It can happen to you

[aap]

This morning I hastily went outside to try and get a short flight in before work and before the wind picked up. I have a Wild Hawk with a 2200 kv motor, 20 amp esc, and a 6x4 prop. I had just changed the reciever and realized the elevator needed to be reversed, so without thinking I reversed a random switch without regard for what switch went to what channel. As luck would have it, the switch I chose was for the throttle. Instantly the plane that was at waist height on a concrete wall right in front of me launched forward. As a reflex action I grabbed for it. In doing so, the prop cut off my baby finger tip. It cut on an angle about 1/4 of my finger nail and tip.

I won't bore you with the Emergency room visit details. This is just one of those things that can happen when you rush and not think what you are doing. I am very lucky not to have lost an entire finger. Those props are as sharp as a knife. I feel pretty stupid about the whole thing and just wanted to offer a reminder that it can happen to you if you throw caution to the wind as I did.

[CrimzonRider]

OUCh! I have a very similar motor and setup on su26 cant imagine that hittin my fingers....makes me cringe.

Hope all is alright.
Knock on wood.....I have not had this happen ......yet!

have a good one
cr

[Elfwreck]

hey now,
I've been modeling for over fourty five years and in that time I've scraped knuckles, sliced fingers, and removed minor bits of fingertips on props on glow motors from .049 to 1.20 and electrics from one to seven lipo cells. But I've still got feeling in all of them and never removed more than a paper thin slice. No stitches either. Almost all of those were back when I was a kid but I've been caught by a few 'leccie mistakes, the servo reverse being one of them.

I now refer to props as spinning steak knives and planes and especially helies as flying cusinearts. It helps me remember just how dangerous these things can be.

Sorry you got bit. Very glad it was relatively minor.
RobII

[CHELLIE]

OUCH, sorry to hear about that AAP, yes you have to be very very careful with rc planes and props, they can hurt you bad, sand the prop edges when you get them and balance the props, making the prop edges a little duller will help if you are ever unlucky and get body parts near a prop. Take care, Chellie

[mred]

All of the APC props that I have see still have the flashing on them and that is right on the leading edge and trailing edge of the props. That makes for a rather sharp edge and will cut you just looking at them wrong. I take my X-Acto knife and scrape the edge of the blades to take that flashing off. That dulls them down nicely. They are just like a dull knife then, but that doesn't mean they will never cut you again. You can run your finger down the edge of the blade and not get cut like a new one, but then you need to balance them. Since doing this I have cut down on the number of cuts I get from handling the blades, but once it is spinning it's a different matter. Take care and hope you fingers heals fast.

Ed

[Old Fart]

You DO realize that APC stands for "Always Precision Cuts"........

[CrimzonRider]

Originally Posted by Old Fart

You DO realize that APC stands for "Always Precision Cuts"........

You have got to be kiddin....lol does it really?
never knew that

have a good one
cr

[zzlentz]

My Son was over today and we assembled a twin.He cranked her up to bench test,I did the same thing,reached for it.Cut my forefinger in 3 spots and scratched middle finger.But fingers still in tack,but at those RPMs,hurts like heck.

[Wildflyer]

My stomach turns just reading what you guys did, but I have tried to fight with a prop once myself, it was on a fuel motor, and it took 3 stitches, so I know what it feels like.

You will probably be one of the safest people around props in the future, just as I am around my table saw, don't ask me why I am so damn careful around that thing

So sorry for your injury's.

[kyleservicetech]

Originally Posted by aap

I won't bore you with the Emergency room visit details. This is just one of those things that can happen when you rush and not think what you are doing. I am very lucky not to have lost an entire finger. Those props are as sharp as a knife. I feel pretty stupid about the whole thing and just wanted to offer a reminder that it can happen to you if you throw caution to the wind as I did.

Many years ago I saw a modeler stick the palm of his hand into a running 60 sized glow engine prop. He had a heavy leather glove on the hand. Looked at the glove, just a few marks on it, so he took off and flew. Until another member saw blood running down his arm. Took a dozen stitches to fix the damage to his palm. And yes the glove was intact. Saw it myself.

[mclarkson]

Ouch. So far the worst I've cut up is the hood of my car, but I've made some stupid moves myself from time to time.

Hope you heal up quickly.

[solentlife]

Mid 1980's .... out in field with club guys.

Paul .... flying pal of mine has a new Wot4 with OS40 max up front. Ask's me to maiden it.
Rough field means all hand launches.

So model is started and all fine ... Paul picks up model and holds ready to launch ... tells me he's ready ... I open throttle ............. ARRRRRRRRR!!

Model straight into the deck ... Paul's hand is just a mess of blood ... We grab anything we can to clean up and stop the blood .... another runs of to the farm house to call 999 for ambulance.
I apply makeshift bandaging and we get Paul to roadside ready for Ambulance.
He goes of to hospital.

We are stunned and looking at each other wondering what happened... praying that Paul is ok ...

Just before we all pack up to go home .... Paul with his wife arrives at field to collect his car ... we all crowd him to find out ...

Luckily he didn't lose any fingers but his hand is a mess of lacerations and swollen ... all bandaged up.

What happened Paul ? Even he doesn't really know, but thinks he felt the model slip in his hands and just moved hand to steady front - instead he put his hand INTO the prop ... We reckon that prop turning created effectively a disc at speed that stopped his hand going through the blade disc ...

Anyway the story doesn't end there. They'd xray'd and sorted his hand ... but even weeks later Paul couldn't move his index finger ... it was swollen and doctors couldn't figure it out. Later he was on the flight field one day and we were chatting and he produced from his pocket a small piece of black. It was a piece of the Glass Filled Nylon Master Airscrew that had been fitted to the Wot4 ... it had snapped of ... embedded itself into his finger across the joint. Xray never detected it ... One day Paul was trying to flex the finger and it literally broke surface and he pulled it out.

Final ... Paul continued to provide launches for my Pylon racing despite his ordeal ... the Wot4 - he enjoyed for a number of years ... his hand fully recovered apart from it staying marked.

[FlyingBrick50]

Hearing your pain in previous messages I believe safety should be first and foremost on all of our minds, never put on the back burner so to speak, with that said, I have an old gasser converted to electric (Fairchild F22 I believe), she is swinging a 13 in prop/74oz thrust. While doing some testing in the living room, she all of a sudden takes off "full throttle" (yes in the living room)!!! There were no injuries of a human nature to speak of (minor cuts, I jumped out of the way), but the collateral damage was severe; box fan, plants, props, carpet rements, curtains, aircraft nose, recliner fabric cut, cracked wing, I could go on,.........

I will never forget the incident, scared me pretty good

Thanks Murphy, lesson learned

Suggestions from Wife
1) Secure aircraft - @ all times when battery installed (tie downs)

2) Test outside

[mred]

I have yet to meet the first modeler that has never been hit to some degree with a prop during his career except for the glider guys that never flew a power plane. Sooner or later you are going to git hit that that prop, no matter how small the injury is and you are going to wonder how that happened. I have been modeling since the 50's and have seen a lot of prop strikes and every time they say never again, but then it happens again. It's not that they are not paying attention, it's just that they relax just for a minuet and that is when it hits them again. I have been hit several times, but never very bad. Most of the time it just stung like mad, but a couple of time I have been cut. The old 60s running a wood prop hurt like mad, but they have bitten me a couple of times. The worst cut I received was from an APC prop before I learned about cutting the flashing off. Since then I have not been cut, but I still wonder when it will happen again.................

The best advice I can give for electric models is to take the prop off unless you are ready to fly. I have read about more people getting bit by the prop when checking something on an electric model then at any other time. Electric motor are the most dangerous simply because they don't need us to start running, just a nudge of the throttle stick and they are off and running. If the prop hits something it will not stop unless it is held by something a lot stronger then it is. All it will do is draw more current trying to run and that is really bad if it is your hand that is trying to stop it. At least with a glow engine they stop most of the time after hitting you, but an electric motor will try it's best to keep running even to the point of burning up.

Ed

[kenchiroalpha]

Originally Posted by aap

This morning I hastily went outside to try and get a short flight in before work and before the wind picked up. I have a Wild Hawk with a 2200 kv motor, 20 amp esc, and a 6x4 prop. I had just changed the reciever and realized the elevator needed to be reversed, so without thinking I reversed a random switch without regard for what switch went to what channel. As luck would have it, the switch I chose was for the throttle. Instantly the plane that was at waist height on a concrete wall right in front of me launched forward. As a reflex action I grabbed for it. In doing so, the prop cut off my baby finger tip. It cut on an angle about 1/4 of my finger nail and tip.

I won't bore you with the Emergency room visit details. This is just one of those things that can happen when you rush and not think what you are doing. I am very lucky not to have lost an entire finger. Those props are as sharp as a knife. I feel pretty stupid about the whole thing and just wanted to offer a reminder that it can happen to you if you throw caution to the wind as I did.

Hi
Welcome aboard
Pleased to meet you though i wish it was under better circumstances
Glad to see that your alright and it wasnt worse
And as one who has been at this hobby for over 35 years i can show you all the scars from prop hits
In particular the .049S on C/L aircraft were the worst
Take care
Yours Hank

[Mr. X.]

I had a nasty cut on my palm from just spinning an unpowered prop with my finger and then stopping it. Now I sand them all down

[Big Johnny]

I had a OS 120 backfire once, and the prop spun off and flew right into my nose. Cut the snot out of it. . I was a wooden prop and it still cut like a knife. I don't have the best looking mug, and a 2 inch long scar didn't help it much. I put some paper towels & tape on it and went back flying. After being a Heavy Equipment mechanic for so long, I got used to little blood sweat & tears, and kept trucking.

[solentlife]

Originally Posted by FlyingBrick50

Hearing your pain in previous messages I believe safety should be first and foremost on all of our minds, never put on the back burner so to speak, with that said, I have an old gasser converted to electric (Fairchild F22 I believe), she is swinging a 13 in prop/74oz thrust. While doing some testing in the living room, she all of a sudden takes off "full throttle" (yes in the living room)!!! There were no injuries of a human nature to speak of (minor cuts, I jumped out of the way), but the collateral damage was severe; box fan, plants, props, carpet rements, curtains, aircraft nose, recliner fabric cut, cracked wing, I could go on,.........

I will never forget the incident, scared me pretty good

Thanks Murphy, lesson learned

Suggestions from Wife
1) Secure aircraft - @ all times when battery installed (tie downs)

2) Test outside

I posted elsewhere about my 450 Heli in the party room ...

I had just finished rebuild of my 450. Had it on the floor and was test-running up the motor / blades. Something was not quite right and I flipped the Throttle Hold switch on ... to stop motor engaging while checking out. Couldn't see what was wrong - so stupidly thought ....... wonder if same on another model memory ........... !!!!!
No sooner had I hit the model memory change ... Thro Hold was disengaged, motor went to max ... 450 took like armageddon .... still with pitch gauge on blade ... hit TV ... threw pitch gauge across room about 8m .... heli then flipped came screaming back across room - missed me by a mm or so ... and tangled up in Wifes prize Christmas tree ...
Luckily my model has motor wires easily got external and blades were tangled and locked up in the fairy lights / decorations of the tree. I pulled motor wires apart ... and breathed !

All happened in just a couple of seconds .............

Bou do you feel stupid after when you realise what you did !!

[solentlife]

The most common prop hit I used to have was the : Prop kicking back and biting the knuckle ! when flipping to start.
I found it worse when I tried one of those rubber finger jobs .... tried the wooden stick - but couldn't get used to that ....

In the end I bought a 12v Sullivan Starter ........... and then of course had to lug a battery around !

[zzlentz]

Small cuts but swollen and stiff.Hurt like heck at the time.

[Chappy]

They're dangerous I tell you! These darn things ought to be out lawed right along with Guns, alcohol, fast cars and mini skirts!

[mred]

Originally Posted by Chappy

They're dangerous I tell you! These darn things ought to be out lawed right along with Guns, alcohol, fast cars and mini skirts!

Well, you took just about everything out of life that is fun. May just as well outlaw women too and take all the fun out of life...........

Prop hits are never fun and with the 4 strokes I have they are even worse. I have been cut so may times by props that I don't even think about it any more. To me that is just part of flying, but I do use an electric starter now instead of my finger.

While glow is bad enough, electric motors are way worse. With a glow motor, it will normally stop after a hit, but an electric motor will still try it's best to keep running, the whole time carving your fingers or anything else up in the process. I have seen then bounce off a finger and go right for the leg after that. They are the king of slice and dice and never to be trusted. I swear they have a mind of their own and have it in for me. They are never satisfied with inflicting a single cut. but always go for the kill.

Ed

[constantCrash]

I learned my lesson when stupidly tried to carry my T-34 with a 12x8 prop while armed and TX hanging around my neck, my stomach punched the throttle and it almost cut my arm off. I had to have the wife reach around from behind me and pull the throttle off while I held the spinning knives of death away from my body. I didn't get cut but it was close enough that regardless of size of plane my prodecure is as follows:

Turn tX on
Take plane to runway
Insert battery from behind the propeller
fly,
remove battery from behind the propeller
turn tX off.

If I'm doing ANY type of work on a plane the prop comes off. 1-2 minutes of hassle is worth not getting cut.

Electric flyers have ZERO reason to be in front of or parallel to the prop disk. If your doing that, your doing it wrong.

[solentlife]

I have to admit that the neck-strap throttle scenario has happened with me ... but luckily when bending down to pick up model ... not while carrying.

I put mine down to having a 2.4Ghz Tx with no counter-balancing antena to keep Tx flat out from my huge gut ! The old 35's I used balanced well. These new 2.4's are so 'tail heavy' that Tx falls against body and bingo stick is pushed to limit. I now flick the thro hold switch as soon as model is on ground before walking over to it.

[mred]

I found out the hard way that the engineers at JR have no idea what balance is or how to achieve it with that neck strap. My 9303 is way off balance and I hit the throttle stick and went to full throttle on a Saito 125 in my SR Telemaster one day. I sort of took off from the taxiway that day and learned never to let the transmitter hang from the strap while walking up to the runway. My Airtronics has a great balance and sits there just like it is supposed to, but JR hasn't learned that yet. Guess someone needs to hit them over the head to get their attention.

Having said that, I never let go of the transmitter any more so that will never happen again. I also learned that the prop never goes on the plane unless I am ready to fly. I take them off as soon as I get home and they don't go on until I am back out at the flying field again or I need to run the motor to check something, but it doesn't stay on at home at all.

I also take a blade to any new prop as soon as I take it out of the bag and scrape off the flashing so it is not like a razor blade. The first time I cut my finger putting a new prop on taught me that. I may be slow and learn things the hard way, but I never repeat the same mistake twice..............

Ed