Henry County RC Club
Safety Letter
June /July 2015
Are you the Weakest Link?
Recently, a few incidents took place at our field that
I would like to bring to your attention. One was a crash, and one was a near
crash. These were NOT major events, they were just “common” examples of what we face here at HCRCC.
One pilot took off and flew his airplane a
few laps of the pattern. Then without warning, the airplane would not control
properly. The aircraft veered to the west, and flew over the tree line. Unable
to gain control, the aircraft crashed, and did some minor damage to a building.
Thankfully no one was hurt, and the damage was easily repaired.
So what was the cause of this crash? We can
not be 100% certain since much of the airplane was damaged, but most likely we
narrow this down to three very important areas. Batteries, mechanical failure, or pilot
error.
Receiver Batteries. This battery really is the heart of your
airplane. Most likely you charge them the night before, or you do a quick
charge at the field. But do you really check them before each flight? If a
battery is 60% or less of capacity, DO NOT attempt a flight. Change out or
recharge that battery first.
Also
an “Old” battery might really show it's age when under the stress of
“Flight Loads”. This higher load on your
battery may cause a receiver to “Brown Out”, and temporarily loose the bind
with your transmitter. This will result in a crash.
Mechanical
failure. Yes, servos do fail, even
in flight, but not very often. What is more common is that a servo mount fails.
I have witnessed this first hand. The result was an airplane that was very hard
to control, and then a crash.
Pilot error. We all hate to admit
this, but we all make mistakes. And most often the cause of our mistakes is not
seeing the airplane correctly. This is called “Loosing Perspective” of the
aircraft. Sun angles, and shadows, glare, and fatigue, can cause us to not see
correctly. Wearing sunglasses is usually
your best help, but it is still no guarantee that you will always properly see
your airplane. Here at HCRCC the mid morning hours are usually the most
difficult. Don't over extend your
capabilities. If conditions are bad,
wait 15 or 30 minutes. By then conditions will change.
The other incident that happened was a
“near crash”. This happened when we had
three aircraft in the patten. All three airplanes, were identical in size and
color. This sets up a dangerous
situation. These situations can be
avoided.
It only takes a moment for one pilot to
become distracted and find that he is not controlling his aircraft. Often this
results in a crash. But again luckily, our pilot regained control of his own airplane
and there were no injuries. Yes this was
Pilot Error. It was also a poor decision
by all three pilots. Some times WE are the Weakest Link.
Before I close I would ask you to check
page 6 of June 2015 Model Aviation
magazine. It is written by the President of AMA (Bob Brown). Near the end of the article he has some very
wise words.
“ Often the cause of problems is failing to
adhere to the AMA Safety code, or lack of respect for other modelers. The AMA
safety code ensures that we all fly in a safe manner. Along with that,
observing rules that have been created by your club is a must. “
Thanks Mr. Brown. I hope you all will take
the time to read the whole page.
Respectfully Larry Przyborowski
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