CantCatchMe

My Feedback: (1)

Ever wonder what would happen if a wrong-way pilot hit your jet? Neither did I, but I sure found out. Summary: Me and one other pilot, both of us had spotters. We were flying patern left to right, and about half way through my flight I called "Low pass!" I lined up with the centerline, preparing to cross left to right and rolled inverted. 10 yards from the threshold.. BOOM!! A few interesting words were then exchanged, but then I apologized and ofered my condolances for his mustang- some of which is still missing. He didn't even return me the favor, and say he was sorry. We left the scene at that and I don't even know his name.
[:@]
Aparently he was unfamiliar with left hand patern, so he just decided to go ahead and switch paterns without letting me know. He was in the process of switching paterns when we hit so my spotter figured he was just going to complete his circle, but no. He leveled out and dropped in on to the deck. At the exact same alititude and flight line as me.

Upon impact, my reciever was disconnected and I lost control of the aircraft. Thankfully, his wing caught my fuel tank and UAT and tore it clean from the plane (I found it later 80 yards or so from the crash site) this killed the engine, so there was no fire. I thought I had turned it off, but there was no radio so that was not possible. Then the nose split in two and slowed the plane to a stop in the air, while it flipped over backwards. It then flew backward for a second or two and flutered to the ground. As I watched in horror.

Turbulence

My Feedback: (76)

Sound like Sepulveda Basin again

Turbulence

Flyfalcons

Sounds like it could have been worse - just imagine if your receiver was rendered useless and your engine kept running full power while the plane headed toward the pits......

tamjets

My Feedback: (2)

Oh no.
Is the engine able to repair to use in the F-15?
This is all Matt false.
He said you fly until you crash it. He said this couple months ago.
Tam

Ehab

My Feedback: (44)

Sorry about your loss Spencer...Thank God no one got heart or fire was started.

CantCatchMe

My Feedback: (1)

Haha, yea it was probably matt's fault. Actualy, the entire scenario turned out a lot better than I would have expected. Especially the engine- which recieved most of the impact only needs a new case, deckle, and EGT sensor. Thanks to your fod screen, Tam, my engine isn't full of mustang, and the compressor and Diffuser blades are in perfect condition.

Oh yeah, it was the basin. Dontcha love it? Amazingly the wings dont have a scratch, nick, cut, ding, or crack on them.

Anybody need some kangaroo wings?

Vincent

My Feedback: (61)

That same thing happened to me in March with my then new Roo. I was only my third flight and WHAM, went right thru one of those imaac a******s that have no regard for flight patterns except for their own at our club field.

V..

mr_matt

My Feedback: (10)

Hi Spencer,

Sorry about the plane, at least the motor sounds OK, and hopefully the servos and stuff.


And it was most certainly not my false!!

CantCatchMe

My Feedback: (1)

Sounds like it could have been worse - just imagine if your receiver was rendered useless and your engine kept running full power while the plane headed toward the pits......

BTW to flyfalcones, my reciever was rendered usless, I lost all flight control. But that has the same afect as turning the switch off so It just immediately shut the engine down. But you are right it turned out good, had it veered right instead of left it would have probaby crashed right into the wrong way pilot...
...hey, wait a second... damn.

(Just kidding)

SJN

I guess you cant live up to your nick name now :-)

Joke aside, This realy blows when it happens :-(
Sorry for your loss.


SJ.

Scale Jr.

My Feedback: (1)

Hey guys,
I used to fly at the Apollo 11 field, but i live in Minnesota now. I remember i had a lot of problems with people and their ego's there. I didnt get any respect when i flew there (maybe it was because i was between the ages of 7 and 13). I still go back there around once a year, but i heard that the field is in deep trouble, and that they have an altitude limit of 200Ft! One time i was there and a guy had a Bandit, and i was just looking, but he told me to go away!
Anyway, i'm sorry about the loss of that Roo. It looks as though the pilot would not have servived that one.
Rusty

Woketman

My Feedback: (6)

Where is the Apollo 11 Field? Sounds like a place I'd LOVE to fly!!!

Gary Arthur

My Feedback: (29)

The apollo 11 field is At the Sepulveda Basin in California. North of LAX, south of Van Nyes airport. The reason for the 200 ft. ceiling is the amount of traffic from Van Nyes. Van Nyes is the largest public airport. When spoting for turbine flying, the main thing to watch for is planes leaving Van Nyes and passing overhead.

eddy

I don' now how many years ago you guys were there. The ceiling at the basin is 400 ft for models and Van nuys air traffic is supposed to be about 1800 ft above sea level which puts scale traffic at 1000 ft.Some times a heli or a small prop plane will fly over. occasionally in our air space. The basin is by far the best model air field in the area. I'm not happy about Spencer's jet med air Unfortunately this p51 pilot was from a field were only right turns are made. Generally our problems happen when people from other fields show up. Sorry about you'r bird Spencer.

CantCatchMe

My Feedback: (1)

Thanks Eddy, and all of you other guys. Yeah, the field is the best in the area. The next would be the desert by Edwards but thats a two hour drive, so i don't mind the 400ft altitude limit. I only mind the kooks who dont know what they are doing, but hey.. its a public field so what can you do other than not fly. I figure If your going to fly a jet, at any field, asume the value of your jet- or whatever plane- is that of the least expensive airplane there.

RampRat

200 ft. ceiling?? Wow.. That's pretty low..

I had my Majko Softliner (glider) at 1.800 ft. AGL a couple of weeks ago...

Rojeck

My Feedback: (22)

I heard there was a mid air last week, Spencer my condolences on your loss. As for the Basin, its the most fun place to fly and all of the extra traffic in the air just makes it more interesting. The 400' ceiling is not really a problem for me since I usually don't go that high anyways, I have a fear of heights. As for the people there, where else can you go on any given day and see over a 100 guys flying and two to five jets. On the weekends, you can see 200 plus pilots and planes and maybe up to six or seven jets flying around. You are sure to run into every type of personalities out there because of the shear number of people drifting through there in a given day, fortunately most of them are real nice guys. I have flown at the desert and other wide open places, but the Basin is the most fun and exciting place to fly by far.

Sung

CantCatchMe

My Feedback: (1)

Thanks Sung, and I agree. My mishap wont stop me from flying there. I just got an update on the guy i unintentionaly met last week, aparently it wasn't even his airplane. I was told he normaly flies at woodier, which is normaly right to left patern. If you think sepulveda is bad, dont even get me started about woodier. First of all you have a freeway directly to one side, trees directly oposit, and an open riffle range to the right of the runway- At least if we accidently fly over the golf coarse at sepulveda we dont come back with bullet holes in our aircraft.

A10FLYR

My Feedback: (1)

Sounds like a place for a "Park Flyer" instead!

CantCatchMe

My Feedback: (1)

Yeah, I know. Sure makes Sepulveda sound like paradise though.

BasinBum

My Feedback: (2)

Hey Spencer, Sorry about your loss. Glad to see you don't hold the field responsible for what happened as the same thing happens all over the country, it's just part of the game. I got mid-aired a month ago flying the pattern along with another plane flying the pattern, stuff happens.

People love to bash the Basin and many have a real love hate relationship with the place but I think many other places would seem boring to us.

Richard

Laura H

You havent lived unless you have had a mid air!!!!!!!!!!!
I was at a show afew weeks ago and this young guy had a mid air with a tree. He flew the plane straight into the tree.....The Fuz kept flying leaving the wings in the tree....Slight misjudgment....The tree wasn't that far away.

Lau

Davidso

My Feedback: (1)

Hi Spencer;

Sorry about your loss. May be you want to fly with Jon and I during the week. Weekends at the basin is just crazy and not worth-it.

David

mr_matt

My Feedback: (10)

Hey Richard, would you feel the same if the guy was goin in the "non prevailing" direction of the pattern, right over the center of the runway?

KFalcon

My Feedback: (18)

I have Monday and Tuesday off and was considering heading to the Basin one of these weeks. Is there any jet guys that fly on those two days? How busy is the air on those days?

I have been there once and really liked the field. It was really late though, and don't think I got the full effect of having tons of people around me.