ORIGINAL: Tarasdad
Here in the Mojave Desert we've been plagued with gusty winds the last few days. Had a late season winter storm blow in with rain and snow, going to be another day or two before the winds die off totally. Tomorrow is forecast around 7-9mph so I'm going to do my best to be out flying. Heck, I learned to fly in the wind when I first started in RC in SE Texas where it was either that or forget flying at all!
ORIGINAL: Oberst
Flying in windy conditions will make you a better pilot eventually, but at what cost? I know a guy at my Club that fly's in windy conditions and he keeps buying or repairing his planes on a regular bases. I have a plane that is 3 years old now because I don't take un-nessesary risks.
I flew my first Seagull.90 Extra 260 in wind gusts and I did my usual '' Knife Edge'' about 10' off the ground. A gust of crosswind nailed me as I was about to pull out of it and this is what happened.
I crashed right in the middle 2 corn rows near our airfield. The real mistake is I was doing low stunts in windy conditions and it was my fault.
Just a note to add and it's a little off topic: Everyone at my Club has been pestering for me to buy another Seagull .90 Extra 260 since the beginning of last summer, so I bought another one yesterday just to shut everyone up about it. Even my LHS knew I crashed the last one when other people told him about it, and they ordered another one telling me I had my name on it. I guess he was right.
I guess they knew I really liked the plane and had a ball with it, so everyone can count me out with the windy days. I'll just sit back with the Ol'timers and watch everyone else crash.
Pete
Dang, Oberst, that sucks! Still, looks like a bit of time on the building bench with some CA and epoxy would have fixed her right up. I guarantee you if I ever see someone toss a plane in that condition it'll be in my trunk faster than you can say ''MINE!!!''
I bought another one. And if you were there you wouldn't have got the plane until I pulled my equipment and engine out of it. The plane wasn't worth the 5 months or so to rebuild it. For all the balsa, glue, plywood, covering, battery, cowl, pants, engine muffler and remote needle, canopy and other parts it would have cost more than the plane was worth. I only payed $179 for it.
Now if it was a discontinued ARF, and almost impossible to replace- then I would have rebuilt the plane. In the ARF Thread I restored and modified the Discontinued Great Planes .60 Fokker DR1. You can't find that ARF aircraft anywhere, and if you could, I doubt you can get it for less than $400. I payed $300 and drove 400 miles to pick it up, and it was not in good condition. I think I payed for the equipment more than the plane.
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_10038870/tm.htm
Pete