Pictures of injuries caused by RC Helicopters

[Sainted]

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-YArlXWZz0c[/ame]

Not helicopter but airplane accident, happened just moments ago.
My brother is the flyer.

[razeyoshi]

Originally Posted by atonydins

Bench running a new heli engine. it got knocked went full throttle and lacerated and broke my finger. thanks to the plastic surgery unit at Addenbrooks Hospital in Cambridgeshire.
take care they will bite if given a chance..

Dammmmb! What size machine was that?

[1ruffryder]

after reading and going through this thread im really discouraged on trying to learn my way to that 500 i want. i might just stay at the 120 and sim. these things can do serious damage

[flyinghigh450]

Originally Posted by ProtoDewd

Ok, so I finally got bit by this hobby - literally.

I stopped off at a convenient "Vacant Lot" field on my way home from work the other day to burn off a couple batteries as the weather was fairly decent that day. I had run through 4 batteries in the 250 and was on my third battery on the 450 when I got myself in trouble.
I was working on my inverted hovering, about 50 feet out and 50 feet altitude, and was losing altitude while trying to keep it steady in a light wind, I decided to flip it back over and recover and when I did I'm not sure exactly what happened, it happened so fast.
I was fighting for stability as it was oscillating around and suddenly it was coming at me - I corrected, I thought, but it was still coming at me, even faster. Before I knew it, it was less than 20 feet away coming straight at me at about 30mph and all I could think to do was to turn my back to it and duck, hoping it would either hit the dirt in front of me or go over me. It didn't. It hit me directly in the back and glanced off of me and over into the parking lot. I felt it hit the back of my head - hard - but I didn't know how bad it was until I had picked up the dead bird and carried it over to the back of the car - that's when I felt the blood running down the back of my neck.

I went to the local emergency room and ended up getting 8 staples to close a 1.5 in cut in the back of my head. It had also shaved a little skin off of my left shoulderblade - a bit of minor road rash - really just a bad scratch. But the worst is where it hit me in the side. I'm not sure what part hit me - I suspect it was a blade but I can't be sure - I think it cracked a rib on my right side. I was x-rayed and checked out and no broken bones showing but the doc said I could still have a hairline fracture that won't show up on x-ray. No black and blue or anything really, but when I sneeze it hurts like hell.

If I had been flying at my club field, there would have been a fence to duck behind, but as this was just an empty field on my way home from work, there was nothing.

Several times there have been groups of people that will come out there and bring out their small kids to play in the very area where I'm flying. I have to stop and land because I won't fly around them - certainly not over their heads. One day a mother came up to me and asked me if they were in my way and that she didn't mind if I flew while they were there. I had to impress on her just how dangerous these little machines can be - people get the impression from the mall vendors that these things are toys. It really doesn't help when the nightly news reported on that girl being severely hurt, reinforcing the notion by also calling them "toys".

Bottom line - lesson learned. I'll have something to duck behind from now on...and keep a bit more distance from the bird while practicing something new.

Pics:

OUCH,very sorry to see this and hope your doing ok?

[distructor]

Originally Posted by kevinbattista

dude, tough break.. lesson one.. never take your eye off the heli... hope you heal fast

A lesson I almost learned the hard way. In my case the 450x came down 6' from me after looking away for just a split second. I also have to keep reminding myself to keep the heli a good distance from myself. Thinking of getting a hard-deck (when it comes out) just for safety.

[razeyoshi]

Ouch

[helifred]

These pictures are scary bad...

[rdlohr]

Originally Posted by helifred

These pictures are scary bad...

Exactly.
Thats why we post them. To help people realize the proper level of respect their heli deserves.

Rick

[helifred]

I suppose it's time to post my own story. Maybe pics will follow.

My story starts like this. I began with my trusty mcpx and simulator till one day, I gathered enough confidence to buy a used 450 clone online.

It flew but the tail never held. It had a cheap detrum gyro on it, maybe that was it. And by now my hobby had become an addiction. Every night I would read, watch videos, and make adjustments. Then early before work, I would go outside and hover it trying to make adjustments to the trim and gyro gain.

It flew but I would always have to apply rudder or cyclic. I should have just stopped and taken it to a club or found someone to help. I struggled with it for weeks and it became an obsession to get this 450 in the air.

One week ago, I hovered it when it suddenly turned toward me and in an instant I put my hand in front of my face and because I had viewed the other photos in the forum, I knew it was going to be bad.

The 30 minutes to the emergency room were tolerable. Till the adrenaline wore off and then the pain kicked in. It took them forever to give me pain killer. It was really painful throbbing, like having your fingers in a vice.

My 3 fingers on my left hand were struck. I knew I had at least one broken finger, finger #4 could be rocked back and fourth. It also sustained the most damage being sliced from the side going into my bone.

An X-ray revealed bones fractured in finger #4 and #5 with one of them nearly separated from the other bone. I had surgery after several hours where the plastic surgeon put pins in my fingers to hold the bones together and sutures in all 3 fingers. The blue pins remain on the outside until the bones heal. Finger #4 had a nail bed injury and the nail was reattached in place to help the healing process.

The recovery process will be long. The swelling and throbbing were severe. It will take 2-3 months for the bones to heal, but I'm expected to make a full recovery … though looking at my grizzled finger, I have no idea how.

Typing takes forever. Regardless of how and why it happened, I just share my story so others can understand the power these helis have. I wasn't even in idle up when this happened. I would have stood a lot further away except I was trying to make adjustments and not really to fly.

I miss flying helicopters. I miss thinking about flying 450 and larger helis. I have a hard time thinking I could risk my fingers or other bodily harm again with a larger bird. Assuming I make the full recovery, I'll still fly my mcps and my 130X worries me because it's also got quite a kick for it's size. Maybe I'll think about an mcps bl.

[Daddy B]

Man, that is horrible! I hope you recover fully.

[rdlohr]

Originally Posted by helifred

I suppose it's time to post my own story. Maybe pics will follow.

My story starts like this. I began with my trusty mcpx and simulator till one day, I gathered enough confidence to buy a used 450 clone online.

It flew but the tail never held. It had a cheap detrum gyro on it, maybe that was it. And by now my hobby had become an addiction. Every night I would read, watch videos, and make adjustments. Then early before work, I would go outside and hover it trying to make adjustments to the trim and gyro gain.

It flew but I would always have to apply rudder or cyclic. I should have just stopped and taken it to a club or found someone to help. I struggled with it for weeks and it became an obsession to get this 450 in the air.

One week ago, I hovered it when it suddenly turned toward me and in an instant I put my hand in front of my face and because I had viewed the other photos in the forum, I knew it was going to be bad.

The 30 minutes to the emergency room were tolerable. Till the adrenaline wore off and then the pain kicked in. It took them forever to give me pain killer. It was really painful throbbing, like having your fingers in a vice.

My 3 fingers on my left hand were struck. I knew I had at least one broken finger, finger #4 could be rocked back and fourth. It also sustained the most damage being sliced from the side going into my bone.

An X-ray revealed bones fractured in finger #4 and #5 with one of them nearly separated from the other bone. I had surgery after several hours where the plastic surgeon put pins in my fingers to hold the bones together and sutures in all 3 fingers. The blue pins remain on the outside until the bones heal. Finger #4 had a nail bed injury and the nail was reattached in place to help the healing process.

The recovery process will be long. The swelling and throbbing were severe. It will take 2-3 months for the bones to heal, but I'm expected to make a full recovery … though looking at my grizzled finger, I have no idea how.

Typing takes forever. Regardless of how and why it happened, I just share my story so others can understand the power these helis have. I wasn't even in idle up when this happened. I would have stood a lot further away except I was trying to make adjustments and not really to fly.

I miss flying helicopters. I miss thinking about flying 450 and larger helis. I have a hard time thinking I could risk my fingers or other bodily harm again with a larger bird. Assuming I make the full recovery, I'll still fly my mcps and my 130X worries me because it's also got quite a kick for it's size. Maybe I'll think about an mcps bl.

So sorry it got you that bad. Hope you have a speedy recovery. Thanks for posting.

Rick

[b0r3d]

Originally Posted by 1ruffryder

after reading and going through this thread im really discouraged on trying to learn my way to that 500 i want. i might just stay at the 120 and sim. these things can do serious damage

Honestly don't let this thread and the post scare you off. It's an amazing hobby, very addicting but as everyone has been saying. It is to teach you to respect the helicopters.

I've been flying about 6 years and this thread is an eye opener for even myself. Reminds me to respect what i fly, proper maintenance is very important. Fly at your local fields and follow their rules and you'll be ok

I just wanted to comment to that. I thankfully don't have any horror stories of my own. Hope i never do.

[blindpilot]

So many people out here don't know the dangers of this hobby weather it's planes or helicopters all of them need respect

[jrwalte]

Don't forget to protect the eyes. A part could come loose and damage an eye.

[FFF_Ferret]

This happened last weekend. (Posted about it here.) Lost control of my 450. Wasn't flying particularly close (maybe 20 or 25 feet away), though I was perhaps flying faster than I normally do. It was just a momentary lapse in concentration, I guess. Not totally sure what happened, really. Just suddenly it was coming straight at me, amazingly fast. No time at all to react.

Chewed up the switches on the TX, then sliced into my hand. No permanent damage, thankfully, but it could have been REALLY bad. Right now I'm struggling with the question of how to be truly safe, when I don't even know quite what I did to cause this. I believe that there are safe ways to fly, but you can't eliminate every risk. There's always going to be the chance that this thing is going to send you to the hospital, despite your best efforts to be safe. A part might break, and it might cover the distance to you before you can react. Don't fly if you can't accept that risk. But certainly don't take that risk on behalf of ANYONE else, by flying anywhere near other people.

[Varelco]

Originally Posted by ProtoDewd

Ok, so I finally got bit by this hobby - literally.

I had literally the exact same experience as you did this time last year. Except I was hit by my Trex 550, like you I turned and ducked, the heli hit me in the back and knocked me clean off my feet, the wreckage bounced over me and my girlfriend who was so fortunately standing the other side to me, if it was the other way it would of been her it struck (I could not comprehend that happening, sends shivers down my spine just thinking of it).

I felt the blades skim my head, (this is probaby where the size of the heli actually helped, if the head was Lower it would of struck harder and lower on my head) it felt much like banging your head against a table when you get up from under it. I got up, my girlfriend now completely distraught, being a typical bloke I go straight to the heli and start picking pieces of it up, it was only until I bent forward did I see and feel the blood running off my cheek. It then sunk in that I'd done some damage.

1 blood soaked towel later, I'm in hospital having my head glued up and a bandage across my back. Not an experience I'd like to repeat! It was my back which hurt the worst though, the pain was agonising, it was like being hit in the back by a golf club (I'd imagine) but the worst part of the whole thing was seeing my girlfriend in such a state. I'm fine, fully healed still love the hobby, but she isnt, she used to enjoy watching me fly, but now even a year later she is petrified and won't come and watch which is a huge blow for me.

I still have my 550, we have shared some wounds that's for sure....

I don't want to scare people but if something does go wrong and there is potential to hurt yourself/someone then just slam that collective so the heli hits the dirt, don't try and recover it, it's not your friend in that situation, trust me it turns out a lot better!

[1ruffryder]

So I always called bs on the Heli coming straight at people, but a few weeks ago flying my 450 it happened. I went up high and lost orientation, went inverted and next thing I know it was coming at me hot! I'm still new so I panicked and it slammed down maybe 5 feet from me. Any idea why it always seems to come at the pilot?

[FFF_Ferret]

Originally Posted by 1ruffryder

So I always called bs on the Heli coming straight at people, but a few weeks ago flying my 450 it happened. I went up high and lost orientation, went inverted and next thing I know it was coming at me hot! I'm still new so I panicked and it slammed down maybe 5 feet from me. Any idea why it always seems to come at the pilot?

It doesn't. Out of all the out-of-control crashes I've had (hundreds), it's only happened once.

[Jasmine2501]

Basically, you remember scary events better than non-scary ones. Those events "stand out" in your memory. So, you crash fifteen times out in the field somewhere and you don't remember it as well as when you crashed into your own head assuming you didn't get brain damage, which is a real possibility. The 550-to-the-head probably caused a concussion and that's why you didn't know you were hurt. That you remember it with such detail is a good sign.

Why won't it let me post a link?!

[Diogenes]

Originally Posted by 1ruffryder

So I always called bs on the Heli coming straight at people, but a few weeks ago flying my 450 it happened. I went up high and lost orientation, went inverted and next thing I know it was coming at me hot! I'm still new so I panicked and it slammed down maybe 5 feet from me. Any idea why it always seems to come at the pilot?

had it happen with my HP08 130x not long ago, inverted hover cattycornered above me, dumbthumbed it. Ducked and earned a few slashes across my lower back and some bruises. Glad it wasn't worse than it was and it wasnt my 450

Nice thing the heli wasnt hurt because it hit something soft. Pretty painful though