Originally posted by Don T. - NN4S
I was made aware of the fact that there is no requirement for gas engine powered aircraft to have a means of killing the engine via radio today! I guess I've just always taken for granted that those behemoths had a means of killing the engine & gliding in dead stick if the throttle hung open; imagine my surprise at finding out they're not! You've got that big, heavy plane with it's powerful engine & HUGE prop (likely composite) thrashing about with NO way to kill the engine if the throttle sitcks? SHAME ON YOU! And shame on the AMA for not requiring a remote kill switch on these beasts since it would cost next to nothing (at least compared to the costs of these birds). A micro servo & a kill switch wired in parallel to the existing kill switch on the outside of the plane would provide added protection against a plane that's got no means of throttling back and would provide an extra measure of safety for all involved at the site.
The parallel wiring would require both switches to be on for the plane to run; either one being off would prevent it. No need to have a "controlled crash" into tall grass beside the field in hopes of killing the engine without breaking something or hurting someone for less than $20 investment! Nuff said! Get those planes modified for safety's sake! AMA, get the word out to the folks flying these things so that we don't all end up losing out because of it. They're neat to watch, but a simple, inexpensive measure like this should be REQUIRED of any plane using a spark ignition engine.
Hey Don, you should go over to that guy and suggest an inflight kill switch before he lands in the tall grass and breaks another prop
BV
wire brushing is better than abrasives!