Frankenthumb

My Feedback: (2)

My first plane was a DuraPlane Trainer, I hated it. Way too fast and heavy to learn on. I was later told that DuraPlane Trainers were designed to crash well, not fly well. A theory that I proved many times. I will say this though, it was durable!

Before I joined my club I thought I could handle learning on my own. (not a good idea) I took my new rig to work to show the guys (also not a good idea). Fred says "does it run?" "Yea" I say, "let's take it out back." We go behind our building, fire it up and everybody is Oohing and Ah-hing. Fred says "Taxi it around a bit" (another bad idea) "OK." Now I'm zooming around the parking lot. Fred says "See if you can get the wheels off the ground, just an inch or 2" (are you getting the idea that I shouldn't listen to Fred?)

OK picture this: 2 buildings in the same parking lot, long driveway behind them on the north side where we are playing around. Wind is to the south. I start my run behind our building, toward building 2. I have enough speed, but its still on the ground. "Hmmm" I say, "maybe I have to give it elevator?" My rookie thumb buries the right stick ALL the way back and ZOOM, it's 20 feet in the air in an instant. Tunnel vision kicks in, but I can't see my plane, all I can see is -Lexus- -Jaguar- - Mercedes- - Mercedes- -BMW(my bosses car).

As soon as the plane passes in front of the gap between the buildings the wind gets it, picks up the left wing and turns it toward the BGB (big glass building). Deer in the headlights mode kicks in- everything slows down - - - - - - - - - - - - WHAM!!!!!!! It hits the BGB dead center on a window. The window bowed, but didn't break. In the slow motion mode that my brain is in, it looks as if the plane is sliding down the side of the BGB like a snail. Fred calmly walks over, gets my plane out of the bushes, comes over to where I'm standing with a stupid look on my face, and says "Lets get the F*@$ out of here." First good idea Fred had all day.

In any case, all that broke in the whole incident was my wing in half, spinner and prop, and bent nose gear. I glued the wing back together, joined a club, and now I'm teaching people how to fly, well away from buildings.

AMA234

My Feedback: (3)

I feel your pain!!!!!!
I too have done the same stupid thing only more than once. heh

The first time was to a Goldberg super chipmunk at a fllying field showing off to a coworker at our lunch break. We rushed out there so I could show him what these things can do.
1. rushed
2. talking and not concentrating
3. turning left and trying to level out by applying more left
4. picking up pieces and heading back to work
5. built a new one and dont do that anymore.
hehe.

The second incident:

I was attending Airframe and Powerplant school in downtown Indianapolis full time during the day and working part time at night with no time to fly for about 8 months when I brought in a couple of my models to show off to the instructors and fellow classmates. The one that died that day was a Delta Hustler as seen to the left..(my avatar). The school was located approximately 1 maybe 2 miles at the most from the International Airport in an industrial park. I had called and gotten approval from the airport operator so I could fly. I start the YS .45 (this thing really screams with a 9x6 prop). It had retracts installed but I had always had trouble with it rotating. After about 4 takeoff attempts it finally caught a bump somewhere and the nose bounced up sending it vertical. I retract the gear and make a bunch of low high speed passes in between two buildings and over the fairly busy road to the west, especially at lunchtime. After about 10 min of flying and going vertical and diving straffes and such I decide to land. I get set up for the downwind leg and cut throttle to 3/4, start banking left and then nothing.....
No throttle, no elevator, no ailerons, nothing. It continued to roll left into the neighboring buildings roof, Emery WorldWide Express. I was absolutely paralyzed thinking "who's car did I hit or did I cause an accident on the busy road or who's desk would pieces of my plane be sitting on?" If you could only have heard the "oohs" and "aahs" from the crowd of people that were watching. "Can you do that again?" echoed out more than once.
Of course they all wanted to see me fly but I was the only one to go looking for it. I go looking for this plane behind the buildings fearing the same as you (Lexus, Mercedes etc...lawsuit from causing an accident, etc..) and its not to be found. Evidently the plane made such a thud and loud noise when it hit that the personnel there shut down their machines because they thought something was wrong with them. After explaining what had happened, they let me on their roof. When I saw the wreckage I wanted to puke. The roof had a guardrail around the edge and my delta hit squarely in the corner where the guardrail, the rails upright post and the roof met. The engine had a broken crankshaft, the pipe looked like an acordian, and there wasnt a splinter larger than 6 inches. Fortunately the receiver was okay, (seems to still work fine). All 4 servos were trashed. All that we could come up with is that the battery plug came apart.
Since then I wrap ALL my connectors with either electral tape or heat shrink tubing.

Spaceclam

.....I laugh in amazement.....

Cheech

My Feedback: (19)

I too am with Spaceclam, just sort of wondering what that must have been like.

...but surely the next laugh will be at Freds expense, eh?

Miloh

Holy (****)!!!!!
Funny......only because I've been there too. Lost a Duraplane at dusk, It got upsidedown or backwards or somthing but it did not do what I wanted it to and down behind the trees where the lights from the tennis courts were !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! as it went in I pulled throttle and elevator and just kinda stood there. We did find it sitting on the wheels in the parking lot with not so much as a broken prop. I SWEAR !!!!!

Miloh.