R/C Aircraft Safety-Rotor Blades

Helicopter rotor blade safety:

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Radio Control Helicopter rotor blades are responsible for numerous injuries every year.  Some of these injuries are fatal.  Using good safety practices is essential.  Follow these general safety principals when operating your R/C helicopter.  Also, check your rotor blades frequently for any signs of damage or impending failure.

Rotor blade failures have five basic causes:
1. Design and manufacture faults – Most design and manufacturing faults seen are centered around the rotor fixing hole. Typical faults are the hole being drilled on the junction between two wood laminations and incorrect wood selection leading to the hole being drilled in a soft lamination. Blades with this type of fault should not be used. Even root reinforcement may not stop a failure.

2. Incorrect user assembly – This is commonly found in root reinforcements and in blades which have to have tip weight of some description added. In all cases you should take the greatest care that any components added are fitted correctly and with suitable adhesive. Incorrect glue joints and badly applied reinforcing components are probably the biggest single cause of blade failure so it is very important that you take the greatest care with any assembly work you have to carry out.

3. Incorrect repairs – Do not be tempted to undertake major repairs to rotor blades unless you know exactly what you are doing. Minor repairs to blade edges are permissible but you should always re-balance after completion.

4. Unnoticed accident damage – Any ground strike or boom strike will almost certainly cause damage to rotor blades and in many cases this may go unnoticed under the blade covering. If in doubt, have no hesitation in stripping off the covering for inspection. Re-covering and re-balancing the blades is a small price to pay for peace of mind.

5. Aging and weathering – Aging of glue joints in wooden structures is common and the high stresses inherent in rotor blade operation mean that you should keep a close eye open for delamination in wooden blades. A problem sometimes seen in composite blades is heat damage. Blades left in a car on a hot day can suffer from softening of the resin and this, combined with an expansion of the foam filler, can make the blades unsafe.

Rotor blades must always be carefully balanced and you should always remember that vibration in helicopters can be very destructive.

It cannot be stressed enough that a model helicopter must have a higher degree of safety built into it than any other flying model and NEVER FORGET the amount of energy there is in a spinning rotor. It’s an unfortunate fact that people have been severely injured and even killed by model helicopter rotors.

Please visit R/C Aircraft Safety- Helicopters to learn more about general helicopter safety.