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Expensive weekend


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Don't think you can learn a lot of what I am writing now - but may be what could be learned is to stop flying of you have a bad day...

Friday, 30.3.2012. No wind, perfect conditions. Flew my old Yak after a small repair which came from transport. After 3 flights I had to wait for the charger so I switched over to the E-flite Extra 300. I managed to stall at the exit of a knife edge - couldn't catch it and went into the ground - almost level as for a landing but much too fast and into a field. Fuselage broken into 2 pieces - the landing gear was ripped off and the fuselage broke exactly above the landing gear. The cowl is completely unhurt, not even the prop was broken. It was such a clear break that I have already repaired it. Only the wheel spats went totally into pieces. So far so good, had another flight with the Yak, no problem at all. Saturday the weather was not too impressive so I spent time for repairing the Extra.

 

 

Sunday 1.4.2012 - Yak 54, first flight in the morning. Light wind, some back-light. After some rounds of calm aerobatics I flew a bit inverted - and not too high. A loud crack and the canopy went. The trim changed dramatically and the Yak went into the fertile soil of MK. Fuselage 20 cm shorter, wings damaged. Because of the age and condition of the plane I decided to scrap it.

Out with the Extra 300S (Graupner - with changed design) and on we go. I flew rather careful as I had already lost one and damaged another plane this weekend. After 10 min I made a first attempt to land - I was slightly too high or the throttle was a bit too much open - I decided to make a wider approach. And I managed the same as during the maiden of this model - I caught the trees on the far end of the runway. Only that those trees were I crashed now are in Milton Keynes, and the ones where I crashed during the maiden were in Italy.

The plane was hanging in about 7 or 8 m above ground and looked pretty ok. I got the ladder and the plane hook which we have in the container - as I am not the first and for sure not the last who ended in the stupid trees.

I didn't manage to catch the stabiliser with the hook - but the plane came free of the branches. It fell off the tree in a rather unlucky way and arrived stabiliser first on mother earth. Back of fuselage and stabiliser in pieces, wings more or less ok but with several holes. cowl broken. Also here I decided to make room for new stuff. Ken will leave the cockpit in which he had 3 major crashes and he will try his luck with another model. Ordered myself a Seagull Extra, similar size, so I can use the engine and the pilot....

Next weekend I go cycling or walking - to keep the cost down...
VA - frustration department.

Just to give you an idea - those were the 3 planes...

top view

Mex YAK 54

finished

 

Edited By Vecchio Austriaco on 04/04/2012 21:52:14

Edited By Vecchio Austriaco on 04/04/2012 21:59:54

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Oh Dear. I'm really sorry to hear all that VA. That sort of weekend is sent to test us isn't it! As I think you have already decided its "take a deep breath and count to one hundred" time!

Look on the bright side - statistically you have probably had all your crashes for this year and half of next all up front!

BEB

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