Home on a wing and a prayer
07-03-2004 | 07:44 PM
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From: UK, IRELAND
Home on a wing and a prayer
Hi,
Well today, I committed the cardinal sin of RC flying (according to some clubbers anyhow) I headed off to the nearest club about 3 miles from my home only to find that yet again no-one was there. Sod it, I thought , I'm going to fly this bird anyway. I hadn't had a chance for weeks, partly due to hols and partly due to the fact that the trainers quite simply are rarely there, which was really pissing me off. I opened the gate and arrived at the field only to find a flock of sheep lazily grazing on the strip. *** is going on !! The farmer must obviously have thrown a thick mood and done the dirty deed.
Anyhow, undeterred, I set off to another club at Dervock about 30 miles away (u can see I determined to fly at any length by now). The gate was opened and I drove in to find a sultry flyer who was packing up. I chatted to him for a while and he told me no one had been there in the 2 hours he'd been flying. Suggested they might be down at Portrush watching the power boat racing. I hinted I'd like to take mine up but again had been thwarted by the lack of a trainer. Well, this prompted him to tell me of a young guy who had come to the club a while back and had taken about three lessons after which he arrived up on his own one evening and decided to give it a go on his own. To cut a long story short (can I do this
he lost the aircraft in some cloud and when it reappeared he's lost all orientation and the aircraft crashed head first about a mile and a 1/2 away in the main street in Dervock narrowly missing a car. One woman had to be treated for shock and the police were called. This chap who was relaying the story told me he was called by them whereby he had to go into the town and pacify those involved, including the police. So , from then on the rules are that no-one flies on their own unless they have a grade A licence. I took the hint, said my goodbyes and promptly left.
On the way home, I remembered a large piece of wasteland just outside Ballymena which I promptly headed for. It's base was mostly screenings and loose stones but flat enough to use as a tarmac runway. Well, I fuelled up, started her and began to taxi downwind. Turned her and instinctively pushed the throttle full up. A little elevator and to my amazement the plane gradually lifted into the sky. The wind was quite gusty and I had to frantically trim the elevator down as it kept wanting to nose up. I did a few circuits when It just dawned on me "I'm not gonna be able to get this thing down in one piece" I became aware that my right knee was shaking uncontrollably and my hands were sweating bucket loads. I must have tried about six aborted approaches before I could line up at a reasonably low enough altitude to be able to bleed off enough speed. I was really ****ting it at this stage and just about everything was shaking. I wondered If I had a spare bin-liner to take it home in. I touched down (rather heavily) only to go back up again about 2 metres. Then down again, this time on the front tricycle wheel. The prop hit the ground slightly and killed the engine but I was down. Thank feck ! I ran over to the plane and checked for damage to find that the nose wheel was slightly bent backwards. An easy fix. Took the wing off and threw everything into the car as quickly as possible and scarpered.
What an exhilarating and scary experience, I won't forget that one but at least I had done it. It was bound to happen as the notion had been building up in me. However I don't plan to do it again anytime soon. I'll just have to see if I can find a trainer to tutor me on my next flight. This one was just too hairy. I bought some groceries in a shop in the way home and hadn't a clue what I'd bought until I got home, I was totally buzzing on the whole experience, however I would not advise this for other new rc pilots. I think I got off lucky - big-time.
Regards, Tony
Well today, I committed the cardinal sin of RC flying (according to some clubbers anyhow) I headed off to the nearest club about 3 miles from my home only to find that yet again no-one was there. Sod it, I thought , I'm going to fly this bird anyway. I hadn't had a chance for weeks, partly due to hols and partly due to the fact that the trainers quite simply are rarely there, which was really pissing me off. I opened the gate and arrived at the field only to find a flock of sheep lazily grazing on the strip. *** is going on !! The farmer must obviously have thrown a thick mood and done the dirty deed.
Anyhow, undeterred, I set off to another club at Dervock about 30 miles away (u can see I determined to fly at any length by now). The gate was opened and I drove in to find a sultry flyer who was packing up. I chatted to him for a while and he told me no one had been there in the 2 hours he'd been flying. Suggested they might be down at Portrush watching the power boat racing. I hinted I'd like to take mine up but again had been thwarted by the lack of a trainer. Well, this prompted him to tell me of a young guy who had come to the club a while back and had taken about three lessons after which he arrived up on his own one evening and decided to give it a go on his own. To cut a long story short (can I do this
he lost the aircraft in some cloud and when it reappeared he's lost all orientation and the aircraft crashed head first about a mile and a 1/2 away in the main street in Dervock narrowly missing a car. One woman had to be treated for shock and the police were called. This chap who was relaying the story told me he was called by them whereby he had to go into the town and pacify those involved, including the police. So , from then on the rules are that no-one flies on their own unless they have a grade A licence. I took the hint, said my goodbyes and promptly left.On the way home, I remembered a large piece of wasteland just outside Ballymena which I promptly headed for. It's base was mostly screenings and loose stones but flat enough to use as a tarmac runway. Well, I fuelled up, started her and began to taxi downwind. Turned her and instinctively pushed the throttle full up. A little elevator and to my amazement the plane gradually lifted into the sky. The wind was quite gusty and I had to frantically trim the elevator down as it kept wanting to nose up. I did a few circuits when It just dawned on me "I'm not gonna be able to get this thing down in one piece" I became aware that my right knee was shaking uncontrollably and my hands were sweating bucket loads. I must have tried about six aborted approaches before I could line up at a reasonably low enough altitude to be able to bleed off enough speed. I was really ****ting it at this stage and just about everything was shaking. I wondered If I had a spare bin-liner to take it home in. I touched down (rather heavily) only to go back up again about 2 metres. Then down again, this time on the front tricycle wheel. The prop hit the ground slightly and killed the engine but I was down. Thank feck ! I ran over to the plane and checked for damage to find that the nose wheel was slightly bent backwards. An easy fix. Took the wing off and threw everything into the car as quickly as possible and scarpered.
What an exhilarating and scary experience, I won't forget that one but at least I had done it. It was bound to happen as the notion had been building up in me. However I don't plan to do it again anytime soon. I'll just have to see if I can find a trainer to tutor me on my next flight. This one was just too hairy. I bought some groceries in a shop in the way home and hadn't a clue what I'd bought until I got home, I was totally buzzing on the whole experience, however I would not advise this for other new rc pilots. I think I got off lucky - big-time.
Regards, Tony
07-03-2004 | 08:04 PM
#2
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From: Trenton,
ON, CANADA
RE: Home on a wing and a prayer
would not reccomend what you did at all....
but sometimes you just have to fly. At least you did it in a deserted area so no one would get injured.
The end part of your story kills me!
but sometimes you just have to fly. At least you did it in a deserted area so no one would get injured.
The end part of your story kills me!
07-04-2004 | 08:23 AM
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From: *,
ON, CANADA
RE: Home on a wing and a prayer
WOW!!! You got off REALLY luckly!!! I highly advise any new pilots that are thinking of doing this DON'T if you want your plane back in one peice!!! I did this, and my plane just took off, and was in the air for 5 seconds, and I did a figure 9.
It's a good feeling though eh Tony?
It's a good feeling though eh Tony?
