are envious of your ability to control
such a high speed piece of equipment.
Or even to afford such equipment. Even
among each other in the pit areas your
craftsmanship, your conversations, your
equipment, your knowledge, your
driving ability, your tenure, your wins
are all reasons you have influenced
people around you.
In these momentary gatherings, as we
move from heat to heat ask yourself two
questions. “What is my attitude?” and
“How does my attitude influence
others?” Would my language, even in
the heat of the moment, turn a mother
away with her kids? Would my
criticizing of fellow members affect my
friends around me to the point that no
one has anything good to say about
anything?... or... are you able to
extinguish a heated moment before it
even flares up by dismissing it as just
one of those things that comes along
with racing? Would you be able to turn a
critical eye into a helping hand in an
attempt to correct a problem? Do you
hold your fellow pit team members to
(Continued on page 10)
PROPWASH
April 2014
9
Standard fire extinguishers will put out a lithium polymer
battery fire if they are big enough. Putting the battery in a
container full of water or the pond will also work. That will not
cause a lithium or other reaction since the lithium is tied up with
the plastic. It will just cool the fire and extinguish it. It will take
a while though. The most important thing is to separate the
burning battery from other combustible items.
Fuel fires are also a possibility. Standard nitro fuels are fairly
safe. They are harder to ignite than gasoline and burn with a
cooler flame. Gasoline and camp fuel are potentially explosive
and burn much hotter. Water only spreads the fire, so use an
extinguisher. The only time I have used a fire extinguisher
around model boats was for a gasoline fire. A detached plug
lead ignited spilled fuel in the bottom of a boat when the engine
was turned over by pulling on the starting cord.
There has been some discussion about spark ignition and
nitro fuels. We have run up to 40% nitro standard boat fuel in a
Quickdraw motor as well as nitro, methanol, gasoline and oil
mixes in modified Zenoahs. It may be hard on plugs at the
higher nitro mixes, but I can not see a safety reason for
outlawing spark ignition in open fuel classes.
Attitude Reflects Leadership
By Roger Hooks Jr
NAMBA District Nine Member
How does the leadership quality in you affect the environ-
ment around you?
Before I go further let me make it clear that this is not
critique on our NAMBA President or District Directors, but a careful examination of
ourselves as members. Each of us has a leadership quality. It first starts with our
family, and possibly at work, friends and other circles of influence. Each of us has the
ability to lead and influence others. Whether it is on a large scale or a more intimate
one on one relationship. So it is important for us to know that our attitude as members
is just as important to influence our organization as our appointed leaders.
Have you seen the movie
Remember the Titans
? It was a true story about a football
team featuring Denzel Washington, Will Patton, Wood Harris and Ryan Hurst. The
moral, on its most basic level was to challenge us to overcome differences in an
attempt to achieve a common goal. Well into the story, as the opposing sides continue
to wear down from fighting each other, there was a turning point which was to become
the most profound statement of the entire film. The two leaders of the team, Gerry
Bertier and Julius Campbell played by Ryan Hurst and Wood Harris squared off in a
war of words with Ryan’s character, Berry Bertier pointing out the bad attitude in
Wood’s character, Julius Campbell. In that moment Julius replies
“Attitude Reflects
Leadership...”
. He pointed out Berry failed to hold his friend accountable to the same
standard that he expected of Julius and his friends.
I have done my share of traveling across the nation for races and some where along
the way I found myself at a racing event. The man on the microphone had a really
poor attitude and his negative disposition was broadcast in his every word through out
the entire pit areas. Before long, the bad attitude had begun to infect the entire race
site. Arguing on the drivers stand began to occur. Agitated members were beginning to
be at odds even in their own pit areas. The less than ideal outlook from the CD table
began to manifest itself from the Hot Pits to the Cold Pits. It was not untill it was
suggested that we stop the race and take a moment to gather ourselves that the event
turned around.
“Attitude Reflects Leadership”.
So what is leadership? As soon as you line up for
the next race you become an ambassador of NAMBA and that is a leadership role.
Every spectator is looking at you as someone special. You are an athlete of sorts. They
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