Thought I would share my mistake from yesterday. Call it a learning experience. I was starting the glow engine on my Yak 54 and made a dumb mistake without thinking. I reached over the prop to remove the Ignitor. Needless to say I did not clear the prop. This mistake resulted in a 3 inch long 1 1/2 inch deep cut on my forearm. After a trip to the ER, a bunch of stitches, and freaking out my wife and son with a good amount of bloodI remembered an important detail. Safety is key when dealing with RC planes. For all of the beginners out there these planes are not a toy to mess around with. they can cause serious injuries. Just food for thought.

Sorry to hear about the accident. MY last one was when the glow driver came off the plug and I reached through the prop for it as a reaction.

OUCH !!!  I think the most important thing is that you are ok, and that everything still works.  I mean all your fingers.

And thank you for not posting pictures! [:'(]

Hey Minnflyer, ike they say, A picture is worth a thousand words.

You're a mind-reader, you are....

Take a look at this, then! Propeller injury for the strong of stomach.



http://media2.turbosport.co.uk/2009/...739849hand.jpg

whoa. that link i clicked on it. thats gotta hurt bad.

i got whacked on thursday by a 26x10 Biela prop. Thank God the choke was on, it just gave me a blunt cut. My index finger is still numb, i hope i goes away soon. No more hand starting for me, im gonna use my trusty chicken stick

It happens so fast, actually there is very little pain involved. You seem to be numb at the injury site at the time. I had 34 stiches in my right hand near the little finger area, from a stupid mistake I made. I learned a very valuable lesson that day..

Yeah there was very little pain at all. I actually had to look at it twice to realize it was that bad. It looked about ten times worst then it felt.

Hi JDSanders
I too have cut myself MANY times doing the same thing you did. To prevent what happened to you (reduce the chances of it happening) we have 8 Engine Starting Safety Stands at our field. After the engine starts we walk to a point behind the wing and then safely remove the glow driver. What is important is to use a safe routine so that even if you are not being properly attentive, the chances are with you that you will be safe. We use the Engine Starting Safety Stands shown at http://www.wilsonrc.org/download.php?list.18

JDSanders,

Sorry to learn that, Thank God you are doing alright.

Yesterday I was the only flying freak at the flying field. Temperature was under 40's again cold enough for Magnolia/Cleveland TX. I started my plane on the working bench at the flying field. My hands were pretty frozen, plane started with ease, I'm flying Strega 40 with Magnum .46XLS on it. Somehow I tried to reach over to get the glow ignite out, my elbow hit the throttle stick it pushed it up to half, and plane made a roaring sound here it turned, hit my middle left finger and the right forearm leaving a deep cut in the finger straight/vertical cut/laceration, my wife couldn't take it, she packed up and ran me to the hospital. I ended up getting 6 stitches, My right forearm saved cos of jacked and thick pull over, but left me a deep scrape mark.

I'm lucky my finger is alright and nerves are ok. I should have been starting at the starting bench, where plane cannot move. My bad, learned a lesson, and ain't gonna make that mistake again. Funny thing as I don't have any medical, Dr gave me some antibiotics only for $4 and the emergency center bill is $1,640 which is WOW[X(][X(][X(], Blown my brains away.

Little lazy to post a picture but prolly I'd do it

Mody

Wanna add one more thing, Despite I was bleeding profusely, I just wrapped the cleaning cloth or cleaning thick paper wrapped scotch tape and did 2 flights lol then packed up, came home and then hospital.

On my airplane, the glow driver needs to be inserted from below and is so low that you cant remove it with the airplane on the ground. That means it compulsarily needs two people to start the airplane. I installed a remote glow driver hoping that would help but the connector keeps falling off the glow plug

Ameyam

Reading these posts and noticing how guys start planes at the clubs I am in makes me think the most dangerous thing is the glow driver falling off or when you take it off. I have seen some, like stated above, that I simply don't think I would own.

You would think there would be some better options as this is a large safety concern. The only times one gets really close to the props are when adjusting the carbs or removing the glow starter. I have been hit twice now and neither time was I hurt bad, but that did it for me. I simply will not reach over that prop any longer.

Makes you realize just how important your body parts are!

I ALWAYS move to the back of the plane before removing the glow driver. I also taught my son to do this if there was no one helping him. Sorry to hear you got bit.

bogbeagle

That picture could not be from a prop. First they are to evenly spaced, second they look like they were done with a razor type instrument not a prop, third there are to many of them to close to gether. One hit and you would pull your hand back, not hold it there to be hit that many times. I would interested in what actually caused that injury, but it was not a prop.


Vince

http://www.fpvuk.org/forum/index.php...icseen#msg7776


Here is a link with more details of the story of the lacerations.

I wasn't there ... I'm only going by what the poster claims happened!

If I might add one thing... if you are not using a hold back device, be prepared for the plane to move ahead. Keep the electric starter cone on the spinner. You can hold the plane off you until you can safely move...

Consider this a line of final defense. Use plane hold back devices and all proper safety devices to start your plane.

Finally to the OP thank you for posting that gruesome picture.... one look at that will keep you from being careless, it should be posted a couple of times each year... better to see that, then to go through what he did.

I have someone that I am going to make a copy for.

You guys that don't believe a guy that tells you what happened are just conspiracy theorists in training... have you ever seen what an airplane prop does to another aircraft? Same thing. I have no doubt that this injury was caused EXACTLY as described.

Talk about a spiral-sliced ham! *I've* GOT a strong stomach and that just about made me hurl! LOL
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Ever since I have been flying, rule #1 was NEVER fly alone. I fly giant scale warbirds and always start with a 24 volt starter with gear reduction. I have started engies as big as 200 cc. I never go anywhere without it, and leave it on the flightline for everyone. I have seen the carnage, and prefer not to participate. We also always have a holder and contiually repeat" you got it? ".I have seen planes started while the radio is on the wrong plane , and the throttle is reversed. I agree that these are not toys and should be respected for their dangerous power.

My guess would be a meat grinder or some sort of slicing machine. Certainly not a prop.

Three years ago I managed to put my hand into an idling .40 engine.

I got a slice into the tip of my finger, which healed quickly and cleanly, and a small adjacent cut.

My hand was painful and a bit numb for days while it healed.

Since that time I've no feeling in the finger tip.

Yeah, I had a new electric that I was testing. I didn't realize that the throttle was backwards. AND, I didn't realize the tones that the motor was giving off was the "arming" sequence. So, when I plugged the battery in, it beeped.

I thought it was just beeping to show that it was powered up. So, I pushed the throttle to full open, and it beeped twice. When I pulled the throttle back to idle, the thing spun to full.

I pushed the throttle back to full at the same time I reached for the plane as it was in my living room and was headed for my large glass window.

End result: Five stiches on my index finger.

Lesson learned and moral of the story: Don't test electric power with the prop installed.

CGr