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My hand with a spinning prop did tangle.
My fingers this encounter did mangle.
Now they're numb.
I feel so dumb.
At my side all my arm does is dangle.

No longer a transmitter can I hold.
Many times my story I've told.
Flying's my life,
so says my wife.
By the time they heal, I fear, I'll be too old.

My dreams of winning many RC riches
are, it's sad, all tied up in stitches.
"Serves you right," said my wife to her honey,
"considering what you've spent of our money!"
"Now Sweetheart," I said, "don't be like those other, umm, witches."

To my flying buddies, this I have to say,
if flying you wish to go the next day,
when it's time to stop
a spinning prop
for Heaven's sake keep your fingers out of the way!!!

Paul

sucks
 

Man that sucks Paul but damn do you got a good rhyme there :D

Joe

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I'll second that!!!

Wow
 

I 'Feel' for you Paul, but why don't you enlighten us on how this happened. Did you not use the ‘chicken stick’ or were you starting the beast and reached around to adjust the throttle or what?

The more info you can give our gang, the ‘less’ chance of this unfortunate accident rearing its ugly head again.

Thanks, and hang in there!

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That sucks man. Thats why i always use my electric started.

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Ouch! Been there, done that! But damn - you did it a lot better than I!!!

Back in the early 70's, while stationed in Germany with the USAF I was breaking in a rebuilt ST .40. I remember it was cold (patches of snow on the ground) and I was at the flying site just trying to get the engine to start the first time after replacing the sleeve and piston & ring. Probably had been flipping for an hour (no electric starter back then). Suddenly the engine caught, I adjusted the needel valve, then started to reach around the side of the prop to remove the glow plug clip. Prop caught the back of my index finger. Weather was so cold I didn't realize what I'd done right away because my fingers were numb. So I spent the next 4 hours at the base hospital (Bitburg AB) getting my finger sewed up. Just knew they were going to have to remove a chunk of meat from my a** to fill in the big empty space but the corpsman was able to cut up what was left with some small surgical scissors and draw the pieces back together. He turned out to be quite a seamstress!

Anyway, I feel your pain!

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Hi Guys,

Thanks for your replys. There actually is a lesson to be learned from this. Our club recently built a bunch of benches that allow you to work on your plane at hand level. That's the good news. The bad news is that this puts the spinning prop at hand level. I was walking around the plane from left to right and my left hand swung into the prop. I honestly don't know how I let this happen. Simple carelessness, I guess. My fingers were cut from the back side of the hand.

I'm glad you liked my rhyme. I thought that at least I could turn my carelessness into a little humor.

Paul

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Paul --

Working at a higher level was EXACTLY how I got my hand in the prop in Germany (described above)!!! The club had picnic tables and benches right behind the flightline and because of the patches of snow on the ground, I had the plane on one of the tables. I, too, felt this happened because of working at an unusual angle. Your points are well taken.

Jon (linclogs)

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Ack! I was just today thinking about building some benches like that! Now I wonder. Perhaps the good old ground is the best place to be.

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Paul ... think sailplanes ... the only thing that can go wrong is to get your foot tangled in the winch line and get dragged a couple hundred feet ... much better than what you went through.

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Pinball -- When this first happened I was ready to condemn these benches to the ash heap of good ideas gone bad. On reflection, I guess I'm not quite ready for that, but I think I'll be working from the ground for a while. I wouldn't want little kids running around the area where these benches are, though, when props are spinning.

Keith -- Sailplanes sound good, but I like my friend's idea even better, turbines! Oh, wait... I'd probably burn my whole hand...

Paul

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Jon -- Thanks for pointing out your experience. I'm curious if there has been a slight increase in hand injuries since these types of benches were introduced.

Paul

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Paul I feel for you as earlier this year I to had an oops. I to try to always be careful around the prop but I proved it only takes 1/2 second of carelessness to ruin your day. For me I choose to reach for the glow panel while trying to start a stubborn engine with out first letting the prop come to a full stop. So there I am at high idle with no hands on the plane and you guessed it the engine decides to catch. But alas I was lucky I only caught the tip of my left thumb installing a good size gash along the side of the nail that hurt like &%@!
Nice poem on a painful subject though.

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Paul, hope you have a speedy recovery and take care.........

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Thanks Rajul,

God and weather willing, I'll be back in the air next weekend.

Paul

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I would have to say
that that would ruin anyone's day.
So tell me Paul, indeed
so that we all may heed
Tell us how you did it
to all those little digits?

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Good one, RCAeroguy!

I was working on my engine on a bench that puts the plane at hand level. I was walking around the plane from left to right, which put the plane to my left. My left hand swung into the prop and the fingers were cut from the knuckle side. I can only attribute this to carelessness. At least for now, I'll be working at ground level.

Paul

hey
 

:thumbdown :thumbup:
Guys watch out for these fingers!
:rolleyes: :spinnyeye:

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we have run up stands at the taxi ways to the runway. the design of them being wide in the front makes it a little harder to get your hand in the prop by simply walking around them,

not that it would be impossible ,just harder!!!
the last guy that got his fingers was kneeling on the ground it can happen no matter where you are !!!

Hope the healing process goes well for you ,!!!!!


Highlander

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Thanks for the note, Highlander. It's been just over two weeks--the stitches are out, but the fingers still hurt a bit. I haven't been back to the field since this happened, but I will be looking over our benches to see how much protection we have in the front. I must be blocking since I can't remember. Whether working up or down, simply being careful is the key.

Paul

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All those years of Dr. Seuss.

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Looks like you are close to my stitch count. Sorry you had the experience. I took 19 in mine after not paying attention to both hands. As far as the benches go, we have one at our field being tested to see how the members like it. Personally, I feel somewhat uncomfortable with my plane 3 ft off of the ground. Although it does provide great access to the plane, it is just a bad height for me.

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lol, nice poem. I can remember many times getting my fingers caught in the prop of .049's back in my control line days; you get into that rythm, then she fires but you still stick your fingers right into the prop, doh! Even stuck em in the prop of a mccoy .35 on my first rc plane cause I couldnt get used to the chicken stick. Luckily for me all these resulted in were throbbing fingers for a few hours. Needless to say all I use now are electric starters.
Hope you heal soon.
Joe S.

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Hi Joe,

Thanks for your note. I got started with C/L .049's as well, sometime in the '60's. They had those nice sharp-edged nylon props! My fingers are healing nicely, thanks.

Paul

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Not trying to be sarcastic here,
And I'm not real good with the rhymes,
Two words for you if your fingers are dear,
WOOD PROPS, I've said a thousand times.
Sorry- :eek:
Take care, get well, be careful!

Jetts