While on my latest training flight, while having a very good flight . I was very happy with my flight for the first time ever. Then suddenly my plane went strait south east No control, never found it. Battery full. No electrical lines anywhere. Can't figure out why. My plane was worth over a hundred dollars and it really tore me up to lose it. I just can't figure out what happened. []

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Was "straight south east" just a continuation of the direction it had been heading or a new heading?

Battery was full? If you never found it you doon't know trhat. It may have been recentrly charged but do you meter it at the field before flights?

Antenna extended? Did you range check it before the flight that day?

Forget to put the arm screw in a servo?

I take it ALL control commands did not work. That could mean the battery connection was bad, bad switch (it happens), out of range (What receiver? Some park fliers are only good for 600 feet or so), a bad bad crystal (I know some flyers who will not fly a once-crashed crystal).

Had one a a local club where the pilot tried to trim the elevator and instead switched off the transmitter. Ooops.

I recently saw a similar thing happen to someone at my club. However they where lucky and 2 days later someone who had found the plane showed up at the field with the intact fuse and the wing broken in half (It had jammed into a tree). They inspected the cabling and found out the connection between the battery and the RX was faulty and had been the culprit of the misshap. Perhaps the vibration can eventually unfasten the battery from the RX causing a loss of control. If the plane flew straight, as it was the last time it responded to an input from the TX it sounds as the RX in fact loss power because electrical lines and other factors that may cause interference will in most cases cause the servos to act in random ways which will be seen as erratic maneuvers rather than smooth straight flight. I'm sorry for your loss.

I know what you're are feeling. I lost my trainer follow on while I was still on the buddy box. My instructor, me and a couple othre guys watched is to in like a lawn dart. Right into the creek bed behind our field. It was four months before most of the plane was found. Mine, I'm kind of sure, was be cause one of the gus was showing off his first generation computer transmitter and demonstrating how easy it was to chang channels, and one of his channels was the one I was flying. Don't know for sure, and never will. I finally got back my engine, fuel tank, receiver and three servos, one with stripped gears. A crumpled part of a fuselage, and a ruddrer hanging onto a bent control rod.

The plane suddenly going off on its own, on it's last flight path, is probalby loss of radio contact. Either radio or battery power caused.

Get another. To few good flying days to spend worrying about what happened to the last one, when they could be spent enjoying the one you have. Keep in mind that sooner or later, you are going to loose the current plane. Hopefully it is retrievabale so you can salvage parts. In any case, have a backup ready to fly.. You can enjoy the one flying while you wonder what went wrong with the one that isn't.

Don

Yeah, take it from me, crashes happen! Get another plane and get flying, then get another so you have one around, just in case...

Sorry to hear about the loss. It's not only money, but time, and every plane has a little piece of you in it. Well they do for me anyway.

Cheers.

This very could have been me today, but something told me (I read somewhere on RCU you should) to plug my ESV into the plane for a quick verification check even though I just charged it last night and it was first flight of the day. It read dead, no wait good.. no wait dead.. (Bad connection)
Apparently its been working loose over time, and my aircraft has a closed cell foam "battery box" that I fabricated to fit into the fuse where the original equipment used to go. No stress on the plug connection at all, in fact the battery wires fold back along the battery pack to fit in place. (original was soft foam padding similar to what I have and a plywood framer bolted over it to secure it all. Framer is still there, I just refabbed the foam insert to fit my new radio.)
Lesson learned, check EVERYTHING every time! (I Zip tied the plug together to be sure it cant pull out.) Almost lost it for another reason, but that will get its own post tomorrow when I am up to typing the story..

Saw something like this happen a few years ago. Guy was flying a Stearman, suddenly calls "no control".

Plane starts circling downwind, couple more guys take of in a car in pursuit, and manage to track it until it runs out of fuel.

Plane comes down in a field (good) but manages to find the only tree in it (bad). Damage was as I recall minimal though.

The cause - a faulty battery switch which, I believe, is a strong contender for culprit in your case.

Terry

perhaps you got what you paid for...anytging could have happened...if you can step up a little go glow,,,perhaps a Skyraider MachI

Why do you make a comment like that? What difference does it make if he spent $20 or $2000, the guy just lost a plane.



I don't remember the OP asking what type of plane he should get now, I don't see what the fuel type has to do with his problem (see post above yours), and I don't see how glow is a "step up" from anything. If you like glow fine, but it does not mean it is any better than anything else.

Rob

P.S. If you know the OP and you are just pulling his leg you should use smilies so we all know

I just recently had a fly-away.... Yesterday in fact. The crystal had worked itself loose and fell out. The reciever stuck where it was, slight left bank, neutral elevator and about 1/4 power. I was lucky enough to retrieve the model. Just an idea.

I know you're pretty bummed out. Just try to learn from what happened and make sure you give your plane a complete check at the start of the flying day. We all probably lack in that area.

Try to be careful when you set up you next plane and look for anything that might cause problems.

Sorry about your plane. Don't give up. After some time, this'll make a great story to tell.... with a little exaggeration of course!

I would like to thank everyone for their support. This plane was my first (sort of) the original had been crashed so many times I had to buy a new kit to rebuild it with. I had been through a lot with it and thought I finally had it sorted out. For the first time really I was having a great flight, climbing spirals, loops tacking. Man I was happy . Then when it just turned south and flew straight away towards a tree line my heart just sank. I thought I had used every trick in the book. Cable ties, soldered connections etc. my pre flight was perfect. Previous tests of the battery saver were perfect. I could have been happy with just control and no power but it almost seemed like it had power but no control. Unless I find it I will never know. I am putting out a reward .

UPDATE: As miracles do happen I found the plane. It has minimal damage (which for me means a better than usual landing). I have tested it and everything is normal. It was direcly over head when it lost control and I never fly down wind because I live near a trailer park and the wind would blow it over the houses. All I can think is some kind of interference but the local flying club is miles from here. It wound up in someones back yard and they didn't even know it was there. With all the trees here I thought I was certainly going climbing (I have had some practice lately) . It was totally east of where I thought it had headed. Who knows how it actually got there since there are a lot of kids in the park. It really upset me that I lost it since I am not doing very well financially, it would have been a severe blow. Thanks to everyone.

Ok look at it this way.....out a 100 bucks for an airplane in this hobby is nothing,,,toy price range...
new stuff cost: cheapest airplane I know of 79.00, cheapest engine 100, cheapest flight pack 130.00...thats 309.00
now if he lost an airplane that cost 100 bucks what is the quality of the electronics on board? the airframe?
If he bought it used..well do you know the seller?...was the the aircraft repaired?...see where I'm at?
Like everyone else I'm not happy he lost his plane...I never like to see anyone loose a plane...
as far as stepping up I'll give you that one didn't mean to offend our electric powered brothers....so perhaps you could step up to a good 4 channel aircraft. With quality electronics on board

You know to some folks 100.00 is harder for them to come by than 1000.00 for others. Don't ever forget that.

Oh I know the value of 100 bucks I was a young Marine Corps SSgt with a wife and 2 kids out in town..I haven't forgot anything...and that was before some of the bigger pay raises.....

First, how do you know what equipment he has and that it was junk?
Second, how is this helping the OP?
I've had bad days and posted stuff I probably shouldn't have.... but you've posted this offence over two days man! What's up?

all I'm saying is you can't expect to go to a car lot and buy a car for a grand and expect the same quality you'd get for 20 grand..as I said in the orginal post anything could have happened....and as I said in the second post I hate to see anyone loose a plane...sometimes if it seems like a good deal it isn't....

Preamble and note to the admins:

Sorry, this time I have to chime in. If I am going over board tell me.



Might I humbly point out that the original poster was not expecting more out of his $$ that he should have. He was merely saying he is out that money and possibly wanted advice on what caused the loss so he can prevent it in the future.
No you aren't going to get a world class 3D aircraft cheap, neither should someone beginning in this hobby be expected to shell out thousands, when a decent trainer can be had for a couple hundred or less, depending on what you buy and if you go new or used.

I have said it before and I will say it again, you don't have to be rich to get into this hobby. This is NOT an expensive hobby to get into, unless you want it to be.
We all spend what we can afford, and no one should have to suffer this kind of insult because he chose to feed his kid, or pay a bill rather than buy what YOU feel was a real airplane versus what YOU feel was a "Cheap toy".

So get off your high horse and stop chasing people away from the hobby who cant afford to buy the best of everything. If you cant contribute constructively to the persons issue, refrain from comment.

I use a Hitec Neon transmitter, A Berg Microstamp 4L receiver and speed control given to me by my very good friend Probrojoe. My battery choice is 750mha 2cell Lipos the same as Joe. As I said everything is working now. I have no explanation for the fly away. The plane was about 50" over my head when the signal loss occured . Below is an overhead view of my pasture, flying area. As you can see there are no high tension lines or anything. I was standing at the blue spot flying in the red circle.

I think I may have found the problem. While doing some ground testing after slight repairs I lost signal, and it was about 4 inches away. Turns out the crystal holder on the transmitter wasn't making good contact. I reseated it and all seems well. I will place a piece of tape over the holder to make certain it doesn't works loose again.

It seem as if it's always the simple stuff that get's you. Lesson learned. Always tape the crystal in. $.01 and one minute almost cost you a plane.

Glad you got it back and good luck with it.

Had no idea the one in the transmitter would ever be a problem given it has the fancy holder and all. The one in the receiver ,yes but the transmitter?????