T Koffler

My Feedback: (13)

Hi guys!
Let this be a reminder to all. Well I was starting my new Saito 180 (second time). I was starting it by flipping it backwards. Well, she fired right up on the first bump (gotta love those big Saitos)! Then I felt something hit my finger pretty hard. I didn't think much of it until I want to grab me radio and saw my hand. Well, the pic tells the rest of the story.....

Just wanted to remind all that props are dangerous and will bite. I have been starting my engines this way for years and I guess I got a little less cautious.......

drywaller

Thank god you did not lose it. I see guys starting their engines, big and small, by hand all the time. I have tried it a few times but always go back to the electric starter. Some guys dont like the fact that electric starters marr the finish on their prop. cones and others dont like the fact that using an electric starter on smaller engines might wear the bearings prematurely.
Id rather replace a thousand bearings and the same number of spinners than risk cutting a nerve in the finger or even worse, but not by far, losing a finger.
my .02
Marco

Rocketman612

My Feedback: (85)

Glad to see you kept all ten fingers. Loose one and it's tough counting. Pete

outssider

My Feedback: (23)

I start mine very easily with just a flip of the spinner or a tap with the stick......This is a "BEAST OF A MOTOR" it starts like a ***** cat!!... but it can bite ...please everyone... keep your fingers away from the "BEAST"...I see too many pople reaching around this and other engines from the front while trying to tune their engine...some of the positions I see people contort themselves into while trying to tune from the front with one hand... while holding the plane with the other.. .....I don't understand why people do this...."MOVE TO THE REAR OF THE PLANE ONCE THE ENGINE HAS FIRED UP"" I have seen a lot of people get bit because they refuse to move to the rear of the plane........ once the engine gets started!!!


Sometimes I just look away because i can't bare to look

T Koffler

My Feedback: (13)

Outssider,
I'm very cautious around the props. I think what I did wrong was I bumped it at the tip not by the spinner.

That cut was from the leading edge of the prop. I think if it was the trailing edge I would have lost it.

Oh, by the way it was a new APC that was not sanded yet..

outssider

My Feedback: (23)

i run apc on my 180 also...I don't sand it ..i do balance it though .....I do keep my fingers and every part of my body the hell away from that spinning prop...you can bet on that !!

T Koffler

My Feedback: (13)

LOL!!
I hear'ya on that one!!!! I think I will "balance" mine also. And stay very clear of it.. I dont want to give up starting my engines this way (flipping). But I have to admit that I'm a little SKEERED now...

Blackie

Outsider, T Koffler This also happend to me on my second plane, and what got me was the very tip of the prop off of a .75 engine running at a 1/3 throttle prop size was 12x8. The tip can really do some dammage as I walked out of ER with over 30 stitches in all fingers except one and I took some nerve dammage as well.

I understand the rule of thumb is "first time = lack of experience second time = just plan stupidity" One thing is for sure it is a very good reminder.

Randy

T Koffler

My Feedback: (13)

Hi Randy,
I was lucky.. I still have feeling in the tip of my finger. The doc said I was lucky...

I posted this just as a reminder to all.. I have been flying for about 5 years and feel pretty relaxed. I think thats how things happen. You take thinks for ganted and then get hurt..

Blackie

AH! well maybe the statement I made may not be true I was just quoting what members at my club have told me on the rule of thumb.

I am only but around 10 - 11 months into the hobby and already starting to move up into the larger engines at least larger then I am used to. I just migrated to a Saito 100 powering the AW Edge 540 T 90 size and the first time I started it I was almost shaking from fear of that 15 X 6.

Randy

Iflyit

My Feedback: (512)

why would anyone even want to start one with thier bare hand?? there is no reason for it, you can use a chicken stick and it works just as well, no maybe better cause you cant cut your fingers off.

Everyone that starts them with thier hands has thier day coming like above I think.

Joss Stick

My Feedback: (1)

I told a fellow at the field the other day that the glove he was wearing was just going to be something to hold the end of his finger when he got it whacked by the prop. The next day he had a bandaid on his finger where he got cut through the glove. The next time he was using a stick.

I know guy who tried to stop a Moki 2.10 swinging a Bolly prop with his hand. He didn't have the plane tied down and it started to roll when he started it with his chicken stick. He instinctivly stuck his hand out to stop the plane and lost the ends of three fingers. He dropped the TX when this happened and the plane took off. Someone else grabbed up the TX and got the airplane back as the other people wrapped his hand and called an ambulance. One tip was hanging on by the meat, another was found 2 hours later 75 feet away and the other finger tip was never found.

I guess the bottom line is secure the model and keep your fingers away from spinning objects.

Unstable

I just got a saito 80 for my cub and starting that scares the heck out of me... I got one of the "scale" prop nuts to make it look better but it didnt fit my started cone.... so I started it with a chicken stick (screwdriver using the handle) ... well thats how I started it for breaking it in..... next day I went out and bought a starter cone to fit

I am also gonna paint the tips of the prop a bright color to give it more visability... that 14" is big and seems hungry for fingers

Robotech

My Feedback: (9)

Seems like this is a no-brainer. Why would you put any part of your body in contact with a potentially dangerous part of a model. It's not IF your going to get bit, it's WHEN!

"Chicken sticks" are about $999.00 cheaper than a visit to the E.R. I mean the rubber tipped ones that are specifically designed for flipping an engine. A screwdriver handle that is caught by a spinning prop could become a lethal projectile in a fraction of a second.

It takes about three seconds to grab your chicken stick vs. one second to loose a finger or two. My $.02

Sawyer692-RCU

My Feedback: (6)

I got this one reaching for the glow ignitor.

Traxxas_Tech

My Feedback: (22)

Glad to say I haven't had an encounter with these APC "spinning Knives" we all use. I have become nervous and scared when I'm starting my motors, and I feel I have to move to the rear of the plane once it is fired up. So far so good, still have all fingers.
I dont think I'll ever try fooling around with these things from the front of the plane
Be safe

Blackie

I can't speak for any others in here and by no means am I trying to make an excuse for myself. The way my incident happened was that I panicked during my first solo break in on my second plane with a .75 engine two months give or take into the hobby. Although I was at the field on a crowded Sunday, I thought I could do this by myself. The plane was tied and everything was checked, engine fired up on the first start "with an electric field starter" and cought me off guard as I was not expecting it to fire that fast. I reacted to quick and was not thinking, (mind sort of went blank). I made the mistake of trying to reach around the prop to adjust the high end with the notion something would happen to the engine if I didn't. Well something did happen, I found myself in the ER caused from tip of the prop. Things were still a bit new to me at that time.

Now everytime I start an engine I think about it and I make double sure I move around the the rear of the plane, as I was tought by my instructor. I also invested into a plane restraint.
I even use it as a example to those new comers into the hobby. When I see a newby trying to do something from in front of his plane I motion them to get back behind the plane, show them my hand and tell them that there is nothing they can do from in front of the engine or plane.

Randy

can773

My Feedback: (1)

I have a few YS 140s and I learned (not the hard way fortunately) to have a lot of respect for these motors. I have been bit by smaller 60s and dont want to have that experience with a big one. I think remote glow is essential on the bigger motors as well as a needle valve that is not too close to the prop (not a problem on most 4-strokers).

I did get bit once (not by the prop), I was running up my YS 140 (15x12 prop, 9100 rpm) and taching it with my 9ZAP in front of the prop (dumb). As I went from 75% to full throttle the double jam nut popped loose letting my nice Tru-Turn spinner cone go flying right into the back of my hand, I got a huge black and blue mark on the back of my hand and it hurt like a bugger to move my fingers (but I still went flying , it was the Nats). Luckily the prop nuts didnt come all the way off so the prop stayed on the crank. So be aware that it is not always the prop you need to worry about. Oh, the spinner cone after hitting me ended up about 15' away from the airplane!!

Rarebear

I got bit from behind the prop! My 180 coughed and bounced on the mains against the hold down and almost took my finger tip and part of my thumb. the tip was held on by a piece of skin. The tip was sewn back on and half of my thumb nail gone but the nail grew back and I got most all of the feeling in the finger tip.They said if my reflexes were any slower that I would be missing those parts,so called myself very lucky and am even more causious even behind the props.

outssider

My Feedback: (23)

Rarebear.....

I am having a hard time visualizing what you are talking about !

Ed Red

I also have shown a bit of carelessness when I let a 20x8 Zinger on a Moki 2.10 get into my arm. Doesn't take much negligence to become a casualty. I was more upset for losing the prop. It was my only one.

Won't put the picture here in case you would rather not see it.

If you want to see it: www.redmond.rcplanet.com/gash.jpg

Rarebear

Outsider, I made a needle valve extention of throttle cable so I could pull it back away from the prop, I was using what they call a third hand hold down,I was kneeling to the side of the plane and just behind the prop. I reached between the wing and landing gear to adjust the high end,when I did the engine surged against the hold down,bounced the the main and came back into mt hand.

Shortman

My Feedback: (21)

ed red - OUCH!!! How many stiches did you need, or for that matter staples!

T Koffler

My Feedback: (13)

Ed,
You should have used a APC then you would not have had to replace it

Ed Red

I refused stiches Shortman. Nearly made my wife pass out. Some guy at the field patched me up. It was sort of a fleshy wound. Didn't hit anything critical. Just big ugly scars left now. Not trying out for Mr. Universe anymore, so appearance doesn't matter. Wife talked me out of going to Hobby People for a new prop. Their props that size are too expensive anyway.

Great idea Todd! Actually, this is one reason I don't use APC or carbon props of that size. One of my aquaintances shoved his hand into a 60 size APC. $25,000.00 worth of repair to his hand. Thats a lot of warbirds and engines.