fly boy2

So after I rebuilt my plane after the gear got ripped off ;its been on the ground for about a month. Today was the day, I got at the field and no one was there[&o]. Its just me today; my hand were cold trying to get the plane ready. I'd take my gloves off and put some rubber bands to hold my wind and then put the gloves back on for a bit then repeat. Finally got everything on, did a range check and was good; I had aready check the cg and added weight to the nose; til it was slightly nose heavy. So I got the courage to take off. Once off the ground the plane wanted to decend;so while trying to correct the heading and attitude. My plane sounded like the engine quit so I turned toward the runway( this was the exact way my gear got ripped off) then it sounded like it went to full throttle[X(]. That happend at about 50ft high. The plane was already comin at me at a 45deg angle desent. I was comin in hot[X(]. It seemed like the elevator was very sensitive. I'd barely push the stick and the plane would dive. I came in hot and nosed it at about a 45deg angle the nose. The prop took the full force. Once the prop the ground; the plane flipped. I was shocked[X(]; no damage[8D]. My mind was racing;trying to figure out what happened. I looked at the tx and the elevator had been turned to high rate; guess that explains the elevator sensitivity. I tried to change to prop to do an engine test and I'd forgot my lil 4 way tool.[:@]. So I went home and got it. I should have ran the engine at the house but I didnt. I went back to the field and fueled up and tried to run it. It ran for about 20 sec and it quit. Then seen fuel run out the back of the plane[X(].Its a spad debonair so the fuse it just a piece of white vinyl downspout. So I tried to refuel to see if fuel was leaking and I turned the pump handle the wrong way; so it was sucking and it was just blowing bubbles into the fuel jug; then I try to put fuel it the tank and fuel comes out the pressure line right away . Something is wrong with the fuel line in the tank. It must have been just running off of the fuel in the fuel line. I was upset that all this happend; but still like I go home with a plane intack except my prop( that was my first prop I bought). Iwas tired so I decided to take a small 30min nap then get my plane out the back of the truck. I woke up about 3 hours later[X(] got my plane and found frost on it. brought it in the house and wipped it down and its drying right now.


Will my plane be ok with the frost?

How is my plane leaking fuel; and still have fuel in the tank; I still havent taken the firewall out yet to look.

This is my trainer; spad debonair as a tail dragger. So I'm glad it can take a hit or 2 or 3; I'm still a noob so I panicked, I didn't panick during my last deadstick. I guess that way I dont like to fly alone since I'm the noob of the club and I ask everyone for advice and they can help to determine if something is wrong; before my plane is in the air.

flyinrog

My Feedback: (1)

Frost shouldnt hurt, just double check that everything is working while it is inside and warm....spads are notoriously heavy,,get your cg right where it is supposed to be.,.old saying, a nose heavy plane flies fast, a tail heavy plane flies once...now if you have a heavy plane and it is " a little" nose heavy, your gonna come in hot and fast,,sounds like your tank has a crack in it somewhere..probably near the top...with the engine running the muffler pressure may be causing it to leak when it normally wouldnt and making bubbles in the line....that is the first thing you need to fix..personally I commend that you are trying on your own..but a little help can go a long way.......run it on the ground for a whole tank to check........Rog

sportrider_fz6

the only thing I can add is check over the fuel hose. even a pin hole will reek havoc. the only time I've ever had a well tuned motor die is when I had a tiny hole in the fuel line.

draftman1

if you had an impact, your clunk line is probably kinked inside the tank also. things like this can happen to any plane, wether its a spad or not. there are some tank set up tricks that help alot. keep on Spadden. as long as you have the CG right, your plane will fly good. also you need to make sure it is balance lateraly, wing tip to wing tip.

jetmech05

sounds like you may have 2 different problems
1. fuel coming out the pressure line as soon as you turn the fuel pump handle....you fill with the pressure line..and vent with the muffler line..you're filling with the wrong line
2. fuel leaking out of the fuselage....you may have put a hole in your tank, or in a line with that hard landing...it will be a small hole or you wouldn't get fuel out of the pressure line..so the hole will have to be small enough so that you have less leaking than the volume you're putting into the tank...
remember this....a fuel tank is never empty...even with no fuel inside of it....there is air in there....a tank is a pressure vessel...when you put fuel in..you must let the air out....this is why you fill with the line to the carb ( low in the tank) and vent the air in the tank out the line to the muffler (high in the tank)....if you reverse the lines when fueling and fill with the vent line then as soon as the clunk is covered in fuel the air in the tank has no where to go and will push the fuel that you just put in the tank out
Good Flyin to ya..OH yea please don't fly alone..there only 2 kinds of RC fliers..those that have scars from props and those that will...glad someone was there when I finally got my scars

MinnFlyer

My Feedback: (4)

Exactly what I was thinking.

Also, if you have fuel running out of the fuse, you have a leak. This MUST be fixed.

Remove the tank and check for leaks (Check that the stopper is tight, but if it was too tight it may have split the neck) and check that the clunk is still in position.

Also check that the vent is on the top. If fuel comes out right away the tank may be in upside-down

have a look at this:

[link=http://www.rcuniverse.com/magazine/article_display.cfm?article_id=1068]Let's Talk Tanks[/link]

speedair

Check to make sure the clunck is still attached to the pipe. I had this problem last week and found the fuel line in the tanck had split where the clunck ataches to

bkdavy

My Feedback: (1)

A SPAD Debonair should not be sensitive to the elevator, so double check your throws. Its also a very heavy plane, so don't add weight. Just move the wing until the CG is at the right location on the wing. I do this all the time based on what equipment I'm flying on the Debonair.

fly boy2

yeah I was thinking about that; if I get hurt what are my options. I'm glad I didn't have that situation today.

thanks for that article, thats really does helps;I'll take the firewall off and take a look at the tank

fly boy2

I'd seen my high rate switch was on after my lil flight; I guess that was the think or maybe its just me since I havent flown in awhile.
Since my plane was tail heavy at first; I move the wing aft right?

bkdavy

My Feedback: (1)

[ Correct.

The original design calls for dowels mounted in the fuselage, but when I built mine, I just fashioned hooks that wrap around the bottom of the fuselage out of some heavy wire. One at the front of the wing and one at the back. These hooks will slide when there's no rubberbands on the wing, but hold fine in position once the wing is banded on.

Brad

jester_s1

With my deb I had trouble with fuel foaming, which will cause the problem you are describing. The gutterpipe fuse doesn't dampen vibration at all. Balancing the prop made all the difference. Once you get your tank fixed up, run a whole tank of fuel on the ground at full throttle and watch for bubbles in the fuel line going to the carb. Don't fly it again until you can run it dry with no problems.