Club safety talk March 10th 2020
Andy presented a talk on some of the lesser thought about safety aspects of flying which covered much of the safety in and around the pits. The talk was entitled Step Back Assessment. The notes below reflect the aspects covered.
Feel free to comment below.
Step Back Assessment
- Look, Think, Analyse, Change, Reflect, Improve
Stop and Think
- Preparing to start and fly a model aircraft
Observe the activity area and surroundings
- Other people are also preparing model aircraft, some big, some small, some different
- Where is the wind?
- What is the ground like (flat, bumpy, grass, concrete)?
Think through the steps that you will be taking
- Fuel the model
- Prime the engine
- Attach glow lead
- Flick the propeller
- Tune the engine
- Carry out to the take-off position
Identify what else is happening in the area
- A large petrol model is being prepared
- Group of people in the vicinity
- Other engines in the pits are running
Identify any hazards
- Spilt fuel
- Oil on model and hands
- Loose objects in the pits
- Lipo safety / Lipo strinkes
- Sharp prop, hard compression
- No spinner used, snagging with the prop nut
- Engine flooded
- Throttle set too high
- Reaching over the prop arc to get to the TX
- Glow clip / Glow drive falling into the propeller
- Propeller bouncing back and kicking hand / fingers
- Engine starts with excessive RPM, model lurches forward until restraint takes the slack
- Will the restraint hold the model?
- Moving out of the pits with the engine running
Identify methods of controlling these hazards
- Look at the pits layout, how do you improve safety?
- Model restraint, use of a helper
- TX throttle warning alarm
Satisfy yourself that the hazards are controlled before starting the activity
SUMMARY
At all times, if it is not right, stop and change
Ask a buddy to assess your pit layout and activities
Learn from every time you go flying
Look at how others pit, look at the layouts, the equipment
Learn from each other, share the good and the bad experiences, DISCUSS
When you are ready to start the engine, STOP, spend 30 seconds taking a second look
After every flying session, ask yourself the question “how could I improve the process, how can I make it safer?”
STAY SAFE
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