Is it a "bad idea" to fly your T-Rex 600 in front of your house?

[ticedoff8]

I don't know, maybe its just me.

I saw a picture in last months RC Heli mag. The guy was proud to show off his T-Rex 600E flying in front of his house.
I can't get this out of my head, but I thought the guy was crazy.
Am I wrong?

A T-Rex 600E is basically a .50 size glow engine heli. It has a rotor speed of 2k + RPM. It makes a a lot of noise (even though it's electric) and attracts a lot of attention (kids).
And, it can cause a LOT of damage to people and property if it gets out of control.

I have a Shogun V2 - a 400 size electric heli. I fly (hover, slow figure-8s) it in front of my house - but only when I know there is no one around. If I see kids or dogs, I don't fly.
I have a .50 size glow heli (upgraded to .61) - an old GMP Cobra - and I wouldn't even THINK of starting the heli in front of my house - much less hovering it.
I use a Spektrum DX7 with the DSS receivers in all my RC aircraft (fixed & rotary wing), so I am not talking about radio links.
But there is SO much more that can go wrong - I don't even want to think about all of the failure modes I've seen in 30 years of flying.

Is there a basic perception that an electric heli is "safer" than a glow power heli of the same configuration?

Or, am I just too conservative?
If I'm not being too conservative, maybe the editors at RC Heli could reject pictures of people doing dumb things with their helis?

[Ots]

One should fly where and when it's safe to fly.

It's a judgement call and hopefully we excercise good judgement when we choose to fly.

If it's safe to fly in front of your house then fine. If it's not, don't. Blanket statements can't really be made as the fronts of houses are not all the same.

[ticedoff8]

One should fly where and when it's safe to fly.

It's a judgement call and hopefully we excercise good judgement when we choose to fly.

If it's safe to fly in front of your house then fine. If it's not, don't. Blanket statements can't really be made as the fronts of houses are not all the same.

Based on the picture that was run in the March '09 issue (pg 19) of RC Heli - it looks just like my neighborhood. And that is what led me to the original question.
But, I'll clarify - "Is it safe to fly in front of your typical suburban home - with typical 50' to 60' lot lines, typical 20' setbacks from the street, a typical 30' wide street, with typical trees, hedges, driveways and garages where kids, dogs and cars come out of "nowhere" with a 600 (.50 size) helicopter" - Like that guy is doing in the picture.

Unfortunately, "Good Judgment" is like "Common Sense" - the only thing "Common" about "Common Sense" is how "Uncommon" it truly is. And if, after the accident, you ask these guys "Why did you do that" - they don't have a good answer.

But that still leads me to the other question: Is there an impression that electric helis are "safer" than their glue brothers?

[chopper 3]

both r very dangerouse when out of control ,It all comes down to risk no mater where u fly.if u can't fly in front of your house sothen dont ,just be safe as u can ,good luck too all :)

[tdswan]

The most flying I do at my house is to check setups on a side street, usually no more than 10' off the ground and just gentle L-R flights to set a heli up. I don't fly for recreation in front of the home. There's just too much that can go wrong. They draw a lot of attention and someone can come out of nowhere without you noticing.

[JimInnes]

The only flying I do at home is with my mCx, not worth the risk to fly in a residential area unless you have acres of land between you and the nearest neighbor. Just my opinion :)

[Ots]

But that still leads me to the other question: Is there an impression that electric helis are "safer" than their glue brothers?

In the sense that you are discussing, no, electrics aren't safer. They can both do some serious damage.

They are typically more "neighborhood friendly" since they are often quieter and don't smoke the place out. This could very well lead someone to fly an electric where they wouldn't fly a nitro, but that's addressing the nuisance factor, not safety.

[Dantheman]

I have large yard in a residential neighborhood. I hover my T-Rex 600 E all the time. Just hover around never more than 5ft off the ground. I would never think of flying at any great speed or altitude. But its nice to be able to practice hovering anytime without driving anywhere. Its all open and I could see anyone aproching or if it started to get away I would hit the kill switch.
Every situation is different, like the man said use your judgement. ;)

[jimras]

I fly out in front of my house. I live on a street that is not a thru street and it's only 2 blocks long. We get a few walkers in the evening but most people stop and watch for a while and ask a lot of questions. All I do is mostly practice hovering and a little forward and side to side slow flight. You just have to be aware of what is going on around you and if somebody is coming, then set it down and wait.

[Ots]

Actually I will fly my Trex 450 just about anywhere, including the front of my house. Again, good judgement must prevail.

[vermonster]

Actually I will fly my Trex 450 just about anywhere, including the front of my house. Again, good judgement must prevail.

Your welcome to fly here Ots, but please bring your gloves and waders.........:D

[Ots]

Wow. Looks like a Christmas card. Nice, but I wouldn't want to fly there.

[rafflerback]

Let me add my 2 cents when it comes to flying in front of your house. I did that for many years with no problems, but I've 2 incedents that made me stop completely. your going to get the idea that I'm not the sharpest knife in the draw because most people would have stopped after the first incident.

The first one took place about 20 years ago. I had an Enforcer that I couldn't stop from shaking. I tried everything and it still shook. I finally took the heli completely apart and found a few things that weren't right. If fixed them and remounted the clutch using a dial indicator.

My wife and I were getting ready to do out for dinner an as usual she was keeping me waiting. I figured that because she wasn't read I'd try the helicopter in the yard. I lifted off an for the first time it was smooth as glass. I hovered it for a couple of minutes when I decided to practice some nose in.

From this point on I'm not sure what happen. The next thing I knew this 30 size heli is coming right at me and I can't get out of the way. Everything I tried made the problem worse. I finally decided to just move out of the way let the bird pass and I'd pick it up again tail in. I stepped back and there was a bush behind me. I fell backwards over the bush and the helicopter followed me in. When I realized that I was going to get hit I covered up the best I could.

The heli hit me in the back right below my neck and our night out for dinner turned into a trip to the hospital. A few stitches and a tong lashing from my wife was the end to a real bad day.

The second incident happen last summer. I had crashed my Hawk at the flying field earlier in the week. I repaired the heli and spent the day at the flying field trying to get it off the ground. No matter what I did it would not leave the ground.

When I got home that night I was pissed. I had spent an entire day at the field and never left the ground. I took the helicopter in the shop and found that I had missed a broken hiller arm. I replaced the arm and decided to just hoover the Hawk in the yard. (I said I'm not the brightest bulb in the box)

I started the Hawk, placed it in front of my motor home and ran it up. It came off the ground a little crooked but it was controllable. I set it down made a trim change and when to lift off again.

When I did the Heli exploded. The front of the heli with the batteries and the servo went over my head and ended up behind me in a neighbors yard. The tail with the engine still running ended up on our front porch and I still haven't found all of the head. The best I coud tell at that time was a blade grip had failed and the Helicopter threw a blade.

We found the blade with the bad grip a couple of days later across the street about 500 feet from where I was flying. Luckily it didn't hit any cars, houses or people.

Granted both of these problem were my fault. I shouldn't of been flying nose in that early in my heli career in such a small spot and I should of paid better attention to the blade grips after crashing the other helicopter. But if I'd been flying in a proper place I would of saved a trip to the doctors. And the thought of that blade getting into someones house still scares me.

I personally think that R/C heli should make a push to convince people that flying in a yard in front on the average house isn't safe.

Bob Afflerback

[ticedoff8]

I'd say this last post illustrates my point exactly.

It is not IF you will get out of control - it is WHEN.

If you get a failed servo, a broken blade grip, a broken ball link, a stuck throttle or a dead battery while you are hovering your helicopter - you are going to crash. It is only a question of where the wreckage ends up and how much damage it will do on its way to it final resting place.

Hovering in your "large residential yard" or "I only hover it less than 10' off the ground, and do gentle L / R turns" missed that important point - if you are flying a 500, 600 or .50 size heli, once the fecal matter hits the oscillating air agitator - you are just a passenger watching the drama unfold. You better pucker up those butt cheeks sweetheart, and hope you don't take out the old couple walking down your street.

If you are flying anything bigger than a coaxial CX heli, and you have an uneducated audience (couples walking through the neighborhood?!?) you are risking your house (literally) on the reliability of those 10,000 parts flying in loose formation we call an RC helicopter. Lawsuits are a fact of life - especially after you take out a sweet old couple walking their dog with your nasty, dirty TOY helicopter. And AMA is SECONDARY insurance - at best. And, you have to live with the memory of the human damage YOU caused with your carelessness for the rest of your life.

Some people seem to think that because they've been doing something for a long time - it makes it safe. It doesn't - it makes you lucky.

I guess being laid off for 6 months has some advantages.
I live in a typical, standard, neighborhood - at the end of a cul-de-sac - big open circle at the end of my driveway and a big - pie-shaped - back yard.
There are no people in my neighborhood from 9am to 2pm - they still have jobs (I guess) and the kids are at school - so I can take out my little Shogun V2 and practice hovering and such.
After 2pm and on the weekends - I take it to the industrial park. Kids, dogs,,, kids, cars... kids - too much can go wrong. Even a 400 size heli has enough energy to cause serious damage to a dog or a small kid.

And I won't even start my .60 size heli around the house - if this thing got angry, it'd kill me - or someone close by.
Am I tempted to start it - just to "tune it up a little" - you bet!
E.G.: Last week I changed the starter cone to a hex-drive. I was going to use my Makita cordless drill to start it. The first time I tried it was when I took it to the industrial park - and it didn't work. It worked fine "dry firing" in the garage, but as soon as I lite the glow plug at the industrial park, the kickback stalled the drill and spun the hex-drive off the shaft.
Was I pissed - you bet. :((
I flew the little guy around for awhile, then took everything home to fix the .60.
After I fixed it, I waited until Sunday to go back and try it again.
It still didn't work, so I took everything home and changed back to the cone.
Grrrr.
But, I don't think I try to start that .60 heli around the house. Unless it was chained to the ground. And I had someone standing close by with a big club - just in case it tried to kill me. :D

[ticedoff8]

Wow. Looks like a Christmas card. Nice, but I wouldn't want to fly there.
I live in California. Okay, Northern California. It got down to 50-degrees(!!!) the other day. I couldn't even go outside it was so cold! How could you fly in that... that... white stuff - snow, right? How can you fly in that snow? Talk about extreme flying. ;)

[Ots]

It was snow? Oh yeah, H-cuzz explained what snow was some time ago. I didn't know it was so cold. I thought it was just white. Not everything white is cold - is it?

[ShadowSpawn]

I live in the 'burbs - and I would never consider flying my trex around in front of the house. I hope that as I gain experience and confidence - I won't let that jade my thoughts for the safety of others. And I doubt it will, my other hobby is ornamental metal work & welding - grinders, arcs & sparks, angle grinders, high speed cutting blades. Anything rotating at a hgh speed can blow out and send shards flying at a lethal speed, my mCX is for the living room, CX2 for the backyard, Trex is for the industrial park.

I found a perfect flying area 3 minutes from my house using the Google satelite map feature - it's a picnic area in a close by industrial park. No one is ever there on Sat or Sunday.

Ticedoff8 - yeh that was a wicked cold front that moved through here! It even dumped some of that white stuff on Mt. Hamilton...

[Shawn K]

I personally think that R/C heli should make a push to convince people that flying in a yard in front on the average house isn't safe.

Safety is a repeating theme in RC Heli. I know I preach it constantly. In fact, we've used the picture of Mike's knee from IRCHA 2007 a total of 493 times. It's become so used now that we might have to ask Mike to get hit with another heli, just so we have another picture in rotation. ;)

[vermonster]

I live in California. Okay, Northern California. It got down to 50-degrees(!!!) the other day. I couldn't even go outside it was so cold! How could you fly in that... that... white stuff - snow, right? How can you fly in that snow? Talk about extreme flying. ;)

50 degrees that's T shirt weather in New England.........:rolleyes:

"How can you fly".............TA DA:D