Biggles' Elder Brother - Moderator Posted November 19, 2011 Share Posted November 19, 2011 My Kyosho Pitts Special - seen in the photo above courtesy of Chris Bott - is sadly no more. It was one of my favourite models and there was always space in the car for her - no matter what else I took. If I was doing a maiden, I'd always "have a few flights with the Pitts to get my hand in". If everything else was playing up, the Pitts would always be the old reliable stand-by who would start and fly just the same everytime. If ever I was a bit down or bored, a flight throwing the Pitts around always cheered me up. But alas, all that is no more. I'd had two flights with her this afternoon. It was windy day but despite her small size that never really bothered the Pitts - too heavy and too fast! I decided I'd have another blast round. As I flew from right to left I thought "I've got the strip to myself, we'll have some end-to-end aerobatics and I'll throw in a couple of stall turns to kick things off. So, stall turn duely delivered at stage left, the exit was a bit low, but I like it like that - gets the adrenalin pumpling! She flashes past going left to right now (downwind) and up we go for the opposite stall turn. Just as she pivots over the top the wind caught the wings and she rotated sideways on. No real problem, let her gain speed in the downward vertical and quarter roll the right way round - right? Well yes - only instinct took over. I put the aileron in far, far too early, she was far too slow. The wind on her back in the upward leg was pushing her out so I'd had some up elevator in to keep things vertical and unwittingly I'd left it in. So now; we're slow, up-elevator and ailerons in - this is only going to end one way isn't it. Yeap we enter a textbook, fully stalled, spin. Even that wouldn't necessarily have been fatal, but the wind had pushed me out even further than I thought and I was over the trees. She hit trees going full belt vertically downwards - there wasn't much left. My fault 100%. 1. I got over cocky and entered the stall turn from far to low with no margin for error. 2. I left the elevator in - stupid. 3. I applied the ailerons with almost zero airspeed - even more stupid! 4. I failed to allow sufficiently for the strength of the wind and how far out it had pushed me so that even the very small margin I thought I had dissapeared as the trees intervened! She was a challenge to fly, but ultimately always rewarding. I've lost count of how many flights we'd had together, hundreds and hundreds. I couldn't face another one, it wouldn't be the same....well perhaps not just yet anyway BEB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Bott - Moderator Posted November 19, 2011 Share Posted November 19, 2011 R.I.P. Pitts. Sorry to ear that BEB. Sounds like she really was something special.It always seems to be the ones we really like doesn't it? No consolation I know but it's the low moments that seem make the highs in this hobby so high. Maybe after the proper period of mourning you'll feel like another? Not to replace, but to remember the first one by. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ken anderson. Posted November 19, 2011 Share Posted November 19, 2011 bad luck - BEB...but happy memories of her that no amount of money could buy...... ken anderson ne..1..... memories dept..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan Cantwell Posted November 19, 2011 Share Posted November 19, 2011 always sad to lose a fav model, comiserations Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josip Vrandecic -Mes Posted November 19, 2011 Share Posted November 19, 2011 Very sorry...BEB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry Walters Posted November 19, 2011 Share Posted November 19, 2011 Commiserations BEB but by the sound of it she had a very full life and went the way of the best! Tomorrow is another day and there we do things differently. So enjoy the memories and on to upland sunlight pastures (well that is until the next unforeseen incident with an adverse physical effect!) TBFTGOG go we all. Terry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin Harris - Moderator Posted November 19, 2011 Share Posted November 19, 2011 Oh BEB, I really do sympathise, being a fellow member of the Kyosho Pitts S2S Black Bin Liner club. You've summed up its charms perfectly. Mine shuffled off (or perhaps more accurately into) this mortal coil on a day when I felt perfectly relaxed and at ease with the world, took off, aeros as usual but then a dead stick downwind over trees which meant I had to turn so whacked in a 180 with the nose very well down, rolled out of it and applied elevator to round out - only thing wrong was that the flight path continued straight down in a 30 degree or so nose down attitude until the ground brought a sudden halt to the proceedings. I think I must have been slipping in the turn and not gaining the airspeed that I'd assumed due to the nose down attitude. They really are super little models and mine's residing in a large plastic bag in the loft awaiting resurrection when I can raise the enthusiasm - which really shouldn't be too much of a problem... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vecchio Austriaco Posted November 19, 2011 Share Posted November 19, 2011 Things that can happen. Don't take it too serious - now you have space for another model. By the way - there is a picture from better days (greeacres 2011) Cheers VA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fly boy3 Posted November 19, 2011 Share Posted November 19, 2011 Commiserations from me BeB. Nothing we can say can take the pain away. At least you have a great picture of her. Cheers FB3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danny Fenton Posted November 19, 2011 Share Posted November 19, 2011 really sorry to hear of your Pitts demise, sometimes this hobby can be cruel. Cheers Danny Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim Mackey Posted November 19, 2011 Share Posted November 19, 2011 Oh bummer Dave - sorry to hear that, and as I think you once said ( possibly to me ) its always your favourites that go in ! Bad luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Biggles' Elder Brother - Moderator Posted November 20, 2011 Author Share Posted November 20, 2011 Thanks guys - as you say at least she went in style doing what she did best . A better end for that type of model than to finish its days being neglected and left on the shelf because its just too old and worn out to fly. (A bit like me in a few years ) BEB PS As I've told Mrs BEB, I'll just have to look around for something suitable for an OS56FS now....Mmmmm I wonder..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Wright 2 Posted November 20, 2011 Share Posted November 20, 2011 Beb Mine recently suffered the same fate ,but the wings tail moment arm and some of the forward area is OK ,if you or martin can use the parts for a rebuild I can get them sent for about £10 if its any help. Tom. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wiltshire Flyer Posted November 20, 2011 Share Posted November 20, 2011 Shame BEB great looking plane Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silver Wolf Posted November 20, 2011 Share Posted November 20, 2011 As they say "Fly with flair and crash with grace" It sounds that you do.Edited By DA on 20/11/2011 01:32:23 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Ashby - Moderator Posted November 20, 2011 Share Posted November 20, 2011 Aw BEB, what you do that for? Isn't it funny how we can have such a close affinity with a favourite airframe, well at least you know the cause Dave, there's nothing worse than loosing a model for reasons unknown. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seamus O'Leprosy Posted November 20, 2011 Share Posted November 20, 2011 RIP BEB S-2CAshes to ashes, balsa dust to balsa dustHold the front page!"Modeller admits crash was his fault" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Chaddock Posted November 20, 2011 Share Posted November 20, 2011 BEBNow that is a resume & analysis of a crash that would do justice to the Air Accident Investigation Branch! And is a lot better than many of the real pilots reports as well. Sorry about the Pitts but hopefully others will read the post and start to think that maybe not every crash is the result of a completely unexpected "tip stall"! Edited By Simon Chaddock on 20/11/2011 10:19:46 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Biggles' Elder Brother - Moderator Posted November 20, 2011 Author Share Posted November 20, 2011 No, you're quite right Seamus and Simon. Its important to be honest with yourself over these things. How else can you learn? Reflecting on the event it brings home some important lessons for me: 1. No matter how many times you have sucessfully carried out a particular maneouvre it can still go "wrong"! 2. Always consider "do I have at least some margin here if things do go pear-shaped"? 3. This accident - like many others with experienced fliers I suspect - wasn't caused by just a single error - it was a culmination of several errors and circumstances; the low entry into the maneouvre, the wind turning her at just the wrong time, me dwelling on the up-elevator, me mis-timing the application of the ailerons, me allowing my limited margin to be further erroded by wind drift that took me over the trees. All these factors had to come together - if one had been absent I might have got away with the others. The moral here is "plan for the unexpected combination of circumstances and don't get over confident"! BEB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cyclicscooby Posted November 21, 2011 Share Posted November 21, 2011 Really sorry BEB... No matter how good you are, we all have 'bad' days... The Red-Arrows pilots must be some of the best around, but we know they can make mistakes.. I can reverse an artic onto a bay, first time, 10-20 times, then the next day, I take 4 shunts and look like an amateur.. We all do it.. Can't be perfect all the time.. But as said, you've analysed the incident, and found yourself wanting.. Not many would admit to that.. Best of, finding a replacement.. Luv Chrisie.. xx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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