Model Aviation Online - Modeling Spoken Here (February 2006)

Safety can become a frame
of mind kind of thing ....

There are many fun things to talk and write about concerning model airplanes. Certainly there are enough subjects related to just flying them to keep dialogue going between modelers for hours when they get together to compare notes. (You know, "bull sessions"!)

    One subject that is rarely discussed much in these sessions (at least in my experience) is modeling safety. It seems that safety is not an exciting or very interesting subject. It is also a topic that can evoke some heated comments and pointed opinions.

    Webster's defines safe as "freed from injury or risk" and "without risk of mishap." Trust me; nothing in this world is totally risk free. And with modern technology, the things we have developed for our personal use often have great potential for injury or risk.

    I'm greatly sensitized to this subject lately because of my involvement with motorcycle safety. For the past five years I've been a motorcycle RiderCoach (instructor) and site coordinator for the Pennsylvania Motorcycle Safety Program. We subscribe to and teach the Basic Rider Course (BRC) curriculum that the Motorcycle Safety Foundation has developed.

    This curriculum was developed from, among many other things, riding safety issues that were brought to light by the Hurt Report: a significantly funded study of motorcycle accidents. The result of building this curriculum around such studies has been to infuse many new riders with the proper skills that will allow them to learn to ride safely and have the awareness to avoid potentially dangerous situations.

    However, the reality is that if a person is prone to be dangerous behind the wheel of a car, he or she will probably be equally dangerous on a bike. Still, there is little room for argument in that sport that safety training has made a positive difference.

    You cannot force someone to acknowledge safety as important. On the other hand, you can supply all the facts and techniques that make it easier for others to learn about safe practices.

    To that end, in this issue we are presenting the first of four modeling-safety related articles by Don Brooks. These will appear in sequential order as part of the ongoing "From the Ground Up" series we have been publishing in MA and posting on the MA Web site.

    Don starts with shop safety suggestions and scenarios. Safety is not something we should address only while flying our models; it is important that we do not needlessly hurt ourselves while assembling or building our craft. The potential for serious injury in the shop is just as—or more—likely as it is at the field.

    We are generally far more relaxed at home in our shops. This can lead to complacency and even carelessness unless we set safety guidelines that act as caution signs and even stop signs for ourselves.

    Eye and skin protection are often overlooked. I have been a guest in many shops when the host was performing grinding operations without proper eyewear or applying toxic materials using unprotected fingers as application tools.

    And I must confess that I've breeched these safety rules myself from time to time. It is typically when I get in a hurry and skip the precautions.

    Safety practices must be adhered to every time if they are to be truly preventive; there can be no lapses in safety awareness, or you are not truly as safe as you can be. And that is when accidents happen. A mishap can usually be traced to at least one broken safety rule.

    Safety can become a frame of mind kind of thing and be extremely satisfying. To know that you are not only building and flying well, but that you are doing it safely can be rewarding. You have the confidence that you are following all the rules—not just those that get you to the field or your model into the air quickly. Observing it all, including safety, makes you a complete modeler.

    Have you read the AMA Safety Code recently? Now might be a good time to refresh yourself on what we should all know and be practicing to not only ensure our safety and the safety of our fellow modelers, but the long-term security of our beloved hobby/sport.

If you need to speak with me I can be found sitting safely behind my desk from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Eastern Standard time. My telephone number is (610) 614-1747, my E-mail address is robinhunt@rcn.com, and my postal address is Box 68, Stockertown PA 18083. It is safe to contact me via any of these methods. MA