Attack Of The Stearman
 

Ok, One of the best guy's you will ever meet at our field and my friend J>K who by the way is 73, showed up on a 3 to 4 mile day during the week(that's when he like's to test models) with only a few skipper's and R/C bums around(I'm not sure if I was a skipper or a bum). Anyway, J>K pulls a brand new PT-17 Stearman out of the van...We could hardly wait to see this snappy yellow and blue bird hit the sky. Well wait we did and it hit more than the wild blue. The four stroke(I can't remember the make) kept starting backwards. I mean two hours passed by before it was ready to go. Well, you can imagine the tension or anticipation at this point. After a radio check J>K set her on the deck and stood back for a moment. At this time let me say I was standing with another guy about 20 feet back at my table. J>K was out on the flight line with a guy who had been helping him all along. Ok, he gives it the throttle, the Stearman is headed off straight as a arrow, after 15 feet she lift's off. It's looking good were ready to start cheering . But wait. it keeps going up... up...up...upside down... headed right for my table upside down and wide open... seconds if that... are unfolding so fast... it roars by within 8 feet missing me and continuing it's crazy roll wide open... now it's headed for J>K out on the flight line finishing it's roll wide open. with no time I mean no time to spare J>K and the other guy hit the ground with a violent thud!!! the (Spear-man) no lie I mean a great big miracle misses them by maybe 3 feet and crashes into a hundred splinter's just behind them on the run way almost where it took off...I was afraid J>K was gonna have heart attack. Afterwards, we did a field check. The up and down elevator were working and the rate's high and low were set as recommended by the instructions. J>K thinks it was a radio problem. He now has a different(new) radio and fly's like a champ.