agexpert

My Feedback: (1)

Sheesh,

I flew all morning, about 5 hrs including all the talking and joking around. A wind came up, no more than 10-15 mph mostly down the runway...perfect. I needed practice flying in wind so I stayed and did 2 tanks worth of touch-and-go's after everyone had left. I emptied my fuel jug and took off for my final flight of the day. I really had fun...loops, rolls, hammerheads,touch-and-go's....and finally a $#@% Dead-stick!

I have dead-sticked before, but not in wind and I was VERY proud of my landing. Center perfect and quiet...barley touched the runway as it came in...perfect.

Feeling quite enamored with myself and my progress as a new rc flyer, I took my plane to the pits to clean on one of the tables. As I daydreamed about a good day of flying and boasted to myself regarding my perfect dead-stick landing I bumped my plane and panicked a little as it rolled toward the end of the table. Instinctively, I grabbed for the tail as it began to fall forward. I heard a distinct 'crunch' as I felt the stab in my left hand.

I BROKE MY PLANE IN THE PITS!!!.........CLEANING IT!!!.....AFTER ALL THAT!!! (I'll get over it...UM...I Think).

Conclusion:

My airplanes are safer on the opposite side of the pilot station from me.

andrew66

thats crap luck.......it probably wouldnt have been worse if it rolled off the table, but it happened. you will probalby get a pile of posts sayin you should always secure your aircraft ect...ect...but hey, look to the good side! if you had crashed while flying, the damage could have been alot worse! lets just hope you can fix this easily and get back flying

oscar2005

hope its repairable.you broke one of the rules.always pay attention to what you are doing when out flying.

roltech

No! that's pay attention to what you are doing when you are not flying![>:]

elenasgrumpy

My Feedback: (4)

Hangar rash is allways the hardest ones to swallow, but you'll fix it & you do have a perfect day of flying to gloat over!

cruzomatic

My Feedback: (17)

That bites man and I know how you feel. I destroyed my rudder on my P47D as I didn't put it on the hanger in my shop correctly, seconds later, I watched it fall off landing on the concrete floor complete destroying the rudder. A costly mistake, but sure made me more careful.

Get it repaired and back in the air. Way to go with that deadstick landing.

RCKen

My Feedback: (9)

Wait until you forget you leaned a wing against the back of your truck and then you back up!!! [X(] [>:]

Been there, done that. Know how you feel.

Ken

bubbagates

My Feedback: (32)

I did something similiar 2 weeks ago. I had my GP Ultimate altogether and it doesn't quite fit into the back of my Ranger with the wing on and I really did not feel like taking apart so I had to put the tail up on the side of the bed...no biggie I said I'm only going a mile and I'll just bungee it since I've done that before. I hook the bungee to one side and stretch it across to the other side and lost my grip on the bungee and into the covering it went on the side of the fuse about mid way back. I did get lucky and it did not hit any wood thank god but I ended up recovering that section and I'll never do that agin. I just go by a trailer since it's getting to the point my planes will not fit in my truck anymore

So I know how you feel. You do your best in the air to be careful and still have fun. You fly your heart out and then break something on the ground....

Bet the next time you go flying in the wind it stays on the ground and you take it apart

the_madgenius

stupid ,,, stupid ,,, STOOOPID! Ohhhhhh those heart wrenching words. There you were, flying for hours in challenging weather conditions , mastering the art of flying models, perfect precission and control throughout. All landings performed with great dexterity, the adrenilan running high. Then at the conclusion while you are still in raptures, your mind still up there with the birds ,,,,, DISASTER
All because of a lapse of concentration on doing the job at hand.
Don't be disheartened, we have all been guilty of this at some stage. Look on the bright side , you have learnt another lesson, ALWAYS pay attention to your model if it has its wheels off the ground, be it in the air , or on a raised table, pay close attention.
Bill , aka the mad-genius , down-under in Australia.

red head

How many people have had a SUPER day flying and ripped the tail OFF going through a door????? I learned to send the tail through first after that. ENJOY !!! RED

venom290

Came home from the field,set the plane on my work bench. Forgot I was doing some plumbing that morning and left 1/2 inch copper tube laying against the end. Rip, right through the rear stab. [] More careful now.
venom290

samolot

My Feedback: (14)

I had a similar experience when a gust of wind came up. I didnt properly secure my plane on the table, and woof, off it goes falling three feet upside down towards the ground. Broken rudder, but nothing CA cant fix.

TideFlyer

You know, my instructor had a thing about working on planes on tables. He always advised doing as much work as you can as close to the ground as you can and NEVER leave a plane on a table or bench unattended at the field where the breeze can get to it. Turned out to be sage advice.

bruce88123

I was flying the other day in very gusty winds and after a sucessfull flight and taxi back I killed the engine. As I stepped over the plane to turn off the radio my foot was about 1/4 inch too low as I kicked my vert stab off the plane. Now THAT is stupid! [:@] Fixed OK now.

agexpert

My Feedback: (1)

Well,

I added a bunch of weight to the tail section. Turns out there was a break in both sides and the top of the rear section of the fuse.... both the horiz and vert stabs were loose. I used lots of epoxy, a bit of triangle stock, a couple of toothpicks and some Ultracoat. Gonna need to re-balance dangit!
It's solid now, but, who knows.

I'll take it to the field on Monday and see how it flies. I think it will be OK...after I trim it out. It's a H9 Super Stick, now slightly modified with a new epoxy-resin tail-section complete with slightly mismatched white covering material. Who knew there were so many dang shades of WHITE!!

Perhaps I will be more careful while the thing is in the pits this time.

Dr1Driver

Been there, done that. One day, fortunately as I was coming back from flying, I closed the door of my apartment on the tail of my Little Stick while I was carrying it under my arm. I mean COMPLETELY closed! I let go and the plane just stayed there, trapped in the door!

At a fly-in near Columbia, SC, my first Dr.1 was damaged by a gust. It was sitting on the assembly table. It was so windy no one was flying. As I was watching it shaking in the wind, and thinking I should get up and move it to the ground, a strong gust blew it right off the table, damaging the top wing.

A friend of mine dropped a screwdriver through the middle of his newly-covered wing.

Hanger rash is tough to accept, but it does happen. Get in there and rebuild it!

Dr.1

GuyIncognito

Man, you guys are so serious sometimes about what supposed to be a fun hobby. If no one else is around only you can get hurt.

Worse damage, on average, to my planes is always getting them back into my shop.

If you want to follow the rules to the letter, go get a full size private pilots lisence. Now there are some rules with consequences.

Have fun and laugh a little, especially at your own stupidity.

agexpert

My Feedback: (1)

We are laughing, aren't we? I am anyway.

Maybe I'll put some wheel pants on that look like clown shoes. Perhaps a tiara and a feather boa? How about whoopie-cushion landing gear?

Great....too much coffee, I am typing without thinking....again

Crash-D

After just finishing my PT-20 with hours of work put into covering. We brought it up north to show my Grandparents and cousins. After strapping on the wing and setting the plane down on the floor to show everyone. My 3 year old sister came running over, on a mission to crunch my plane. She step right on the vertical stab and "CRUNCH" broke it right off.
We think she got jealous of it having more attention. NEVER leave a plane unattended anywhere! Especially near jealous kids.

GuyIncognito

Ouch !!!! The kid stepping on the plane hurts. Feel bad for you. How about this for a fun fly - see who can land right on a loaded whoopy cushion.

bubbagates

My Feedback: (32)

Now there is an idea....Personally I like trainer races myself, loads of fun to watch a trainer run around an oval track with no wing on it. Talk about being a "tippy" plane and it's one sure way to chew up some tail feathers

tuwood

I was close to having one less kid yesterday! I am building an Ultimate kit & had the wing propped up against my bench. My 9 year old son wandered out into the garage and thought it looked like a cool weapon so he commenced to start swinging it around as if he were sparring with an imaginary beast.
I did manage to calmly walk up to him & take it away without pummeling him! Ah the restraint us parents must have!! I managed to keep my cool & politely informed him to please not use my airplane's as weapons!

Picture of my daughter holding the same wing (still intact after the incident)

kzimmerman

yesterday I did something real similar. A real good day of flying, first time I ever flew in wind. My rascal forty took it pretty good, although it was a little bit of a handfull on landings. I just filled the tank for my last flight of the day, fired up the engine, stood in front of the stab to run her up. I ran up the engine and she stalled. No problem, just step over the fuse and restart her. On the way over the fuse, my foot caught the receiver antennae and snaped it in half. No more flying, just soldering!

Dr1Driver

"My 9 year old son wandered out into the garage and thought it looked like a cool weapon"

Ah...at the age of nine, why haven't you taught him to:
1. Stay out of the shop unless you're with him.
and
2. Not touch ANYTHING in the shop.

I'm glad he didn't grab a hot covering iron or an open bottle of CA.

FYI - My 14 year old daughter knew, at the age of 9, to stay away from "shop items".

Yup, I'm a "shop Nazi". There are too many things in our shops that will harm careless adults, small children, and curious pets. None of these belong in our shops.

Dr.1

ballgunner

My Feedback: (1)

For bubbagates. I too have a Ranger. Big mistake as it has the extra cab. Bed is way too short but I couldn't pass it up at the price.
Has all the goodies available from Ford, CD player etc. you name it it's there. Saved several K on the price as it had 711 miles on it and was only a couple of months old. It is an '02 and has just turned 5K miles but is still too short to carry any size airplane. I could have had a Chrysler min-van and had lots of room. My mistake.