Safety Comes First
FATAL ACCIDENT: In the June 1988 Safety column I mentioned a safety campaign that had been launched by the Society of Model Aeronautical Engineers (SMAE), the British counterpart of AMA. This was, in part, the result of two deaths during 1987 that were caused by RC model flying activities. The first death I described in detail (collision between a Slope Soarer and a fullscale hang glider) in the February 1988 column, but, until last week, all I knew about the second incident was that it was caused by a three-pound model. Henry Farrar, editor of the Long Island Drone Society newsletter, sent me a copy of the July issue. In it was a description of the circumstances that led to this second 1987 fatality in the U.K. Henry was not sure of the source of his information, but it appears to me to have come from the British model magazine Radio Control Models & Electronics (RCM&E).
Safety Comes First
CONFLICTS between full-scale aircraft and models: Periodically-but not frequently, for which I'm thankful-I receive reports from readers about models trying to share the same piece of sky as a full-scale aircraft. The most recent such report came to me from Bill Smith, a modeler from Oxnard, CA. Bill is in the U.S. Navy, and one of his jobs is that of Command Safety Officer. His letter enclosed a newspaper clipping from the "L.A. Life" section of the Camirillo Daily News which was captioned "Unwelcome Visitor." It read as follows: "Traffic reporters Jorge Jarrin of KABC-AM (790) and Dick Morgan of KFWB-AM (980) spotted an unusual and dangerous sight early one recent morning when they looked out of their helicopter as it lifted off over Van Nuys. A bright yellow remote-controlled model airplane was racing past them at 1,300 ft.
Safety Comes First
BEWARE of props! One picture is worth a thousand words. Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures for this month's Safety column. However, the photo which appeared in the October 1989 showing Bob McMullen's hand after it had been repaired with 59 stitches resulted in a number of letters from readers. Several people said that Bob's accident has convinced them that it isn't wise to fly alone. Yet I still get letters from others who continue to take me to task for preaching this safety message. Bill Hawks is not one of these people.
Safety Comes First
"SAFETY COMES FIRST" appeared for the first time in the January 1980 issue of Model Aviation. So this column completes my ninth year as a contributing editor, and I've decided to reveal myself by including a photograph. My first column was typed on an old manual Olivetti portable machine. I still have that typewriter, but it's been retired to the attic. Since then I've used a Smith Corona electric followed by an IBM Selectric which, because it had a self-correct capability, I considered to be the ultimate typing machine until I gained access to a word processor. Although this latter electronic marvel does not use the same language as the computers employed by the magazine's editorial staff, with the help of a friend I recently figured out how to perform a translation that can be put onto a floppy disk and mailed to Model Aviation. The next step, if I can figure out how to do it, will be to send the column to MA via a modem. Today I wonder how I got by for so long with that old Olivetti that's now in the attic.
Safety Comes First
BAARRROOM! That's what it must have sounded like when a Sailplane winch battery exploded recently. I think most of us are well aware of the possibility of an explosion when attempting to jump start a dead car battery. However, until last month when I opened a letter from Gene Pastori, I had never heard of a car battery exploding while it was being used to power a Sailplane winch. Gene's letter contained the following account of the incident: "I would like to tell you of an accident we had at our club field. We were holding our December Sailplane contest when the winch battery blew up. Acid flew all over the place, and the battery just flew apart, sending shrapnel all over the field and acid all over us. It was a good thing that we all wore glasses so no acid got in our eyes. However, I do have a ruptured eardrum as a result of the loud noise of the explosion.
