RTK

My Feedback: (1)

I think he was trying to say a ys 170dz is just as dangerous as one of our small gassers and no one worries about secondary means of stopping them.

OldRookie

My Feedback: (13)

And what I am saying is that if there were a different way of killing a glow engine other than stoping the fuel to the engine, we would all probably have one on these DANGEROUS engines. I also treat my OS 46FX as a dangerous engine. I think most people have great respect for what one of these engines can do to the human body, and if you don't you had better get some.

Greg

Tired Old Man

My Feedback: (1)

Okay, so just to be productive, we should poll to estimate the best type of product to use when shutting down and engine or as an "emergency" back up. Would that be a choke servo, optical cut, or servo actuated switch? We've already read of a couple of instances where one type was a problem. Personally I'm not in favor of any of them but for those that are there should be something that favors one over the others.

OldRookie

My Feedback: (13)

TOM,

I have both a choke servo and optical kill switch in my Yak.
After reading this thread and some similar, I would have to go for eliminating MY optical kill switch.

Greg

Tired Old Man

My Feedback: (1)

Pretty much the same conclusion I came to after reading similar issues in other locations.

RTK

My Feedback: (1)

Just don't let TOM fly your plane if you have the choke on a switch instead of a twist knob Never gonna let you live that one down.

Jake Ruddy

My Feedback: (40)

Its all give and take I guess.. I have purchased many Smart-FLy optical kills and used them in 7 or 8 planes in the last couple of years and never had one fail. Now look at some of the other optical kills out there and I have seen several who have had 3 replacements sent out of them before one works correctly.

Tired Old Man

My Feedback: (1)

RTK,

In both cases the plane was landed dead stick, and safely. Right? The same happened with the big Sukhoi when you gave it to me with a bum engine. Sometimes I think you just like to see me do dead stick landings

jedijody

My Feedback: (1)

TOM I know how you feel, I race pylon planes so I get tons of dead stick landing experience and people at the club know it. I have had many a hot potato Tx tossed at me with a dud on the other end and once it was dead and on the wrong model! Everyone walked away unharmed, people should really be more careful.

mjepps72

Isn't this the second time you said you were going to walk away...

a1pcfixer

My Feedback: (7)

For me, it's safety for others & me, then convienience, cost comes last.

Using computer radios w/digital trims, puts such in last place for speed in shutting down my gassers. Far too slow!
Extra servos for choking/killing are adding weight, and possible mechanical failures.
Using the throttle servo to kill a gassers is unreliable as it's servo & linkage can & many times has become disconnected/failed.

So, I use Smart-Fly's Optical Ignition Kill setup. One switch, set/located to my preference and I can kill my gasser instantly.
No need to look for my kill switch, it comes naturally to remember it's location.

In any situation, at least use something other than the throttle servo, to kill your gasser.

Tired Old Man

My Feedback: (1)

I walked away from controversial input. My last couple of posts in this thread were supposed to be either helpful or fun. If you have a problem with me in the thread either tell me direct and I won't come back to it or tell a moderator. In that event they'll probably ban me. Have fun with your decision.

crazyjoseph

My Feedback: (3)

I dont now this for fact but I suspect that the people that experianced problems with their opti kill switches were using a brand other than smart fly. I have read of people having problems with other brands but dont believe I have read of a smartfly failing. Although many with failures dont report wich brand for fear of product bashing. Some fly with no opti cut off, some fly with no choke servo, some fly with 2 receivers, some fly with 2 flight batts and a ignition batt, some fly with 2 batts for everything and some with one. Many have had no problems some have had problems. Fly what makes you feel warm and fuzzy. Most problems are builder and or pilot error , few are product related. In my opinion. Entertaining thread though.

JNorton

My Feedback: (2)

Jepps,
I don't know you but I've read TOM suggestions and solutions for 5 years now. He has more hours on engines in a year than most do in a life time. Do a search and find out.
Respectfully,
John

Tired Old Man

My Feedback: (1)

Somewhere over 2,500 flying hours in the last few years. I limited that to only the flying hours.

wings4274

FYI

I Saw a guy at the field that had both (choke servo and a Kill switch) Smart Guy right!!!!! Wrong
He was adjusting his carb on his 100cc gasser and the motor was way to lean, After his last flight he forgot to tie it down, fired it up and it jumped at him so he hit the choke. Wrong!!!!
The 27" prop hit his radio and ripped it right out of his hand..The guy got out of the way but the two planes next to him did not. loss of about 4000.00 dollars.
HIS Fault? yes, But having one kill switch that totally kills power makes more sence to me. You know like the one in you car

Tired Old Man

My Feedback: (1)

So the innocent (the two other planes) were not protected from the stupid or ignorant ( offending plane owner) in spite of having redundant engine kill methods?

Glad no one was hurt, and it shows that things can happen in spite of everything done to prevent an accident. Care and vigilance should be a constant in our hobby.

ggroyal1

wings4274 is very smart, he knows what he is talking about.

captinjohn

I may be wrong...but if the engine fired up in a way lean condition(unlikley) and if the choke was set-up right to close all the way....how is the engine going to keep going?? It really sounds like no matter what kind of engine kill device...it would not have not done much good if your too close in front of a spinning prop. I would say make DARN SURE the airplane is held from movement when starting.....first rule!!!! Also tell people to tay away from front of engine in case it throws a prop or broken blade. Capt,n

crazyjoseph

My Feedback: (3)

I would toss the tie down and install 2 pipes in the ground to rest wing against. I use a smartfly kill device myself but I got to say thats a crazy excample of why somebody should use one. You start an unrestrained plane and try to hit the switch before it eats you.

jedijody

My Feedback: (1)

Large planes need two people to deal with starting, taxiing, etc. I never use a mechanical device to restrain a plain while starting or static running. The extra eyes and brain could prevent many an accident that all mechanical restraints would be oblivious to. And NEVER do it alone with no one around!

Tired Old Man

My Feedback: (1)

A guy at one of the local fields started his big gasser by himself a few years ago. He had almost bled to death by the time someone else arrived at the field. A few minutes more and it would have been all over. A couple of friends will do a quick start on their planes when they die before T/O without any restraints. You can tell them over and over "don't do that" but you can't stop them. I don't want to see either of them get hurt but I know the inevitable will eventually happen.

RCplanman

My Feedback: (16)

I've used a servo driven kill for yrs. now I'm thinking about a optical because if i HAVE RADIO PROBLEM the servo wouldn't work.
just my 2 cents worth. Bill

ghoffman

My Feedback: (3)

The IBEC I got with the Syssa is made by Tech Aero and it is a no brainer. I have it plugged into the "gear" port on the Rx which is a separate switch. It has an LED that indicates on-off status and besides being a safety item, it regulates the voltage into the ignition box at 5.8v no matter what voltage the battery is (I am using a 6.6V LiFe). If the IBEC fails, it fails open and the engine dies. I have tried it at all throttle settings and it kills the engine immediately. The choke is manual, I don't need to use it except after a long storage, because the carb on the Syssa is a little unique and has an accelerator pump, so to prime the engine you just work the throttle a couple of times. So, I have the slider switch to kill primary power, and the IBEC, do I need another?

ec121

My Feedback: (2)

The RCATS system that I use on my 33% CAP has a "normally open" relay in the battery circuit. Any power failure will kill the engine. It is a mechanical contact instead of the opto-isolated electronic variety. I put it on my gear switch. As I work in the E&I field in a powerhouse, I see electronics fail every day, but I rarely see a relay fail electrically. Usually water or dirt. The decoding part of the RCATS is electronic, but the contacts are mechanical. I'll stick with them. BTW, I also had a really bad ignition noise problem that didn't affect the radio at all through the relay.