Starting Your Plane by Yourself, 60ccc or Larger

[49dimes]

There's allot of good advice on this thread. I don't have a large gas plane yet, but I always help out my Buddy when he comers out to fly. He uses two ground rods (electrical) with some 3/8" PVC conduit and pipe insulation over them to protect the leading edge of the wings, but I still straddle the fuselage and hold the plane for him.

I know from first hand experience what a prop can do to your hand (or arm). A friend of mine was starting his 1/4 scale Extra with a Moki 210 by himself and the plane jumped forward on him. Luckily there was someone nearby to help him with his bleeding forearm. I forgot how many stitches he needed, but he fully recovered without any issues. The first time I "met" a prop was when I was first learning how to fly and my instructor was teaching me how to start my plane. Even though I had been told to be very careful around the prop, after I started the plane, I tried to reach through the prop to remove the glow driver. . . . . . . . Luckily, the motor was just above idle and the prop was a Master Airscrew so it wasn't as sharp as an APC and I just ended up with a small cut on my finger.

I am another one of the people who don't fly when there is nobody else around, unless it is one of my foamies, but those little electric props can get you too, if you're not careful.

I have never had an incident with gas or glow props. BUT.....A little electric 12 x 3.4 SF prop damn near cut off one of my finger tips! And it hurt the entire time it was healing!

 

[Robotech]

I use chain link top rail receivers cut to 36" vertically set in concrete with 1" PVC poles covered with foam. Even when other people are there and volunteer to hold the plane (40%), I use the restraints. Anything that eliminates human error will reduce the chances of an accident. We have had one disaster and many near disasters with people holding planes being inattentive or careless.

 

[Xpress]

You can see in this photo how we restrain our airplanes at my club for starting.

The posts of our overhang tend to be a little bit more rigid than a human helper..

You can also see one of our starting stands for the smaller glow airplanes in the top right (also is used for arming electric airplanes).

 

[49dimes]

I use chain link top rail receivers cut to 36" vertically set in concrete with 1" PVC poles covered with foam. Even when other people are there and volunteer to hold the plane (40%), I use the restraints. Anything that eliminates human error will reduce the chances of an accident. We have had one disaster and many near disasters with people holding planes being inattentive or careless.

Well thought out restraint systems as you mentioned should be part of any RC club that collects dues. I have three locations I fly at and of them all only one has just started putting conduits in the ground. The actual pole restraint is up to the modeler to bring. This is poor safety management IMO. The chartered club should provide all necessary hardware to properly and safely restrain air craft. I see a lot of club money spent on little stands for smaller glow stuff but the ever growing popularity of giant scale is not reasonably supported where I fly and I imagine it is wide spread through out the RC communities. Many of the gentlemen I fly with now are older and do not make for good "pit bitch" persons nor do they really want to because large powerful aircraft's scare them and this alone makes great potential for harm much less acute attention deficit to the ground operation.

 

[Robotech]

We had two older guys starting a 50CC gasser. The fellow holding the plane (not standing over both stabs) panicked when the plane started full throttle (throttle servo disconnected) and it got away from him. Hit the other guy in the leg at full throttle and climbed up his leg to above the knee breaking the CF prop.

The only reason it didn't cut him and kill him was that he had lost that leg many years ago and was wearing a titanium prosthetic. Dude that let the plane go even (jokingly) cursed him for breaking his borrowed prop.

 

[49dimes]

We had two older guys starting a 50CC gasser. The fellow holding the plane (not standing over both stabs) panicked when the plane started full throttle (throttle servo disconnected) and it got away from him. Hit the other guy in the leg at full throttle and climbed up his leg to above the knee breaking the CF prop.

The only reason it didn't cut him and kill him was that he had lost that leg many years ago and was wearing a titanium prosthetic. Dude that let the plane go even (jokingly) cursed him for breaking his borrowed prop.

That "titanium leg" should double as a bat then!

 

[Bunky.F.Knuckle]

I will say starting your plane from behind puts your body in an off balance and awkward position. I would NOT recommend it to anyone.

I know a guy who flys GS, moved to OH from Alaska. That is how he starts his stuff. He has been doing that for 10 years or so. Good dude to boot. I've offered many times to hold airplanes for him to start, but he declines each time.

 

[thurmma]

We had two older guys starting a 50CC gasser. The fellow holding the plane (not standing over both stabs) panicked when the plane started full throttle (throttle servo disconnected) and it got away from him.

I don't know about everyone else, but I always make sure the throttle moves both directions before I even start to flip the prop. That is the one thing that scares the crap out of me, is the thought of the 150 starting full throttle! I trust my hold down and whoever I have hold the plane if it isn't available, but still a scary thought.

 

[Jetpainter]

I had a DA50 start at half throttle once because of a bad servo and it scared the bejesus out of me. A 150 starting wide open might kill me without even getting hit by it.

 

[ЯК Attack]

You know I had a dead stick, landed, and tried restarting it for about 30 flips to no avail. So I bring the plane over (new plane) and start taking the cowl off. What do I find, but the servo box for the throttle linkage had separated at the top with the servo free floating on the linkage. So. Yes, throttle servo, I agree. In the future, must remember to try and pull the pre-assembled servo boxes apart and sand/re-glue the edges.