ORIGINAL: rcpattern
Mike,
Just wanted to thank you for such a great plane again. I honestly can't imagine any other airplane that I havent even seen in 4 months, showing up totally cold against 13 other masters guys and winning 3 rounds and winning a contest. Even with the new stabs, it felt like I had been practicing earlier this week. The plane is so easy to fly and presents so nicely. I know you are every bit as thankful as I am that it still exists...can you put wheels on top since you have it now??? You are the man, and thanks for everything...was great seeing you guys this weekend. I'm charging the battery on my camera right now..I'll post some pictures of the weekend tomorrow. Black Magic's were out in full force. Mark Atwood's v3 has to be seen in person to be believed. The finish is absolutely incredible and he was flying it every bit as well.
Arch
I just can't believe you got that one back to the field. This plane should be a memory right about now....
If you're wondering, Arch's plane had been sitting for a long time, and the battery that was in the plane was dead...and I mean DEAD. So, he installed a new pack, and flew the contest. No big deal...until after the contest we're playing with the F pattern with the new stabs, and one cell drops dead. no elevator...then gradually, not much else. It was headed down toward the river, bye bye. Somehow Arch managed to limp the plane back to the runway....inverted....and perform yet another canopy landing.
I heard the crunch, I thought the plane was dead (I just walked away, sorry bout that LOL). Next thing I know, the plane is in the pits, with an utterly destroyed canopy, and minimal damage to the front top section....and not a scratch elsewhere! THAT is still hard to believe.
So if anyone is interested I'll take some pics as I repair it. While Emory's 2 electrics are curing I should be able to do the repairs on this one. So, lots of pics coming in the next couple weeks. Not that any other human will ever have damage like this *ahem* but it's interesting to do this repair, and parts apply everywhere. if I ever rip a gear out of a painted plane I'll do that one too, but so far I haven't had that misfortune in the recent past. but if you fly off of harsh conditions and have an "off field landing", it happens like any other plane. the VF3 is much stronger than the V2, but if you hit hard enough, it doesn't matter...the gear is coming loose, the only question is how much of the fuse comes with it.
And yes, the D4 contest was a blast as usual!!!
-Mike