[Midair]

How many of us can say..."there but for the grace of God go I." A very nasty injury! I wish him a speedy and full recovery. If you fly with us at the NIPMAC club you must use a tethering device or have a responsible helper hold the model, otherwise you don't fly. When I first became a club member, I balked at that club rule as I had never before used "hold downs." After all, I'm a man, not a kid and I had more than 20 years of accident free modeling experience. But, I got quite used to it (like seatbelts in cars) and now I wouldn’t think of starting my model without restraints.

Perhaps if the club to which you belong does not have a restraint rule, now might be a good time to suggest and implement it :P

Peter

[SpaceCowboy]

It is never a bad idea to have a second [ or third ] set of eyes inspect your

new shiny expensive aircraft prior to its' first flight or after mods.

It is a safety thing and we are all human.

[Colin]

Call me paranoid, but before I start any engine (plane or heli) I check 3 times, to make sure the throttle is closed, once when I turn it on, once because I'm paranoid and once before I turn it over. In saying that I’ve never started an engine with the throttle open.

Colin