RunRyder - Death by Helicopter?

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Safety - RC Helis are not toys > Death by Helicopter?

KC5RIL
Heliman
Location: State of eternal wierdness

Here's A Thought...

I am a newbie looking to get into the heli mode of r/c flying. I do have a thought after looking at what you guys have said about safety. When my dad was a private pilot tooling around in his Cessna, he always did a pre and post flight inspection and followed all checklists. The most important thing next to that however, was the pre-flight run up. When the tower told him to taxi to position and hold short of the runway, he would get there, set the brakes and run the engine up to make sure that there were no readily apparent problems before take off. Fifty feet off the ground just above stall speed is no place to find out if your oil filler cap is screwed on tight!!

It sounds like everyone here is very safety conscious and knows what to do here. But the idea I have might be a better version of the same mouse trap.

Simply put, create a pre-flight run up pad at your local club. I have visited a couple of clubs in Houston to look around, but I am too new to know what I am looking at out there. If someone were to create a big cement or asphalt pad with eye bolts set in the concrete and a way to either chain down the heli/plank, or set a steel bar across the skids, I think it would reduce in-flight mishaps drastically. If you discover a problem with your heli during this "run-up" time, the airframe is secure to the ground and in a secure place where you can just let the engine run itself out.

I know this may sound good in theory, but as we all know, actual application and practice is another matter.

I look forward to learning a lot from you guys before I take flight. I hope this input helps. And my prayers are with the Kyle family as well.

Thanx

11-04-2003 Over year old.

rcmike
Senior Heliman
Location: Dickson, TN

The problem with that is that helicopters can actually be more dangerous when tied down. It puts more stress on the heli since it can't move. I strapped one down to test the engine once and I thought it was going to shake itself apart.

I am sorry to hear about this and my thoughts are with all that were involved. I couldn't help thinking that it could have just as easily been me or someone I know. I know I will be more careful with my flying from now on.

11-05-2003 Over year old.

Eco8_Kid
Senior Heliman
Location: NJ

Hovering Safety

That sounds like an ok idea but what about this folks. The RC Vectron Black Hawk (saucer) has a power cord attached to it to get power from the. When I hover it pulls on the wire and it actually holds the little thing from bouncing off of the walls. What I was thinking is that a heli when training on hovering should have a chaine or something connected to the skids and a weight on the ground of some sort to hold the heli JUST incase it starts to drift and you can't stop it. It's like a safety line. But one thing since it is spinning constintally the motion might make it spin around and around like mine did but by then you probably would have cut the throttel.
And to make it easier to train on it, I only go out enough to tighten the cord a bit not all the way or around and around it will go. I try to stay in the middle so the cord drapes down, than I know if the cord was not on the Saucer it would be fine because I am keeping it steady in the middle.

http://www.toymania.com/news/images/0802_vecbase.jpg

Mark

11-05-2003 Over year old.

Eco8_Kid
Senior Heliman
Location: NJ

I basically think is like a safety cord or something like that to keep you safe just incase. Or how about we call it a "Life Line" lol

Mark

11-05-2003 Over year old.

KC5RIL
Heliman
Location: State of eternal wierdness

Improve the Idea

The "Leash" is an even better idea. I think something like that for training pilots is, rather, should be a mandatory training aid. I am at least a few months away from getting a heli and actual solo flights. I think that if this were tried and tested, then actual implementation at clubs and fields would be in order.

Another thought on this "Life Line

/Leash" or whatevertheheckyoucallit.

For those of us playing the home game, why not get a set length of rope. Something that will not fray or separate easily if hit by blades. And a simple boat anchor, nothing big, maybe five or ten pounds. Whenever you head to the park to train, take this leash with you to help prevent or alleviate potential problems/injuries.

11-06-2003 Over year old.

Eco8_Kid
Senior Heliman
Location: NJ

It could help just need to find a place to attach it to on the ground. Oh wait I know. Get one of those dog leash things that screw into the ground deep so you can attach the cord to it for your dog to be in the back yard but wtih this you could attach your heli to it so it won't chase you. I would use this idea just for like hovering or so. Make sure you don't give it to much slack or it could get cought in the blades. Try useing the wire you get for dogs when you want to attach a line up in the back yard for your dog to run on. It's made out of steal and it is covered with plastic so it won't like rust and stuff.

Or.

don't tie it to it, run the wire through the base and hold the wire yourself, that way you can determin how high you wanna fly and you can always keep it tight so it won't go in the blades.

If the heli comes towards you, just correct it and tighten the rop so it stayes lower.
Humm but how are you gonna hold the wire and the transmitter. Thats a tricky one. Get a friend to hold it for you.

Mark

11-06-2003 Over year old.

Eco8_Kid
Senior Heliman
Location: NJ

Thats good but the only thing is that you better put one of those stoppers on it so that the wire doesn't run though the metal base.

ONE more thing. If it's that long than put it this way if it goes out of control and the engine is still going at 20 than it will probably go out to the side and the force might make it swing around and around so you would HAVE to run about 20 feet or more to get away.

Mark

11-06-2003 Over year old.

KC5RIL
Heliman
Location: State of eternal wierdness

One More Thing

Just another thought...

If you use a wire like one of those dog run leads, make sure that the wire is very pliable and not of thick guage. My worry is that a tether like that might bind and cause more problems for the operator than solve.

Maybe use a thin braided nylon rope like the mountainclimbers use. Set your hover length to the rope and some sort of stopper system to the end so it does not run out.

Or, an even BETTER idea might be to use the training landing gear that I have seen. Affix a rope to each point of the training gear and anchor it to the ground in four different points. That way, you will not have the potential for a psycho pendulum on a 20ft. tether.

11-06-2003 Over year old.

Eco8_Kid
Senior Heliman
Location: NJ

Maybe but if it goes to the left it will most likely come down which means that it will be streching out 20 and down so it still might hit you.

It's like this draw a sky scraper building and make it 3-D than make it fall over to the left side the other parts of the bulding still fall to the left side with it because it is so long. Thats why I would only use it when hovering becasue you don't need to go out that far. So it's not a problem.

Mark

11-06-2003 Over year old.

Pipeous
Veteran
Location: Surrey, BC, Canada

I used a string my first solo and got it caught in the tail blades. Lucky it was on the ground at the time. I had a buddy holding the string and just before the ground incident, I was trimming in the tail. I was fighting it a bit and he pulled the string on me and it pitched towards us. I got it under control and decided to land. The string busted a part of my tail so I had a 30 second solo and needed parts lol.

Real flight G2 is made for rookies like me.. Easier to learn the controls there and go out and fly. I will never try that anchor again, I think I have a better chance of saving it if I just make sure the heli is sound and keep the batteries charged.

11-10-2003 Over year old.

HOMEPAGE

Stet
Elite Veteran
Location: Long Beach CA

This whole idea of tethers is fundamentally wrong. Once the heli hits the end of the tether it will go out of control. Whatever you are trying to avoid (crashes) will only be compounded by the tethers.

Makes the Whitman stand look like a really good idea, which it might have been before the advent of simulators.

Do me a favor, and forget about a run-up stand too. Of course I ignored this advice and a 60 heli blew up on my stand after many successful runs.

Learn on the simulator, then learn on your model out at the field where you are in a safe area with lots of room. If the heli goes out of control and comes towards you or others, chop the collective and dump it.

I learned on the simulator (aerochopper) and since have never had an orientation failure related crash, only bad autos.

11-10-2003 Over year old.

Eco8_Kid
Senior Heliman
Location: NJ

Yeah I guess your right, I thought that if I was stunned or something that I might have not put the throttel hold on and I might get hurt.

Mark

11-10-2003 Over year old.

ghettoflyer
Senior Heliman
Location: N. Las Vegas,Nv

read the recent post in reference to the pilot in tx. terrible accident but it happens. we in the hobby are sad to hear of the lost of a life of a fellow pilot, but our hobby is sometimes a danger. i just hope the pilot involved in the accident will continue to fly. the instructor would want him to go on as do other pilots. i did not know either of them but, i read the story and i would say it was a tragic accident. i really hope the student will continue, but it willtake time.
jerry mundy

11-10-2003 Over year old.

Eco8_Kid
Senior Heliman
Location: NJ

yeah I've read it

Mark

11-11-2003 Over year old.

heligoole
Veteran
Location: yorkshire,uk

the thing about rc heli flying that gets us all involved is the danger/risk
take this away and the hobby is less fascinating.my thoughts and prayers are still with ron + his family.god bless

11-12-2003 Over year old.

funder
Senior Heliman
Location: Houston Texas @ JSC field

Death by heli.

We had a man killed by his heli here in houston a week ago. I don,t have all the info on it but it occurred in a city park at a flying site provided by the city of houston. The guy was trying to teach his friend to hover and the heli got away from him and during the exchange of transmitter he was hit by the blades in the neck. I have no other details but let me assure you that it is true.

11-13-2003 Over year old.

Eco8_Kid
Senior Heliman
Location: NJ

yeah it's really sad but I think we all mostly have heard about it

Mark

11-14-2003 Over year old.

jerrythercpilot
Veteran
Location: --South Florida --

SemiArticulate

Twobeers story is true. It was a "Flying Lawnmower" planker maybe 20+ years ago.

Light travels faster than sound, thats why some people appear so bright UNTIL you hear them speak.

12-31-2003 Over year old.

Eco8_Kid
Senior Heliman
Location: NJ

where did you see this post?

Mark

01-02-2004 Over year old.

jerrythercpilot
Veteran
Location: --South Florida --

Didn't see a post. I remember it from the late 70s ish. I'll do some searching on the internet, I'm sure I can come up with somwthing.

Light travels faster than sound, thats why some people appear so bright UNTIL you hear them speak.

01-02-2004 Over year old.

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Safety - RC Helis are not toys > Death by Helicopter?

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