Please practice ladder safety!

Vance

Gyroplane CFI
Staff member
Joined
Oct 30, 2003
Messages
18,363
Location
Santa Maria, California
Aircraft
Givens Predator
Total Flight Time
2600+ in rotorcraft
Tonight I was working on the rotor head of the Predator standing near the top of my 10 foot ladder when my lack of balance caught up with me. I had one foot on the engine and she rocked back and I fell to the concrete floor on my face and left leg. I can’t tell that I am out of balance until it is too late because of my brain injury. I landed flat on my face and my leg hit a foot stool before I landed in a heap.

I suspect I was working to miss the horizontal stabilizer.

I am usually hanging on to something to steady myself. The rotor blade wasn’t much support.

I could have been killed, I could have exacerbated my head injury, I could have knocked my teeth out and I could have broken my leg.

I was alone in the hangar and this could have made it worse.

Instead because of my luck I have a bruised leg and a split lip.

I would like to remind people that ladders are dangerous and they seem to be a necessary part of working on a gyroplane. Please, the next time you start up a ladder look around and see what there is to hit if you fall over and make sure you are doing everything you can to not get hurt.

Putting my foot on the engine was asking for trouble and I have done it before and nearly come to grief. I did not learn my lesson. I will probably forget this lesson when my leg stops hurting.

I have trouble remembering I am not 17 and indestructible.

Thank you, Vance
 
I just got a Little Giant ladder and it's great. No shaking and a platform for standing on and one for tools.
 
Oh my Vance. I am glad you didn't get hurt worse than that. Well it is bad enough to have a swollen split lip and a sore leg. The worse part is being alone in the hangar. Please be careful when you work on the higher regions. I agree with Tony the little giant is a great ladder. Very stable and all kinds of configurations are possible. Anyways. I am glad you are OK without being more seriously hurt. (maybe you could surround the working area with blow up mattresses :) )
 
Vance, distressed about your fall, delighted that you have escaped relatively unscathed.

Fell of a ladder from gutter height of a tallish building and not quite so lucky. To this day remember more that I care to about the event, and the consequences.

Your cautionary tale is very pertinent. Ladders are a part of being around gyro's even the comparatively small ones, far more so on monsters like the Predator.

Just very glad that you are still with us, oh, and thank goodness you did not damage your machine.:)
 
Vance- Hope you still make ROTR. Stan
 
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I hate Ladders,but I love this thing

I hate Ladders,but I love this thing

I have been useing my buddys roll around scaffold.that is made to be taken apart to carry or store,it is adjustable and I am planning to buy one for my self. I used it when doing blade adjustmenst.

here is a pic of it in action,note it is tall enough to clear the fuel tanks.

I remember someone else on the Forum has used this same type to work on their Gyro.


Anyway Glad your ok.
 

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Vance

Glad you weren’t hurt any worse then you were.

I once stuck my lag through the fifth rung of a ladder and broke the ball off my right shoulder.
 
Vance,

I'm really pleased you are OK. Ladders ARE dangerous and getting close enough to a gyro to get anything useful done is sometimes a balancing act. Frequently the danger in our sport has nothing to do with the flying.

Putting things on top of ladders can also get you. I generally recommend that people wear a hard hat when walking around any ladder on which I have been working. Odds are I've left something heavy and sharp on the top to fall down with the slightest bump. It is one of my worst work habits. I'd fire me for safety violations if I could get anyone else to do what I do as cheap.
 
Damm Vance……I buy your books…..I sent you to school….and still this happened! ;)

While I was reading your post, I thought….oh man he broke his leg. All I can say is that to land on concrete and not have any more damage than you had…..you must have a very resilient body!

I use a 14' stepladder to change my light bulbs. It is very stable….until I'm waaay up there. My shaking is at a different frequency than the ladder and there appears to be an organized harmonic effort to shake me off….I don't like ladders…..
 
Glad you're ok, that could have been much worse!

I hate tall ladders, and climbing on tall aircraft isn't much better - in my CH-47 days I had 3 coworkers get seriously injured in separate falls off the helicopter. One fell off the aft pylon work platform, one of the higher spots you can get - broken neck. Another broke both wrists, the last lost a testicle (hit the edge of a work platform on the way down).

I *really* hated deicing them in the winter - broom + pump-up sprayer of deicing fluid, nothing like walking around on a metal aircraft covered in snow & ice...
 
I'm a construction manager and through the years have found that ladders are probably one of the most dangerous pieces of equipment we use. Even though we work with high pressure, work at elevations sometimes at 200' or more, and use some very dangerous equipment it seems most of the injuries happen on ladders and usually on the first few steps.
 
Here I thought Flying Gyro`s was Dangerous! I`m glad your are OK Vance. Be careful cause we are not getting any younger.:Cry:
 
I bought a Chinese ladder ONCE, Dang thing collapsed when I had the rotor blades above my head, I didn't drop them, but they put a big dent in my forehead. "nuff said"

Glad you are OK Vance you do not need a setback like that.
 
Worse today than last night

Worse today than last night

Thank you for the well wishes.

As is often the case I felt worse this morning than I did last night.

I have somehow damaged both legs and my left shoulder.

I was down today and I hope to be up and working tomorrow.

I seem to be getting better.

I hope I have past the worst.

I am taking an anti inflammatory but nothing for the pain. I feel I should listen carefully to what my body is telling me.

I will not be going to Rotors over the Rockies.

My brake line to replace the line we damaged in the frame repairs showed up today.

I hope his thread will remind someone that ladders are dangerous and old people are fragile.

Thank you, Vance
 
Hi Vance

Get your revenge on that ladder, turn it into one of these!

POUCHEL_BASIC_GA.jpg


YouTube - Vol en Pouchel
 
I'd hear of flying fleas but not ladders Paddy. Wow. Guess the wings slide over the ladder frame which is pretty sturdy.

Vance the adrenaline rush you get on the way down also anesthetizes you. It's the morning after when you count the cost of bouncing off concrete. Your obviously not that fragile, thank goodness, just hope you mend for tomorrow
 
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