thailazer

Surprise one occurred starting my 25AX on my big trainer today and it would not fire so I removed the glow plug driver to give it a bit of prime. I put my finger over the carb and gave a quick blip with the starter and the engine immediately came to life with no glow driver connected. I have heard of this happening but this is my first encounter in my 50 years around glow engines. Luckily I had a good hold of the fuse and got the plane turned around and taxied out after a run-up.

Surprise two came after my second flight where I was flying out the last bit of fuel I had pumped out of my gallon. (I spaced the fact that the tank in the plane did not overflow so was not full.) I was thinking that I should be landing soon and wanted to do a short one so I was a bit low as I turned to base. Slowing up, I gave it some up and a bit of throttle to slow some more and realized there was no noise! Pushed the nose over a bit and the plane disappeared behind the seven foot tall corn and I released all the controls to let it settle in its trimmed state. Called the dog and off we went to what I was sure was going to be plane hunt in a thick corn field. On the other side of the corn I found the plane sitting in a small plot of fallow land. Thought it had been a miracle landing but it had hit a bush and cart-wheeled, causing minor damage to the forward wing saddle wood. I wasn't able to pump any fuel out of the plane so my clunk is getting it all.

All in all, a good day flying, but it sure pays to be careful around engines glow, electric, or gas.

RCKen

My Feedback: (9)

Sounds like you had quite the day there!!!! But great stories non the less.

scale only 4 me

My Feedback: (158)

Ken, when I raced Nelson powered quickies back in the 90's it would happen often, I started my engine that way a few times. Many of us would remove the prop or glow plug when the plane was unattended in the pits for fear someone would reach down and flip the prop.

That 25 must have some good compression

foodstick

I believe I read somewhere a guy had an engine in a closet of his house, casually flipped it and it popped over ....

Checklst

Seen it happen at out field once..........if I had not been their, it would have been hard to beleave........just shows you one needs to be on guard always.

JohnBuckner

My Feedback: (1)

I suppose we all tend to forget that our 2 stroke glow engines are actually semi diesels and of course true diesels require no ignition at all at least in our model diesels.

As noted have had it happen and seen it often with many diferent brands and displacements of engines in the proper state of prime and warm but true from cold is unusual but have had it happen with my Moki at least once.

Its always a good habit to grasp a prop anytime full handed (so the engine cannot start anytime when moving it incase of a firing or turning it from a normal hand starting position and restrained.

John

vicman

My Feedback: (10)

Thats a good looking dog you got there!

I've had a few pop over on me as well.

blvdbuzzard

Closest I have come to this, I refueled the plane, leaned over made sure throttle was at idle, put the glow plug clip on the it started without ever touching the starter. Needles to say I had to change my shorts. Scared me good. So glad I made sure it was at idle.

My brother had the plane catch fire after a refueling. He put the glow plug clip on, turned around to get his radio and heard a sizzling sound and saw the paint melting on his cowling. No flames could be seen in the bright day light. A quick shot of water from a water battle. new cowl and paint and all is well.


We play with dangerous toys. One slip of the mind turns in to a slip of pain.


Buzz.

thailazer

It does. The engine has flown a few times a week since 2008 except for a 7 month rest last year when we were building the house. Took it off the plane today and the compression is just incredible. The OS AX line of engines is a good one.

Had another surprise today when I repaired the forward cabin bulkhead. I've only owned 2 ARFs in my life and this one always impressed me as being rugged, but I've been fooling myself. There was hardly any adhesive on it so that is why it failed. I expoxied it in well and then reinforced the firewall which looked to have only my engine compartment fuel-proofing epoxy holding it on.

And Buzz... Yes we do play with dangerous toys. We should never let our guard down.

blvdbuzzard

Hate to say, but most of the arf's I have had are built with thin CA or some type of acrylic hot glue.

I had a Model Tech Formula 3D. Really nice plane. On the maiden, I was doing a fly by at about 1/2 throttle just cruising bay. I gave a little elevator and the tail about came off. One side of the rear fuse collapsed. The horizontal tail was sitting at a 45 degree angle. I got in back on the deck, when I tore it apart to repair, the ply wood had a lot of thin zap all over it. Just nothing in the joint. Some epoxy and covering you would never know there was a problem.


Buzz.