Villa

Hi 1zzy-isreal-73
Our club built 6-7 of the Meroke stands you mentioned. We had to repair them after a few years, and again after a few more years. I then redesigned the stands to eliminate weaknesses I had noted. Our club built 7 of the new stands. These new stands are now about 6 years old and have required zero rework. We built them with wheels under the vertical posts. Those are the Engine Starting Safety Stands on our club website I referred to. Make your own choice.

Joystick TX

Here is another version of a starter stand, or bench.

Like the Meroke style benches, they can be made in a large and small version.

I had some issues with the Meroke style benches, mostly a lack of space on the top and a tipping problem if they were not made from treated lumber.

JollyPopper

My Feedback: (6)

Those engine starting benches are absolutely great. Not only are they so much safer than getting down on the ground and starting an engine, they keep the aches and pains associated with getting doiwn on the gound out of it. When I was 40, getting down on the ground and then getting up was no problem. At 60, it started being more difficult. At 75, I love the starting benches.

izzy-israel-73

I have requested to the club that they would be great for the club but I haven't seen anything been done was told they will just get vandalised !

Joystick TX

izzy,
That is an excuse that I've never heard before. Our club has about $1,000 worth of damage a year, but so far it has been limited to our storage sheds, snacks and drinks. It would be nice if the vandals, or taggers, would paint our benches like they do everything else that isn't moving at a high rate of speed.

You could build one and see what happens, the cost is about $50 in US dollars.

If it would prevent just one "body part in the prop incident" it would be worth it.

I know that when I fly from fields that don't have any benches or tables, I get a little nervous because at my age it is hard to keep my balance when getting up and down from the ground. My fear is that I will fall on my plane and cause some real damage to my body with the prop.

Villa

Hi izzy
I built, and donated to our club, the first Engine Starting Safety Stand to my new design. We have had stands at our club for about 10 years and have never had a problem with anyone stealing them. I think the cost of most of our stands were donated by individual members. One of our members enjoys building them. To Jolley Popper I mention that I am 78 now and fly 2-3 times every week if the weather permits. I'm happy not to kneel or bend over.

Joystick TX

Villa,

Do you have any pictures of your design?

a70eliminator

There's two types of rc plane enthusiasts out there, those who've been prop bitten, and those who are going to be prop bitten.

kiwibob72

Dam Izzy - that did NOT look good, snapped tendons are a right royal pain in the you know what. Snapped the top tendon at the last knuckle on my right middle finger a few years back de-icing my wife's car, not painful but 3 months of 'mild nuisance' adds up ! (though not 'quite' as bad as when I snapped my left quad tendon - 24 staples to close the surgery point and permanent sutures in my knee that they used to tie that tendon back to my knee - it was 10 months before I finished physo on that occasion!)

izzy-israel-73

Not good kiwibob!My thumb is only 50% id say don't think it will get any better then what it is pisses me off as it has effected me with my flying with left rudder and throttling !!!

izzy-israel-73

oh I forgot and would be very time consuming to build lol bloody 3/4 of the club members are retired I am sure we could plane a day to go over plans and make a bench ! Well all I can do is put it to them at the next monthly meeting and see how I go mayby get a voted in !

Joystick TX

Izzy,

Sorry to hear that your thumb is not healed up to 100%. I had a pistol blow up in my hand earlier this month, the barrel split in two and parts went in all directions and I got quite a few cuts on my hand. My thumb took quite a beating and I have lost some of the feeling in the tip; my pitch and roll may suffer when I try to fly again.

Our club has the same problem with age. I'm sure that most of the old retrired guys do most of the work in your club like they do in ours. I'm 71, don't bend well and have back problems, and have built one of the benches in Tennessee while I was there on a trip. They are pretty easy to build.

kiwibob72

While I didn't do any bone damage, the tendon I snapped in two on the top part of my middle finger (at the last knuckle) is fine now, took a while and a good specialist "hand" physio, but after 3-4 months it was almost as good as new (though I can't do my freaky hyper bending of it backwards like I used to, I can only straighten my finger like normal folk do now - lol).

So here is hoping you'll come out as good!!

izzy-israel-73

I just think we could make the club work better if some of the older members didn't mind some changes!