Safety Comes First - 2001/05

REtreevINGModels: I thought you might enjoy an accumulation
of model-retrieving events that provide some good lessons. Most
models were retrieved safely, but some attempts didn’t go so well.
Take the case of several gliders that were blown into trees
surrounding an event site on a gusty day. One of the contestants
decided the best way to get the glider down was to tie a large
rock to the end of a string and chuck it up over the branch
holding the model.
After getting a line over the branch, the next step would have
been to tie a bigger line to the smaller one and pull it up until the
branch had a strong enough line on it to shake the model free.
Neat idea, except that when the modeler threw the rock over the
tree branch, another individual looking up on the other side of the tree
didn’t see the rock coming down and caught it square in the teeth!
The outcome was several teeth damaged/lost and the model
rescued.

Safety Comes First - 2001/04

A FOOL’s DAy: It’s been some time
since I provided a hand-in-the-prop story.
However, since the spring flying season is
around the corner, the following letter
from Albert Isaacson is a good reminder
for those who might become careless
around running engines.
“April 1, 2000 was the day I had been
waiting for. At the beginning of the year, I
had finished my 1⁄7 semiscale model of a
Savoia-Marchetti S.56 amphibian. Tom
Hunt had agreed to be my test pilot, but we
needed a relatively mild morning with
winds no stronger than five miles per hour.
April first was just that sort of day.
“In August of 1996, RC Modeler had
printed my construction article of a scratchbuilt
Curtiss SBC-4 Helldiver of my design.
The magazine had shown an interest in the
Savoia-Marchetti story, but since it too was
my design, it had to fly successfully. Thus
my rush for that first flight.

Safety Comes First - 2001/03

DrEAM AIrpLANE Technology: It’s a wonderful
thing to behold when you get the chance to sit
in the seat of an Airbus 300.
What fascinated me most was the
lack of a front-column yoke
system, traditional in most modern
aircraft. A small control arm under
the side windows, similar to a
computer-game joystick (fly-by-wire
technology), replaces the yoke system.
I was invited to occupy the captain’s seat for a
bird’s-eye view after I was caught staring into the
airplane’s cockpit. You should have heard the air
whoosh behind me as I jumped into the seat!
What spectacular technology! Conventional
instrumentation has been replaced with cathode-ray
tube displays, talking computerized
flight systems, autopilots that can
take off and land the airplane, etc.
I commented to the pilot that RC
(Radio Control) flying could use
such technological wizardry, but
made the point that it is slowly
getting there. He indicated that he
did fly RC, and he pointed out the
similarities that exist between
aircraft systems and RC flight.

Safety Comes First - 2001/02

LOOK OUT for Full-scale: When
you’re flying, it’s easy to focus on a
model and forget that the sky is
inhabited by more than RC (Radio
Control) aircraft. There’s always some
type of full-scale aircraft buzzing by,
often at the same altitude at which you
enjoy flying models.
The value of a spotting buddy is worth
its weight in gold wherever RC and fullscale
aircraft fly in close proximity. A
spotter not only lets you know which RC
aircraft to avoid, but when—and which
direction—to fly to get out of the way of
full-scale airplanes.
The use of a spotter is probably
mandatory if you fly in a club with much
RC activity, but the concept may be new to
those of you in smaller clubs.
I hope you never fly alone. Take the
time to introduce yourself, and ask if
someone will spot for you while you tear
up the sky! You’ll probably make a new
friend and avoid an encounter with a fullscale
aircraft.

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