tommy157

My Feedback: (1)

Okay here is the story..I had my grandson visiting for a week and decided to let him experience some RC flying. I have been flying for several years and have a buddy box setup and an Avistar trainer so took the grandson to the field and hooked him up to the buddy box and he took to it like a duck to the water...was a real natural..anyway after maybe 6 or 7 flights over several days including one solo landing..set the old avistar down in the grass perfectly now let me say at this point he still has some way to go to be a solo pilot..the third day at the field one of the most respected trainers in our club arrived and I thought it would be great if the grandson had several flights with someone who knew more about training than myself..He agreed and did a flight with the grandson which went well except he thought the controls were to touchy for him so wanted to set in some dual rates well I did this and he took him up again and we discovered that the buddy box does not see the low rates and my grandson is still flying with the original rates, which remember he has flown now maybe 7 or 8 flights including one landing.. He calls me over and asks me to take the buddy box from grandson and fly it..so I do and he gives the main box to the grandson to fly with the low rates....NOW remember I have the trainer box and grandson has the main box...then the trainers cell phone rings and he turns around and steps back to answer leaving the grandson flying the plane..he promptly looks back to see where trainer is and the plane spirals down..I see what is happening but of course have no control I yell at trainer and throw my transmitter down and grab the main transmitter but it's too late the plane is already behind trees and augers in..total loss of plane but everything else is okay except for crystal..

After my grandson and I retrieving the plane (He never offered to help find it and retrieve the wrecked plane)he comes up and tells me it was all his fault and he is sorry.. I agree it is about the dumbest thing I ever seen for an experienced Trainer to do but you know S### happens and I don't hold any ill feeling toward him BUT if it were me I would have offered to at least help out with another trainer plane even an old used one...but he didn't... so...what is everyones opinion on responsibility in this instance???

Underaged Pilot

My Feedback: (1)

i cant belive that trainer!!!!
he should never leave the transmitter to answer a cell phone
what about interferance?

P-51B

My Feedback: (5)

I'd say you were responsible.

I'm sure any experience instructor would feel bad about the plane going in, but:

Your plane, your radios, radios in your hands, you knew the situation, you could have gotten the other control from your grandson PRIOR to the plane going down...yada...yada...yada.

just my opinion...take it for it's worth ($0.000000000000000000002)

doggscube

My Feedback: (1)

This is why I resolve always to have the phone:

1. On, but
2. Silenced: buzz ring only
3. Inside the LT-40 (just kidding on that part)

The wife just doesn't understand no-calls-except-emergencies-during-Jeff's-play-time. Two calls on the first tee box one time!

-Jeff

ifixairplanes

My Feedback: (9)

underaged pilot. there is a very long and very extensive thread (or should i say argument) over cell phones and interference. There is no such thing in my book. They operate on totally different frequencies and the transmitter in the phone is not nearly as powerful as a RC TX. So it wont swamp out the RX. But back on topic..... That was a dumb move. Plain and simple. #1. The student has the MASTER BOX???!!! #2 The student saw the plane was going down and got hung up in the frantic that he didnt think to hit the trainer switch. #3 The trainer is answering a phone while training?? hmmmm. I have my cell phone on me at all times, but all cellphones come equipped with caller ID and voice mail. I wait until i land to pickup my phone.

sean

SkyDude

Obviously, that "Master" instructor was not as good as you thought. I would never, ever even think about answering a call when I'm training someone. And I sure as heck wouldn't give the master Tx to the student, low rates or not. You may as well just ditch the B-box all together in that case. Expecting the student to have the presence of mind to hold the trainer switch when he's already in panic-mode is asking way too much.

That being said, it's hard to expect someone who is just trying to help pay for your loss. I usually say I'll do everything I can to save the plane, but I'm not to be held responsible for any damage. This guy didn't do much to try to ensure a safe flight, but you asked him to help. Seems like you were there when he handed over the Master Tx and didn't object until there was trouble.

IMHO, both "experienced" pilots made errors in this, but the owner has the ultimate responsibility.

Sorry for the loss. Hopefully you and your grandson will not let this discourage you two from trying again.

tommy157

My Feedback: (1)

SkyDude, I agree with you 100% ,
I would not have accepted his offer to replace the plane I was only commenting "I" would have offered...and I do take responsibility for making an error in asking him to take him up and my grandson got to fly several more flights before the week was over and he is hooked for sure..

Underaged Pilot

My Feedback: (1)

was he AMA certified instructer

P-51B

My Feedback: (5)

AMA doesn't have certified instructors...yet.

Underaged Pilot

My Feedback: (1)

yea they do...
they have a list of them on this site!

ifixairplanes

My Feedback: (9)

you are certified by your club to instruct. not the AMA. the list on the site is just peopole who do instruct, they arnt certified. i am up on the list, i instruct, i am not certified by the ama.

sean

clintwhitman

Well it seems like after seeing and hearing all the stuff with model planes I’m kind of suprized man ever flew and I am just as stupid as the next guy. Last weekend I was flying in some good forsaken place in Lancaster CA started my mini craft BI-wing. Had put a brand new shiny prop on it the week before. Warming it up at a high idle, bent over to do something my shades fell and I went to grab them. Hand went through the prop field and made a banana split out of my right index finger. Middle of the desert, flight box and three planes out on the ground, tools & junk everywhere my beautiful fiancée in a total state of panic! Camly and methodicly got it all back in the truck and spent the rest of saturday at the ER getting 5 stiches and my finger nail ripped out oooo what fun. Dam i wish I had some stupid instructor to blame. It seems like allot of the dumb things we do to crash or whatever take almost as much effort as building the aircraft in the first place. And if we can make a mistake sooner or later we will you know what I mean. And finale if I hand my radio to any one if **** happens its my fault unwriten law 256. If you are flying around minding your own bussniess and some jerk crashes into you unless your going to be willing to try to beat his $$@# for the money its your fault unwriten law 257. It helps to be me when dealing with law 257 Im 6'3" 250lbs with a hurt finger Clint at the valley fliers

Fly-guy

Well
As for the instructor leaving the young boy to answer his phone that is very stupid, mind you I have seen it done at our club and have had it happen to me (on my last lesson before I went solo) so I guess my instructor trusted me. As for what append did anyone see the lead up to the plane spiraling??. Underaged pilot, about interferance, like i said I have had my instructor to leave me to answer his phine and he stood no more than 8 feet from me and several other pilots while he was talking so I would say it is very unlikely, but that is just my opinion. oh well S*** happens, and I hope your grandson wasn't upset or put off flying by this accident.

Fly-guy

blw

My Feedback: (3)

First, answering a phone after reversing the buddybox system is stupid. Answering the phone when you have a plane in the air is stupid.

He switched transmitters, not you. His idea, not yours. He asked you to take the xmitter.

I can't believe he didn't help the search. What a total jerk.

britbrat

While the instructor's actions with the phone were just plain irresponsible, YOU were the one who permitted the situation to develop. YOU did not have to accept the situation with your grandson on the master & YOU could have grabbed the master from your grandson.

As P-51B surmised, it was indeed your fault. That being said, I also suggest that you acquire the services of a different instructor.

MormonMike

My Feedback: (2)

I got one that will top that, This individual in our club leaves his helicopter at idle on the runway so he can talk on his cell phone. Next second later a guy yells out DEAD STICK !!. The fellow flyers Advance 40 narrowly misses the helo by about a foot. A "heated exchange of words should have occurred but does'nt. The helo pilot was never even aware till he saw the Advance scoot by his helo. Sure glad it did not directly envolve me. MM

P-51B

My Feedback: (5)

[X(] What a ________! (fill in with your favorite)

Flak

My Feedback: (1)

The so called Instructor should be dismissed....that said, I place the blame of the crash on the Instructor. He knew that you trusted him to handle the situation. He is the more experienced
person. When an airplane is less than 100 feet of altitude and going in, there probably isn't enough time to grab the transmitter and save the airplane, unless of course you are SUPERMAN! The instructor should have gone into the nearest latrine, produced a new airplane and presented it to you with his most sincere apologies. A hard lesson learned.
"Keep 'Em Flying!"
Flak

Mhale71

yeh, guys, go have a cry, a trainer an be fixed

everyone make mistakes, like me, i was flying a plane around and the microwave went beep so i rememberred i put some intstand noodles in 2 minutes earlier, so, i went into the clubhouse walking backwards, watching the plane, and with precition, had one hand on the controller controlling the plane, and one prepareing my noodles, after that was done, i went back outside, eating the noodles and flying the plane at the same time, boy those noodles were good, anyway , when i was done, my mobile phone rang, and its one of those stupid 3 phones (the video talk ones) so i put the earpiece in and held the phone in one hand, controlling the plane in the other, one eye on the plane, the other on the phone, this went on for about 5 minutes until the phones battery died, so, i went back to flying the plane, wilst, this lil newbies asked me to start his up for him, so, again, one hand on the tx, and one hand holdin the 12 starter and glow plug ignighter in place, when his crackled up, he forgot that his tx was on the same as myne, and i got shot down, and i yelled at him so much for being so stupid and so irrisponsible.


(incase your THAT dumb, i was just kidding)