Why do aircraft have 2 ailerons?

[Martin Harris - Moderator]

Old glove modified to match the finger guards seen on various YouTube videos, fishing reel loaded with kevlar string and new band of merry men enlisted, I returned to the forest scene this afternoon and with appropriate humming of "te dum te diddle te dum te dum.... " let fly with the bow and arrow.

Mine's just visible above the pointed conifer - the white line is a trainer fuselage which is a long term tenant

After a few attempts, got a line into a good position

hauled back some rope...

... and dislodged the model which fell to within range of our long pole.

Doesn't look too high at all now

...until you climb down the bank into the wood

And down it came with no significant damage other than a dent in a leading edge where it hit the tree and some surface scratching.

So have I reverted from Mr Grumpy cover for Myron now?

...

...

...

Not a chance! I posted these prophetic words earlier in the thread:

"With a decent Jeti receiver and my vario module stuck in the tree, not to speak of the model, I'm still in grumpy mode - but looking forward to the challenge in a perverse way!"

When I checked the parts, everything was there...except the "decent Jeti receiver and my vario module" which are still "stuck in the tree"

...as I discovered after a good ground search, when I found they were still at the site of the original impact and from the number of turns of the link cable around the branch it looks like the module was flung out on impact and wrapped itself round the branch several times (clearer with binoculars). They are, I'm afraid, probably there for the life of the tree.

And just to round the day off, while flying off some of my frustrations with my favourite 1/12th scale combat Tempest, the wing locating peg failed in turbulence (off the rotten trees) and the wingless fuselage impacted rather firmly the other side of the next field - followed some time later by the slowly revolving fuselageless wing even further away...

Edited By Martin Harris on 15/04/2012 01:10:28

[Biggles' Elder Brother - Moderator]

Ever get the feeling that its just not your weekend Martin?

BEB

[Peter Miller]

You know what they say....

There is never two without three.

Don't go flying again. or use a really old and tatty model

[Martin Harris - Moderator]

Prophetic words Peter?

I had a rather nasty moment on Saturday when, after some vigorous flying in bumpy conditions, I lost an aileron (and initially thought I'd lost all control) on my Dago Red Mustang - eventually rolled it out of the turn and immediately put it down wheels up in case I lost control again (less chance of ripping the wheels out - thoughts of receiver battery failure going through my head).

When I checked, the starboard aileron had stopped in the half up position and I found the receiver connection for that channel was loose. I'm now re-thinking the neatly laced wiring "loom" which probably flexed in flight pulling out the shortest lead - luckily one with some redundancy!

Even more luckily, no damage done.

Edited By Martin Harris on 23/04/2012 17:33:10

[Daithi O Buitigh]

From the old 'Aeromodeller Annual' of 1947 - 1948:

TIMBER! When the first model aeroplane that he had ever built was caught in a tree, retired 64-years-old H...E...H... felled the 62 ft. beech.

"The model was such a prize to me that I did not want to lose it. I had no alternative but to cut down the tree." he told the Court. He was fined £3 for doing malicious damage and his son £2 for assisting.

(Extract from "Sussex Daily News"

[Biggles' Elder Brother - Moderator]

What is it with you and ailerons Martin?

BEB

[Martin Harris - Moderator]

I think I must be on a roll...