My crashes over the years!
Posted: Sat Jun 18, 2011 6:03 amHmm, let me see. More of my models have crashed than have been retired or sold! Not sure what that says, but interestingly most have been crashed by someone other than me!
28/4/91 - my 5th model; an unknown delta seen in the local model store. OS25 engine. First flight, hand launched well. Instructor having fun, nice big loop but stayed in the vertical downside for some reason; had to dig that out of the dirt!
28/12/91 - my first heli. An old MFA Sport 500 fixed pitch. Thought I could fly without assistance in my (5 acre) garden. I was wrong. The gyro was reversed, I didn't know it; I didn't have a chance! Deliberately killed the power before it left the property. Ouch! I bought a Concept 30 after that and got a sim and some instruction.
28/06/92 - Paper Aviation Fun Stun. Awesome plane. Got it at a show for ten quick. Made of foamboard. Had it for a month and was flying full speed from right to left when it just nose dived in from 50ft and re-kitted itself. Never did find out why; suspect I got shot down, but who would admit to that!
26/7/92 - my 6th model, a Howard Metcalfe Phantom, with that same OS25 in it. Again crashed by the instructor. Too much rates on first flight, not enough on the second. Hmm, that engine a bit of a jinx?!
late-92 - after getting to aerobatics on the Concept 30 heli I had a run of engine problems causing crashes several weeks in a row. Got too expensive, went back to planes!
late-92 - my second delta, bigger this time. 47" span, SC53 engine. Was ok, but coming out a big loop it wouldn't recover. Went behind a hill and I lost sight of it. Gone. This was at a coastal flying site. Spent almost an hour looking for it but couldn't find it. When I returned to the field there was a guy in a wetsuit holding it. Apparently, it had levelled out, flown almost a mile out to sea and bumped into this windsurfer; no damage to him and he found it rather amusing. The plane and radio was all history.
01/11/97 - Avicraft Moronic. Crashed in NZ by club member. Not entirely sure what happened. I did later find that he flew Mode 1 whereas my TX was Mode 2. May have been movement of the banded on wing after an outside loop fouling the controls though. Who really knows? Total write off.
early-98 - Kyosho Nexus 30 heli. Back into helis and again, after a few months more engine issues and more crashes. Still can't auto! Back to planes then!
2011 - back into models after a huge layoff. Been playing with the Phoenix sim; just like riding a bike, right? Got my Parkzone Extra 300, would all the controls to max... crashed it. Repaired the torn off u/c and firewall. Adjusted the pushrods and the TX rates. Now ok. Later made further adjustments and had lots of up and no down; stalled it in. Repaired it again. Got the CG right now too. Flying well.
PS. Now have a T-Rex 550E FBL; goes great, no engine to quit on me, but still can't auto! It's just a matter of time...
28/4/91 - my 5th model; an unknown delta seen in the local model store. OS25 engine. First flight, hand launched well. Instructor having fun, nice big loop but stayed in the vertical downside for some reason; had to dig that out of the dirt!
28/12/91 - my first heli. An old MFA Sport 500 fixed pitch. Thought I could fly without assistance in my (5 acre) garden. I was wrong. The gyro was reversed, I didn't know it; I didn't have a chance! Deliberately killed the power before it left the property. Ouch! I bought a Concept 30 after that and got a sim and some instruction.
28/06/92 - Paper Aviation Fun Stun. Awesome plane. Got it at a show for ten quick. Made of foamboard. Had it for a month and was flying full speed from right to left when it just nose dived in from 50ft and re-kitted itself. Never did find out why; suspect I got shot down, but who would admit to that!
26/7/92 - my 6th model, a Howard Metcalfe Phantom, with that same OS25 in it. Again crashed by the instructor. Too much rates on first flight, not enough on the second. Hmm, that engine a bit of a jinx?!
late-92 - after getting to aerobatics on the Concept 30 heli I had a run of engine problems causing crashes several weeks in a row. Got too expensive, went back to planes!
late-92 - my second delta, bigger this time. 47" span, SC53 engine. Was ok, but coming out a big loop it wouldn't recover. Went behind a hill and I lost sight of it. Gone. This was at a coastal flying site. Spent almost an hour looking for it but couldn't find it. When I returned to the field there was a guy in a wetsuit holding it. Apparently, it had levelled out, flown almost a mile out to sea and bumped into this windsurfer; no damage to him and he found it rather amusing. The plane and radio was all history.
01/11/97 - Avicraft Moronic. Crashed in NZ by club member. Not entirely sure what happened. I did later find that he flew Mode 1 whereas my TX was Mode 2. May have been movement of the banded on wing after an outside loop fouling the controls though. Who really knows? Total write off.
early-98 - Kyosho Nexus 30 heli. Back into helis and again, after a few months more engine issues and more crashes. Still can't auto! Back to planes then!
2011 - back into models after a huge layoff. Been playing with the Phoenix sim; just like riding a bike, right? Got my Parkzone Extra 300, would all the controls to max... crashed it. Repaired the torn off u/c and firewall. Adjusted the pushrods and the TX rates. Now ok. Later made further adjustments and had lots of up and no down; stalled it in. Repaired it again. Got the CG right now too. Flying well.
PS. Now have a T-Rex 550E FBL; goes great, no engine to quit on me, but still can't auto! It's just a matter of time...