gus

When sunset's at 6:45, and you arrive at the field at 5:30, and it takes you 20 minutes to set up your just-completed ultrasport kit, 20 minutes to follow the OS.46fx Enging Run-in, another 30 minutes to adjust the idle needle (5 were needed to cut the cowl a bit to get access, 10 minutes to re-check all the controls, screws, etc. Then it is time to go home....

instead, I thought I could see just fine. Nuff said. 45second maiden flight. Re-kitted.

gus

stuffer

My Feedback: (11)

OH MAN, tough break, been there. I fly an Ultra sport 40. you have a good plane. too bad you don't have it for awhile anymore. soory for your loss.

Goinstraightup

My Feedback: (26)

Bummer!

FLYBY12

My Feedback: (14)

how fast you go doesnt matter , its the sudden stop at the end

flyfree69

that happened to me, i got there first thing in the morning before the sun got up to high with a new 4*40 to trim it out and the motor was running perfect and no wind took off and about 30 ft off the ground i realized i forgot to plug in my wings,,,,,, so the plane bit the dirt, ripped the wings off and punched a few holes and when i get home my gf asked me how do i like the way the plane flys?? a real BAD DAY;;;;;;;;;;;;

rockmon

The hurrier I go the behinder I get !!! When it comes to a maiden flight truer words were never spoken. I have been reading quite a few threads about guy's finishing a model and doing the breakin at the field or even on the first flights and then complaining about dead sticks and tall weeds and holes in the moneycote and all the things that will certainly happen if you fly your plane before the engine is broke in. You have to step back and don't try to force a maiden into a few minutes of flying, the only good that can come from this is you will be able to build the second one faster because you just finished the first one and the building sequence is still fresh in your mind. Sometimes and it depends on the engine but I will run as much as a gallon of fuel through my engine before it ever leaves the ground and half of that gallon will be in the plane on the ground in my back yard. By the time you are done doing this every nut, bolt and screw that is going to come loose will have done it and the motor will be running to the point of no dead sticks. If you do it this way most of the first flight jitters will not be there because you are familiar with the plane and the engine and you know that all the bolts and screws are tight, this makes the first flights a lot more fun and the ride home is a whole lot better also. Maybe a gallon is over kill to you all but but I would rather be safe than sorry. rockmon

gus

Well, I have decided to rebuild....

The wing is mostly OK... The Spar is intact, and everything behind the Spar is fine. The leading edge is broken in a few places, which I will uncover, and repair. I have fully disassembled and re-assembled the OS.46FX, and I have it back together. Now it is purring on a bench-test stand. Even though I had to use 2 hands to pull the engine from the farmer's field, it seems that the only damage is that the remote-needle mounting flange (which is part of the back-plate to the engine) broke. I am tempted to just leave it that way because it will make cowl access easier if I mount it onto the cowl instead.....

The back half of the fuse survived pretty much intact. The bottom of the fuse was cracked through the access hatch, and the bars that the servo tray was mounted on were both cracked where the throttle servo screws had over-stressed the wood-grain. I am somewhat surprised to note that the canopy probably was the strongest part of the middle section of the plane. Neither the canopy glue, nor the canopy itself suffered any fractures, and the canopy seems to have been able to reduce the damage to all the things it is attached to.

I will have to completely rebuild the front third of the plane forward of the wing saddle/canopy. The largest piece of surviving wood from that section of the plane is the 2x2 inch piece of the firewall that the enging mount was on. Seems that when the plane hit, the engine stopped, and the front third of the plane became a "crumple-zone", all the way to the wing saddle. The Enging mount beams both snapped, but the mount base and the firewall it was attached to were both still together afterwards.

Well, the rebuild will be a challenge... but at least my mind is out of the doldrums...

gus

gus

Well, Plane is re-built, and has survived it's second maiden flight(s) today.

Now that the plane is operational, I can post some pictures for your amusement.

The first image shows the plane just before the first takeoff... (before the crash).
The Next pic is the extent of the damage. Compare with the first pic, the whole nose is missing, and 70% of the lower-end of the Fuse.
The third pic shows most repairs completed, Ready to install hardware and re-cover.
The fourth pic is of the Cowl that I built from scratch.
The fifth is the finnished build...
The sixth is a close up of the engine. Note the finnished cowl. Also the Remote Needle of the OS 46fx is now very remote. It broke off in the crash. I created a block that clamps what's left of the needle against the cowl. Now far more accessible.
The 7th pic shows what the plane looks like from head-on. Note how the muffler is now right under the fuse. The plans indicate an inverted installation, but now the exhaust smake/oil does not even touch the plane. No more oily wing surfaces.
The 8th is at the field, ready to go.
The 9th is of me landing. Pretty hot, but I was intentionally fast until I learned the stall characteristics.

Plane needed 2 clicks up elevator, and 1 click rigth aileron.

I am really pleased with the results.

gus

P.S. Need more than one post to get all images....

gus

Pics 5,6,7

gus

Last pics.


The plane was up 5 times this morning. Time to check all nuts,bolts, etc.

I think I may upgrade the elevator servo,control rods, and horns as well. Seems it couldn't take some of the stresses.... sort of felt a little slow.

gus

Scar

My Feedback: (3)

Great going, Gus! Glad you got it back in the air.

A guy at our club has an UltraSport he built about 9 years ago, with retracts. He dug it out and started flying it again this fall. Great fun, he pulls the retracts up and does high speed inverted low passes, all kinds of loops & rolls and towering verticals. It has a .46 Magnum that's about 4 years old, with a Pitts muffler. Very distinctive and good flying plane.

Keep it up!
Dave Olson

Scale Jr.

My Feedback: (1)

Preflight Preflight Preflight.
Good job man
Rusty