I got hit by my blade 400

[skydve76]

I'm pretty new, but I can hover just fine in my back yard. Went to an empty field to try some forwardy flight.

I put the heli too close to my feet, and when I tried to lift up its like the tail was stuck on the ground. Panicking, I got it away from me, only to have come back around with the blade facing me. I ducked into a ball and the blades hit me hard.

Gashed my head, and hit me right in the back of the neck, right on the spine. I was bleeding pretty good, thought it was from my neck. It was my head that was doing the bleeding.

Actually ended up looking like a "whip" welt across my neck, and the gash in my head was small. It was a huge wlet, made me look hunchbacked. A day later it is pretty much healed though my head hurts like it is bruised.

It stopped bleeding on the field, I flew my plane and went to the local HS to pick up a new feathering shaft and main shaft.

No idea what happened. Since then did a few more flights and no issues.

I'll get some picks up of my injuries if someone wants to see them. In retrospect they are pretty minor, but there was a lot of blood at first.

Anyone else know of someone getting clobbered by a heli?

[ChrisH]

Ouch ... Sorry you got hurt, just goes to show how dangerous these machines are. I always make sure to start my heli far away from myself as a safety precaution.

[Flyextreme]

As you well know NOW, 20 feet is a good distance to stand away. Your tail may have got stuck in some grass.servo glitch, or whatever, you need to be prepared for anything to happen. You also need to have time/distance to hit the TH. You're lucky it wasn't worse. I'm glad you are OK....that's learning the hard way. Most people wouldn't admit something like this. It's good to put it out there so maybe someone else can avoid injury. I think some people just don't realize how dangerous there things can be....or forget.

[Grimmer04]

Sorry to hear about your accident. It is important that you learn your basic orientations in hover before you try FF.

[double0757]

Consider your self luckie. I'm also glad that I started with a small heli
Had my share of scares and also got hit on the arm with a 450 that drew
some blood. I always say a 450 will hurt you a 500 will send you to
emergency room, a 600 will send you to intensive care or the morgue, and
a 700 to the morgue.

Recently saw a picture of a head that was hit by a raptor 90, not
preatty. The guy survived and is fine, but it crack his skull. He
went to pickup his heli and some other flyier lost signal and bam.
Another reason to get 2.4. Double O

[trickybit]

While we're on the subject of spooling up at a safe distance, I try to remember not to stand directly behind the heli, esp. after a fresh build, in case it throws a tail blade. Unlikely, but a few degrees off center is free, and why line up?

I also don't hover at eye level except briefly to check tracking. same logic...

[Flyextreme]

Live and learn.......hopefully both.

[skydve76]

Its always in retrospect I could of done about 5 things to prevent it. But you know how it is, you get comfortable and then cocky.

Ones thing is for sure, I used to hover around in my back yard with my kids on the swingset, NEVER AGAIN.

It urks me because I see vids with 3 year olds running around a hovering heli. Would certainly of killed child if it hit him/her where it hit me. I am shocked It didn't break my neck. I think my head took the first hit and my neck caught the second blade.

I will never fly a heli bigger than a 450 and I am staying away from bigeer helis when others fly. I think some of the bigger ones would cut your head clean off.

The AMA talks about banning turbines, they need to start thinking about bigger helis too or put more restrictions on them.

[BenHeli]

I walked into the 450 while it was spooling down and got three slashes in the leg. A few months back, an idiot at the field lost control of his 700N while hovering over at the hover pad and by the time it was over at the main pad, it was no more than five feet above ground. I dove flat onto the ground with both arms covered my head and it went right over me. Just imagine the sound of the 710mm blades five feet over your head. He was told never to come back by the safety compliance officer who witnesses the incident. I was at the main pad ready to plug in the battery so no damage to the heli.

[mysticmead]

don't be afraid of bigger helis...or any heli.. just respect it and understand what it can do... bigger heli's in general move a little slower than smaller ones. gives ya more time to duck.

[SkipperWayne]

Skydve76, you don't have to swear off larger helis, just use the knowledge you've just acquired (at a relatively small price) and be safe. It's a good idea to stay a little further away from the larger helis and it's also a great idea to not hover around youngsters. You can never tell when they're going to run after a ball that just bounced over near your heli. But, there's no need to ban the bigger helis. Just fly safe.

[Flyextreme]

Makes me wonder if there should be a "sticky" in the beginer section to inform and/or remind people of how these whirly things should be respected. I did have my 400 come back at me (from a hover) when a "cheap servo locked-up (it hit the gound in front of me). Fortunatly, I was a good distance back.....maybe another arguement for not cutting corners in certain componants....I, personally, won't go the "cheap" route again.

When I first got my Blade 400, my wife said something about my new "toy". It say's right here in the instrucktions it's not a "toy"....I was just being kinda funny with her. Then when I first spooled it up in the driveway....she said, "holly crap"...I guess it really isn't a toy. The other night, I was running down some batts in the driveway on my 500 with neg pitch to keep it planted, standing a good distance away, with my finger on the TH, never taking my eyes off of the heli. She said "that thing scares me". Remember, she doesn't even really know anything about them, but still know danger when she sees it.

[CraigM]

Trex 450 New trick - The pop-n-duck (1 min 13 sec)

[Flyextreme]

Originally Posted by CraigM

YouTube - Trex 450 New trick - The pop-n-duck

Notice how much space he had between him and the heli..

[Sonny]

Originally Posted by skydve76

I will never fly a heli bigger than a 450 and I am staying away from bigeer helis when others fly. I think some of the bigger ones would cut your head clean off.

The AMA talks about banning turbines, they need to start thinking about bigger helis too or put more restrictions on them.

Naaaa...Don't limit yourself. Never say never type of thing. Banning them would only result in underground and black market behavior. The big ones are truley wonderfull to fly. Why don't we bann everything that's challenging and dangerous? Cars, guns, steak knives, swingsets, blah blah blah...Not!......Too many laws as it is.

[Aox]

Originally Posted by BenHeli

I walked into the 450 while it was spooling down and got three slashes in the leg. A few months back, an idiot at the field lost control of his 700N while hovering over at the hover pad and by the time it was over at the main pad, it was no more than five feet above ground. I dove flat onto the ground with both arms covered my head and it went right over me. Just imagine the sound of the 710mm blades five feet over your head. He was told never to come back by the safety compliance officer who witnesses the incident. I was at the main pad ready to plug in the battery so no damage to the heli.

WTF?!?! Ben, when did THIS HAPPEN!?!?!?! Who was the guy? YOU HURT BEN I KEEL YOU!

I got smacked in the arm once with my Honeybee FP back in the day. That hurt like a bitch. I avoided doing that from then on out

-Aox

[RMG2]

Yes AOX, I learned heli respect with my Honey Bee FP as well! When I was learning I let the heli get back into me and the blade hit the back of one finger nail pealing the skin back a little behind the nail! Lot's of OUCH and blood gushing!

As a caution reminder, the finger nail grew out and had a big dent in the actual nail surface for several months as it moved forward closer and closer to the nail clippers.

I have to admit that large helis really have my respect and I never take my eyes off them when others are flying near me. Probably a good practice for everyone but I see so many people not paying attention while others fly large helis nearby.

[JackdaWack]

I dont see much of a reason to ban Turbines, there applications are ussually heavy and scale, and the pilots are most likely advanced...they would have to be very dedicated to afford and build one. In retrospect its no different then your ussuall large helicopter wich is what i think you were reffering to. So it does make sense to say if your going to ban turbines then it wouldnt make sense to not ban a large heli, they kinda go hand in hand. Now what would make sense, is if they had a third class of flying applications. Like park flier is up to 2lbs, then standard is up to say 10lb and then from there up would be the large class and the membership cost would be more money to insure.

[peterdk]

I picked up my 450 thinking T/H was on (wasn't), bumped the tx and it spooled up real quick. As i was holding by the boom the blades smacked into my forearm, taking a chunk off the to fleshy bit and an additional 2 cuts and bruising before i could stop it.
I learnt a hard lesson that day in regards to respect, T/H, soft start and always thinking "what if?".
Since then i have been a much safer flyer, i hope others learn without the pain, humiliation and scars the way i did! (everyone at work gave me a real hard time over it!)
Peter

[src053]

Originally Posted by CraigM

YouTube - Trex 450 New trick - The pop-n-duck

so funny!
the dude was quick, and was able to laugh about. good times.
Maybe he should work on his piro skillz a bit though