[NSRCA-discussion] Off topic, nothing like a crash to keep us humble

[Fred Huber]

Voltage and current are two very different things...  You can store 50,000 volts in a capacitor.  Grab the terminals and when it discharges it will "wake you up"... might get a couple of tiny flash burns at the contact points, but thats it....  lots of voltage but no appreciable current.

I know the capacitor trick works... as it was an unfortunately common trick for electronics techs to play on newbies in the power plants in the Navy.  Charge up a D cell sized capacitor with a Meghometer... and tell the newbie to go get the thing.  If the newbie wasnt acreful to avoid touching the terminals... he had quite a shocking experience. If the newbie was carful and picked it up so as to not get shocked...  the "appropriate response" was to toss it to the guy who sent him for it...  and he would naturally catch it, almost guaranteed to get shocked himself.
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: george w. kennie 
  To: NSRCA Mailing List 
  Sent: Wednesday, October 11, 2006 12:15 PM
  Subject: Re: [NSRCA-discussion] Off topic,nothing like a crash to keep us humble


  I find this hard to understand. Makes sense with a handle like the old EZ-Just where the cable runs to the rear of the handle and actually makes contact with the palm of your hand, but with the current generation of handles the line and adjuster cable don't even come close to your hand. Even the two long bolts holding the cable boss are like an inch away from your hand. I think I remember that 1/2 inch of air gap is a 10,000 volt insulator. I think if the charge was sufficient to jump a one inch gap you would be quickly converted to R/C ( maybe ashes?).
  G.




    ----- Original Message ----- 
    From: Dean Pappas 
    To: NSRCA Mailing List 
    Sent: Wednesday, October 11, 2006 11:28 AM
    Subject: Re: [NSRCA-discussion] Off topic,nothing like a crash to keep us humble


    So you guys will like this ... As you know, I helped Bob Hunt retrofit an electric powerplant in his Control-Line 2004 Genesis Extreme. 
    That's the seeries of stunt ships with that name since the early seventies, not Chip's airplane.
    Bob flew the plane at the Worlds in Spain, this last Summer, as he won a berth on the team last August in Muncie.

    In Spain, they had hot dry weather with intermittent thunderstorms in the distance and wouldn't you know it,
    during a flight when he was first for the day, Bob stared getting tingles in his arm.
    He broke from the pattern, flew low, and started yelling "Electricity" to the judges.
    They and all the spactators nodded politely and smiled, as if to say, "Yes Bob we  know the airplane is electric".
    So Bob started yelling the words OUCH and SHOCK, before everyone got the idea.
    later,
    Dean

    Dean Pappas 
    Sr. Design Engineer 
    Kodeos Communications 
    111 Corporate Blvd. 
    South Plainfield, N.J. 07080 
    (908) 222-7817 phone 
    (908) 222-2392 fax 
    d.pappas at kodeos.com 
      -----Original Message-----
      From: nsrca-discussion-bounces at lists.nsrca.org [mailto:nsrca-discussion-bounces at lists.nsrca.org]On Behalf Of jivey61 at bellsouth.net
      Sent: Wednesday, October 11, 2006 11:07 AM
      To: NSRCA Mailing List
      Subject: Re: [NSRCA-discussion] Off topic,nothing like a crash to keep us humble


      Bob
       You just brought back a memory.    I was putting in a practiceflight at The Greater Southeastern Championships at Dobbins AFB,Marietta Ga. in 1957 and could feel the electric tingle every time I went above 10 ft. There was thunderstorms in the far distance,maybe 10 miles. I flew the whole flight at 6 ft and used my hankerchief on the handle.That did insulate me somewhat.
      If you live to grow old ...gotta be lucky.

      Jim Ivey
        ----- Original Message ----- 
        From: Bob Richards 
        To: NSRCA Mailing List 
        Sent: Wednesday, October 11, 2006 8:59 AM
        Subject: Re: [NSRCA-discussion] Off topic,nothing like a crash to keep us humble


        Don't laugh too hard!  I was flying once and got a static discharge through the lines, handle, and into my hand. I was nowhere near power lines.  The atmospheric conditions were just right for building up static on the lines until it reached enough potentional to jump from the wire to my hand. Scared the heck out of me!! Luckily I did not let go, which was a good thing since I did not have a safety thong attached.

        Bob R.


        Claude Weimer <cweimer at tconl.com> wrote:
          I saw a fellow flying a stunt plane one time go nose in. He looked shocked
          and said "I got a hit". All of us watching cracked up.




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