Goggles dangerous, hardly but your big heli's are out to get you!

[kloner]

crazy man, crazy..... your ordeal makes ol iron jaws look like a walk in the park. I'll never forget it, completely changed my outlook on single rotors to the point i put em all away

the difference in the energy of a 28" blade at 3000 rpm versus a 700mm blade at 2000 rpm is night and day less.... the overall crushing weight is more a factor in big multis than a single rotor. I've had a 600 come at me and an 800 go in the ground hard next to me. Honestly i've had enough of them things. still got a pile of em but i'll probably never fly them again.

this was a 600 that broke a servo horn on the ground, it pitched back, grabbed collective and cornered me on my porch, it hit this screen door next to my head, blew the blades off it, i had ducked and hit my front door so hard it blew the latch plate/board off the wall and i rolled into my house as it came crashing to my chest, smoking and still spinning but no blades..... i was eye to eye with my wife inside the house as it all came to an end.... what a mess

 

[R_Lefebvre]

But this is the thing...

the difference in the energy of a 28" blade at 3000 rpm versus a 700mm blade at 2000 rpm is night and day less....

Those 28" blades can still kill you pretty quick. This is really like arguing which will make you deader. "Would you rather be hit by a Freightliner, or a Mack?" The large multis are plenty dangerous, and need to be treated with respect.

 

[MombasaFlash]

All of that is dead true but what I do miss is the simple radio with understandable servos and mechanical linkages of the single rotors. No buggering around with computers or ropey FC firmware BS, nor unfathomable electronics which either work or they don't and, if they don't, WTF knows how to fix it?

Sure they probably have the capacity to make you deader quicker but, unlike fickle electronic multi-rotors, most single-rotor accidents are down to pilot error or poor maintenance.

 

[chipwich]

All of that is dead true but what I do miss is the simple radio with understandable servos and mechanical linkages of the single rotors. No buggering around with computers or ropey FC firmware BS, nor unfathomable electronics which either work or they don't and, if they don't, WTF knows how to fix it?

Sure they probably have the capacity to make you deader quicker but, unlike fickle electronic multi-rotors, most single-rotor accidents are down to pilot error or poor maintenance.

I don't know. The transmitter setups are certainly a lot more complex on CP helis and I've spent a good bit of time leveling squash plates, setting prop pitch, programming speed controllers, juggling throttle and pitch curves to match with flight modes or dual rates, and getting all of those linkages perfect. I think that you could make a good argument for either type having their complexities and quirks. They both have their rewards as well. I find that I go through phases of wanting to tinker with or fly both types at different times. Agree on the cause of accidents.

 

[gtranquilla]

Overhead power and transmission lines look safe too!

Those look absolutely safe, no wonder no one ever complains about those flying around.

 

[chipwich]

this was a 600 that broke a servo horn on the ground, it pitched back, grabbed collective and cornered me on my porch, it hit this screen door next to my head, blew the blades off it, i had ducked and hit my front door so hard it blew the latch plate/board off the wall and i rolled into my house as it came crashing to my chest, smoking and still spinning but no blades..... i was eye to eye with my wife inside the house as it all came to an end.... what a mess

That's an awesome story! What doesn't kill you makes you stronger And our wives already suspect that we are closet assassins, so probably all that you did was confirm her suspicions LOL!

 

[Buzz_Roavr]

All of that is dead true but what I do miss is the simple radio with understandable servos and mechanical linkages of the single rotors. No buggering around with computers or ropey FC firmware BS, nor unfathomable electronics which either work or they don't and, if they don't, WTF knows how to fix it?

Sure they probably have the capacity to make you deader quicker but, unlike fickle electronic multi-rotors, most single-rotor accidents are down to pilot error or poor maintenance.

Hear, hear! I have been a heli flyer for years and they do scare the crap outta me. However, approaching a large multi to disconnect the batteries always makes me puker up!

Irrational, maybe. But they should all be respected.

 

[15crewdawg]

Not all accidents are due to pilot error or poor maintenance. Mine, in fact, was determined to be a radio malfunction. The heli was not even in the air at the time of the incident. It was sitting on the ground 20 feet away idling, then went full power, pitched, and yawed straight into my face within a split second. I didn't even have time to react. Kloner was extremely lucky with his 600. I still shiver when I see the security cam vid of it.

The point is this - regardless of the type of aircraft, they all have the capacity to severely injure or even kill. Always act in an appropriate (safety conscious) manner when dealing with them.

Trust me, you don't want to be on the receiving end.

 

[MombasaFlash]

Not all accidents are due to pilot error or poor maintenance...

Which is why I wrote "most single-rotor accidents..."

 

[dark_star]

No question single rotor helis are more dangerous in operation. Amazes me that anyone still flies them on set.

 

[R_Lefebvre]

Are you really going to argue that something like this is safe on set?

View attachment 18955

It was sitting on the ground 20 feet away idling, then went full power, pitched, and yawed straight into my face within a split second.

How did it go from idle to flying in a split second? That has to take a couple seconds at least.

That's one difference with Multirotors that make them dangerous. They can go from stopped to in your face in a split second.

I'm not arguing that helis are safe. But the large multis people are using these days are just about equally dangerous. Just in slightly different ways.

 

[kloner]

they both can jump up in a heartbeat, it's the energy a single rotor retains that enables it to autorotate that does such bone crushing damage, decapitations, etc. a 28" blade is 14" long, a 700 blade is 700mm long..... and 5 times the cord, 2-3 times thicker, with weighted tips alot of times....... I've been hit by a couple tiger props and it was nothing like getting a whack from a 600 blade like my door got. I thought i was cut to hell, but the damage wasn't there. I worry more about the 55 lbs of blunt force trauma on a multi hitting somebody.....

All my single rotors were flybarless so it's always been the same crap, vibes making flight controllers trip out. 1 motor, 4 motors, 6 motors or 8,,,,, all the same crap, hobby grade junk

heres the episode that ate my steel security door

almost my date of death by a 600 srh

 

[R_Lefebvre]

A helicopter can only jump up in a split second if the rotor is already spinning. That is my point. I'm typically standing at least 100 feet away from my helicopters when the rotors are running.

 

[dark_star]

All of these machines command respect and could cause harm. The really big multis with 25"+ props start to enter the same realm as single rotor. But I still think multis are safer overall and a typical X8, flat octo or hexa with 15 to 18" props is way safer on set than a single rotor heli. When you command a motor stop on multis they spin down quickly. The SRH has big momentum stored in the rotor system. The multis lack of linkages, shafts and other critical parts is a huge safety improvement. Traveling with a SR is such a nightmare worrying about things getting bent, tweaked etc Also need to watch them like a hawk on set so no one bumps tail blades or anything else. So fragile. multis much better.. Only having to worry about spinning motor bells and single piece props is so much less stressful. Multis are also more stable, less prone to vibes and far more forgiving of knocking into twigs and leaves in tight spaces. The biggest thing I miss from SRH is the ability to autorotate . Can't beat the speed and endurance of SRH but leave that to the kids now.