This happened at our field just recently. The plane's owner called a tree service with a bucket truck. It cost him a few dollars, but he got his plane down with no additional damage.

Bill Hodges
Life is all about how you handle "Plan B".

G'day

I helped a friend test fly a plane today. He had just rebuilt it after it tried to attack a tree. The tree won.

He got it down (it was about 40 feet up) by shooting it with a slingshot. He did make a few holes in it but it eventually let go and gravity did the rest.

As a result of his rebuild, it now has a small amount of anhedral (negative dihedral) and looks like a rather strange F-4 Phantom in the air. It flies Ok though but it does need quite a bit of rudder as well as ailerons in turns so we have mixed a bit in using the radio's mixing.

The owner is a dentist in his late 60s so if he can shoot a plane out of a tree with a home made slingshot, anyone should be able to?

Mike in Oz

Love that bunjie idea with the quad. That would be great. Have to be pretty darn quick with your hands as it shot back just as fast as it shot forward

A buddy of mine hung one up in a tree a few years ago. The KC Fire Department actually removed it for free. I don't think it is a standard, or advertised service, but sometimes those guys get bored and need to get out and about.

Might be worth a call, anyway.

Tree service. Volunteer fire department. Compound bow & fishing line. One of our members bought a surplus boom truck from the utility for his farm. He gets a call once or twice a year, we pay for gas plus a little bit. We have a plane-eating swamp too, very little help there. [X(] Let us know the outcome!
Ed

In Iowa we just wait 3 or 4 days days and either the wind blows the plane out of the tree or it blows the tree over. Been there and done that. It seems they will always blow down eventually. Good luck

Ha Ha..... " either the wind blows the plane out of the tree or it blows the tree over" you must have very big, heavy planes...

Now I know why Iowa has so many cleared places. "either the wind blows the plane out of the tree or it blows the tree over" Ha ha Rich

Was just up there. Completely soaked. I can't get it with a soccer ball or compound bow as there are too many lims in the way. It has been raining all night and day so far. What's the chances of anything being any good anymore?
Thanks again....When it rains....it pours.....

I feel sorry for you. I would just cut the tree down!</p>

If you know anyone that works for the power company they have these really long extending poles on their trucks that are perfect for airplane retrival.

Same thing happened to me in June. I ended up talking to a guy who climbs trees for a local tree trimming company. He charged me $50.00 to go up a large pine tree and get my plane down. My plane was lodged in a way that made it impossible to just fall out in a high wind or by throwing something at it, it was in the tree for 2 weeks through 2 major thunder storms before it was recovered, just make sure you talk to one of the tree trimmers, and not the company. The company will charge you more, and the emplyee will usually do the work on his off time for much less.

I tied and taped together a golf ball retriever; and two fishing rods .....to poke one out of a tree that wouldn't come down with the fishing rod by casting. Poked some holes into it...but..it still flies.
Rich

You might be surprised how well things will weather the storm. I always wrap my receives in plastic wrap in the event a gas tank ruptures (or if it would happened to be exposed to moisture). I agree with the suggestion of contacting a tree service. It would be worth the cost. Start out by telling them you don't want to pay more to get the plane down then it's worth. They may find some humor in your story and cut you a deal. Offer to give him a free lesson. If they don't want to do it ask them for someone you might he able to contact.

My son put had an Astro Hog in the top of an elm tree about 50 feet up. I took a lamp extension pole used to change out light bulbs from the ground and duct taped plastic central vacuum PVC pipe on the end of it until it was long enough. It worked out OK as long as you were directly under the plane. It isn't stiff enought to work at an angle but directly underneath the plane worked great. I was able to push up on the bottom of the fuse and caught it as before it hit the ground. Oh yes, my son now flys for the airlines so I hope he learned something from the experience.

In my club we have a tree service guy that has a boom truck we call if he can get access.  Usually pay about $50 for him to come out.  He's been able to get most of them for us unless they're out in the deepest darkest forest.

Use a sling shot. Shoot a fishing weight with heavy fishing line attached over the branch
holding the airplane. Then let the line and weight fall to the ground. Attach a rope to the fishing line
with a treble hook fashioned from piano wire attached. Pull the hook up to the airplane/branch and
work the airplane loose. Good luck.

Read post #16

http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10114430

Just got permission to cut the tree down and that is what we did. Destroyed the plane on the way down, but that's OK. Have all the guts still

If your mad enough at the plane a shot gun is the way to go. It relieves the frustration of looking at it up there just stareing at you .lol joe

I did that a few years ago. It was a trainer and not worth much, but I wanted the engine and radio gear. It was caught in the very top of the tree with the tail in a fork.
Someone mentioned that we could bring our shotguns and blow the tail off of the plane and it would fall to the ground. Well we shot several boxes of shells and only made holes in the plane.

I finally got a fellow with a bucket truck who got it down.

Slopoke

That must have been fun trying Slopoke.....Just got all the radio gear out sitting in a bucket of rice to see if I can't pull all the moisture out. I already tore the motor down and cleaned it all out good with carb cleaner and wd40. Will be ready for another plane in no time.

Metal 1" conduit, put the 10 foot pieces together. I have done this a few times myself. Good luck

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Self climbing tree stand!

glad you got your tree,,,,,i mean plane down-i woulda shot the limbs that were holding it-not in an area where you can shoot?-a 22 woulda done it probably