Tampaflyer

My Feedback: (42)

ama doesn't cover mid-airs...

Robert_Ellis

Imagine if lawyers got involved in hobbies like ours. It would be the end.

It was said well many different ways. If your friend wasn't comfortable, he should have given himself more space. I do it all the time at my field. Actually, if a bunch of other people takeoff when I am flying, I will just land. If they guy was flying against the pattern or flying with little control - that's a different story but even then, it might be limited to not being allowed to fly again at Nall.

I also race real cars with SCCA in a group that has $20K cars (mine) in the same race group (but different class) with $100K cars (the rich guys). I've been hit a few times in racing accidents where I was just driving my line and other drivers spun and hit me or I had the pass down on the inside and they didn't see me. In many cases we are 2 feet apart 2 or 3 cars wide going into a turn. If I don't trust another driver, I won't get that close to him. Someone can get called in and put on probation or kicked out for not driving in a safe manner. But unless the guy did it purposely, is driving above his ability or should just take up golf instead, it is simply a racing incident. We each deal with the damage to our own cars and do it again a month later.

Image how quickly all the fun would end if I tangled with one of the big budget cars and he wanted me to pay for the damage to his car. And he called his lawyer.

It sucks, but your friend will certainly learn from this painful, but valuable lesson.

gjhinshaw

My Feedback: (303)

What state do you live in??? Depends on your flying skills, where you live... But some insurance company's will insure your models.

Jason 3-Danhakl

My Feedback: (10)

Question. If the the guy that you had a midair with worked for Pepsi and was wearing a Pepsi shirt
when the crash happened would you expect Pepsi to pay up? This is just nuts. A mid air that happened on the downwind leg of the
pattern with both aircraft going in the same direction. No way that is intentional from either party.
Also when your flying with 8 other airplanes in the air it does help to look further ahead of your airplane than just the spinner bolt!

gjhinshaw

My Feedback: (303)

Spotter, Spotter, spotter....... He looks out for other planes, NOT yours!!!

FreakyDude

why do you guys say if you can't pay don't play? Has the sport of flying gotten to the point where only big pockets should be involved?

acerc

Question, "Did this accident take place in a no-fault state"?

on_your_six

My Feedback: (11)

I would agree if both pilots are flying wings level maneuvering within the pattern... doing an aileron roll right next to another pilot is not responsible flying. On that fact alone... Futaba sponsored pilot should pony up. It was not shared risk when the other guy stunted. Judgement for the Plaintiff. I have stopped flying formation because I am not deep pocketed and not willing to accept the risk of another person's bone headed move. I think we have a right to yell move away.

cubcrasher

My Feedback: (6)

It's threads like this that keep me comming back.[X(]

JCOKEEFE

My Feedback: (2)

Simple response. The other pilot who rolled into this gentleman's P47 should bear the expense of reimbursement for damages. Period.
This is not a Futaba issue.

llindsey1965

My Feedback: (-1)

i agree these incidents happen wasnt on purpose , time to move on get over it or get out of the hobby it must be to expensive for you

dasquirrelisme

My Feedback: (81)

Need to practice defensive flying.

stevekott

For me I do this hobby for FUN and the adrenaline rush. I have flown full scale for the last 30 years. I do things in my model I could never dream about doing full scale .. like flying within 300 feet of another airplane.

Nobody likes to lose a model .. it hurts .. but after a crash we can still walk, talk and go home to our families and build another plane as good as the one we lost.

You just got to suck it up and move on. There's no crying in Model Aircraft!

Chad Veich

My Feedback: (60)

To be clear I absolutely think that if you are flying along and somebody else decides, without your permission, to try flying formation with you then that person is liable if he damages your model. As far as I'm concerned flying formation or tail chasing somebody else without any pre-planning, and without their consent, is just boneheaded. If that is what ocurred here then I do think that "Mr. Futaba", whoever he may be, is in the wrong and should pony up. (The pilot, not Futaba. I don't think Futaba has any liability here no matter what the circumstances.) However, based on the original post and other eye witness accounts given here it does not really sound like that was the case in this situation.

oldfartpilot

My Feedback: (118)

"It's just a toy airplane"?  I'm glad this oldfartpilot primarily flies leisurely w/o idiots/boneheads flying in my airspace stupidly.  Must be my hillbilly upbringing, if I were to carelessly crash into a fellow's aircraft, I certainly would pay.

chris923

My Feedback: (53)

This the first post I can Agree with!+1

chris923

My Feedback: (53)

+1

Pete Lane

My Feedback: (3)

+1

jeffharris75

[:@]I sure am grateful that I never encountered any of you during my 25 years of general aviation with low altitude airshow wavier.
Sorry about your plane man...but it was really your fault. Oh yeah we will be considerate of you at the funeral.

Toy,
Hobby,
$3000!
Stop whining???

Great example of compassion and consideration for a brother. Perhaps it would be a bit more adult to describe how the rules work without hammering the poor guy.
Any form of aviation, whether full scale or models has basic rules for behavior.
1) unless a mechanical problem there is no excuse for a taxiing accident
2) If pilots plan to fly formation it is implied that they have discussed their flight plan.
3) Regardless of social status, all are respectful of the time and investment we put in our models or full scale aircraft.

This reminds me of an airshow at Sun and Fun in 1983:
This fellows kid jumps up on my friends experimental and puts his feet all the way through the fabric to his crotch. We all know airshows carry risk but we also expect people to be responsible.

Guess I don't fit in with this club so good-bye to the arrogant tough guys and please give my sympathy to the man who invested so much energy and money in his model. I hope those of you who are so considerate do not set examples for our kids.


Harris

Robert_Ellis

You're missing the point I think. What I am trying say (and others I think too), that we take a chance every time we take off. Something might fail, something might go wrong either by a mistake of my own doing or another pilot. I think it's safe to say that it's not a question of IF an RC pilot will lose a plane, but a question of WHEN. It happens. I lost a 100cc YAK due to my own failings as a pilot - one of the elevator servos failed in flight (it has 2), and I didn't figure it out soon enough to compensate for the odd elevator authority and odd roll coupling. Am I going to get Hitec to pay for my airframe? Could I really afford to lose a $1200 airframe (the rest was salvageable)? Hell no. But like it or not that is the risk we take every time we fly. I was sick for several weeks about my crash - mostly because it sunk in - what if it had hit someone or someone's car or???

Did the Futaba pilot do a bonehead hotshot "watch this" kinda thing? It doesn't sound like it. It sounds like they were on the downwind leg of the circuit and he just didn't realize they were that close to each other. The farther you are away, the harder depth perception is - especially for the pilot.

I think we can all learn from this - it was said before in other ways - communication. The spotter has the better perspective (not tunnel vision focused on his own aircraft). What might have saved this scenario is if his spotter told the other pilot he was too close "CORSAIR MOVE AWAY" - or more quickly accomplished is for the spotter to tell his pilot - the Corsair is getting close - move right or go above or below him.

All that said, if I thought I had caused a midair due to stupidity on my part, guilt would compel me to order the guy a new kit and have it on his door with a big apology. Not a complete compensation for his time, but a sincere gesture. For the same reason that if I ask to fly a buddy's plane and I dumb thumb it into the ground - I'd be making it right. But expecting someone else to think and respond like I would is like expecting Congress to do what's right instead of what will get them re-elected.

on_your_six

My Feedback: (11)

What just really freaks me out is the attitude of the majority here... "if you takeoff, and anything happens, it is your loss so quit crying"

It is not the $3,000. (yes it is), it is also the many, many hours spent building the plane. There is value there beyond the cost of materials. For some STUPID IDIOT SPONSORED PILOT to come up, UNINVITED, and ruin your day should be recompensed (that means Futaba Pilot, not Futaba Company, pay the guy). I am sure Futaba does not want to be represented in this manner. Sponsorship should end based on pilots bad decision making. Time to man up Futaba Pilot.

I don't want to fly with you if you agree with the majority. Just give me a moment and I will land... Otherwise I will see you in "Air Court"

That is a major reason this hobby is dieing.

avidflyguy

My Feedback: (48)

it sucks to lose a plane you have so much invested in time and money on, however i would have immediately put some distance between the planes and landed, at our field, anytime an expensive, large plane is in the air, nobody else goes up. I realize that at a big event at the fly ins it will be a common sight to see a gaggle of planes up at the same time, if you can't afford to lose your bird in this enviroment, maybe its time to sit this one out until the airspace is free of aircraft

crankpin

My Feedback: (15)

I agree with Redbiscuit. You have a spotter, (caller), he sees a mid-air about to happen, or even if it is not close, the spotter should have his pilot out of there, no matter who is tailing who. Looks like it became a matter of, (this is my space), and I am not going to move. Isn't this something like road rage? What if a guy is flying his low dollar Falcon 56, and the guy with the high dollar flivver comes up, is the low dollar guy supposed to give up his airspace? You suffered a mid-air? What if you were piloting a full scale with your family on board? Would you get out of the way if another plane pulled up along side you? Time to move on.
Crank

HoundDog

My Feedback: (49)

Hey ounce out of the trailer their is no guaranty's. If U don't like the odds don't Fly. 90 percent of all midair's, Full scale included, happen in the pattern. Since that's the way flying is done at large events "You Take's you're chances". Only in C/L combat is it intentional.

See Below

KaP2011

My Feedback: (17)

I'm going to have to agree with Dave here, where were the spotters?

Mid-airs happen, it sucks when they do. Gather up the peices, quit yer whining and go build another one.