You can actually kill a SPAD
04-21-2005, 12:06 AM
#1
Senior Member
Thread Starter
My Feedback: (5)
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: Elk Horn,
IA
Posts: 218
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
You can actually kill a SPAD
Took our new improved Spadflyer with the very elegant colors and trim out for a test drive. Bought a spanking new ASP46 and ran it in enough to be sure that even though it was running rich, it would keep running. Wanted to be sure that it was ready for the Valley Aeromodelers Volcano Fun Fly at Ben's strip in Zillah, WA.
Long story short about how the fun fly got the name---it was renamed for the 8 am Sunday eruption of Mt St. Helens a few years ago. Now it is tradition that the Fun Fly happens on the same weekend as always and is named the Volcano because St Helens made a "dark day"--like midnight at 12 noon. Made the fun fly very memorable for all the participants. Some came from more than just a few miles away and ended depending on the hospitality of strangers since it was unsafe to drive for a while. The Yakima Valley was covered with enough volcanic ash that we all spent most of the next month shoveling 1 1/2 feet of ash off the streets and roofs and yards.
Meanwhile, back at the test field. Our new bird took off proudly and lofted into the skies burbling richly into the overcast. Chip took a few turns around the field and complained that the sky didn't do much for keeping him oriented. Weeeeell----one of those spells of disorientation resulted in a spin at about 100 feet, and the corrections just seemed to make it worse--ever have one of those days? We now have proof. It is possible to crash a Spadflyer so well that you cannot get back in the air the same day. When you put the nose in the ground in a vertical spin with the throttle still at 3/4 you make a lovely hole. Even in the drought hardened ground we left a 7" crater. The fuse from the wing mount forward shattered into splinters and the engine broke from it's mount. The fuel tank dissasembled itself as the firewall pulled from the fuse---we found the clunk 4 feet from the wreckage and never did find the stopper. Two servos died a horrible death. Control rods look more like pretzels or some bizzarre modern art study than the useful implements they began the day as. The saddest loss of the whole event is the lovely Tru-turn aluminum spinner. It has survived many other misadventures, but today it died. Yes it is possible to crash so hard that even a Spadflyer has to go back to the shop for repairs.
Now for the good news. The wing will fly again. It is not as nice now as it once was, but it remains a testament to the durability of the Spadflyer design and spad construction in general. The tail feathers and tail wheel wire are unhurt. In fact as we were starting the replacement fuse and firewall/engine mount, we decided that by the time we are done, we may have spent more time crying about the crash than we will have spent in fixing it! We crashed at 6 pm, ate supper, started work at 7:30 pm and stopped work at 9 pm because we had no fuel tank and needed two servos, and our favorite local hobby store was closed. We figure that we will be flight ready in about another hour at the most.
For those who like that sort of thing, we have couple photos of the remains. Seems in the rush to get out to the field, I forgot the camera and had to do the documentation thing on the grass at home.
Long story short about how the fun fly got the name---it was renamed for the 8 am Sunday eruption of Mt St. Helens a few years ago. Now it is tradition that the Fun Fly happens on the same weekend as always and is named the Volcano because St Helens made a "dark day"--like midnight at 12 noon. Made the fun fly very memorable for all the participants. Some came from more than just a few miles away and ended depending on the hospitality of strangers since it was unsafe to drive for a while. The Yakima Valley was covered with enough volcanic ash that we all spent most of the next month shoveling 1 1/2 feet of ash off the streets and roofs and yards.
Meanwhile, back at the test field. Our new bird took off proudly and lofted into the skies burbling richly into the overcast. Chip took a few turns around the field and complained that the sky didn't do much for keeping him oriented. Weeeeell----one of those spells of disorientation resulted in a spin at about 100 feet, and the corrections just seemed to make it worse--ever have one of those days? We now have proof. It is possible to crash a Spadflyer so well that you cannot get back in the air the same day. When you put the nose in the ground in a vertical spin with the throttle still at 3/4 you make a lovely hole. Even in the drought hardened ground we left a 7" crater. The fuse from the wing mount forward shattered into splinters and the engine broke from it's mount. The fuel tank dissasembled itself as the firewall pulled from the fuse---we found the clunk 4 feet from the wreckage and never did find the stopper. Two servos died a horrible death. Control rods look more like pretzels or some bizzarre modern art study than the useful implements they began the day as. The saddest loss of the whole event is the lovely Tru-turn aluminum spinner. It has survived many other misadventures, but today it died. Yes it is possible to crash so hard that even a Spadflyer has to go back to the shop for repairs.
Now for the good news. The wing will fly again. It is not as nice now as it once was, but it remains a testament to the durability of the Spadflyer design and spad construction in general. The tail feathers and tail wheel wire are unhurt. In fact as we were starting the replacement fuse and firewall/engine mount, we decided that by the time we are done, we may have spent more time crying about the crash than we will have spent in fixing it! We crashed at 6 pm, ate supper, started work at 7:30 pm and stopped work at 9 pm because we had no fuel tank and needed two servos, and our favorite local hobby store was closed. We figure that we will be flight ready in about another hour at the most.
For those who like that sort of thing, we have couple photos of the remains. Seems in the rush to get out to the field, I forgot the camera and had to do the documentation thing on the grass at home.
]
04-21-2005, 03:18 PM
#5
Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Generic City,
TX
Posts: 195
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
RE: You can actually kill a SPAD
Did those parachute recovery pods disappear from the market? I remember seeing them some years ago. Ive got gear switch on my transmitter that would make a great panic button.
04-21-2005, 08:51 PM
#8
Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: toledo,
OH
Posts: 194
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
RE: You can actually kill a SPAD
Sorry bout the bird looked pretty good. gotta love those quick repairs was the engine toast. love the idea of the parachuete recovery, but from the few people I've spoken with that have seen them, they were most impressed that the chute poped out at about the same time as the prop hit the ground.
egor
egor
04-21-2005, 09:47 PM
#9
Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Generic City,
TX
Posts: 195
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
RE: You can actually kill a SPAD
I think the same thing happened with the parachute recovery systems for full size aircraft. The parachute would work fine if you were flying straight and level. But if you could fly straight and level ya didn't need the chute. 
Any SPAD designs with the engine top mounted, like a flying boat? That would keep the engine out of harms way for the most part.
Any SPAD designs with the engine top mounted, like a flying boat? That would keep the engine out of harms way for the most part.
04-21-2005, 10:57 PM
#10
Senior Member
Thread Starter
My Feedback: (5)
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: Elk Horn,
IA
Posts: 218
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
RE: You can actually kill a SPAD
Edor,
The verdict on the engine will be seen when we finally get to fire it up after a thorough cleaning. Got all the pieces today, but life gets in the way, and there will be no resurrection this evening due to a prior volleyball appointment. Some needs cannot be served with a well finished airframe
After looking at the wreckage, we even thought up a couple improvements to what we started with. Stay Tuned
Fighterbird,
On reflection, the parachute would have been a waste of money. When the disaster is the result of disorientation, you cannot fix it with a device that requires orientation to the total situation. If awareness of the situation had been possible, we could at least have pulled back on the throttle![X(]
04-22-2005, 05:35 PM
#13
Senior Member
Thread Starter
My Feedback: (5)
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: Elk Horn,
IA
Posts: 218
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
RE: You can actually kill a SPAD
And here it is! The Resurrected SPAD. It actually took only 2 1/2 hours to go from Dead SPAD to Resurrected SPAD. This included redesigning the control horn attachment for the Tail wheel/rudder and building a new fuselage, firewall and engine mount. The only evidence of the disaster that remains is a crack in the leading edge of the wing where it rode over the throttle servo on impact. At 20 feet away, no one would know there had been a problem. All told, not a bad outcome.
Remarkably, the once new ASP 46 came out OK. I think I am relieved. I am sure I am very happy.
Total cost-------1new fuse blank, 1 fuel tank, 1 spinner, 1 prop, 2 standard servos--- $35.45 including tax Life is good.
Remarkably, the once new ASP 46 came out OK. I think I am relieved. I am sure I am very happy.
Total cost-------1new fuse blank, 1 fuel tank, 1 spinner, 1 prop, 2 standard servos--- $35.45 including tax Life is good.
04-24-2005, 09:55 PM
#16
Member
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: ofallon,
MO
Posts: 98
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
RE: You can actually kill a SPAD
Glad your plane was salvageable my debonair went in last year and broke the main spars,the fuse of course and the 46la crankcase broke off of the cylinder.I lost the receiver but all servos were salvagable.
