Hi,

I'm posting this in the beginner's forum as most visit here from time to time, but it applies to us all.

Long storey short. I passed an elderly beginner (in his eighties) on to the most experienced instructor in our club as whilst I had assited him to learn to fly an Easy Glider, micro cub and a slow stick, (all without ailerons), I was unable to stop him "over controlling" his first aileron model, an electric foam piper cub, about a 40 size machine.

The instructor was adjusting the rates with the assistance of our clubs radio guru as the transmitter is a Hobby King brand with "Chinglish" instructions so those of us used to JR, HiTec, Futuba et al have a real learning curve to negotiate. The model was inverted on a work bench at the field with the battery cover removed but the battery was still connected to allow the throws to be measured. Unfortunately the throttle was inadvertently reversed. The motor went to full revs dragged itself off the bench and into radio gurus thumb splitting it end on, from tip to cuticle right through the nail and the bone. The injury required micro surgery to repair and will see the injured party unable to fly for some time.

The message is alway ensure that models are restrained when working on them and that electric motors can start unexpectedly and require particular care. Ok this may be overkill for ducted fans.

I hope "newbies" and "old hands" can exercise true genius and learn from this mistake. Sorry I borrowed this partial quote from someones signature line.

Cheers,

Colin