Your Safety Advice !!!

baronbernie

Member
Have you ever been bit by your plane and injured? Learned something new about safety around a plane? Share your experiance and what you've learned about safety.

After inserting the bind plug into the reciever of my GP Pluma equiped with a Rimfire 370 outrunner motor, I held on to the wing leading edge firmly and moved the throttle ever so slightly. It came to life much quicker than I antisipated, the plane made a sharp turn around the point I was holding and bit me on the fore arm tossing blood quite a distance. Also, it took a nose dive ripping the motor and mount off of the plane.

After seeing the doctor and 4 stitches later, I realized that it would have been much safer and wiser to have another person hold the plane, than by myself. If I would have thought a little bit about what I was doing and not have been in such a rush, everything would have turned out safer. :black_eyed:
 
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pgerts

Old age member
Mentor
As in all instructions - do not have the propeller on the engine shaft until you have tested all functions and are ready to fly.
 

Foam Addict

Squirrel member
I have been hit by a running prop only once. My brother throttled up his easy star while I was still holding it.
I always remove the props from every thing except IPS sized gear boxes.
If someone thinks that dangerous, I also was hit by a .60 11 6 prop when it backfired. It sliced all the fingers on my right hand open. :eek: Worse it got blood all over my mono kote!:p kidding.
Treat all equipment with respect and you will do well.
 
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MrClean

Well-known member
Unlike ignition engines that will lose power when they run into an obstruction, namely you, the electric engines will just draw more juice till they fry your esc or make it through the obstruction, namely, formerly, you.

Even when everything is fully tested, make sure and have that plane restrained like it was going to bite you. It just might.
 

zev

lumpy member
sort of off topic, but don't toast your fingers with a hot glue gun at the same time as accidentally putting your other hand down on an x-acto knife.
 

baronbernie

Member
I have also read about others who have had there x-acto knife fall from the table and land in their foot. They were not wearng and thing on there feet. Ooooooch!
 

andy_spoo

Member
I ended up in A&E last evening, after throwing my F22 slot plane in to the air (3rd attempt) like I do my trainer plane (I think I was getting frustrated with it at this point). I momentarily forgot that the can't throw it like that. The prop sliced in to the top of my finger. After getting to hospital and them cleaning it up, the nurse found the second slice. That's the first time I've had to go to hospital since I was a small child and I'm 44 now!

I won't be doing that again in a hurry. Weird thing is, it hurts less than a graze (as long as I don't try and move it), although apparently I managed to miss all of my nerves. :-O

Lesson learned.....move on
 

earthsciteach

Moderator
Moderator
I've been chopped by a prop in a very similar way, Bernie. I've come very close to dropping an exacto knife on my feet several times. And, I have a bad habit of touching the wrong end of a soldering iron absent-mindedly. Also, I can't seem to stop myself from poking the hot glue. What's with that???
 

robschonk

Senior Member
They make safety gloves out of Kevlar, or stainless steel mesh, for things like cleaning fish. Might be a bit awkward, but better to keep all your fingers......
 

tramsgar

Senior Member
This is the kind of thread that makes the skin on my back curl... :eek: But I have to read it anyway.

My tips are:
* Remove the prop before starting to reverse channels on the tx (one of them just might be the throttle).
* Always use examination gloves when handling chemicals (grease, glue, cleaners et c).
* Use safety glasses when using knives with break-away blades.
* As may other also do, I press down the throttle stick with my thumb always while not in the air or taking off.

Currently saving up to get a CO2 extinguisher to keep next to my charging station.
Still the best overall tip is Josh Scott's "check your crap".
 

Tritium

Amateur Extra Class K5TWM
I just developed a SEVERE allergy to superglue (CA) in the last month (used the stuff for years with no issues). One use now and I cannot stop coughing with other symptoms similar to a very bad hay fever attack plus itching in my chest and up to my throat. It take's a week or 2 for the lung congestion to clear up completely. I now have to find an alternative glue for my Crash Test Hobby Deep Reaper build. Another friend who builds "Slimers" told me he had the same issue and had to quit CA use. He now has been diagnosed with emphysema (never smoked or worked with other lung damaging substances).

Thurmond
 

Craftydan

Hostage Taker of Quads
Staff member
Moderator
Mentor
* Remove the prop before starting to reverse channels on the tx (one of them just might be the throttle).

I'd add to that, if your TX has a "throttle cut" option USE IT! and set it to a switch position that it will flip to if you drop it.

Had one of our younger flyers (who's a better pilot than I am, danggit!) drop his TX just as he was picking up his plane. he hadn't programmed a throttle cut, and it went WOT. The prop struck his thumb blunt, then slid down and cut him on the palm. He was scared more than injured, but to his credit, he screamed bloody murder and got the help he needed.

Ok, another one: If you injure yourself, GET HELP. your pride just ain't worth it.
 

xuzme720

Dedicated foam bender
Mentor
The reason I always carry CA (or at least have it handy)is NOT because I always crash...

And in case you don't know, pull the skin closed and use the CA like stitches, not a bandaid.
 

Tritium

Amateur Extra Class K5TWM
The reason I always carry CA (or at least have it handy)is NOT because I always crash...

And in case you don't know, pull the skin closed and use the CA like stitches, not a bandaid.

I have used it for wounds for 20 years and it's great on a hangnail too. Now though I am afraid of it. I do not like to choke.

Thurmond
 

baronbernie

Member
I sometimes like to keep a pad of paper close by while building. The reason for this is because you need to keep focused on what you are duing. When you have other things on your mind you loose concentration on your build and accidents are sure to happen.
 

tramsgar

Senior Member
I just developed a SEVERE allergy to superglue (CA) in the last month (used the stuff for years with no issues). One use now and I cannot stop coughing with other symptoms similar to a very bad hay fever attack plus itching in my chest and up to my throat.

Sorry to hear that! =/ I'll be more careful with that also, but don't see me using a mask when using CA, so... Have you researched your problem? Is it the fumes that "odourless" CA has less of that caused the allergy (causes the reactions)? The skin contact?
 

Tritium

Amateur Extra Class K5TWM
Sorry to hear that! =/ I'll be more careful with that also, but don't see me using a mask when using CA, so... Have you researched your problem? Is it the fumes that "odourless" CA has less of that caused the allergy (causes the reactions)? The skin contact?

I am not sure. My chosen glue was a midrange thickness Rhino Industrial Superglue. It doesn't damage foam (much) but is not considered a odorless variety or foam safe that I know of. I used about 15 grams of the stuff on a build and set it aside in my room to cure. I tested my theory with a few drops later and the symptoms re-occured. No skin contact issues for me that I know of (yet). I have noticed in the past that when removing the lid from the container to use a dispensing tip that if the lid is set down on a Formica laminate surface the fumes will fog it and cannot be removed so I surmise that the fumes condense to glue rather than being plain volatiles that dissipate in the air. This only happened in the last couple of weeks and I am still studying on it.

Thurmond
 

xuzme720

Dedicated foam bender
Mentor
Sorry to hear that, Thurmond. At least you're not alone, not that that makes you feel any better. Heard of many cases where it just suddenly comes on, like flipping a switch. Very odd reaction for sure.

Let us know if you figure out any CA's that don't cause the reaction.
 

tramsgar

Senior Member
According to the All Knowing Wikipedia about the toxicity of CA:


The fumes from CA are a vaporized form of the cyanoacrylate monomer that irritate sensitive membranes in the eyes, nose, and throat. They are immediately polymerized by the moisture in the membranes and become inert.
These risks can be minimized by using CA in well ventilated areas. About 5% of the population can become sensitized to CA fumes after repeated exposure, resulting in flu-like symptoms. It may also act as a skin irritant and may cause an allergic skin reaction. The ACGIH assign a Threshold Limit Value exposure limit of 200 parts per billion. On rare occasions, inhalation may trigger asthma. There is no singular measurement of toxicity for all cyanoacrylate adhesives as there is a wide variety of adhesives that contain various cyanoacrylate formulations.

The United States National Toxicology Program and the United Kingdom Health and Safety Executive have concluded that the use of ethyl cyanoacrylate is safe and that additional study is unnecessary. 2-octyl cyanoacrylate degrades much more slowly due to its longer organic backbone that slows the degradation of the adhesive enough to remain below the threshold of tissue toxicity. Due to the toxicity issues of ethyl cyanoacrylate, the use of 2-octyl cyanoacrylate for sutures is preferred.

Octyl CA is apparently what's used for closing sutures. If I had bad reactions to CA, I might try if that worked for foam and not only skin. Bet it's more expensive, though.