Crashing through corn
09-23-2002, 02:18 AM
#1
Crashing through corn
Hey all, I just thought this was interesting...
I belong to a relatively small club (~20 members), around 5 or so are new this year. One of these is a slightly older aged gentleman who actually used to be an advanced engineer in his prime.
Well Saturday he was out with a few others struggling with his engine on a 1/4 scale Pogo. Shortly after the others left, he must've gotten his engine good enough he thought to test it in the air, with the predictable results.
He managed to lose it about 1/2 mile out in a corn field.
Later that same day, approximately 45 minutes after the other pilots left, some more people showed up for a club camp-out which was scheduled for later that day. They happened to catch a miraculous sight! An old white station wagon magically appeared through the corn!
Fortunately he followed his own tracks back through the corn. Unfortunately he made about a 3/4 mile trail, caused God knows how much property loss, and now the club stands a chance of being kicked out by our landlord.
The "corn circle" man is a very nice, smart guy, but it seems to me that some of these very intelligent people sometimes lack that common sense element. And again I state that not all people are this way, just some.
Well he admitted he was wrong and said that he will talk with everyone involved and pay damages, fortunately. So we'll see what happens.
Moral : Umm, I dunno, you think of one
P.S. his airplane was fine, lucky he didn't run over it.
I belong to a relatively small club (~20 members), around 5 or so are new this year. One of these is a slightly older aged gentleman who actually used to be an advanced engineer in his prime.
Well Saturday he was out with a few others struggling with his engine on a 1/4 scale Pogo. Shortly after the others left, he must've gotten his engine good enough he thought to test it in the air, with the predictable results.
He managed to lose it about 1/2 mile out in a corn field.
Later that same day, approximately 45 minutes after the other pilots left, some more people showed up for a club camp-out which was scheduled for later that day. They happened to catch a miraculous sight! An old white station wagon magically appeared through the corn!
Fortunately he followed his own tracks back through the corn. Unfortunately he made about a 3/4 mile trail, caused God knows how much property loss, and now the club stands a chance of being kicked out by our landlord.
The "corn circle" man is a very nice, smart guy, but it seems to me that some of these very intelligent people sometimes lack that common sense element. And again I state that not all people are this way, just some.
Well he admitted he was wrong and said that he will talk with everyone involved and pay damages, fortunately. So we'll see what happens.
Moral : Umm, I dunno, you think of one
P.S. his airplane was fine, lucky he didn't run over it.
10-16-2002, 06:24 PM
#5
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Crashing through corn
Another GOOD reason to NOT drive out to a crash site.
My original logic for NOT driving out to the crash, ESPECIALLY in a corn field is that if you are driving a vehicle, you are depending on PURE LUCK to find the plane.
I used to live on a farm with our hobby shop customer flying site in a field across the road. A few times, even though he was NOT supposed to, the renter planted CORN around the flying site.
If a plane goes down in tall corn, the corn will usually slow the impact enough to leave the plane almost undamaged.
The EASIEST, and MOST RELIABLE way to find the down plane was to take the transmitter along. Walk toward the crash location, and in MOST cases, the control surfaces would rub the corn stalks enough that you could find the plane by LISTENING for the sound of the control surfaces rubbing the corn.
The control surfaces rubbing the corn could usully be heard from as much as 50 - 100 FEET away.
My original logic for NOT driving out to the crash, ESPECIALLY in a corn field is that if you are driving a vehicle, you are depending on PURE LUCK to find the plane.
I used to live on a farm with our hobby shop customer flying site in a field across the road. A few times, even though he was NOT supposed to, the renter planted CORN around the flying site.
If a plane goes down in tall corn, the corn will usually slow the impact enough to leave the plane almost undamaged.
The EASIEST, and MOST RELIABLE way to find the down plane was to take the transmitter along. Walk toward the crash location, and in MOST cases, the control surfaces would rub the corn stalks enough that you could find the plane by LISTENING for the sound of the control surfaces rubbing the corn.
The control surfaces rubbing the corn could usully be heard from as much as 50 - 100 FEET away.
10-16-2002, 08:09 PM
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mower carnage
My old club's field was bordered by tall swamp-type grass. We flew combat over that area (safety first) and that grass ate its fair share of Gremlin bits.
Twice a year one of the members would bring along his tractor & deck mower and cut all the grass down. He usually managed to get stopped before running over an airplane. If he spotted it in time. Smaller items stood no chance.
varoooommmmmmm **WHANG** "damn! that was my motor!"
I can't acurately describe what it sounded like when he ran over a Gremlin wing... sort of a WHOP! sound followed by a **puff** of styrofoam snow...
Twice a year one of the members would bring along his tractor & deck mower and cut all the grass down. He usually managed to get stopped before running over an airplane. If he spotted it in time.
Smaller items stood no chance.varoooommmmmmm **WHANG** "damn! that was my motor!"
I can't acurately describe what it sounded like when he ran over a Gremlin wing... sort of a WHOP! sound followed by a **puff** of styrofoam snow...
10-17-2002, 04:05 PM
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Crashing through corn
yep, servos are your best friend for findng planes, worked with our combats flying at a display over a corn field and out of site over the hedge. also, pay attention to whats around and use visual markers to remember where it went.
having said that......
the radio gear!!!!! fell out of my Zagi doing a bunt, i saw the glider go down, but not the RX and batt + mixer. 1.30 hours later my mates gave up on the mazzive hill covered in ferns and rocks.
i was just about to give up and fell over, i looked at my foot to see the aerial wrapped around it. now thats luck
having said that......
the radio gear!!!!! fell out of my Zagi doing a bunt, i saw the glider go down, but not the RX and batt + mixer. 1.30 hours later my mates gave up on the mazzive hill covered in ferns and rocks.
i was just about to give up and fell over, i looked at my foot to see the aerial wrapped around it. now thats luck
