Glad it wasn't more serious.. Props will bite when least expect it and can bite bad.. as another reference, (not interested in hijacking).. posted an RCU thread 4 years regarding my experience.. if you don't like pics.. don't go here.. [link=http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_4762505/anchors_4762505/mpage_1/key_/anchor/tm.htm#4762505]Prop Bit[/link]

Goes to show how addicted we are to this hobby.
You go alone in 40 degrees temperature, got injured when you first started the engine, wrap it around and flew two times before picking up all the equipment, load it in your vehicle and go to the hospital to have stitches.
I got a whoop one time but I was wearing a thick garden glove. since then either electric starter or chicken stick.

I dropped my arm into a 26cc gas motor spinning an 18x6 prop back in October.  Cut all the way through the muscle in my forearm.  Just missed the main nerve that controls most of your hand.  The ER dr. held the laceration open and showed me the nerve and some tendons and how close I was.  Got some good pictures of it while I was there....once they got me doped up on morphine I wanted to see how bad it was.  After a few layers of stitches to put the muscle back together along with the skin, I was out.  Took a fraction of a second to do the damage with the motor running about 4000 rpm.  Thats what I get for not putting my radio in my normal place when starting the plane.  Reached back to get it and slice.  Still had some nerve damage, and still can't feel most of the outer portion of my right arm from the elbow to the wrist but realizing that it could have been MUCH worse makes me ok with it.  It hurts like hell some days but they say it will get better with time and I may get the feeling back in a few months.  Went for a follow-up a couple weeks after and the dr asked me if I wanted something for pain.  My response was "nope, kinda glad I can still feel it to be honest."  I took the accident as a warning that I need to pay closer attention and I thank God it wasn't worse.  It was definitely an eye opening experience.  I was at home by myself, outside my garage in the back of my house when I did it and as I was holding a rag on my arm and hunting for my phone all I could think is if I pass out back here it will be hours before someone finds me and I'm likely to bleed to death.  Needless to say I pay a little more attention now.

Thanks guys. I needed that wake up call. Honestly, after reading this i will be more careful.
Been doing it for 10 years and cut my hand bad on the sharp side of a glo 2 stroke 60 when i hand cranked it. My starter was dead.I was bleeding all over my radio, but like an fool, followed thru with my whole flight.I have since learned to keep my starter ready, sand the flashing off the prop and carry chicken stick for backup.
I have never seen a picture that bad. You would think that he would lose that hand.How could the prop turn that many revolutions to cut that many slices.That would have to be some kind of electric motor turning some serious RPM with a small prop. It just does not look real. It made me sick to my stomach.

About 13 years ago I saw a guy whack his fingers three times within an hours time! I was at a local pond where local RC club ran boats. A non member shows up to run his 40 size air-boat. He was informed that he would need join the club and get APBA insurance before using the pond. The park ranger periodically ask to see proof of this. Beyond informing people of this, the membership are told not to be confrontal. Ignoring the warning, he set about to run his pre-assembled air boat that was all the rage back then. It started quickly and he reach through the prop(tractor) to adjust the needle....THUMP! dead stop! OK, Einstein here is now beading like a stuck pig and should should seek medical attention. but he just wraps up his fingers in the paper towel a member offered and proceeds to start the engine again. And once more THUMP! He's a bit miffed now, and dammed determined to run this thing....or not waste a trip to the ER with only two cuts. You guessed it a third time yet.....his other hand! At this point he is more than miffed and inventing new words, but does he quit?.....nooo, not our hero. He gets it running and finally on the water. The boat runs around a while but gets stuck on the thick algae mat near the middle of the pond. The club recovery row boat was long gone now so our hero, with his gaping wounds jumps in this stagnant late summer water to recover his boat. oooowwkaaaayy???[sm=bananahead.gif]

double post

After seeing this thread and thus making me feel ill, makes me hesitant to learn to fly, freaks me out. Just one tiny slip and that could happen.

SCARRRRY!!!!!!

lopflyers,

Addiction never goes, and I was bleeding, wrapped my winger with cleaning paper towel and did 2 flights

I have both chicken stick and electric starter, so I usually use electric starter, somehow my left elbow hit the throttle then it all happened. I'd be more careful next time.

Here are some pix, not very clear, despite I took it from Samsung's Vibrant Galaxy S.

After reading some of these and seeing all the pictures, I had to make a finger count. Including the two thumbs all nine are acounted for!

Its not about the number of fingers you have left... but how many you can show off and tell stories about [8D]

These stories go around about once a year or so and point out the fact that this hobby is dangerous for those of us that are either prone to accidents or take those rotating swords for granted. Hey, we all do it, or have done it, or will do it, I guarantee that. I said that it would never happen to me.. woops.. five stiches later I have to eat those words.

So, the moral of this story is to be careful when moving around rotating props and keep in mind that these things are dangerous.

If you are teaching your kid(s) about RC flying, one main focus should be the safety aspect of the hobby.

Crashes are not the only downside to this hobby, although many can be or could have been avoided if the pilot took a few additional steps to check things out (servo reversal, sufficient battery, or flying with a plane that is beyond their abilities to control) and many others.

An important part of instruction to those new to the hobby is not only the fun we have when flying these planes, but also are the dangers involved with flying RC, and how these dangers can be avoided.

I've mentioned before about the chain of events leading up to an accident, and how breaking only one link in the chain will prevent or could have prevented that accident. That break in the chain is proper instruction by qualified instructors, or even by a little reminder while on the flight line when we see something that could lead to an accident.

This points out the importance of proper instruction, and how much is missing when one attempts to become self-taught. I know.. there are situations when there is no choice. And for that reason, we have these forums.

Pilots - keep it safe out there. We don't like reading posts where our friends have lost a finger or had dozens of stiches and are incapacitated for weeks at at time because of a lack of focus or a distraction causes these accidents.

Stay focused, and please, don't become a statistic.

CGr.

I did not read the story, but I did read your reply with great interest.

My accident was caused by an electric powered aircraft. These are probably more dangerous than the glow powered aircraft because a glow powered propellor will most likely stop after striking a hand, or some other solid object, where an electric powered propellor will not. It will tend to keep moving - rotating.

Consider that the smaller electric motors when direct drive, can turn a prop at very high RPM's and that the electric props are thinner, lighter, and much sharper as compared to the glow props - akin to rotating razor blades. And these will turn at these high RPM's, which could very well account for damage shown in the picture.

These are gory reminders of what can happen when we lose focus or are distracted, or take these motors and props for granted.

My accident was caused by my lack of attention to the arming tones given off when the throttle is first moved on a motor that was just powered up, and by the fact that I had the throttle channel reversed, AND because I was starting this motor for the first time with a prop installed. If I had paid any attention to any one of these three causes, the accident would not have happened and I would not have needed five stiches on my right index finger.

CGr.

G'day

I have been playing with these little finger biters for over fifty years. I have a few small cuts to show for it; most collected when I was flying control line and electric starters were unheard of.

More recently I have only needed stitches once and that was when I was trying to start an older (new) engine which fired, appeared to die then came back to life as I reached over the prop (almost).

I have managed to miss out on serious damage by the following simple rules.

1. Have your model held securely when you start it. I use a starting table or pegs and if I can get it, I ask someone to hold the model as well. Having someone hold it stops it suddenly moving back should the engine start in reverse. If your model suddenly moves, you are likely to make a reflex grab for it and .......

2. Once an engine is running, move behind the prop. This way, you won't be hit by a prop that gets thrown (they usually go forward) and if you do put a finger into the prop, it will be from behind and is less likely to do any damage. Always do tuning and other engine activities from behind the engine. NEVER reach over a spinning prop.

3. Keep other people behind your engine when it is running.

4. Use a chicken stick or electric starter on anything over 40 size - especially if it is new or unknown.

One of the biggest problems is the "reflex grab" where someone tries to grab a plane that suddenly moves. This can produce some really nasty accidents.

Any more RULES?

There is only one rule ... "Don't do nuthin' dumb."

Ha.. someone will come along and argue that just flying these things "is dumb"...

CGr.

Like over 15 years ago, I decided to run and adjust an OS 20 under my carport. I was alone in the house that day. I put a 2X1 (about 4 feet long) on the floor, and set the wheels behind it. Started, and moved around adjusting, and at one point while kneeling in front of the idling engine, one of the wheels cleared the 2X1. Obviously either the plane or the wood had moved. The plane turned, and the porp sliced trough my knee. 3 cuts, from bigger to smaller. Not too deep. the deepest was like 1/4 inch deep. The biggest maybe 2 inches long.

I realized that if I extended the leg the cuts would close and the bleeding stopped (I had a Bouty roll at hand). So, here I was, sitting on the floor leaning w/the back against the house... At that point I decided to stay put (no bleeding). If I would attempt to get up, I knew it would open the cuts again. I did not want to waste 5 hours in the ER. Since I had CA handy (filtebox) I decided to glue shut the biggest cut. I held the cut shut, and I put a little of CA on it. It burned like hell, but the bleeding stopped.

When my son arrived like one hour later, I got up carefully and since the thing was not bleeding I bandaged it. end of the story.

4 years later, working in the attic, I hit with my head the nails that protude from the inside of the roof. I had a big cut (lots of blood) on the top of my head. Wife drives me to the ER. They cut some hair, and guess what? They glued the cut. When I told the Dr. about my CA deal, he said that it was OK, apparently carpet installers were the first in using CA to close woulds. Now, it is common practice, even dentists use CA. I still have 2 neat scars on my knee.

But, please, do not try at home... and yes, I used thin CA...

Gerry

IF it turns out to be true, would not be much of an argument as the idiot who did would have spent a lot of time sifting through forums about stuff he/she hates to get this far, and you'd HAVE to be a total idiot to even attempt it ........ then again, one of our wives might just look up our favorites on our web browsers when you or I head to the field one too many times this week instead of doing stuff round the house!

This is probably as good of a topic to post this in as any....

Iread quite frequently where many on this forumtell youto turn your radios on before you turn up the recievers. I find this a little distressing, I know that most on here are gas, glow, or nitro modelers, and that when you engage your transmitter before your reciever battery there isn't much of a risk. But having being only exposed to electric flight thus far... I can tell you that engaging your transmitter before your battery is an accident waiting to happen.
All three of my planes are more or less, or are only, accessible to loading your batteries from the front of the plane, all mine load from the belly. Turning you transmitter on before loading your battery puts you in serious harms way if for some reason your throttle is engaged or becomes engaged while the battery is being installed.
Now I realize that there is a seperate forum for Electrics, but I'll tell you, I gain MUCHmore valuble info from this forum than the other,and I'm sure there are many more electric modelers using this site besides myself.
I just felt compelled to thow this into the mix.... thinking it might save someones forearm from some nasty scars someday.

Once again Iappreciate all the free help Igain from this site.

Matt

How many of your toes were transplanted to make up the nine?