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Fueling and
Start-up: There are three barriers you should consider for starting an
internal-combustion-engine-powered model, the first of which is for
sound.
Most model engines generate a noise level of 90 decibels at a
distance of 10 feet when operated at full throttle. This level is even
higher when you are in a position to adjust the throttle. If you enjoy
listening to good music and want to conserve your hearing, wear an
appropriate barrier: a set of earplugs, a hearing-protection headset, or
both.
We gradually lose our hearing as we age, and exposure to sounds at
high decibel levels accelerates that loss. I have been told by medical
personnel that the loss process is cumulative and irreversible. Protect
your hearing while you still have it.
The second barrier is wearing a
pair of gloves if you intend to hand-start the engine. Using a "chicken
stick" is even better.
A chicken stick is a piece of broom or mop handle
measuring roughly 8 inches long that you use to flip the propeller. You
should install a piece of insulating foam over the stick; that way, if
the propeller strikes the stick on a backfire, the stick won't break the
propeller.
The third barrier is for your feet; wear substantial
shoes—not flip-flops—if you intend to prepare and fly a model. An
unprotected foot placed inadvertently in the arc of a spinning propeller
would not be a pretty sight.
The third point of field etiquette is to
use an overflow bottle on the vent line from the fuel tank when fueling
your model. This will allow you to collect that excess fuel for later
use and prevents grass-killing spills. Many flying sites have grassed
pit areas, and the owners would not like yellow splotches in their green
carpet.
During the fueling process no one in the vicinity of the
aircraft being fueled should smoke. In addition, the methyl alcohol used
in our models is poisonous to humans; don't try to clear a clogged fuel
line by sucking on the fuel hose.
The fourth point of field etiquette is
to consider where the propeller blast from your aircraft will go. Orient
your model for starting so that the propeller blast will not send methyl
alcohol or stirred dust in the direction of other models, vehicles,
people, or pets. I usually start my aircraft with the tail pointed
toward the runway edge of the pit area so that any blast is directed to
the edge of the area between the runway and the pit area, where no one
is.
When starting the aircraft you should have a backup holder—the third
level of safety. Either have someone hold the model or install some kind
of restraint. This is the backup for your ability to control the
airplane's movement and operate the radio controls simultaneously.
When
you start the aircraft engine, be aware of anything that could fall into
the propeller arc. The wires from the field box to the glow warmer and
the wires from the field box to the electric starter need to be arranged
so that they will never come in contact with the propeller arc.
Some
fliers like to wear a neck strap to support the transmitter's weight
when they are flying. If you use such a device, leave it attached to the
transmitter. Do not hang the strap around your neck when you start and
adjust the engine.
During one of our club safety discussions I asked,
"Where do you think the snap of the transmitter support strap would end
up if it got into the propeller arc while you were starting the
aircraft?"
The response was immediate and intense: "Smack-dab in your
left ear!"
That sounded like firsthand experience to me. He was lucky
that the only damage was that his ear smarted for a while.
Click on photo to view large image with caption
Once the
engine is started, the propeller arc becomes a lethal slicing zone.
Anything entering that arc will be rearranged, and the propeller itself
can be easily damaged. Propeller tip speeds at full throttle are between
Mach 0.3 and 0.5—250-350 mph—not a good time to be hurried, tired,
stressed out, distracted, or overconfident. Move to the rear of the
aircraft to remove the glow warmer and to make any adjustments.
Engine
fuel-mixture adjustment has its own dangers. I have seen experienced
modelers succumb to the Commodore Syndrome (overconfidence, described in
last month's installment) while trying to adjust their engines. While
still in front of the aircraft, they reach around the propeller to make
the mixture adjustment.
I cringe every time I see that. Those fliers
think they are invincible and are unreceptive to safe-practice
improvement. A slight miscalculation or a momentary distraction is all
it would take to place the modeler's wrist and arm at major risk of
injury.
Objects in the grass, such as rocks or sticks, should be cleared
from the area before you start your engine. Anything in the propeller
arc could be slung up and into an innocent bystander.
Similar concerns
about pieces being thrown from the propeller arise following a hard
landing in which the propeller may have been splintered or nicked. A
flaw in the propeller can weaken it enough to cause it to fly apart if
raised again to a high rpm. Inspect the propeller thoroughly for damage
after a hard landing if you plan to continue using it.
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