More and more of us are flying electrics. Its getting cheaper, cleaner, easier with less hassle and its just plane fun.
When a slimer is running, one can hear the engine and that adds to awareness. With electrics, the electronic speed controller (ESC) can be armed and dangerous with NO SOUND. One bump of the throttle, one radio hit and you can lose fingers or worse. I have personally witnessed two horrific accidents involving large electric aircraft. Both of which were needless and could have been avoided.
Please use these as a partial guidelines when testing, tuning and flight prepping you aircraft.
During initial setup of your model:
REMOVE the propeller. You can still check rotation direction with it off. This simple task will eliminate injury during setup unless you stick the prop shaft up your nose or something.
Once all assembly is done and left stick is calibrated, assemble the model for flight.
During flight prep, assume that the motor could go to full power at any time. One the primary flight battery(s) are connected, under no circumstances go near the prop. Thin electric props used now are razor sharp. Much more so than gas/glow.
On taxi back to the pits, follow the same guidelines as fuel powered craft. Do NOT taxi all the way back. This is verboten for the same reason mentioned above...radio hits and inadvertant stick bumps. If you are taxiing back to the pits you are FACING PEOPLE. I have been guilty of this. Never again.
We can have a lot of fun but remember the danger with electrics isn't the electricity.
Regards
Vammy
