ORIGINAL: sfsjkid
I have a fail safe installed in my car, along with a throttle return spring. The former for radio hits and the latter in case I just plain run out of battery. I will not run my car without them for either will prevent a runaway, though it might create an obstacle on track.
However, in my plane, I haven't come up with a good all round failsafe position that I feel comfortable with. Setting for idle seems to be fairly popular, but what if the plane is flying towards a crowd or property? Maybe the throttle will cut out in time, maybe it won't and actually land the plane in an area one wants to miss. I've heard of others that set up for a level, circle pattern, which initially struck me as a good idea at first but then realized that the wind could take the aircraft anywhere, and doesn't work if you are inverted.
I guess my question would be, if the AMA mandated failsafes, and it actually contributed to irreplacible damage, what would be the repercussions?
Good question. Don't have
the answer, but by way of illustrating what could happen, AMA lost an injury lawsuit in a control line speed model incident where the the plane ripped away from the control lines restraining it and seriously injured the pilot's crewman. Largest judgment ever against AMA,
AFAIK. A factor contributing to AMA's loss of this case was the finding that the pull test mandated by AMA overstressed the model structure and contributed to the failure that caused the accident.
IMAA apparently had similar concerns over exposure of their members during event safety inspections, and the potential for transferring liability to them. Last I heard, the owner/pilot was to himself conduct such inspections under the watchful eye of an event official. Official to witness that owner made the inspection, but owner retains full liability for inspection/certifying the structural integrity and airworthiness of the model.
The possible legal implications should be carefully considered when 'mandating' anything safety. The exposure an AMA CD has every time he is required to make a safety call at an event seems to me a dinner bell for hungry litigious vermin.
Abel