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HeliHobby . Ron’s HeliProz South . Century Helicopter

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Safety - RC Helis are not toys > My Chopper Bit Me
 
 
alvinrc
Veteran
Location: Mobile, AL, USA

Yesterday, due to radio failure, my Hawk came at me and broke both of it's Hurricane 550s on my shoulder and back.

Tracked the problem down to vibration sensitive reciever.
I do know what is wrong with it.
About a million pieces after I worked on it with a hammer.

I came out real luckie, but shortly after impact, I was kind of feeling all around various sensative areas for any damage.

Did not make me scared of them, but I will have some greater respect for what can happen so fast and unexpected.

03-18-2002 Over year old.
HOMEPAGE  
 
 
cerberus
Senior Heliman
Location: Southeast Louisiana

!ouch!

$to_be || !($to_be); $that = $the_question;
03-18-2002 Over year old.
HOMEPAGE  
 
 
Stet
Elite Veteran
Location: Long Beach CA

Good thing it didn't hit you in the face with a V-Blade. Autopsy pics gross me out
03-18-2002 Over year old.
 
 
DrScoles
Veteran
Location: Redmond WA

A very graphic example of why we need to keep these things at a distance! You're lucky that wasn't your head...

Be safe guys!
03-18-2002 Over year old.
 
 
Buzzin Brian
Elite Veteran
Location: College Station, Texas

I hate it when that happens!!!!!!!!!!

Good thing it wasn't worse. Becouse it could have been for sure. Hopefully you were talking about takeing a hammer to the RX and not the remains of the Hawk.

Build it, fly it, crash it. Repeat as often as needed.
03-18-2002 Over year old.
 
 
SemiArticulate
Veteran
Location: On Location

Not trying to start a debate here, but were you using PCM or PPM? I was shot down by some $%#@ing idiot while using PPM and the R30 turned 180 degrees and flew straight at me. Missed by about a foot and nearly hit my car. It was some distance away at first but they can move fast. The nice thing was that PPM told me I was being shot down, the bad thing was that it did so by trying to kill me. My Freya (PCM) is set to kill itself instead of me hopefully. I still use PPM in the R30 on another channel. I like to see the glitches if there are any and I am not smart enough to learn my lesson. Don't get me wrong, you shouldn't really feel any safer around PCM either. Safety is the most important part of the hobby.
03-18-2002 Over year old.
 
 
crash1953
Veteran
Location: Washington State

Did you cry?? hehe.. I hope that dont happen to me .. I have had it come close a couple times..
03-18-2002 Over year old.
 
 
RONSTER
Heliman
Location: Cleveland, OH

OCH!

HEY! THAT GUY LOOKS LIKE THE GUY FROM ABBOTT AND CASTELLO?
03-18-2002 Over year old.
HOMEPAGE  
 
 
Dragon2115
Key Veteran
Location: New England

Glad you're ok Alvinrc. Those look like they're gonna smart for a few days. I know the feeling of being attacked by your own heli. My X-Cell ST with CF blades did it in a gusty wind when the t/r failed right after takeoff. I was lucky because it was in t-hold (tried to save it) when the wind shifted and I got clipped in the upper arm, base of my neck, and back of my head as I tried to roll out away from it. Get back out there as soon as you can, the old "back on the horse that threw you" thing, and be wiser from your experience. This time from a little farther away.
03-18-2002 Over year old.
HOMEPAGE  
 
 
ed vega
Key Veteran
Location: nyc, queens

alvinrc your a lucky dude.. I've seen a few accidents on the field and they weren't pretty .. how close were you to the heli? ..
03-18-2002 Over year old.
 
 
MitchD
Senior Heliman
Location: Antioch TN USA

Thanx for sharing,one more reason guys should set up theyre fail safe/hold settings..........(BTW,looks like the heli gave you a tatoo of a plank(highest one on your arm...)
03-18-2002 Over year old.
HOMEPAGE  
 
 
BladeRunner
Elite Veteran
Location: Ontario Canada. Member of "some sort" s

Chopper?

Glad it wasn't worse. If that ever happens again and your heli comes after you--just THROW your radio at it! That might give you that extra second you need to get out of the way.
This is a timely message to NOT hover close in, I see this all the time where someone is hovering 10-15 ft. away--not nearly enough distance to react if anything goes wrong..
03-18-2002 Over year old.
 
 
Lapointe
Senior Heliman
Location: Enumclaw, Wash

Hurtin

Boy Safety, Safety, safety! Its like they say atitude is insurance so Distance is your friend! Good thing that was a 30 and not a 60 with V-blades. I had a buddy of mine cut to the bone on his leg (thru jeans) at Corpus christy just walkin up to the heli to stop the blades after an auto. Had to go to the hospital to get stiches. you could hear the blades hit the bone Yuk! Laid him wide open thats for sure. You never know when something is gonna fail such as a servo or gyro or rec etc!

Keith Lapointe
03-18-2002 Over year old.
 
 
Lapointe
Senior Heliman
Location: Enumclaw, Wash

Hurtin

Woops ment to say altitude is insurance not atitude

Keith Lapointe
03-18-2002 Over year old.
 
 
alvinrc
Veteran
Location: Mobile, AL, USA

Further Information

Radio is PCM set to hold last good signal.

The whole thing started about 100-150 feet up in the air and about 30-40 feet out in front of me and the chopper was spinning like crazy on it's own.

I figured that something had let go with TR control.
Just flip TH and auto down. Had done that a time or two before sucessfully.

Coming down in auto mode sort of.
Figured that I had it saved.
At about 20 feet high and still well out from me, it sort of tipped in my direction and made a run at me.

Things were happening very fast at this time and I had time to turn from it and get about half a step in the running department when I felt those rotor blades start whipping me.
My buddy standing with me had bailed out sooner and was well away.

I believe the radio was going in and out of hold and actually cutting on and off.
When I went into TH, the pitch went to negative because it started coming down, but the fellows said that the engine never dropped out.

Unlike failsafe with just interferance, something vibration sensitive or cracked on reciever board, there is no telling what the reciever was trying to tell the servos to do at any given time.

I really did't beat the reciever with a hammer. Just made me feel better to think of doing it.

Will get it looked at to maybe see just what failed.

Abbott or Castello?
I thought more Jackie Gleason
03-18-2002 Over year old.
HOMEPAGE  
 
 
Heli-Driver
Elite Veteran
Location: Arlington, TX

PCM...

Alvin,

Sorry to hear about your mishap.. stuff happens... you were lucky.

I would like to point out that you CAN program your PCM failsafe to do different things than just hold the last good command.

I set mine up to go to 2+ degrees pitch and the engine to idle and everything else centered when a failure occurs.



Raymond

Predator Gasser SE/231 X 2
Century Helicopters
03-18-2002 Over year old.
HOMEPAGE  
 
 
ZZ3Astro
Senior Heliman
Location: Panama City, Fl

Alvinrc,

Sorry to hear of your mishap... but damn glad you got through it with minimal damage to yourself. I'm just curious about what radio system you have in the hawk? I've heard two scary storyies involving PCM 9C's that have gone into hold but not really into hold. I hope they are coincidental and you're going to tell me you have your JR equipment in this heli!

Also, are you planning to put together another funfly in Mobile this year? I wish I could have made it out to last year's event. This year I'm sporting new wheels and can make it to any funfly I want to. If you have one I'll be there.

Steve


PS - I was discussing your incident with a few people and we concluded that the problem is your radio was just trying to tell you to take it out of that century heli Oh man I am gonna get it for that one!
03-18-2002 Over year old.
HOMEPAGE  
 
 
alvinrc
Veteran
Location: Mobile, AL, USA

The Radio

ZZ3Astro,

No, it was not a PCM 9C.

I am not going to get into what kind it was except to say that it was several years old and had served me well.
Any of them can fail on a moments notice.
A good radio is one that is working.

Mobile Chopper Meet:
The young chopper turks in our club will sparkplug another get together this coming October. Hope to see you and all your FL panhandle buddies there.
We will be coming over to the Santa Rosa OLF meet in May.
I am ready for a rematch with Jon in autos and with my sparkleing new radio soon to be purchased.


Poor Century. Yeah...I am catching local hell for what all may have been the problem.
I still got a cherry Raptor 30 and a TSK 46 in the hangar.
Not going to say what my next machine will be. Looking at several possibilities. Through no fault of it's own, the five year old Hawk will probably stay retired this time.
03-18-2002 Over year old.
HOMEPAGE  
 
 
Blair
Key Veteran
Location: Republic of Canuckistan

Elvis flys a Hawk!

ungh...thank you very much.....

Blair
03-18-2002 Over year old.
 
 
JasonF
Senior Heliman
Location: Northern VA

It is very important that we all spread the word to anyone flying PCM, set your throttle to go to idle during lockout. I personally feel that this should be required of all people attending fun fly's with PCM receivers. It is the safest thing we can do with an out of control heli. Certainly there is much less risk of damage to your engine on impact and also less chance of a total fly-away also. Please ask your friends to make sure they have this option programmed next time you are at the field.

Jason
03-18-2002 Over year old.
 
 
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MTA Hobbies . Model Rectifier Corp . PowerHelis

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Safety - RC Helis are not toys > My Chopper Bit Me
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