Author Topic: A Prop In The Hand Is Better Than A Hand In The Prop (Read 2796 times)

Dick Pacini · « **on:** March 04, 2014, 06:31:07 AM »

A recent thread highlighted the joys of CA gluing various body parts together.

Probably most folks in this hobby have been bitten by a prop.

I remember the first time I fed flesh to a Top Flite 10-6 paddle blade. It was maybe the early to mid 60's and I drug out a Nobler I built in my freshman year of high school. I was flying it in the dark in a school parking lot that had only one lamp post illuminating the area. Somehow, I stuck my thumb in the prop arc and it sliced me like deli salami. I had a helper holding the plane. I decided since the Fox was humming along, I wouldn't waste the opportunity to fly, so I twisted a shop rag around my thumb. After the flight, the pain started to set in, in part to the dirty shop rag partially soaked with fuel.

At the ER, the doctor said he had never seen precisely spaced cuts like that. I think there were six or seven slices across the top of my thumb. They were difficult to suture because they were close together.

I can still see the scars today.

Dumb and dumber. Thumb and thumber.

KenP51 · « **Reply #1 on:** March 04, 2014, 08:00:38 AM »

Got my right hand ate by a fox 29 when I was in high school. and the about 30 years later got my left hand ate by a Irvine 40. The doctors had a tough time closing up the wounds both times.
On the last instance I did like you and wrapped the hand with a rag. Packed my stuff, and drove 30 minutes to the ship I was stationed on. Before I could even salute and "request permission to come aboard Sir", The quarter deck watched stopped me and called a medical emergency to the quarter deck. Lets just say I was leaving a trail behind me. And I was rather white and obviously in shock at that point. I was immediately taken to the base hospital.

I had to run my van through the car wash a few days later to wash all the blood off the side.

I seem to do things in twosies, chopping up hands and setting myself afire.

Ken

steve bittner · « **Reply #2 on:** March 04, 2014, 08:22:15 AM »

For my self and many others who are on blood thinners, we would just throw a rag on it, but now its a major issue getting cut period. Always got to keep safety in mind and be very very careful.

Matt Colan · « **Reply #3 on:** March 04, 2014, 08:45:18 AM »

My left index finger got bit at the 2013 KOI trying to start my LA 46 in the Vector on a chilly morning. The motor backfired and and smacked me right on the knuckle. Thankfully the motor never started. Created a bio-hazard at the registration table patching with people patching myself up to be able to fly that day.

Serge_Krauss · « **Reply #4 on:** March 04, 2014, 08:51:17 AM »

For me, it was a reminder that age and experience sometimes aren't enough. I never got a finger in a prop (other than kick-backs) when I was a less careful kid, but later in life, while being "careful," I still managed to rake my fingers along the prop arc while rising to walk to the handle. I guess spatial awareness isn't as acute or the legs didn't hoist me upward at the expected rate, but I had those parallel, repeated slashes across four fingers and luckily only missed a couple CPO performances, before painfully putting the finger tips back in service. One regrew. That was "only" a Fox .35, but even those things can ruin a hand for life. Care has taken on more vivid meaning with age! Thanks for the reminder. I think we all need it periodically.

Mike Scholtes · « **Reply #5 on:** March 04, 2014, 10:43:00 AM »

Motor size doesn't really matter. The worst (and nearly the only) prop cuts I got was from a TeeDee 020 on a free flight. While releasing it upwards my left (timer-release) fingers went through the prop arc. A tiny prop at 20,000 or so rpm can send you to emergency just like the big ones. That was 30 years ago and the scars are still there.

David Hoover · « **Reply #6 on:** March 04, 2014, 10:54:55 AM »

I've had only one entanglement with a prop and, thankfully, it was fairly innocuous compared to some I've heard about. I was adjusting the needle on a FP25 when my knuckle touched the back of the prop, startling me. I jumped up and the tip of my finger went through the outer edge of the prop arc resulting in a nice, J-shaped cut that took four stitches to close. That healed up pretty quickly. On the other hand, the spot on my knuckle which touched the back of the prop lost a chunk of skin and that took forever to heal. The accident happened in October and all winter long I could feel the cold in that spot every time I went outside no matter what kind of gloves/mitts I wore. I also learned that when we walk through doorways our hands pass dramatically close to the sides of the opening. For a long time I could feel the doorway with that knuckle every time I passed through one!

That was quite a few years ago, it's been healed up a long time and I've been exceptionally careful ever since.

RknRusty · « **Reply #7 on:** March 04, 2014, 11:07:33 AM »

I, like Serge mentioned, never gave it a thought as a kid. Never got cut from the time I was 12 until I was 55. Then one day I was bench running a Czechoslovakian MP Jet .061 at full scream, and got fairly bit. Though I didn't go to the ER, it took a long time and careful treatment to finally heal up. I documented mine do I could gross out my forum buddies at my other web hangout. So in the name of grossness, here it is, about a week after the incident. The black speckles are rattlecan Rustoleum, not dried blood.

Mike Haverly · « **Reply #8 on:** March 04, 2014, 01:01:01 PM »

You don't want to know what a RoJett .65 with an Eather 12.5 x 4.0 at about 10,200 RPM'S can do to your left index finger. I still have most of the prop and most of my finger, thanks to David F. Brett, Uncle Jimby and of my friends that were there. It doesn't bother me much now because what's left of it is numb and almost all of my stuff is now electric. Don't think for a moment that the electrics won't hurt you, but it is reassuring to be at the handle when things start spinning.

rustler · « **Reply #9 on:** March 04, 2014, 01:42:02 PM »

Following one of these incidents, we realised afterwards, if you drew your finger/thumb through the prop tip for exactly one (or half) second, and counted the slices, you could calculate the rpm.

RknRusty · « **Reply #10 on:** March 04, 2014, 07:14:09 PM »

Quote from: rustler on March 04, 2014, 01:42:02 PM

Following one of these incidents, we realised afterwards, if you drew your finger/thumb through the prop tip for exactly one (or half) second, and counted the slices, you could calculate the rpm.

On the other hand I was taching the engine on the bench, so I was calculating how long my poor thumb was in the prop. It was a square tipped Master Airscrew, so I've rounded the tips on every one since then... and quit sticking my hand in the arc.
Rusty

Randy Cuberly · « **Reply #11 on:** March 04, 2014, 08:34:43 PM »

My right index finger has scars of nine closely spaced slices down the inside from the second knuckle to the finger nail that actually grows a little funny due to the cut down the edge of it.
That part of the nail actually grows in two separate pieces. The white bone was visible at the bottom of the cuts.
Bench running a Enya 61CSX with a Bolly Three Blade. The muffler blocked access to the needle valve because I was too lazy to switch it to the other side away from the muffler. The needle would have been above the muffler mounted inverted, but mounted upright on the bench it was below the muffler. I needed to tweak the needle just a little bit to tach the engine and reached in under the muffler and just pushed with my finger on the bent end of the needle.
I guess it turned unexpectedly and my finger slid forward into the prop. It didn't hurt a bit for about the first five seconds but then when I looked at the finger and realized that most of the inside flesh was hanging below the tip, it began to hurt...a lot.
Strange thing was I was supposed to pick my wife up at the Hospital shortly after it happened so I just wrapped it in paper towels and drove to the Hospital. Went to the emergency room and told them I was supposed to pick up my wife after her hospital stay and showed them my now blood soaked paper towel finger...and the look on the admitting nurses face caused me to laugh...the doctor said He had seen several injuries like that (He was a hand specialist) and they were all caused by model airplane engines...I told him that he had another one and he laughed an shook his head...did a good job though, in spite of being a smartass!

Randy Cuberly

john e. holliday · « **Reply #12 on:** March 05, 2014, 08:18:32 AM »

In my years of racing and combat plus stunt I have gotten cut. Most times it my fault. The biggest mistake is to let the finger slide along the trailing edge of a prop. Fibre glas or nylon they cut like a good steak knife. Always glad I have a hankerchief in my pocket.

Tim Thompson · « **Reply #13 on:** March 05, 2014, 08:29:36 AM »

Last Oct. I stuck my left thumb and fore finger in the prop arc. My helper instantly grabbed my hand and held it over my head and told me to hold it there. He then cut off fuel to the motor and helped me stand up while applying pressure to the wounds. He asked me if I was on blood thinners ( I wasn't ) and we walked back to the pits. Someone got a roll of clean paper towels and wrapped the wounds . To keep pressure on the wounds we used good ole #64 rubber bands. They wanted to drive me to the ER but since it was only a few blocks away I drove myself. I was amazed at how efficiently everyone acted in my club, like they were trained to do this !

The ER staff was amazing! And had me fixed up in no time. Just as they finished up one of the guys showed up to check on me.

When we walked out he had my plane cleaned up, the lines rolled up and all of my field equipment packed up and ready to put in my car!

Truly an enjoyable experience if not for the pain! If I ever get hurt again I want to be around these guys!

Blue Skies...................Tim

KenP51 · « **Reply #14 on:** March 05, 2014, 08:34:49 AM »

Quote from: john e. holliday on March 05, 2014, 08:18:32 AM

In my years of racing and combat plus stunt I have gotten cut. Most times it my fault. The biggest mistake is to let the finger slide along the trailing edge of a prop. Fibre glas or nylon they cut like a good steak knife. Always glad I have a hankerchief in my pocket.

I make a pass or 2 with some fine sandpaper to the back edge and maybe the front. Still have to respeck that back edge though.

Ken

RknRusty · « **Reply #15 on:** March 05, 2014, 01:24:18 PM »

Quote from: Tim Thompson on March 05, 2014, 08:29:36 AM

Last Oct. I stuck my left thumb and fore finger in the prop arc. My helper instantly grabbed my hand and held it over my head and told me to hold it there. He then cut off fuel to the motor and helped me stand up while applying pressure to the wounds.........

........Truly an enjoyable experience if not for the pain! If I ever get hurt again I want to be around these guys!

Blue Skies...................Tim

Couldn't resist the horror stories, eh Tim? Glad you made the jump from lurking to posting. Welcome to SH.
Rusty

Dick Pacini · « **Reply #16 on:** March 05, 2014, 01:44:08 PM »

Quote from: RknRusty on March 05, 2014, 01:24:18 PM

Couldn't resist the horror stories, eh Tim? Glad you made the jump from lurking to posting. Welcome to SH.
Rusty

He must have smelled the blood in the water...

Motorman · « **Reply #17 on:** March 05, 2014, 06:33:33 PM »

I was bench testing my modified Fox Combat Special That I used for a while in Warbird racing.

The prop was on plenty tight as I was expecting 22,000 rpm. Big leather glove on, I bring the prop up to compression and smack it backwards to bump start it.

It fires and starts to run frontwards then for some reason it bumps again and starts running backwards and the prop nut goes shooting off the shaft then it bumps again and starts running frontwards with almost no load. The prop caught just enough to spin and go flying off the shaft right through my heavy blue jeans and into my leg about a 1/2".

My ninja skills meant nothing.

The engine rpm never developed more than about 8,000 in any direction and even so the prop was only spinning from friction with no nut. Imagine the potential of a racing prop at full song.

BTW, a heavy leather glove will not protect you from a running prop, it cuts right on through.

MM

Motorman · « **Reply #18 on:** March 05, 2014, 06:50:58 PM »

Another funny story. If you use a leather glove to start engines, eventually it will wear a hole in the finger right where you need protection. A friend of mine had such a glove and kept cutting his finger while flipping but he still wore the glove for protection.

I saw him cut his finger again so I took the glove and threw it in the woods yes, he yelled at me. I gave him one of my gloves to get him through the day. Anyway, years later I was out in the woods taking a bathroom break and right next to me I see this weather worn glove hanging in a bush. You had to be there I guess.

MM

Allen Eshleman · « **Reply #19 on:** March 05, 2014, 07:33:48 PM »

I have had two tangles with Super Tigre 51's. The first, I was flying by myself with a stooge. I started the motor. I had it on a piece of newspaper and the edge began to blow up. For some unkown reason I tried to straighten out the paper - dumb - My index and middle fingers were bleeding quite a bit. However, I wrapped them with a rag and flew a flight. It was my flying hand. Then, my wife came and took me to the doctor. The cuts were on top side of my fingers. The doctor's nurse cleaned them and wrapped them.

On October 11 of this past year, my brother and I were breaking in a Randy ST 51. It was our last run. I wanted to pinch the fuel line for a leaner run and unthinkingly reached right through the propeller. I danced a jig around his driveway and then went to the toilet to wash them off with cold water. By that time, we contacted my wife who is a nurse. She told me to put pressure on them. Then she took me to the Emergency room where we waited 4 hours to get totally treated. That one took the fleshy part of the the tips of my index finger and thumb. As we speak today, skin has grown back over the ends. They are still tender but I can play piano, fly and write, pretty much without problem. Well - it's all in a flying career.

YakNine · « **Reply #20 on:** March 06, 2014, 04:44:48 PM »

When I was around 14 I was starting one of my Black Widows on my Goldberg Wizard with the rubber band engine mount. The fuel must have gotten to some of the bands and the engine torqued right around like it was hinged and that little top flite nylon prop got me on the knuckles my 4H leader was a pious man and I think my language surprised him. My Dad made me apologize after I cleaned up.