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So there I was... (post your funny crash stories here)

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So there I was... (post your funny crash stories here)

Old 07-22-2005, 10:10 AM
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ProBroJoe
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Default So there I was... (post your funny crash stories here)

...had the DNU! out yesterday and was having a ball tearing up the sky. The first two flights ended with near perfect landings - definitely "keepers" in my book. So by the end of the third flight I was getting pretty cocky with some low, fast passes across the field - you know the kind where you spend half of the pattern diving in a long sweeping dive and the ground is coming up real quick... well, wouldn't ya know it I ran out of fuel just as I was nearing the runway's threshold and about 10 feet off the deck. I had plenty of airspeed so I thought I could pop up, go around and set up for landing. Not a good idea, I got it too far downwind, too low and with no where to go I was forced to ditch it in the bushes at the end I the runway. I couldn't see the plane once it got behind the bushes so all I could do was flare at what I thought was the right time. I heard some light rustling of the bushes and not a horrible Thwump! - so I knew it couldn't have been too bad.

What I saw when I went over to retrieve the plane was hilarious! There it was, pancaked into the bushes unscathed and completely unharmed - I simply refueled and went up again.

Not learning from the last flight I got it low and upwind so I attempted a down-wind landing, it got ugly and I cart-wheeled the DNU! rather hard. It was one of those landings where you just knew something was busted... nope, not a scratch. (However, I decided not to push my luck and called it quits after that.)

The first picture is the runway side of the bushes (my view), and the rest are what I saw when I got there.

Anyway, I just wanted to share a funny story, and maybe start another "funny crash stories" thread...

-Joe
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Old 07-22-2005, 10:57 AM
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ptulmer
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Default RE: So there I was...

I don't have any funny crash stories lately, but I certainly enjoyed yours! It's amazing how tough a really light airplane is. If that had been a .40 size airplane, it'd be confetti.
Old 07-22-2005, 11:03 AM
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flyswatter
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Default RE: So there I was...

Joe:

Good story! It is really a good feeling when we get a plane back unbent after pushing the mental envelope!! That low, slow and attempted turn back to the landing zone has finished more than one good airplane. You were smart to abort the turn and land in the bushes. Then it looks like you were rewarded for building light with a nice "arrested" landing.

Glad you had a good flying day.
Old 07-22-2005, 11:11 AM
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Default RE: So there I was...

My son stalled his 40 trainer into the top of a big fig tree comeing in deadstick from a long way out 1 day, we did more damage getting it down -which wasnt much. A small peice of packing tape to repair the rip in the wing covering and it was back flying for the day.
We can be lucky sometimes.
Stewart
Old 07-22-2005, 11:15 AM
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ptulmer
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Default RE: So there I was...

Actually Flyswatter put a Sig Astrohog into a tree across the field awhile back. It was undamaged till I broke the rudder getting it down! Brother, that was LUCK. Why do I say that? It was a PINE tree![sm=lol.gif] It took three days to get it down!

I thought (S)tar(G)ate (C)ommand was in Canada? Not OZ!?
Old 07-22-2005, 03:44 PM
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ProBroJoe
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Default RE: So there I was...

Ahhhhh.... trees and models - specifically evergreens.

A few weeks ago I was visiting my folks in WV and took one of those Horrible Freight (Harbor Freight) rechargeable free-flight electric planes with me - just for laughs. I didn't really expect much for $7, but I thought it could be fun for a few laughs.

Now, it's been raining on and off all day, and it was one of those dead still lulls in between showers so I figured what the heck, now is a good as time as any. Hey, whattya know, this darn thing actually flies pretty well...

On about the 10th flight, the winds had shifted and I managed to get the plane stuck about 25' up in a big ole pine tree, waaaay out on a limb. Instead of getting one of my much younger nephews (who were there, watching the antics) to climb the tree and get it down, what do I do? Yep, I go up after it.

So there I was... jumping up and down on this wet, slippery, and way undersized (for my weight) limb trying to dislodge this $7 airplane before the rains returned. I actually stopped for a brief moment and pondered just what the heck I was doing... BUT returned to maniacally freeing the airplane from the tree. No, I didn't fall, or break the airplane, but I got scratched up pretty good and managed to get sap all over my brand new shorts (that my wife bought for me the day before). Did I mention this was a SEVEN DOLLAR airplane?!?!?!

Obviously not one of my brighter moments...

-Joe
Old 07-22-2005, 07:40 PM
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Default RE: So there I was... (post your funny crash stories here)

Hand launching a little racing plane with a medallion .049 and 2 ounces of fuel, problem is, the on-off switch was right there by my thumb. I tossed it, grabbed my box and twiddleded the sticks. nuttin!

The plane climbed on launch to about 15 feet and then started in a gradually decending circle for about 5 turns, each of which were getting lower and of course part of them was over the pits. When I realized I didn't have it I ran to the only plane in that area, grabbed it and moved. The pilots box just emptied out like a baseball game after a beanball have been thrown.

'What the @!#$@$# are you doing' 'The radio is off' I yelled back, 'Well turn it on' 'I can't!' finally one of them grabs my transmitter, flips the switch and trys to control my plane and looks at me 'The reciever is off?' 'Yeah, I hit the switch on launch' 'How much fuel do you have in it' by now there is just enough fuel out of the plane that it is climbing out but is in the same stable turn. A fog bank was really only 100 feet up and my plane was looking to go for it. 'How much fuel is there on board' '2 ounces' 'What engine?' 'Medallion' 'Thats over 10 minutes' he said looking at my now climbing rather smartly airplane. 'Yeah, could you impound my transmitter I'm going to walk under the noise till it stops and then keep my head up' 'Sure you don't want a ride to the next town down?' 'Nah, it's not drifting that fast'

2 hours later I was coming back over the fence with my airplane. at about 5 minutes the plane went into the fog and I walked under the noise. When it went off I watched skyward but never saw it, but after a couple minutes I did have a herd of cows take off running. I figured it had hit one of em and maybe that's where it would be. No dice, about to give up I took one more glance around and saw it in a tree about half a pasture away. I took a running jump over a small creek and ran towards the tree when I noticed my legs burning, that half of the pasture was all needles and I was in tennis shoes, no socks and shorts. Got to the tree that it was 35 feet up and sure enough, Honey locust, female, thorns all over. Pocket knife and some careful climbing and I got high enough to knock the plane out with a 6 foot stick. Carefully walked out of the needles and took the plane back to the pits. It had a couple holes in the covering and the 1/4 stick leading edge needed repaired in one place, but other than that it was fine. I had it repaired and was flying it the next day. The funny part was the fire drill of everyone coming out of the pits not knowing whether to duck or throw stones at the plane, or me, or both.

Really funny was we were out flying combat one hot summer day 113° and during one of the intermissions someone strung a piece of creape across the runway to try and cut inverted with their 4 stars. After a particularly good round for me of combat, I was the last in the air when I ran out of fuel, I brought my plane in and limbo'd under the creape and slid to a stop. The creape was really just barely taller than my plane. I turned around, proud of myself and looking at a bunch of disgust from the other tired, beaten combat pilots and yelled 'Who Can BEAT THAT!!' Just then a giant dust devel, as yet unseen by us, hit the pits and took 3 quick rise dining flys and trying to lift the one that I was now hanging onto yelling to the skys 'I GIVE I GIVE!!'

That was pretty funny, though the guys with the ruined flys and the other guy with the dents in his truck probably didn't think so. My air conditioner belt broke on the way home, it was a hot trip. But I kicked butt so I didn't care!
Old 07-22-2005, 09:32 PM
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Default RE: So there I was... (post your funny crash stories here)

I was just learning to fly a 4 channel , 40 powered plane and was shooting some touch and goes. On one of the "gos" the engine stumbled when I gave it full throttle and the plane ended up in a drainage ditch off the end of the runway. I collapsed the antenna and walked towards it, about 400 feet away. As I came upon the foot bridge to the ditch, my plane jumps up at full throttle and flies length wise with the ditch! I got control of it and got the antenna out as quick as I could!
Old 07-23-2005, 01:39 AM
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Default RE: So there I was... (post your funny crash stories here)

I remember my first crash when I was learning! I had a tiger trainer 40, Flying was fine but when I came in for the landing i flared too soon and what happened next would have been a pretty good comedy seen! The airplane hit the ground the first bounce removed the wing wich busted in half, the second bounce the fusalage busted in half, the third bounce the motor mount and motor came lose and was carrying the front of the plane with it the fourth bounce all was left was the motor and motor mount wich came rolling up too my feet and stopped just short of my foot about 6 inches. The aftermath was amazing, scattered wreckage everywhere on the runway. Theonly thing worse was the first time i tried flying my kadet senior with no instruction. It got about 30 feet of the ground tok a left turn and spiraled all the way down. All i saw when it hit was a great big explosion of balsa and florescent green and black goldberg ultracote!
Later Robin B!!!
Old 07-23-2005, 09:37 AM
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Default RE: So there I was... (post your funny crash stories here)

My un-funny story starts out like Joe's. I was on the second flight of a new Venus. I had flipped over to high rates and was having a blast and lost track of time. I came smokin in low over the run-way after a shallow dive and the engine quits right in front of me. I should have just let it run out and take the long walk, but paniced and got it turned back toward the runway. the turn used all the momentum and I stalled it. I had enough altitude to destroy the fuse but not enough to fly out of it. That was a hard lesson learned.
That plane was so fun to fly, the Senior, 4*40, and Simple 400 were now obsolete. Didn't fly much after that. Then I took out the 4* recently, doing touch and goes. Man I was rusty! My usually trusty engine flames out on a go around and I flash back to the Venus crash. So I let it run out this time and land in the high weeds. It looses it's landing gear, but it was an easy fix.
I'm all amped to get flying again, but the wind has been crazy here. Super blustery and gusty for tha last week.
I'm real tempted to get another Venus.
MikeB

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