powerlines

OK. Here is the scene.



I have been flying now for about 8 months. Practicing hours on computer everyday and went flying yesterday. I was flying good and in control the entire time. I was flying out away from everything doing the crazy stuff and trying to stay in line with the runway. I like to do stalls like a skateboard ramp. I will go up and stall and go parallel with the runway and go up again and do another stall and come back. Like a big U with stalls at the ends. I have done this 100 times. The last thing I can remember was going up to do a stall and when it came down.... I guess I tried to pull up late and lost the control and the plane dropped a wing, turned and WHAMMMM!!! Smashed into the side of the guys cargo trailer that happens to be the owner of the field. I have been thinking and thinking and can't make up my mind. I have crashed a few and just damaged my planes. Now I am just plain worried. I feel at the time I will put them down for a while and keep them in the closet. I will just fly my foamy in the lot across from my house.

ADDED.. I have a regular JR receiver in the glow 4*60 and that is the plane that crashed.

ALSO... I will make sure the damage is paid for one way or another..




What do you guys think??



I really got scared when this happened I was just speechless.. Bad thing is.. The plane is easily fixable. just put a big dent in the side of the cargo trailer. I did not even look at the plane when It happened. I really thought the engine was broken. Not a scratch on the engine. Just wood damage.



AND I really do not remember exactly what happened. If you were there and saw what happened please let me know. I did have a hit. I thought I was shot down with my foamy but one of the guys said I had a GWS receiver and that PCM radios would make them do that.. Input please.. Speak your mind.. I need it!!



Thanks and LATER

Fletch124

My Feedback: (7)

If your really scared then fly high and stay away from the areas you don't like. There's no need to stop flying because of a small problem. If you don't think that will help explain your story to your field owner and maybe he will move his trailer for you. just an idea.

KEEP FLYING!!!

SilverEagleBW

My Feedback: (1)

Nope,Don't stop flying,I have seen a guy crash an airplane right into the side of another guys brand new van(insurance covered the damages).On the radio end,i would invest in a new radio system,better safe than sorry.

powerlines

ADDED.. I have a regular JR receiver in the glow 4*60 and that is the plane that crashed.

ALSO... I will make sure the damage is paid for one way or another..

love those warbirds

My Feedback: (39)

Maybe it was a glitch or you ran out of airspeed. But the main thing is don't stop flying I've been flying for a little over 2 years now. I have ended up like you MEANY times. Don't stop flying. The hardest thing is overcoming your fear of flying. Just emit it happened and you could not do anything about it a move on. GOOD LUCK!!!

powerlines

I love planes.. I love flying and I love RC. I was a car nut then airplane and I think I just get too nervous when I fly around alot of people. I get too much field pressure and just loose my sense of direction. That said. I will not get out. Just will fly in the HUGE sod fields where you and your plane is the only thing there. Maybe just a few friends along for the ride.. Dogs...Kids... you know...



Thanks guys!!

Fletch124

My Feedback: (7)

If i were you i wouldn't do that either. Hey i'm pretty sure that all of us here had to face that at one time atleast. There is no need to get pressured from everyone else, Just learn to fly at your pace not your instructors or all the other guys. You shouldn't be embarrassed about your flying because everyone was there, if some one is making fun of you just approach in all very adult way and say "please stop ok, I know you were here once". Plus its way more fun to fly with your friends. Maybe you should get to know the guys in your club better, maybe that will work for you.

DON'T BE SCARED WE ALL WERE AT WERE YOU ARE NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!

Spaceclam

just offer to pay for the damage, and appologise.

Live Wire

I hope you don't get the answer your looking for take Clam's advice. then for get it!


[8D]

twostroker

My Feedback: (37)

Those "skateboard" things you like to do are called Hammerheads or Stall Turns. Both are performed by first stalling the aircraft then pivoting it on it's Yaw axis. As far as the crash, in my opinion, it sounds like airspeed to low along with too much elevator causing a secondary stall.

Sorry about the damage to the trailer and your airplane. Fix them both and keep flying.

Tim

cwrr5

My Feedback: (32)

Got pictures?

No worries - we've all been there! Just repair, repay, rebuild, and try it again(a little higher this time)

SkyDude

Sounds like a snap to me. Too much elevator will cause a wing to drop when combinded with too much or too little speed.

You got to keep flying, but I would suggest flying your plane in an area where you don't even have a chance to hit a vehicle/person. Your description sounds like you were flying over, or at least close to over parked cars. Parking lots have people and you could've just as easily hit someone instead of something.

I'm not saying don't fly at the field you were flying at, just pick an area of the sky that is further out from people and property. That way, if you get into trouble, most likely the only damage will be to your plane (and ego!)

Official flying sites have a "Red Zone" where no planes are supposed to fly. Usually this area starts between the pilot stations and the runway, and covers the pilots, pits, and parking lot. If you stay out of the Red Zone, then you have a good chance of avoiding problems.

Now a total loss of radio control is another story. If your planes stops responding to your inputs, but keeps flying, it's a roll of the dice where it ends up. That's what AMA insurance is for.

Get back on that horse! There are only two types of RC pilots - those who have crashed already, and those who will crash eventually.

powerlines

That is the bad thing. I was flying the same place that everyone else does. It it the main run way. I was in the middle of the flying area and when it was done it ended up behind me. That is what is bugging me so bad. I really do watch where I fly. I do all the stunts out over the tall grass area. I was flying my 4*60 and have never had that kind of problem. It's like right when it happened It just went crazy and did it's own thing. It happened so fast all I could do is stand there with my mouth wide open....



LATER

bubbagates

My Feedback: (32)

Do not be scared. It has happened to us all.

As far as what happened. It sounds like a secondary tip stall. That in itself is unusual, but not impossible, for a 4*.

Coming out of the stall turn, you had power off, diving at the ground and simply misjudged the point to start to pull out. It happens so do not sweat it. You probably panicked, pulled full up elevator and the plane simply stalled. It stalled so fast that the wingtip stalled first and then you have a rollover, without airspeed and altitude and the rest is history. I would also make sure that the elevator halves are moving the same amount. If the 4*60 has seperate control rods on each elevator half, they may be slightly misadjusted. If they are joined with a wire inbetween, then it's still possible they are misadjusted.

If they are misadjusted, the one that is moving up more than the other will cause a tip stall to the side that is moving more causing the plane to roll to that side in a stall.

Apologize allot to the owner of the trailer, offer to fix the damage, fix the plane and go fly it again. (Sounds like you have done all of this already).

Now when you do the stalls again, just remember to pull out a little higher and at the same time as you start to give it up elevator, start rolling in power.

Flyer Freq

By all means, keep flying. I think I can venture a guess at what happened, and all the theories offered so far would fit with this. It is a natural response for us to hold our breath when we are tense. The lack of oxygen brings on tunnel vision. Tunnel vision causes us to not see the ground or anything else, just the airplane. This is one reason you hear so many people say, after a crash, I don't know what happened. They really don't. When I first learned how to fly, my instructor got into the habit of saying Breeeeeeth, breeeeeeth, every time I came in for a landing, as landings really stressed me out. Now, many years later, I do the same for my students. It really is important. The best solution, is experience. Another recommendation I would have, is get into an airplane that is capable of hovering, that does not take a lot of altitude to recover. While this plane may seem a bit advanced for you right now, there is some rhyme to my reason. As you practice getting into a hover, the plane is going to fly in all sorts of attitudes, as it falls off to one side or the other or falls forward or backwards. The more you experience seeing your plane in strange attitudes, the less panic you will have. Panic and crashes go hand in hand. In my case, I used the Something Extra to help my confidence, but there are far less expensive planes out there to help you do the same thing for far less money. The Hangar 9 Twist is a good one, and the Tuff Flight 4D should be excellent, since it is designed to crash over and over again.

One last thing, I think there is a possibility that you didn't stall your wing, but possibly stalled your elevator. After executing your hammerhead, you probably added throttle to climb on the other side. As you approached the ground, at an elevated speed, you may have pulled too hard on the elevator. If your throws on the elevator are too great, the elevator could stall, causing the plane to suddenly drop its nose and dive for the ground. It looks just like many of the radio hits I have seen.

Good Luck, and Good Flying! If it is true that we learn from our mistakes, we are getting one heck of an education!

Andy

rfg06

My Feedback: (8)

There was a point in my flying while I was still a beginner that I became nervous when flying with other planes. I worried that I would hit someone or their plane. When I became too nervous I just landed and waited till everyone came down. Like everyone has said before, keep on flying. Instead of putting your planes away fly more often and PRACTICE at your own pace. If you have confidence in your abilities... 1) crashes will come less frequently and 2) you will not feel discouraged when things like this happen.