Another RC heli fatality

[rachel]

I am totally shocked to have been awoken by this news, sad doesn't even begin to cover it ,......
There are no words ,.....
to Romans family and friends my heartfelt condolences ,.....
please please , everyone ! Heli god or newbie fly save treat those blades as if they were samurai swords !

[Rob Barnes]

Very very sad news !

[tomatwalden]

Another RC heli fatality

Just hope others learn from this, as I wouldn't fly a 450 that close, let alone a 700. How many of us leave five clear metres, as per BMFA?
Roman Pirozek Jr: Man decapitates himself with his own remote-control helicopter | Mail Online

That article is ill informed hype for the sake of selling the daily mail. He didn't decapitate himself, he scalped himself. Also, they report how he "restarts the motor inches from his head" in reality, the video is of an auto (so no power at all) and he lands a few metres in front of him. For an auto, that's not unusual.

Don't get me wrong, it's still terrible and we should all take more care, but tabloid newspapers are prone to over dramatise things.


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[RcRotaryMadness]

Don't get me wrong, it's still terrible and we should all take more care, but tabloid newspapers are prone to over dramatise things.

Yes the newspapers are really irritating for that! Drives the police bonkers

[Scotvar]

I've just been reading some of the comments on the youtube link that was posted earlier in the thread. Some people just sicken me.

Paul

[tomatwalden]

I've just been reading some of the comments on the youtube link that was posted earlier in the thread. Some people just sicken me.

Paul

Best not to. 99.999999% of people will sympathise and feel sickened by this death. They won't post stuff on the Internet about it however.

A very small percentage are sick, and get a kick from posting crap on the Internet. As with all idiots you meet in life, the best way to deal with them is simply to ignore them and not give them what they want, ie. the pleasure of having provoked a reaction.


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[highlightshadow]

A tragic accident but just goes to show .... we have to maintain respect of the equipment we're flying
We're flying ever more powerful machines with more and more torque .... utmost respect required

[tomatwalden]

I don't think it is right to post a pic of a fellow pilot and good friend in this way mate! All pictures are deceiving, and I know fully well how careful this pilot you have depicted is, especially as he has 2 young sons who are also great pilots.

I have some pics of my heli flying inverted, and there are power lines behind the heli. It looks like I am 5m from very high voltage cables, but in reality, they are in the next field 15min walk away!

I don't think that's who you think that is in the photo Rob (though I can see a certain resemblence to a certain Mr Moon). It's a still taken off a video of Roman - the guy who died. The picture, and description is misleading though as the heli is in the final stages of an auto-rotation in that shot - so NO POWER, and about 2 metres in front of Roman.

[Rctintin]

Thanks Tom, post removed.

[Reality Bites]

We see way too many pilots, pros amateurs and learners who fly way to close to themselves and other people. I haven't read all the articles and don't know the full facts so don't know if it was the case this time but, i just hope this tragedy serves as a lesson to every pilot that you don't need to fly 5 feet from your face (please done quote on distance, I'm just making an exaggerated point) for the flight to be fun and exciting for pilot and spectators. The same moves will be just as impressive and exciting 15-20 yards away.

Rotating swords so close which can go anyway causing untold damage should a 1p plastic link fail should not only be respected but given some failure distance.

It scares the hell out of me that people forget how dangerous it all can be, especially when we see posts of night flights etc. flying so close to people with little or no light is plain daft however good you think you are.

so sad a life has been lost.....and one so young. :-(

[Lynx.1677]

Very sad. In my opinion though people take way too many risks with these things and are imitating those well known pilots who smack the heli's in front of themselves. Been to a few shows and been up there where the pilots stand and occasionally I think "is this worth the risk"? Even some of the top pilots are just far too comfortable and complacent. It's certainly made me think twice before doing anything close to myself with even a smaller heli let alone a 700. Accidents happen so you do have to remember sometimes things go wrong but giving yourself an extra margin should the worst happen is the probably the best advise. It could literally save someone's life.

[Rctintin]

You know, when I was at Zone village stood 3m behind Timo and Dunkan I thought to myself, "why are we so close, this could go very bad quickly" Those 2 guys are at the very top of their game, but just maybe a plastic ball link is not, and just about to split in half!!

This is a massive wake up call to us all guys, give the heli the same respect as a chain saw!!

[tomatwalden]

Rob, I was in the pub with, let's say " a top competition pilot " before the evening flying at Zone village. I watched him knock back 3 double-vodka redbulls plus several beers before he ventured out to join that flying session that we all watched.

That's why I stood right at the back the whole time ....

[moonmanflyer]

It is very sad that something like this has happened, Unfortunatly I think it was going to at some point, I really now think there needs a min distance between pilot and flight line introduced, say 10 metres to help reduce this from happening in the future.
i have always felt uneasy when my boys fly close, to such a point I have started to introduce a safe distance from them and also for myself when I fly, I know we have all done it, and it happens on a daily basis but maybe it will make everyone think just a little more, fly safe everyone and my condolences to his family and friends

[BrianS]

It needs the sponsors to stand up and say they don't want or need their pilots to fly like this.