GaryMC1

Nick,
As I am new to R/C, with only two flights to my name, I am very curious as to why a perfectly functioning airplane would do that. Did Mr. Striker have *any* control over the aircraft at all? I'm going to assume not, because if he had, he would have attempted to steer it away from disaster. To me, that implies radio failure. Either the receiver died, or the transmitter died. Has anyone been able to test those systems, or was the receiver not salvageable?

While I wouldn't think of second guessing anyone in this matter, I can see a definate need for pilots to protect themselves and others around them from a situation like this. Would a 'fail safe' device have worked in this incident? Unknown if the receiver was unsalvageable. Even if it was, and doesn't work, there is no guarantee that it wasn't irrevocably damaged at the time of the crash.

But, if the AMA, or IMAA or other governing body declares that PCM radios and receivers with fail safe devices be installed in this class of airplane, then at what point to they draw the line? Is it 'only IMAA qualifying' airplanes. How about .60 trainers with wingspans of greater than 80", or sport planes with gas engines, or...

I am very glad to hear that Mr. Rowe is on his way home, and I hope that he will recover fully.

But, we need to consider what future requirements, if any, that need to be addressed from this unfortunate incident, and if they do, how far ranging? Is everyone, within a year, going to be flying PCM radio systems with engine shutdown systems? Imagine that on a .25!

Gary