Some things to remember
06-21-2003, 06:47 AM
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Some things to remember
Anyone ever had this happen to you?
You have just started your big DA 150 ... your standing in front of your beautiful giant scale performance plane ... motor is idling nice and slow as you check your switches and do your preflight mental checklist ... some idiot on your channel turns on his radio without checking the frequency board ... your receiver goes into factory preset fail safe resulting in a jump to half throttle ... you find yourself running down the taxi-way being chased by a 40% Radio Craft Extra 300 armed with a 32 x 10 carbon fiber "ankle shredder".
I have seen it happen and luckily no injury occurred. The same incident could have occurred with ANY size plane ... giant scale down to a .40 sized trainer. Imagine the same scenario with a quarter midget pylon racer ... half throttle for those little bad boys is about 20,000 rpm ... that would be a hard plane to outrun.
THINGS TO REMEMBER:
ALWAYS check the frequency board before turning on your radio.
NEVER forget to look for "erratic" behavior of other aircraft after you turn on your radio (even if you HAVE checked your channel).
ALWAYS have someone or something holding your plane upon start up.
NEVER stand in front of your plane when the motor is running.
ALWAYS tone down the preset failsafe idle setting on a PCM radio.
NEVER assume other pilots are checking the frequency board.
ALWAYS wear a good pair of running shoes at the airfield in case you or someone else forget any of the above "things to remember".
Rick
You have just started your big DA 150 ... your standing in front of your beautiful giant scale performance plane ... motor is idling nice and slow as you check your switches and do your preflight mental checklist ... some idiot on your channel turns on his radio without checking the frequency board ... your receiver goes into factory preset fail safe resulting in a jump to half throttle ... you find yourself running down the taxi-way being chased by a 40% Radio Craft Extra 300 armed with a 32 x 10 carbon fiber "ankle shredder".
I have seen it happen and luckily no injury occurred. The same incident could have occurred with ANY size plane ... giant scale down to a .40 sized trainer. Imagine the same scenario with a quarter midget pylon racer ... half throttle for those little bad boys is about 20,000 rpm ... that would be a hard plane to outrun.
THINGS TO REMEMBER:
ALWAYS check the frequency board before turning on your radio.
NEVER forget to look for "erratic" behavior of other aircraft after you turn on your radio (even if you HAVE checked your channel).
ALWAYS have someone or something holding your plane upon start up.
NEVER stand in front of your plane when the motor is running.
ALWAYS tone down the preset failsafe idle setting on a PCM radio.
NEVER assume other pilots are checking the frequency board.
ALWAYS wear a good pair of running shoes at the airfield in case you or someone else forget any of the above "things to remember".
Rick
06-21-2003, 11:35 AM
#2
Some things to remember
"And always wear clean underwear whenever you go out."
My instructor hammered into me to never stand in front of a moving prop. I start from the side and move to the back for run up.
My instructor hammered into me to never stand in front of a moving prop. I start from the side and move to the back for run up.
06-21-2003, 01:42 PM
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Some things to remember
Good point. Our club is small enough that I ask what channels everyone has brought to the field AND check the freq board. If someone has the same channel, I keep tabs on what is happening with that channel the whole time I'm at the field.
Jeff A
Jeff A
06-21-2003, 02:10 PM
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Quarter Midget aka "Q40"
Rick, Ummm, there's no throttle for the Q40 type planes,,, the engine is either on or off. When the engine is on, its turning about 23,000 to 24,000 and normally requires 2 people.
I seriously doubt that any Pylon Racer is going to allow bystanders to stand in front of his/her plane.
As for them bigger planes,,, well, thats a different story as you stated.
Stupid is as Stupid does,,, Forest Gump.
BV
I seriously doubt that any Pylon Racer is going to allow bystanders to stand in front of his/her plane.
As for them bigger planes,,, well, thats a different story as you stated.
Stupid is as Stupid does,,, Forest Gump.
BV
06-21-2003, 03:32 PM
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Some things to remember
Originally posted by hookedonrc
"And always wear clean underwear whenever you go out."
My instructor hammered into me to never stand in front of a moving prop. I start from the side and move to the back for run up.
"And always wear clean underwear whenever you go out."
My instructor hammered into me to never stand in front of a moving prop. I start from the side and move to the back for run up.
Saw two young kids at the field yesterday with what looked like a new electric. I asked what channel they where on and they said AM. I asked to look at their transmitter and sure enough Ch.54. I then gave them their first and most important lesson, the frequency board. I have explained this to at least 7 people in the last year, I can tell when they are so new that they don't know about frequency control. The manufacturers should put a big warning label on them.
Granted, our field is busier than most and I wonder how many planes have been lost because of this.
06-21-2003, 06:18 PM
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Some things to remember
BasinBum: Sorry, I should clarify my statement. I am at the side only to start. As soon as the engine is running, I am at the back. I never run it up unless I am behind the plane.
06-21-2003, 08:54 PM
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Some things to remember
There is something I started doing a long time ago and it has really caught on at our field. I keep my AMA card or club membership card in my radio case on TOP of the radio. ANY time I open my case up to get my radio out, if I see that card, I put it on the freq board. It is a good reminder that the card should be in the board BEFORE you even take your radio out of its case much less turn it on.
Rick
Rick
06-21-2003, 09:07 PM
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Re: Quarter Midget aka "Q40"
Originally posted by Bill Vargas
Rick, Ummm, there's no throttle for the Q40 type planes,,, the engine is either on or off. When the engine is on, its turning about 23,000 to 24,000 and normally requires 2 people.
I seriously doubt that any Pylon Racer is going to allow bystanders to stand in front of his/her plane.
As for them bigger planes,,, well, thats a different story as you stated.
Stupid is as Stupid does,,, Forest Gump.
BV
Rick, Ummm, there's no throttle for the Q40 type planes,,, the engine is either on or off. When the engine is on, its turning about 23,000 to 24,000 and normally requires 2 people.
I seriously doubt that any Pylon Racer is going to allow bystanders to stand in front of his/her plane.
As for them bigger planes,,, well, thats a different story as you stated.
Stupid is as Stupid does,,, Forest Gump.
BV
Rick
06-22-2003, 12:18 PM
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Some things to remember
Three words… Impound, Impound, Impound
Our club had similar situations where Tx’s had been turned on while somebody else was using the frequency. The cause (admitted by those guilty) was that they left their Tx next to the plane in too convenient of a location to pick it up, without thinking, and flip the switch. Had they needed to walk to the impound and retrieve the Tx, the mishaps never would have happened.
We have a new frequency board / impound this year along with a policy of strict compliance and so far everything is going great.
Our club had similar situations where Tx’s had been turned on while somebody else was using the frequency. The cause (admitted by those guilty) was that they left their Tx next to the plane in too convenient of a location to pick it up, without thinking, and flip the switch. Had they needed to walk to the impound and retrieve the Tx, the mishaps never would have happened.
We have a new frequency board / impound this year along with a policy of strict compliance and so far everything is going great.
