Bird Strike with Big Stik 60
10-11-2007, 07:12 PM
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Bird Strike with Big Stik 60
Das Big Stik 60 ist Kerschtunken!
I hit a hawk with the Big Stik 60 on the weekend... my favourite plane is dead! I was flying level at full throttle (Super Tigre ringed .61) and pulled up to do a loop.. right into the path of a hawk flying by. The leading edge of the wing took the brunt of the hit, balsa sheeting caved in and absorbed the impact. Wing came clean off in one piece and fluttered to the ground. Fuse did a massive arc and buried itself into the ground. :P~
Fuse was a write off, busted out the carby from the motor damaging the crankcase, bent the needle and spray bar assembly. Wing was damaged but repairable, even now has a couple of claw marks in it (will keep it as a spare). Radio gear seems ok, only 1 servo mounting lug broken. The bird was fine and continued flying.. didn't even lose a feather. I could not have hit that fricken hawk if I had tried.
I have repaired the engine - carby and crankcase are now one (yet to test run on bench) and have a new Big Stik 60 on the way. You just can't help bad luck.. but that's all part of the game, eh?
Cheers.
I hit a hawk with the Big Stik 60 on the weekend... my favourite plane is dead! I was flying level at full throttle (Super Tigre ringed .61) and pulled up to do a loop.. right into the path of a hawk flying by. The leading edge of the wing took the brunt of the hit, balsa sheeting caved in and absorbed the impact. Wing came clean off in one piece and fluttered to the ground. Fuse did a massive arc and buried itself into the ground. :P~
Fuse was a write off, busted out the carby from the motor damaging the crankcase, bent the needle and spray bar assembly. Wing was damaged but repairable, even now has a couple of claw marks in it (will keep it as a spare). Radio gear seems ok, only 1 servo mounting lug broken. The bird was fine and continued flying.. didn't even lose a feather. I could not have hit that fricken hawk if I had tried.
I have repaired the engine - carby and crankcase are now one (yet to test run on bench) and have a new Big Stik 60 on the way. You just can't help bad luck.. but that's all part of the game, eh?
Cheers.
10-11-2007, 07:59 PM
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RE: Bird Strike with Big Stik 60
Yeah, I am sure it would have been sore.. but honestly, it just shrugged it off and kept flying! I would have felt horrible if it had gone down as well.. glad it didn't. 
10-11-2007, 08:14 PM
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RE: Bird Strike with Big Stik 60
Wow. We routinely play "chase the dang buzzards away" at our field, but generally never get that close before they decide to leave. Bad luck, but a great story.
Off the subject, what muffler is that?
Off the subject, what muffler is that?
10-12-2007, 05:49 AM
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RE: Bird Strike with Big Stik 60
I hit a seagull last year with my Excelleron 90. It was wierd. I was flying straight and level, just started a turn to the left when I heard a loud whack sound. At that time, I saw a seagull about 20 or so feet away and thought nothing of it. When I landed, I found that I had no tail wheel assembly! It was torn off and a small feather was stuck in the balsa. And, of course, the bird just flew away.
The time delay from the distance I was flying made the difference from when I heard the whack and when I saw the seagull. As I said, it was wierd!
About an hour later, one of the guys I fly with had a dead stick landing and landed over on the far side of the runway. When he went to pick up his plane, the wheel assembly was sitting right next to his plane. It too had a small feather on it.
CGr
The time delay from the distance I was flying made the difference from when I heard the whack and when I saw the seagull. As I said, it was wierd!
About an hour later, one of the guys I fly with had a dead stick landing and landed over on the far side of the runway. When he went to pick up his plane, the wheel assembly was sitting right next to his plane. It too had a small feather on it.
CGr
10-12-2007, 07:26 AM
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RE: Bird Strike with Big Stik 60
Reincarnate, the muffler is the stock Super Tigre unit that came with the .61. It's a bit of a can, but works great and actually survived the crash unscathed.. so it's durable too!
10-12-2007, 07:28 AM
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RE: Bird Strike with Big Stik 60
Mr67Stang, it was a Great Planes ARF kit... just like the one that was delivered to my door this afternoon by courier. 
10-12-2007, 08:52 AM
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RE: Bird Strike with Big Stik 60
ORIGINAL: reincarnate
Wow. We routinely play "chase the dang buzzards away" at our field, but generally never get that close before they decide to leave. Bad luck, but a great story.
Off the subject, what muffler is that?
Wow. We routinely play "chase the dang buzzards away" at our field, but generally never get that close before they decide to leave. Bad luck, but a great story.
Off the subject, what muffler is that?
I'll play with the hawks at our field too. Slow down an try to follow their circles or tempt them to swoop down on my plane. No takers yet.
Just like a midair with another plane, rare and just bad luck.
10-12-2007, 09:46 AM
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RE: Bird Strike with Big Stik 60
Hey All,
Birds of prey are federally protected. Tormenting them,andor injuring/killing them, can end up in some serious fines and maybe even jail time if you have the custom of doing so.
Please respect the ones who were in the skies long before we had a hobby.
Birds of prey are federally protected. Tormenting them,andor injuring/killing them, can end up in some serious fines and maybe even jail time if you have the custom of doing so.
Please respect the ones who were in the skies long before we had a hobby.
10-12-2007, 11:56 AM
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RE: Bird Strike with Big Stik 60
Now that would be a challanging rebuild! I have a frend that has a problem with territorial birds attacking his small electrics. He has started using folding propellers because a propeller strike will usually drive the bird away but with a fixed propeller they usually come off the folding propeller lets him stay in the air and make a normal landing.
10-12-2007, 10:27 PM
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RE: Bird Strike with Big Stik 60
we have them over our feild all the time, but they stay fairly high and just look down at us. I always get afraid one of them are going to get ballesy and dive at our little birds!.
Justin
Justin
10-13-2007, 03:04 PM
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RE: Bird Strike with Big Stik 60
ORIGINAL: Fredsterman
No the birds are laughing at all of us
Like flying's hard
No the birds are laughing at all of us
Like flying's hard
THIS bird ain't laughing,....heres what happens when the plane wins and the bird loses.
10-15-2007, 08:35 PM
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RE: Bird Strike with Big Stik 60
ORIGINAL: Mr67Stang
Great pics! Love to see the wing too??? Anyway sorry about the loss but it will be an indellable memory for you in this hobby.
Great pics! Love to see the wing too??? Anyway sorry about the loss but it will be an indellable memory for you in this hobby.
Maybe I should repair the wing and attach it under the fuse.. make a Big Stik bipe?? :P~
10-15-2007, 08:40 PM
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RE: Bird Strike with Big Stik 60
ORIGINAL: chashint
nothing good can come from chasing birds of any kind
nothing good can come from chasing birds of any kind
I wasn't chasing the hawk, I was just flying along, minding my own business.. pulled up for a loop and just collided with it. My bird died... the HAWK didn't have a scratch!
On another topic, I wonder if the end result would have been different if the wing was attached with rubber bands and not nylon bolts? Maybe the wing would have just moved in the saddle and given me a chance to bring it in?
Coulda, shoulda, woulda...
10-15-2007, 08:45 PM
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RE: Bird Strike with Big Stik 60
I test ran the motor on the weekend.. and it's running beautifully. Exactly the same as before the crash! I am amazed, as I actually hand-straightened the spray bar to get the carb barrel rotating again (it was bent like a banana) and had to metal epoxy and screw the carby permanently into the crank case! I am pretty happy with that.. the motor is a real ripper and it would have been a shame if it wasn't repairable.
10-15-2007, 08:55 PM
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RE: Bird Strike with Big Stik 60
ORIGINAL: chashint
nothing good can come from chasing birds of any kind
nothing good can come from chasing birds of any kind
No 'bird chasing' going on in my post either,....it was the bird that was doing the 'chasing',.....swooped down on the plane right into the propellor....
