Dago Red

My Feedback: (11)

I know all you R/C modelers out there have a moment that youll remember from long time, so share them with us, maybe we'll have some good laughs and maybe shed a few tears, but lets have fun, share your moments.

Heres mine that I will always remeber.

I was flying with my friend, dogfighting more like it. we split up after a close call of a midair, we didnt want to lose our planes, both looked nice. After a few moments of no close flying we were back toghether again, then it happened, both planes tried to occupy the same airspace. My plane too a scattered wing, completely busted fus, and teh tail was shredded over the field. His plane too a snapped wing, and the nose snapped off on impact to the ground. But the thing that was so neat about the incident was the covering that was shredded into pieces. My plane was covered in crome momokote, and as it fell back to earth, it glimmered in the sun.

ifixairplanes

My Feedback: (9)

great story.

one time i was flying with the usual suspects that i fly with. they were all taking a break, but i was in the air. then it happened....silence. i yell DEADSTICK! and everyone has there eyes on me. I bring my plane around for a beautiful approach, and touch down. but for some reason, my mains decided to depart from the fuse (nylon bolt attached). after that came the sweetest belly skid across the ice (frozen pond runway) i have ever seen! By this time everyone was cheering and clapping (about 10-13 guys) as i made the walk to get my plane. i still get comments on that landing!

sean

DBCherry

My Feedback: (4)

My solo of course is my number one memory.

Second would be the single circuit I made of the field one day.

It was at a club picnic and there were a LOT of club members there, some with their families. I had flown a trusty old plane a couple times, but also had a new plane that no one had seen fly before, and I decided to put it up. No one else was flying so I had the attention of everyone there.

I'm always a bit nervous with a first flight anyway, but with all those folks behind me I just plain forgot to to change the model memory in my computer radio. I took off and immediately realized that I had a problem, I yelled out something like, "Oh 'crap'! The ailerons are reversed!". Then I concentrated harder than with any other flight I've ever had.

I actually managed to make one complete circuit around the field and set it down for a really nice landing. I felt foolish for not checking the controls, but the cheers made me feel better.
Dennis-

CheezeyPoof

One morning this lady in her late 30's came out to the field with her son about 10 years old. They had a plane ready for the boys first training flight. While the kid was out with a trainer , small talk told us she was a 747 pilot along with her husband who was out on a run somewhere.
They only had time for one flight when it was time to go. They packed up their stuff, said thanks and headed out of the parking lot and down the road. Now a couple miles of road is visible from the airfield. She was not out of the parking lot more than a couple seconds when I turned around to look back and nothing!. Completely gone! At the same time I saw my buddy's van coming up about a mile down the road. When he got here we asked him if he saw anybody pass him coming in and he saw nothing and there was no place at all for them to turn off either. Whoaaaaaaaa![X(]

GrnBrt

My Feedback: (5)

I was flying at this one field that I normally don't fly at when I heard a car pull up behind and 2 car doors slam. Well I just kept flying and soon I could here 2 guys quietly talking behind me and one was saying he sure would like to give it a try! Well I showed off a bit and then landed the plane and when I turned around I was staring at Jim Zorn and Steve Largent of the Seattle Seahawks, whoa says I!!! we talked for a bit and then I gave each one some time on the sticks and they had smiles from ear to ear and left happy. I don't think they ever picked up the hobby, Jim is now the quarterback coach for the hawks and Steve is in the Senate I believe back in Oklahoma but what a memory.

Cactus.

My Feedback: (1)

Flying my Funfly home with no tail plane ( after a glider tow went wrong ) using throttle and ailerons while inverted, back to the patch and high alpha slowly descend to the patch with no further damage.. at our display to the cheers of the crowd.

Flying the club trainer back home after a learners roll snapped the wing!!!! at yet another display, had to come in cross wind, with the strong wind blowing over a hedge which had made even the normal landings hard, i had to come in one the stall, all sticks in the corners crabbing in sideways.

Getting my Diamond Dust in ground effect flying 4" off the deck for almost the length of our field.

Doing a low pass at Woodsprings so low to the runway that when it drifted over to the grass edge i crashed lol

Being at the field one day so hot that we just couldn't fly, stripped to shorts and threw a Frisbee about

Jim Messer

My Feedback: (2)

My brother Bill, and I were flying a demonstration of WW-I aircraft before a crowd of about 2000 people at the Kitchner Waterloo Scale Rally in 1978. I was piloting a 1/4 scale Sopwith Triplane owned by another club-member, and Bill was flying a 1/4 scale Bristol Scout. Both planes had Quadra 35 engines, which were considered both huge airplanes and huge engines at the time. We were the only two planes in the air.

Well, flying close formation wouldn't you know that Bill came up behind me and cut the tail right off the Sopwith with his propeller. That tore the engine out of his airplane, and put mine completely out of control. Woody, the owner, said:"I think we're going to lose it". I said - "I'll cut the throttle". The airplane went into a very slow downward spiral and crashed in hundreds of pieces right in the center of the runway. It was a spectacular crash.

What is even more spectacular, is someone in the crowd photographed the event. Attached is #2 photo - the Bristol had just backed off and the Sopwith had not yet headed downward. Note the black plume of smoke - burning gasoline as Bill's engine ripped from his plane. It didn't last long. This was the first witnessed mid-air collission of two 1/4 scale models ever recorded - and having two brothers as pilots makes it that much more noteworthy. We are in the record books! Nobody can ever be "first" again.

Attached are three photos: first the Triplane; then the "hit";and then the funeral.

Enjoy.

ZAGNUT

My Feedback: (1)

....getting my avatar privileges back after being without for a couple of days


dave

Trombe

My Feedback: (1)

Flying a Spad into a truck with just a dent in the wing

Losing the top wing of a friends biplane while inverted passes over the runway (crashed the plane totally trying to land)

Landing a Zagi in the lake and using the prop halfway in water to get back to shore

Exploding Battery in Zagi

Dago Red

My Feedback: (11)

Great stories guys, any more???

Trombe

My Feedback: (1)

Not for people from "Orange" Texas!

J/K

Lets hear them [8D]

Dago Red

My Feedback: (11)

Well, you know us Orange people, lol.

I have another storie, and a lesson learned.

I had just installed a Hitec computer radio into my plane. I hadnt checked to see it every thing was correct till I crancked the engine and taxied out, then found the rudder needed to be reversed. I proceeded to correct this, call me stupid, with the engine still running. Instead of reversing the rudder it was the throttle, plane shot off, I used the rudder to steer it away from the pilots flying, and slamed it into a flight station diggin a huge hole into the planes wing. Latter the wing failed to a crack not seen in the spar where the rib was glued to the spar, needed to X-ray the wing to see that.

Azcat59

OK Guys....time for true confessions... I took off with my GB Extra 300, Webra 120, and JR 10, all of which I had flown for a number of years. A few minutes into the flight, the noise suddenly got loud, and a low, slow fly-by showed the $40 Pitts style muffler hanging loose in the cowl, and the possibility arose that it could fall out and be lost. A landing would be a good idea. Several attempts were made, but with the lack of muffler back pressure, the idle was too high to land. We considered putting it down hot, then tipping up to break the prop and stop it, but thought that the wheel pants would drag first and flip it.

I took it up for a little altitude, and throttled down as well as possible, and decided I could solve the problem by getting into the radio programming and increasing the throttle throw so that perchance I could kill the engine. The JR 10 has a touch screen, a little hard to see in sunlight, and difficult when you are taking a quick glance, then eyes back on the plane, but I managed to put in my three digit code to allow me into the programming page. Intending to dial up Code 12 (total servo throw), I put in Code 11. Which happens to be Servo Reversing. About this time my good flying buddy Wolf said "you program it, and I'll fly it", so he reached over and took the main stick and circled it over the field for me. Noting that the screen said "Servo Reversing" I knew I didn't want that, but instead of going back to the "Home Screen" and dialing in Code 12, I just put in "12", and pushed "Enter". I had just accomplished a reverse of the throttle servo and aileron servo. Whereupon the engine went wide open, it started slow rolls, and buddy Wolf yelled "Whoaaaa!" and promptly gave the stick back to me.

Well, great pilot that I am, I figured I had reversed the throttle and elevator (not aileron) servo, so everytime it rolled upside down, I gave it a healthy shot of UP elevator, and as it rolled right side up, I gave it a healthy shot of DOWN elevator. All of which resulted in some amazing barrel rolls and other undescribable maneuvers, attracting the attention of every eye at the field. This all ended with the airplane in a smoking hole in the desert, and I am a living legend for programming radios in flight!

Clair

RCPilot100

My Feedback: (4)

For me, one of my most memorable moments happended during our annual Giant Fly. Gus K. had been putting the thing on as long as I had been with the club - maybe 9 years at the time - this year will be our 15th. Because I had moved and now live 60 miles away, I don't fly with this particular club that often, but I do go back for the Giant meet, like I did this particular year - I think this happened about six years back. On Saturday, I found out that Gus had been sick, like sick in the hospital during the previous week. Mid morning Saturday, he showed up and grumbled about stuff not beind done right without him being there. Everyone jumped, grumbled about it, but did what he asked. Gus didn't feel that well and went home. On sunday, back came Gus with his plane. A bunch of us put it together for him, started it up and handed him the Tx. The plane was featured on the cover of High Flight several years back. Attached is a picture of the issue. Gus took off, and put on a nice flight of about ten minutes. At the end, he came in for a beautiful landing. People were clapping. When the plane stopped taxiing, he handed the Tx to one of his many helpers, sat down on the ground for a moment, laid down and died. Gus loved the hobby, spent most of his free time flying, and did it up to the literal end.

Dan

jongurley

My Feedback: (29)

My solo of course is first that was a great day but tired that night because I stayed up looking at the TowerHobbies catalog at the Extra 300's the Cap's etc, but my greatest feeling was at the club one day I had my big Extra 300 flying, cutting up aerobatics, came down the runway inverted about 3 feet off the deck, and there was a man who was new to the club who had just built a Edge 540 and he was watching me in suspense,,, when I landed everyone one was talking to me and telling me how good my flight was etc, the man came over and asked me if I could take the maiden flight on his Edge in case something went screwy and trim it , take off and land see how it will handle,, that was the first time someone has asked me that, in my views that is a right of passage, when I first started flying aerobatics I would carried my new Extra to the field for a maiden and look and see who I thought was the best pilot and ask him if he would take mine off and check it out,,on the first flight,, but anyway that was one of my most memorable's [8D]

Langster

I had launched my Graupner Cirrus glider into the sun on a bungee cord with my Dad standing next to me. I had done this quite a bit before this flight as the sun set late in the afternoon.

I lost sight of the glider for a few seconds and then when it was visible again i could see that the glider had turned around on the tow line and was diving straight at us. I yelled to my Dad "duck!!!" and as I did I ducked as well and must have pulled full up elevator and the glider went whizzing over our heads at incredible speed and the wing cracked just as the glider was now behind us and it powered into the dirt.

We looked at eachother and burst out laughing, probably because we survived but then I looked at my now broken glider and my heart sank.. But I fixed my Cirrus and had many great flights after that day.

Langfire

scottrc

The first time I took off my Top Flight P-51, flew the patterm and landed with a three point on the runway.

hookedonrc

Mine would have to be hitting a bird. It has been posted on RCU several times, but it's a great story. We were having Scouts Day at or club field, and I was flying my Avistar Trainer. It had been through the training mill and I had just spend 3 weeks replacing dented or broken LE sections and ribs in several places. I had just finished re-covering it and was one of the instructors on buddy boxes that day. I had in 10 flights (2 per scout) and was just finishing my 11 when the scout got out of the flying pattern. I told him I was taking over the plane to bring it back in and just as it did, we heard the loudest bang that I have heard in a long time. The right wing exploded and ripped the fuse to shreads on that side. The rest of the plane was a lawn dart into the bean field next to our flying area, while the right wing fluttered slowly to the ground. The bang was so loud that most of the people at the field thought I had hit another plane. It was shortly discovered that, no, all other planes were still in the air. Once we recovered the right wing we found a large concave dent in the leading edge 1 foot across and all the way back to the spar. Since I didn't hit any plane, and there were no other obstacles in the area, only a bird could have done it. Never saw it before the collision and never found it after.

The irony was that in a question and answer session in the morning, one of the Scouts had asked if anyone of us had hit a bird or ever seen it happen. The answer was no, until later that afternoon then we ammended our original answers.

LuvBipes

My Feedback: (4)

The first time a scratch-built plane of my own design flew. Great feeling of personal satisfaction and achievement (I was only 16 at the time - many moons ago)

Two years ago, the first (and so far only) pattern contest in which I won my class. It was really a perfect day with that flying "in a grove" feeling. I even won the 6 channel 'puter radio being raffled that day!

Every time a student pilot I'm instructing manages his first landing.

CheezeyPoof

This is it! I am presently experiencing an on going memorable moment. I never know who I am going to help or tick off. Whichever the case, equal enthusiasm goes into both.[sm=spinnyeyes.gif]

Jackjet

My Feedback: (1)

[quote]ORIGINAL: CheezeyPoof

One morning this lady in her late 30's came out to the field with her son about 10 years old. They had a plane ready for the boys first training flight. While the kid was out with a trainer , small talk told us she was a 747 pilot along with her husband who was out on a run somewhere.
They only had time for one flight when it was time to go. They packed up their stuff, said thanks and headed out of the parking lot and down the road. Now a couple miles of road is visible from the airfield. She was not out of the parking lot more than a couple seconds when I turned around to look back and nothing!. Completely gone! At the same time I saw my buddy's van coming up about a mile down the road. When he got here we asked him if he saw anybody pass him coming in and he saw nothing and there was no place at all for them to turn off either. Whoaaaaaaaa![X(]
[/quote


This story needs to be told to Art Bell on Coast to Coast..................

Jackjet[sm=drowning.gif]

tconnell

My Feedback: (7)

This is from way back in the early 70's when I decided I wanted to get a glider. Looking through all the magazines.... this was well before the internet and great places like RC Universe and others for instant information. So the magazines were what we lived for and got our information from. Anyway I decided on a Graupner Cirrus. The only big hobby shop in the South East that I had been to was Fields Hobbies in Jacksonville. So I called Mr. Fields and found out that he had a kit and I asked him to save it for me and I would come down in a day or so. It was a 125 drive to Jax and with 3 kids in a VW Bus... that was an adventure in itself. Several days later I walked in to get the kit and to my surprise there was a Cirrus hanging up in his store. It seems that during the weekend a doctor that was a local contest glider pilot decided that he would never be able to win with the Cirrus as he just couldn't keep it up. The price was the same as the kit and so we left Jax with a rear seat full of glider and a standing order of no kids in the back.

Months later I returned to Jacksonville's Cecil Field for the Florida glider contest and to my surprise after all the events were totaled up, I won the meet. An elderly gentlemen came over to me and asked where I got the Cirrus. It was the doctor that built the plane and he wanted to know what I did to get it to fly like it did. Honestly all I did was to install the radio and a couple of mini Kraft servos and a battery, set the CG and balance it out laterally and fly it almost every weekend. I built an engine pod that sat on top and had a Cox .09 and a 1 oz. tank of fuel and that got me up to 4-500 feet on a good day and it just flew. It was normal to have flight of up to an hour. One place I flew that was close to home was a local high school parking lot after school let out. The school was right next to interstate I-75 and on summer afternoons there was so much heat coming off the interstate from the reflection and cars that I could get it up over the highway and just fly it up and down the road on the thermals. The doctor told me that he purchased a solid oak door for a flat place and build the wings next to each other and they were as straight as an arrow.

So standing there with the first place trophy was one of my most memorable moments in RC. One of the others was the next year when I and a friend who also flew gliders went down to Jax for the meet. I got first again and Russel got second. Afterwards there was an announcement on the PA that next year the meet would be limited to only Florida residents. Had fun while it lasted tho'.

Tommy Connell
Valdosta, GA

BigSkyRCFlyer

My Feedback: (36)

Building my first plane a Goldberg Eagle 63, and my first "solo" with that plane.............Also the smell of burning fuel/castor on a cool fall day as your plane takes to the sky..........Priceless

FLYBOY

My Feedback: (11)

My second year of flying, my old instructor was in town from Brazil. He was the columbian nats champ long before he taught me. We didn't feel like driving all the way to the flying field cause we didn't have time, so we went up the mountain and flew off a dirt road. On takeoff, I caught a weed with the wing tip and the plane flipped over. I flew it out inverted till I could get it righted, then flew and landed. He said, " most of the guys would have watched that one crash, Good job!" Huge compliment coming from him. Was quite a lift for a then 13 year old kid.

resle

i think it was my third time flying and before i was in a club. i bought a aerobird challenger for my first airplane and my dad and i would fly it in a feild with great success. well i was flying it in 10mph winds and when it came towards us away from the wind it was going so fast that i froze it swooped down and made a left turn just missing me and hitting my dad causing him to fly backwards 3 feet. the plane was fine and so was my dad luckily it was a pusher prop so there was no blood[:@] he says he jumped to get out of the way but i doubt it the funny thing is that this happened a few months ago[&:]