RCU Forums - View Single Post - The end of small glow engines

07-04-2014, 05:34 AM

#183

jester_s1

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BrightGarden- welcome to the hobby. I'm glad you've discovered the fun of planes, and it looks like you've explored the niches of both small and bigger planes. I'm going to address two things you said though, because I think you are missing some details.
First, lipos aren't that dangerous. They don't burst into flames for no reason. Very early in the lipo history, you had guys who would use NiCd type chargers to charge them. If you overcharge Lipos, they start to heat up as all batteries do. But that's a particular big problem for Lipos because the material inside the battery is flammable and the pack is contained in that foil bag material. So they'll burst at some point as you've probably seen in YouTube videos. Yes, there is the rare freak accident when one goes off and the user doesn't know why, but they are generally quite safe if you charge them right and dispose of damaged ones. I had some old ones that couldn't put out enough amps to be useful anymore, so I did some testing. I charged both to full charge and beat one of them with a hammer until it was about twice as wide as it should be. The bags burst open, but it didn't burn. Surprising. Then I stabbed number 2 with a screwdriver, and it went off pretty good. I got a 2 foot tall flame from it which lasted a few seconds. I figured out that it's the short circuit creating heat that make it burn. And for number 3, I wired the two main leads together and stood back. It swelled quickly and popped like a firecracker before bursting into flames. So it's important to use power leads that won't let the battery accidentally short, don't stab them with screwdrivers, and make sure to charge them properly.
The second thing is a bigger safety concern, and that is flying in areas not designated for RC. If you are in an area where it's normally ok for people to walk around, people will walk around right under the area where you are flying. And with the lack of noise of many electric planes, they may well not know there is any danger. People have an amazing ability to be oblivious to their surroundings, so you can't take for granted that they'll see your plane and not go walking right into the flight path. Yes, there have been accidents where people were seriously injured by a pilot doing exactly what you are describing. In every case, an RC pilot was using a nice wide open space to fly his planes that was normally used for something else. So if you are going to fly at soccer fields or public parks and such, it is 100% your duty to the public to be sure that there are no people in your flying area. Make sure anyone who is around sees you and knows what you are doing. And preferably, use a spotter to be sure that no one wanders out into your flying area while you are focused on your plane. If you haven't already, read the AMA safety code and abide by it religiously. That document has kept RC pilots from having to deal with government regulation of our hobby for over 80 years now, and with the current FAA conversation going on it is absolutely vital that we all stay out of the news.
Good luck with continuing to explore the hobby.

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