Patience! Damned close call!

[walter23]

I made a stupid, stupid mistake today and almost flew my heli right into my face. That's not quite as bad as it sounds - it's a blade CP micro electric. Still, I'd imagine you could lose eyes, ears, nose, skin, even if you wouldn't end up with a smashed skull like you might with a big nitro.

I was just out practicing hovering and landing on a box when I got the sudden urge to try forward flight. I've been flirting with it a bit but I'm really not competant. Anyway, the area was too small, I ended up having to do a tighter circle than I thought, and found the heli diving straight towards my head as it came around behind/beside me. Panic ensued and instead of giving up elevator and a bit of throttle to pull out, I got my sticks confused and pulled back on the throttle instead of the elevator... of course the dive got worse, I ducked and covered and still tried to pull the heli out, realizing what I'd done. Bottom line, it worked - I pulled out - but crashed backwards into the dirt pretty hard.

The heli repairs were cheap and easy (skid, feathering shaft, main shaft, and blades), but I'm damned lucky I didn't fly right into my face. Seriously, it was closer than I ever want to get again. Probably five feet and coming fast when I managed to pull back.

Now before you start flaming, I want to make it clear that I have never taken chances like that around other people. From now on I intend to not take chances like that around myself though.

It's easy to suddenly get the urge to try something, without thinking it through. I've just go to the point that I'm quite good at hovering in one spot, just got the training gear off, etc, but I still can't fly and sometimes I forget that.

[amoeba1911]

I completely agree. I also have a Blade CP. I've had similar thing here where I got overconfident and I carelessly brought the heli too close to myself. It was so very close that I decided to grab for it but I missed, instead my hand whacked one of the ping pong balls of the training gear which was followed by the rotor striking the ping pong ball, quickly followed by heli tumbling down like a wobbly rock. It broke one of the ball links of the rotor hub so that cost me $10 + $15 for new blades and hours of fixing/tracking/balancing. If it had hit my hand (or other body part) instead of ping pong ball I would be in a lot more pain because the ping pong ball looked like it was in great pain!

Moral of the story:
always plan in advance what you are going to do and how you're going to do it, because it is when you improvise your flight path that accidents happen.

[hawkman]

Safety glasses might be a good idea.....I fly a nitro Hawk Sport....certainly wouldnt want to argue with it when its flying...lot of power in them thar blades.

Rob

[jimco]

I really hate to admit it , but I got stupid, last Sunday. Had a buddy over for some serious copter work, . I had flown my raptor 30 and one of my 50's , at least 2 times each. Had put red dampers on the 50, during the previous week, made a big change in the handling. Was flying the 50, at about 15 ft up and 30 ft out. Starting backing it up and suddenly, at about 10 feet out and descending, the wind got really gusty, copter starting coming back really quick. I panicked and gave it damned near full throttle and forward on the elevator, then chopped it to almost neg and started ducking. Luck was with me, missed me and hit a yard decoration post with bird house on it. It was over my head and getting behind me when I chopped the throttle, hit the ground behind me and about 5 feet away. Never again. Been flying for over a year, and that was the worst experience that I have had so far, and it happens very quick. Hope everyone pays attention, I am always very careful, but this was out of my control. These nitro copters can get nasty, in a heartbeat. Lucky, only took out the mains, had it flying again in an hour. Took a couple of Lucky Strikes to get me back in the air.

[hawkman]

I have had some close calls too...especially when first flying...almost flew into myself.
I get a bit twitchy when theres people watching....usually tell then to keep well back near some cover....if I shout then they go and hide....first thing I tell them is to cover thier eyes....thats a priority as far as I am concerned.

Its a hobby which has no place for the reckless or for those too lazy to check their machine over...just basic maintenance and looking for fatigue.

Accidents happen....always will but we can always reduce the risks....and remove the ingredients for a potentially nasty situation to occur.

It takes courage to admit your mistakes/close calls....I mean that.....but doing this can help teach others to avoid the same mistakes.

I laugh when folk say theses machines are toys........yeah right....even the smaller electric helis should be treated with respect.

Rob

[easydoesit]

I had a bad experince when flying my blade outside recently, was hovering around 15 ft and suddinly, my blade was directly above me. And i got so disorentated, that i panic, and shut down the throttle, and had it comming down right on top of me. So i bent down, and it hit me it the back. Good thing it was cold out, otherwise i wouldnt had my winter coat on. It hurt alittle and busted the blades and landing gear. But if i didnt duck, and it hit me in the head, well man it could of done some serious damage to me. Being out in my small yard, I had it very close to me, and i never thought it was so wierd to have it directly above me.

[hawkman]

Had someone talking about RC helis the other day...wondering if its ok to fly in a garden.....sure....if its a real small heli and cant do serious damage..like on of those little contra rotating things with the blades within hoops....Blade CP? possibly.
But a Nitro....I wouldnt ever advise....ok with headloaders...so it cant fly anyway. Even the smaller nitros can cause serious problems if they go out of control....electrics must be just as powerful if not more so.

Rob

[Butuz]

A blade CP is easily capable of slitting your throat.

Dont take long to die, with a cut throat. Hard to call an ambulance too, when you have no voice.



Butuz