If the battery is plugged in, I treat the plane as if the engine is running. Most of my electrics are small parkflyer types but even 120 watts into an APC prop can cause serious damage. The bigger ones are exponentially more dangerous. 2000+ watts into a 22" prop might remove your entire hand, and the electric motor won't stop when it contacts an object the way a smaller glow engine would.
<br><br>Perhaps we would be wise to guarantee easy access to battery connectors, so the plane could be unplugged and "absolutely disarmed" before moving it? Also, never I leave the battery plugged in unless I am actively flying.
<br><br>The other day I witnessed somebody starting a DA 150-powered 40% Extra by standing with his left leg blocking the left wing at the wing root, right leg outboard and forward but aft of the prop arc, and spinning the 32" carbon prop with his right hand. No helper, no restraint, and nothing would prevent the plane from pivoting around his leg which would bring the tip of the prop within striking distance of sensitive areas. I couldn't even imagine the damage if for some reason his throttle servo was reversed, etc. Needless to say he was "exposed and vulnerable".
<br><br>Immediately after this he taxied out onto the runway as I was turning on a short final approach (left-hand carrier approach). I had to abort my landing approach, go around, wait for him take off and land again. I was so flustered by the whole thing I executed a perfect landing 10 feet into the weeds and broke my prop. I guess my "little" 32% plane was as inconsequential as the .40-size planes he also ignores. He is an extremely nice, shirt-off-the-back type of guy, and a very good pilot (competes in Advanced in IMAC) but he can afford to (and does) lose several large airplanes a year due to component failure, pilot error, etc.
<br><br>I don't like to become exposed to risk by another person's ignorance.<br><br>We can't be careful enough! Minimization of risk is a constant pursuit.<br><br>Brett<br><br><br><br><br><div><span class="gmail_quote">
</span><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; padding-left: 1ex;"><div><div bgcolor="white" link="blue" vlink="blue" lang="EN-US"><div><br><blockquote style="border-style: none none none solid; border-color: -moz-use-text-color -moz-use-text-color -moz-use-text-color black; border-width: medium medium medium 1.5pt; margin: 5pt 0in 5pt 3.75pt; padding: 0in 0in 0in 4pt;">
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<p><font color="black" face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: black;">----- Original Message ----- </span></font></p>
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<p style="background: rgb(228, 228, 228) none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;"><b><font color="black" face="Arial" size="2">
<span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: black; font-weight: bold;">From:</span></font></b><font color="black" face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: black;"> <a href="mailto:ronlock@comcast.net" title="ronlock@comcast.net" target="_blank" onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)">
Ron Lockhart</a> </span></font></p>
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<p><b><font color="black" face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: black; font-weight: bold;">To:</span></font></b><font color="black" face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: black;">
<a href="mailto:nsrca-discussion@lists.nsrca.org" title="nsrca-discussion@lists.nsrca.org" target="_blank" onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)">NSRCA Mailing List</a> </span></font></p>
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<p><b><font color="black" face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: black; font-weight: bold;">Sent:</span></font></b><font color="black" face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: black;">
Tuesday, August 08, 2006 7:55 PM</span></font></p>
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<p><b><font color="black" face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: black; font-weight: bold;">Subject:</span></font></b><font color="black" face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: black;">
Re: [NSRCA-discussion] Inadvertent Start</span></font></p>
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<p><font color="black" face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: black;"> </span></font></p>
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<p><font color="black" face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: black;">Agree, a mechanical/electrical connection
sort of thing would seem best.</span></font></p>
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<p><font color="black" face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: black;">And have it located to be easy for all to
see.</span></font></p>
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<p><font color="black" face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: black;"> </span></font></p>
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<p><font color="black" face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: black;">Later, Ron Lockhart</span></font></p>
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<p><font color="black" face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: black;">----- Original Message ----- </span></font></p>
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<p style="background: rgb(228, 228, 228) none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;"><b><font color="black" face="Arial" size="2">
<span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: black; font-weight: bold;">From:</span></font></b><font color="black" face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: black;"> <a href="mailto:johnferrell@earthlink.net" title="johnferrell@earthlink.net" target="_blank" onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)">
John
Ferrell</a> </span></font></p>
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<p><b><font color="black" face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: black; font-weight: bold;">To:</span></font></b><font color="black" face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: black;">
<a href="mailto:nsrca-discussion@lists.nsrca.org" title="nsrca-discussion@lists.nsrca.org" target="_blank" onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)">NSRCA Mailing List</a> </span></font></p>
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<p><b><font color="black" face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: black; font-weight: bold;">Sent:</span></font></b><font color="black" face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: black;">
Tuesday, August 08, 2006 4:42 PM</span></font></p>
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<p><b><font color="black" face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: black; font-weight: bold;">Subject:</span></font></b><font color="black" face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: black;">
Re: [NSRCA-discussion] Noxville Contest??</span></font></p>
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<p><font color="black" face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: black;"> </span></font></p>
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<p><font color="black" face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: black;">I personally witnessed an instance of
electric starting unexpectedly at the Nats. Since I was only around Masters
& FAI I believe it safe to dismiss the problem as lack of experience.</span></font></p>
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<p><font color="black" face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: black;"> </span></font></p>
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<p><font color="black" face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: black;">I feel it essential to implement some
kind of safety device to prevent this from occurring. I would prefer a
mechanical lockout of some sort or at least an arming plug.</span></font></p>
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<p><font color="black" face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: black;"> </span></font></p>
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<p><font color="black" face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: black;">The airplane was being carried back to the
pits when the failure occurred. The handler was on top of the problem but it
could have happened after the plane was parked.</span></font></p>
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<p><font color="black" face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: black;"> </span></font></p>
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<p><font color="black" face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: black;">It is a disaster waiting to happen.</span></font></p>
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<p><font color="black" face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: black;"> </span></font></p>
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<p><font color="black" face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: black;">John Ferrell W8CCW<br>
"My Competition is not my enemy"<br>
<a href="http://DixieNC.US" target="_blank" onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)">http://DixieNC.US</a></span></font></p>
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<p><font color="black" face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: black;">----- Original Message ----- </span></font></p>
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<p style="background: rgb(228, 228, 228) none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;"><b><font color="black" face="Arial" size="2">
<span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: black; font-weight: bold;">From:</span></font></b><font color="black" face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: black;"> <a href="mailto:joddino@socal.rr.com" title="joddino@socal.rr.com" target="_blank" onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)">
J.Oddino</a> </span></font></p>
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<p><b><font color="black" face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: black; font-weight: bold;">To:</span></font></b><font color="black" face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: black;">
<a href="mailto:nsrca-discussion@lists.nsrca.org" title="nsrca-discussion@lists.nsrca.org" target="_blank" onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)">NSRCA Mailing List</a> </span></font></p>
</div>
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<p><b><font color="black" face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: black; font-weight: bold;">Sent:</span></font></b><font color="black" face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: black;">
Tuesday, August 08, 2006 12:53 PM</span></font></p>
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<p><b><font color="black" face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: black; font-weight: bold;">Subject:</span></font></b><font color="black" face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: black;">
Re: [NSRCA-discussion] Noxville Contest??</span></font></p>
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<p><font color="black" face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: black;"> </span></font></p>
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<p><font color="black" face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: black;">Another reason to go electric.</span></font></p>
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<p><font color="black" face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: black;"> </span></font></p>
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<p><font color="black" face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: black;">Jim O</span></font></p>
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