Simon Chaddock Posted May 17, 2012 Share Posted May 17, 2012 My 40" super lightweight pusher has a bolt action on the battery hatch. Only bank and yank but with its low wing loading can be chucked about with some verve but doing a bunt the hatch gave way and the battery fell out and with sufficient force to pull apart the stiff Deans. The plane floated down inverted and landed safely. With no power there was nothing I could have done anyway but you keep looking at the plane whereas I would have been better concentrating on the battery. I did hear it land but never actually saw it. Having had this happen once before I immediately walked over to where I thought it had happened and marked the spot with the transmitter. I then retrieved the plane as a dog was taking an interest and placed it by the tx. I spent 20 minutes undertaking a square pattern search covering about 100ft all round - nothing! I told myself it will show up being white against the grass. Repeated the search but going further up wind - nothing! Annoyed at the loss of a battery but thankful the plane was undamaged I decided to cut my losses. Picked up the TX and the plane and there in the grass was the battery. It was about 6" away. Doh! So I put the battery back in and carried on from where I had left off! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doug Ireland Posted May 17, 2012 Share Posted May 17, 2012 I thought you were going to say that the dog had a "passing" interest in your Tx! Should I post this in all three of your threads? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Biggles' Elder Brother - Moderator Posted May 17, 2012 Share Posted May 17, 2012 That's life isn't it Simon. Its the same in the workshop, you have a tool in your hand, you put it down, 30secs later....its nowhere to tbe seen! You search and search, no joy. You move on to something else and there it is - right in front of you! I reckon there are magic elves that move things around - don't even start me on missing socks! BEB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Bennett Posted May 17, 2012 Share Posted May 17, 2012 the sock monster, he eats them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Hargreaves - Moderator Posted May 18, 2012 Share Posted May 18, 2012 I once found a battery in the middle of our strip that had buried itself after falling from a model.....I noticed the wire on the grass when retrieving my model & pulled at it & lo & behold a battery came up too..... Re-uniting the battery with its owner he said it had fallen out of the model at about 100 feet & that he had spent ages looking for it...... Our strip is pretty soft though a lot of peat under it......still amazing that the battery had buried itself though..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kc Posted May 18, 2012 Share Posted May 18, 2012 Can you imagine what future archaeologists are going to puzzle over the large quantities of cylindrical aluminium objects about 4 inches long all in one small area and in a slightly newer level large quantities of lithium, nickel, cadmium etc.And not a word written anywhere to explain how they got there!I suggest that aeromodellers identify themselves to each other by wearing odd socks! Much better than badges or funny handshakes etc. Think of the aeromodelling time saved each day. Lets all try this at the next show so we can recognise fellow Modelflying forumites..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Myron Beaumont Posted May 18, 2012 Share Posted May 18, 2012 KC Imagine that archaeologists find an infernal combustion engine and discovered that fossils (as far as they are concerned) ran on even older fossils remains (oil) then extinct. ? You know what I mean I hope ? 'tis the "medication " you know . Edited By Myron Beaumont on 18/05/2012 22:27:54 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richard cohen Posted May 18, 2012 Share Posted May 18, 2012 i seem to recall a thread on a forum somewhere, where a chap lost transmission to his model and suffered a flyaway. After seeing it disappear out of sight, he fetches his car, packs up his gear and get in to go home when he hears a drone and sees his model appear from 'tother direction having done a very large circuit. Grabbing his Tx from the car, he switches on, gets control and lands the model !!! Not sure if true, exaggeration of the truth, but a good story none the less Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Privett Posted May 18, 2012 Share Posted May 18, 2012 Posted by Biggles' Elder Brother - Moderator on 17/05/2012 22:25:52: That's life isn't it Simon. Its the same in the workshop, you have a tool in your hand, you put it down, 30secs later....its nowhere to tbe seen! You search and search, no joy. You move on to something else and there it is - right in front of you! That's not how it works for me. I lose the tool, search for it, and half an hour later find it on the other side of the room... No poltergeists or anything, I usually eventually remember that I did indeed walk across the room (tool absent-mindedly in hand) to do something and put the tool down to do whatever I went there to do, intending to pick it up again afterwards. But do I remember that at the time I realise the tool is missing???? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Privett Posted May 18, 2012 Share Posted May 18, 2012 Back on topic... A club-mate once had the 'brilliant' idea of typing a length of ribbon to his battery so it would be easier to see if it ever fell out. One day it did fall out, but I can't see the ribbon made the battery any more visible either as it fell through the air or as it hid in the grass waiting for one of us to eventually find it. Well, it seemed like a good idea at the time... I guess it didn't make it any more difficult to find! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin Harris - Moderator Posted May 18, 2012 Share Posted May 18, 2012 That's a trick some 1/12 scale combat fliers adopt - the odd explosive mid-air isn't exactly unknown and having a telltale ribbon to follow to help find the expensive bits in thick setaside could be very useful when searching for well distributed bits. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Myron Beaumont Posted May 18, 2012 Share Posted May 18, 2012 I have had one of those cheapo yellow plastic car jump start and tyre inflating combos that were about £18 in all the cheapo retail outlets a while ago .Good 12V battery -17 AH UASA I think . Anyway, months ago I decided to scrap two foot pumps that were worn where the piston rod slides through the cylinder end having held on to the gauge and hose and adaptor for the tyre valve of one of them for about 6 months thinking it might come in handy.You know what I mean. I threw it away at last whilst clearing out two weeks ago. Last week ,a passing motorist parked outside the farm gate (public footpath through the farm for ramblers with a half flat tyre .I lent them the afore mentioned electric pump . They broke off the thing that goes on the valve from the hose ! If only I'd kept the hose I had all that time -no probs. Sods or Murphy Law Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Major Posted June 24, 2012 Share Posted June 24, 2012 Just to refresh the topic... A few minutes ago I came back form the park with my Sharky. Had a short session (3 full tanks, about 10-12 mins in the air), at last fund the right angle of launch, discovered few new to me things about stability etc... The thing which took my attention for a second was a red line on the grass, but started to prepare myself and left it unchecked... From other side, who would check just anything on the grass... Did what I wanted to do, packed my stuff back called my children and just before we've gone, had a flashback... "this line looks like one of mine...". When I lost my first Sharky, I used drying line with cross wrench attached to it, as it was the only thing I could reach the treetop with, but it got stuck on the tree, line snapped and I lost it as well. With intrest I picked it up and supprisingly, I've found my wrench on the other end!! Another story would be today's lesson of landing to the feet... I wanted to land as close to me as possible, but misjugded plane's speed... In effect, I've been hit by Sharky - straight into my right shoulder. Don't ask me why I didn't move even an inch, I don't know... It was so good day to me... In total 7 flights (2 sessions), just 7 launches and a lot of good fun and adrenaline. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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