Tragic Accident

ian1954 wrote:
I hadn't realised that deaths were a possibilty!

A 600 sized and above heli with carbon fiber 3D blades can be exceptionally lethal.  Main rotor blade weight, stiffness and speed makes for a very dangerous situation.  We all know how badly you can get cut with a 6" prop on an .049 --- multiply that by several magnitudes and you can imagine the severity of the injury.

I've been clipped a couple of times by a 450 sized heli with wooden blades and came out with minor cuts, but I've been lucky.  Since heli pilots many times fly close in (nose-in and tail-in hovers can be within a few feet), a glitch, mechanical failure or dumb thumb does not leave much reaction time or distance to get away.

I spent most of my Army career as a helicopter mechanic and gained a serious respect for fast rotating parts. Occasionally a blade grip or swash plate would fail after a blade strike or some other crash damage. Rarely but it does happen just plain old material failure. Drive shafts, tail rotor or main rotor blades are heavy, moving fast, and very lethal.

It was years later at the RC field when I first saw a electric 600 sized helicopter being put through long 3D maneuvers directly in front of the pilot...as Rusty did, I found a safe covered location to watch and cringed at how a part failure or pilot error was certainly going to cause bad things to happen

I personally love helicopters and have a few of the relatively benign toy Horizon hobby (any one can fly) versions...even these low speed and light micro birds get a healthy dose of respect from me mostly due to my inexperience flying them

Parting thought...in my few years as member of the local RC club... no helicopter pilot has ever flown the thing in a normal flight mode as the real world helicopters do...100% WOT and max dynamic maneuvering is all I see...and every time I seek some relative form of cover and worry about my fellow members and onlookers

I probably have mentioned before about the Georgia Tech School of Aeronautical Enginnering visit to our local Stone Mountain R/C Club with their latest school project.
It was a $40,000 jet turbine heli with contra rotating 6 ft rotors with 4 CF blades per rotor.
Although it never got more than 10 ft off the ground it was the scariest thing i ever saw!!
I went straight to my car and never got out while that high speed Cusinart was running.
I had already my share of heli rides on a Huey long,long,ago in a galaxy far,far away....

Hey, Malibu. I'd forgotten you were in Georgia. I spent my college days there in Hotlanta in the mid '70s.

Rusty,
What school did you attend?
We've lived here from 1975 to 1981 and transferred back !986 to now...
Oldest daughter is a Georgia State University alumni with a degree in Biology/ Minor Chemistry.
We live East in Gwinnett County not far from Stone Mtn Park.
As everywhere it's probably changed alot since you were here.
My wife was in Columbia last week visiting a very sick aunt.
Next time, I may PM you and meet you there too.
Do you live on the West Side near CEE=US distribution center ?
The reason I ask, The Church where you fly looks very familiar a couple of miles from my old utilty customer...Steve...