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Your First "tragic Loss" - 12/30/2002 10:18:19 PM   
Dago Red



Posts: 2857
Joined: 8/14/2002
From: Elmendorf, AK, USA
Status: offline 		Well, staurday My agwagon crashed on take off, heres how.
taxi out, line up, push throttle to get her to start to roll, after its rolling give it throttle and take off, as I turn to the left, which it did for about a second, it made a hard turn to the right into the ground, shattered the center wing section and tore the fus up bad, I got a citabria back together which the wing came off of 3-4 weeks ago, crashed into a swamp, lucky we found it, not to much damage to it, rebuilt it in a 3 weeks she goin to test fly on newyears I hope, And I hope she is the first plane to fly to, im goin out at day break to do this,hehe.

(in reply to Jay7318713-RCU)
       Post #: 51

Your First "tragic Loss" - 12/30/2002 10:37:04 PM   
tmproff



Posts: 963
Joined: 4/8/2002
From: Humble, TX, USA
Status: offline 		First plane I ever had (avistar) after about 5 flights, I flew it into a tree. Luckily, one of the guys at the strip worked for Houston Lighting and Power, he had the equipment to climb the tree and get it back for me. Engine was ok and all electronics. After that, I flew a Sturdy Birdy till I could fly on my own. Whoever that was about 10 years ago, thanks! I probably wouldn't have kept going without those extra parts

_____________________________

Si hoc legere scis nimium eruditionis habes....

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       Post #: 52

Your First "tragic Loss" - 12/31/2002 2:47:55 AM   
Rcpilot


 

Posts: 6556
Joined: 3/20/2002
From: Arvada, CO, USA
Status: offline 		I lost my first trainer on my 8th flight. No big deal; I knew it was going to happen. I bought an LT-40 arf and was flying the next weekend.

The one that REALLY hurt was my Lanier Laser 200 25%.

I spent about 4 months building the plane. MDS 148 engine (old carb) with about 1 gallon through it on a test stand.

First flight. I roll the throttle on and it lifts off. 30' up, the engine quits and I pointed it towards the ground to keep my airspeed up. I didn't have enough elevator travel on low rates to flair it. The plane went in at a 45degree angle. Totally destroyed. Even the engine. Almost $1300 invested in the plane for 3 seconds of pure terror.

I turned to my friend who was standing next to me and said,"You better take this TX; or it's gonna hit the runway too."

You know it's a really bad crash when the TX hits the ground too!!

I was sick about the Laser 200. Still am. It sits in the hanger. All busted up. Wings are still good, but the rest is completely destroyed. I'll cut a new fuselage from light ply some day and rebuild it. But not yet. I'm still greiving over the loss. It could take yrs before I can look at it and decide to rebuild it.

WWWWHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!

To their credit- Horizon did replace the broken MDS 148 free of charge and even put the new and improved carb in the box. Thanks Horizon. The new one runs just great.

_____________________________

Airplanes have expiration dates. It''s just not printed anywhere on them.
I''m not really an airplane pilot; but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night.

(in reply to Jay7318713-RCU)
       Post #: 53

Your First "tragic Loss" - 1/2/2003 2:15:28 PM   
AngelosCyprus


 

Posts: 40
Joined: 12/29/2002
From: Larnaca, CYPRUS
Status: offline 		Very emotional.

My first and only real crash (Thousand pieces including engine,receiver e.t.c) whas made with an old f3a plane called mini atlas. i went to the local dry lake to fly it . I made my first attempt to launch but when i pulled the elevator as it was taxiing the prop hitted the ground. i changed prop and i saw that the elevator was set on reverse (When you pulled to deflect it upwards it would go downwards) . I was to bored to fix the problem and i said i would fly it like this but i would always have in mind this and fly in reverse of what i known.I took it airborn and make some slow rounds with it. BUT THEN I BECAME BOLD AND MADE AN INVERTED LOW ALTITUDE HIGH SPEED PASS.

(in reply to Jay7318713-RCU)
       Post #: 54

Your First "tragic Loss" - 1/2/2003 2:15:30 PM   
AngelosCyprus


 

Posts: 40
Joined: 12/29/2002
From: Larnaca, CYPRUS
Status: offline 		Very emotional.

My first and only real crash (Thousand pieces including engine,receiver e.t.c) whas made with an old f3a plane called mini atlas. i went to the local dry lake to fly it . I made my first attempt to launch but when i pulled the elevator as it was taxiing the prop hitted the ground. i changed prop and i saw that the elevator was set on reverse (When you pulled to deflect it upwards it would go downwards) . I was to bored to fix the problem and i said i would fly it like this but i would always have in mind this and fly in reverse of what i known.I took it airborn and make some slow rounds with it. BUT THEN I BECAME BOLD AND MADE AN INVERTED LOW ALTITUDE HIGH SPEED PASS. all was going well until tryied to gain height with an inverted loop.But my fingers now were working mechanically!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! so it made a loop in the opposite direction and crashed with a high speed dive!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! After the crash i remembered that my tx had a switch that would reverse the servos (dump fellow).

(in reply to Jay7318713-RCU)
       Post #: 55

Your First "tragic Loss" - 1/7/2003 1:19:57 AM   
beardking



Posts: 886
Joined: 12/11/2002
From: The Colony, TX, USA
Status: offline 		So far I have only had 1 crash, but it was rather dramatic to me because it grounded me for a long time. It was my trainer that I had built and trained with for a good 6 weeks and had finally soloed. I was out flying on my own for the first time and had flown a couple of really good flights earlier in the day. I decided I'd go up for one more flight before I left. Gassed it up, checked the batteries and range and took off. About 10 seconds after I took off all I could see was dust. I just stood there in shear amazement and wonder trying to figure out what happened. Once I came out of the shock another guy at the field told me that he saw me run smack into a huge black bird. Once I finally found the fuse all that was able to be saved from it was an engine that has to be rebuilt because the carb was broken off and screwed up the crankcase and the radio. Everything else was a total loss. It was actually very humorous to me except for the fact that I hadn't finished building my second plane yet and I still didn't really have enough experince yet to move up to it anyway (GP .40 Ultimate Bipe). Just now getting back into flying again. Yeah.

_____________________________

LAND? I haven't even taken off yet.

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       Post #: 56

Your First "tragic Loss" - 1/7/2003 8:19:01 AM   
mickeymouse23


 

Posts: 133
Joined: 1/3/2003
From: Hazel Green, WI, USA
Status: offline 		my first crash really wasn't i was able to rebuild but one crash that happened last summer will always be in my heart,my highly modified kadet senior folded its wings at high altitude,found the wing half but after hours of searching still no go.after months of looking still no go,then got some news that it might have been found but it wasn't my plane,so wherever it is rest in peace kadet.

(in reply to Jay7318713-RCU)
       Post #: 57

Your First "tragic Loss" - 1/7/2003 3:01:43 PM   
dioncuda



Posts: 322
Joined: 7/20/2002
From: morgantown, KY, USA
Status: offline 		My first was a tiger trainer 60.i must have BLACKED OUT,i saw it flying around about 30 SECONDS,then on the ground "totaled"everything busted except the tail feathers still looked new.Saved the motor,rec and servos.Tried it by myself,should of had help.(LESSON LEARNED).ALMOST didn't buy another plane,But a year later and 5 PLANES,i love the hobby.no bad crashes lately.

_____________________________

It's better to be thought an idiot
than open your mouth and prove it.

(in reply to Jay7318713-RCU)
       Post #: 58

Your First "tragic Loss" - 1/15/2003 2:24:53 PM   
keypilot



Posts: 17
Joined: 2/26/2002
From: Sale Creek, TN, USA
Status: offline 		Well,

My first flight in 10 years, I flew a Sage .40 took off with out incident, did some gently patterns, and had a nice approach... just like riding a bike. (so i thought) the touch down was less than perfect... in fact, i ripped the main gear off. But, it was a clean break. So i packed it up, and headed for my shop. The next day, I take her out to the field. I brought it to the field in the back of my truck, and noticed that the elevator push rod was a little loose. (probably from the ride up) So i tightened it up the best i could, and took off again. This time, I also had my wife, and a couple of friends with me for moral support. Well, I did a few patterns being very gentle. And i noticed that they seemed a bit bored. So i was feeling pretty comfortable. So i did my first loop, in 10 years. Well on the back side of the loop, the elevator control horn popped loose. I watched my nice new airplane burn in, at full throttle. I remember saying: "I don't have it!" And that got everyones attention. So we all had a good show, as it impacted the asphalt. I couldn't salvage anything out of that one. It was a total loss. My wife took it well. she saw how upset i was, and bought me a new tower trainer, with the works. (what a wife) That was the only plane so far, that i have crashed, and not been able to repair.

_____________________________

"If we leave right now, I am SURE we can stay ahead of that squal line!"

(in reply to Jay7318713-RCU)
       Post #: 59

Your First "tragic Loss" - 1/15/2003 9:33:23 PM   
phayd



Posts: 253
Joined: 11/30/2002
From: Woodward, IA, USA
Status: offline 		My Kadet has had several close calls, and one crash, and several incedents. First the close calls: The first one occured when I slammed the wing into the barrier fence at the club. Taxiing. The instructor taxied the plane back over, and I did a visual inspection of the wing. No damage. I then took off, and the thing wanted to roll. No amount of trim would fix it. I ask the instructor to fly it a little. While he is, I'm watching the plane, and something looks off. I immediately tell him to land. He does. I walk over, and the front dowl had broken itself out of the left side of the fuse. Second close call was this last week. Took off, was flying around. Decided I could not see all that well with my sunglasses. Got the plane straight and level, threw off my sunglasses, and a gust banked the plane. I reacted the wrong way. I realised this and counterreacted. Fortunately, I was 2 mistakes high, which put me at about 10 feet when this was all said and done. My one crash was due to a depth preception problem. I thought I was over the runway. In reality, I was over a barbed wire fence. The barbs cought the wing, shredded the covering, damaged several ribs, and slammed the fuse into a fence post. The damage to the rest of the plane was worse. The left side of the fuse was in pieces too small to repair, the right side was needing to be reglued, and the carb was sheared off of the engine. The several incidences taught me these things: Don't use heat on your landing gear, they become brittle. Re-locktite the little nut on the back of the muffler regularly. Oh, and the final one... A lean engine results in a short flight.

(in reply to Jay7318713-RCU)
       Post #: 60

Your First "tragic Loss" - 1/15/2003 11:18:12 PM   
TRP


 

Posts: 234
Joined: 1/21/2002
From: Bay Area, CA,
Status: offline 		I laughed.

Wing MFG. At-6. Tried to add the retracts to the kit. What a friggin' nightmare. Hated building it. Total P.I.T.A. When it was completed it was a really sharp looking plane. It flew like a Christmas Ham.

When it crashed on it's maiden flight I laughed and felt great. It was like dumping a girlfriend who was cheating on you. Sure it feels great to be done with the relationship, but deep down inside it stings a tiny bit.

TRP

(in reply to Jay7318713-RCU)
       Post #: 61

Your First "tragic Loss" - 1/16/2003 1:41:17 PM   
rcdemon61


 

Posts: 79
Joined: 6/4/2002
From: Stevens Point, WI, USA
Status: offline 		TRP, you crack me up, your post is one of the funniest things that I have read on RCU. I'm glad that this thread is still active. It is kind of fun to come home from work and have a good HaHa unexpectedly. Thanks Craig

_____________________________

They all end up in the fireplace, it's just a matter of time!
AMA #674708

(in reply to Jay7318713-RCU)
       Post #: 62

Your First "tragic Loss" - 1/16/2003 1:49:52 PM   
Hercmate



Posts: 495
Joined: 11/12/2002
From: SwindonWiltshire, UNITED KINGDOM
Status: offline 		[QUOTE]When it was completed it was a really sharp looking plane. It flew like a Christmas Ham. [/QUOTE]

LOL Nearly fell off my chair!

My first (and only in 3 years) crash was a Black Horse Home Run. Its a cheapy Pattern Model, I bought once I was comfortable with my trainer. I'd like to think it flew like a pig, but I have a feeling it was my thumbs that were to blame

I was completing the finals turn prior to landing and obviously let the speed get too low, cos it flicked inverted. At this point it went into the low setting sun, and upon coming out I noticed the prop had stopped. Panic set in, and when I tried to get it the right way up it flicked again and went striaght in. Luckily the engine (OS46FX) and all the radio was saved but the biggest piece of the airframe was about 2" square!

I started off feeling gutted Then I got angry and then I thought excellent I can go buy another plane now! Not something I'd like to repeat but I think you're not a proper model flyer til it happens. At least do it in style!

(in reply to Jay7318713-RCU)
       Post #: 63

Your First "tragic Loss" - 1/17/2003 2:55:58 AM