.  Yeah, I know, I may sound like a blabber mouth in the
    notes file, but I'm not really.   :-)

                       _____
                      |     \
                      |      \                          Silent POWER!
      _        ___________    _________   |            Happy Landings!
     | \      |           |  |         |  |
     |--------|-  SANYO  + ]-|  ASTRO  |--|              - Dan Miner
     |_/      |___________|  |_________|  |
                      |       /           |     " The Earth needs more OZONE,
                      |      /                       not Caster Oil!! "    
                      |_____/

  This doesn't really fall under Saftey Horror Stories...yet!

  I can't believe a 'respectable' mag would let someone advertise this
crap.

  I found an advertisement for an outfit called Jet Systems in one of the 
major R/C rags that I know could lead to some very bad experiences for 
people and R/C in general.
  The picture shows a boat with 8 rockets mounted on it and a torpedo laying
next to the boat.  Here is the text:

	o RC launch of all weapons  SCORE A DIRECT HIT PT 2000
	o Turrets rotate, 8 solid fuel rockets raise, lower to aim.
	o Super shark torpedo (2 mounted in tunnel) 25 mph, 300 yards
		range, 540 motor, nicad power, auto motor start at launch
		and shut off at target.
	o Tunnel hull - easy build, foam, wood or glass covering. 41"
		inboard-outboard, gas or electric.

	Also available

	o Block Buster Bomb
		Drops from planes 
		EXPLODES ON IMPACT
		USES SHOTGUN PRIMER
		Loud, smoke reusable

	o Super Shark Torpedo
		Launch from planes or boats
		ONLY 2 LBS
		E-Z to build PVC body

	o Stinger Rocket Launcher
		Looks like a bazooka
		Includes E-Z build, throw away rocket plans
		SHOOT DOWN PLANES



-------------------------------------------------------
Address intentionally omitted.


 

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              \  /               /---
     | --------\/\___/----------/___|
     |_|       /\      Jim    ______/
     | |______/__\_______-----
            ========
               |
              /--\
              \__/
  

        These guys really piss me off! Most of these idiots use "model
        rocket" motors to do their dirty work. If you read the AMA safety
        code, you find that any such use must comply with the National
        Association of Rocketry safety code. THESE DANGEROUS THINGS DO
        NOT! Someone is going to screw up someday, and then model rocketry
        will take the blame.
        
        Just as bad is this Teleflite outfit that advertizes in many RC
        mags, along with things like Popular Science. They tell you how to
        make your own rocket motors. This too is a violation of the safety
        code. MA dropped the ad for that reason, but the others continue.
        It is like publishing plans for terrorist bombs. Anyone who thinks
        that this might be safe, read what Jim Flis has to say about this
        in the model rocket notes file. 

Re:

>	Anyone who thinks
>        that this might be safe, read what Jim Flis has to say about this
>        in the model rocket notes file. 


  I read what Jim Flis put in the notes file a while back..."horror story"
does not even begin to describe it! (entry #67 in ROCKETRY)



            ========
              \  /               /---
     | --------\/\___/----------/___|
     |_|       /\      Jim    ______/
     | |______/__\_______-----
            ========
               |
              /--\
              \__/
  

    How about a pointer please.
    
    So far I have entry #67 in conference Rocketry but no node
    infor like foobar::[mumblyframis]whaterver$69
    
    Any help appreciated. Including now that I think of it maybe
    its worth posting here????
    
    Mike
    

>    How about a pointer please.
>    
>    So far I have entry #67 in conference Rocketry but no node
>    infor like foobar::[mumblyframis]whaterver$69
>    
>    Any help appreciated. Including now that I think of it maybe
>    its worth posting here????
>    
>    Mike
    
ADD ENT ROCKETRY/FILE=STEREO::USERC:[ROCKETS]ROCKETRY

...or just hit keypad 7 <KP7>...if I manage to set this up correctly...

    Thanx Brian <KP7> apears to have added then entry.
    
    Mike