Proper mid-air attempted ribbon cutting crash etiquette
 

Hello all,

This evening I was attempting to do some ribbon cutting and as the subject implies, it ended in me running into the guy pulling the ribbon. He put a ribbon on and said to try and cut it. I successfully cut it 2 times, and hit it 2 more. Then the 5th time while way out a ways up and to the left I swung up for the ribbon and magically was lined up perfectly with....the plane....we got stuck together for a bit and when about 30 feet from the ground we broke loose. I pulled back and successfully made a pretty lucky landing on top of some corn. The other guy who I hit wasn't so lucky and didn't pull out of the dive. His plane was damaged quite a bit, as he went straight in. So my question....what is the proper etiquette when accidentally hitting someone while attempting to cut their ribbon? Am I supposed to pay for their plane or is it considered part of ribbon cutting?

Thanks much for your opinions.<br type="_moz" />

RE: Proper mid-air attempted ribbon cutting crash etiquette
 

You've each willingly engaged in the activity, and each of you accepted the risk of something bad happening.  Neither of you owes the other anything more than a shrug, a laugh, and a handshake.

RE: Proper mid-air attempted ribbon cutting crash etiquette
 

Yep. You both decided to do this, hopefully knowing in advance that something like this could be the end result. No harm, no foul as far as I can see. If it were your pane that went down would you expect compensation? Hopefully, the answer is no. A lesson should be learned by all and then move on.

RE: Proper mid-air attempted ribbon cutting crash etiquette
 

Yeah, we were laughing about it. It was amusing, but just wanted to see your thoughts. Thanks for your thoughts.

RE: Proper mid-air attempted ribbon cutting crash etiquette
 

Down here in our club we do that all the time as a sport. Its called combat:D. We get about 4 or 5 guys up in the air with cheap disposable planes that run magnum .15's and everyone is towing a ribbon. Then everyone tries to cut each others ribbons and it usually does end up in a few mid airs here and there but everyone is fully aware that it can happen.


David

RE: Proper mid-air attempted ribbon cutting crash etiquette
 

We just use Strikers with no ribbons and try to knock each other out of the air. It is great fun. If you totally destroy the fuselage a new one is $18. I have never seen one that a little hot glue couldnt fix. In our competions you would have earned a kill sticker because your target went down, but you stayed up.

RE: Proper mid-air attempted ribbon cutting crash etiquette
 

Well, I didn't stay up, I just had a more successful landing in the corn field than he did. I could have replaced the prop and put it back in the air if I wanted to. The other guy could have gotten out a bucket of epoxy and glued. We were a bit bigger that .15 size as well. I was a magnum .52 4-stroke, and he was something similar. I might have to put a sticker on the plane even though I crash landed in the corn field too :).

RE: Proper mid-air attempted ribbon cutting crash etiquette
 

Something else that comes up. If you ask someone else to fly a plane it it crashes don't look to them for a replacement. If you ask someone to try it then it was your call. When someone asks me to maiden a plane I let them know I have crashed more then one plane and I will not be responsible for there plane. If someone asks me to trim a plane for them it's the same thing. I have never asked anyone if I could fly there plane, they ask me, it's on there head not mine.

RE: Proper mid-air attempted ribbon cutting crash etiquette
 

I had a mid air with the same person twice in one week. The first time we each said it was a once in a million ocurrence. My Laser 3D was reduced to toothpicks, his profile survived with some damage. The following weekend it happened again, same pilots, different planes. This one was pretty cool - the planes locked together in flight, belly to belly, and crashed together. We both had major damage but the planes flew again. After the second one we each decided not to fly while the other was flying.

They were both no-fault. Neither of us thought for a moment that the other was to blame. Those are the only two mid-airs I have had or even seen in 10 years of flying.

RE: Proper mid-air attempted ribbon cutting crash etiquette
 

The ANABAT foam sloper was intended for full-body contact combat on the slope.
The onliest "rule" was the guy that was able to perform a roll after an impact won that impact! :)
There is no way to have more fun standing up!

RE: Proper mid-air attempted ribbon cutting crash etiquette
 

Years ago to members of my first club were flying profile combat birds and going at it hot and heavy. I was prepping my plane for a flight when I heard this loud CRUNCH come from the runway area. All I saw when I turned around was balsa confetti raining down and two guys laughing so hard they could barely stand. Miraculously both engines and both sets of radio gear survived to be used again.

Proper etiquette? Enjoy a good laugh together, share a frosty beverage of choice (OFF the field, thank you) and share a great story of the "do you remember that one time..." variety.