I confess to serious error

[Geoff S]

My name is Geoff and I failed to check control movement and direction before taking off Which is something I thought I always did. Not in this case!

My excuse is that it was cold and windy and it was a model I'd flown probably 200 times or more. I'd repaired the tail section of my Riot after the glue had given way last time I flew. It seemed I'd not reset the rudder push rod properly and had to mess about cheating by adjusting the servo centre with the transmitter rather than mechanically (I was going to correct that at home).

So I took off and all seemed fine the wind was strong but not unflyable ... at least until I applied aileron input for the first turn! I've never flown a model with reversed ailerons before. I managed to turn it back onto the grass patch and effected a downwind landing not very successfully and did enough damage to render the airframe not worth mending.

My Riot is the model I'll fly in any conditions and I was just checking the conditions before I test flew my new Durafly Tundra. I was on my own so just packed up and came home the Tundra still a virgin.

I can't think how the ailerons came to be backwards. The servos are on a Y lead so can't be connected backwards. I can only think that as I was fumbling with the transmitter wearing gloves I accidentally reversed the output. But not a great morning despite the sunshine.

Letters of either sympathy or derision gratefully received

Geoff

[Don Fry]

Mohamed said that only God is perfect.

[Colin Carpenter]

Deepest sympathies Geoff . I always check deflections especially when not using Y leads - I think !!!!!! You can get spare fus if in stock. This is a awful winter one way or another ! I am going out Thursday as wind is forecast less then at the mo ! Colin

[Dave Hopkin]

My god if we are going to have a "I confess" thread then the web hosting company better add a few Terabytes of storage if I decide to bare all................ (as it were)

[kc]

We have all done something similar! The important thing is to find out what you did. Worth playing with the Tx to see what might have happened.

I wonder if you accidently used the wrong model memory - that might explain the lack of centring and also the wrong direction...... Worth checking if another model memory has the rudder incorrectly centred now which might prove what happened. Very likely to be your new model which would likely have been in your mind at the time.

[ken anderson.]

well done geoff...we have all done that in one shape or form.....i hand launched my blizzard........ but fogot to change it in the TX model memory-so everything was awol....and it went straight into a large puddle...and came out in three seperate pieces............ but the brushless motor still worked like a goodin.....just stand in the corner with the pointed hat with a D on..... for 1/4 hour.

ken anderson....ne.....1 memory dept.

[Biggles' Elder Brother - Moderator]

Yeap - its a mistake we can all make, those who haven't yet will do eventually!

It really is virtually possible to fly something with reversed ailerons! Try it on a sim - tremendous challenge even when you know before hand that they are reversed!! In reality of course you spend the first 3 seconds thinking "what the,...." by the time the penny drops its all too late anyway!

Never mind Geoff - chalk it down as one to experience - I just wish that I could get to the end of this experience thing!

BEB

[J D 8]

Did it last summer with a lazy bee,short flight ending with motor removed.Yes wrong memory, Is it not time with all these clever radio systems today that this was made impossible? Or is such a system out there?

Have got away with doing it on the elevator but then we are more used to it being reversed because of flying inverted.

[Don Fry]

I was a widower at one time. The last present my first wife bought me was a sixth scale cub kit. It eventually got built, and was very nice, and had a lot of flying on it, over about 15 years. Until one day in a hurry, took off on the wrong memory. And it strayed into dangerous areas, and I had to put it in. My last flight on 35 meg, I was so fed up with being an idiot, and losing something of sentimental value. My Spectrum DX 9 will not work until the receiver detects that the tranni is sending its unique code. I assume all 2.4 gig stuff does this?

Edited By Donald Fry on 09/02/2016 17:35:37

[cymaz]

Ummm....I must confess my aileron reversal on a maiden flight

[jrman]

JR and Spektrum have "Model Match" that prevents the model being operated if the wrong memory is selected. Other sets may also have this feature.

 

Edited By jrman on 09/02/2016 17:53:53

Edited By jrman on 09/02/2016 17:54:09

[Martyn K]

I have done it twice so far.

Once on a brand new Acrowot - maiden flight - 5 seconds into the biggest mud pile you have ever seen - which saved the model - Put that one down to inexperience and nerves.

I did it again last year on another aerobat. My error that time was that I selected the wrong VERSION of the model from the memory - which had just had new fast servos fitted which worked in the opposite direction.

Model landed inverted on the runway after about 3 seconds and did a moderate amount of damage - ground through the glass fibre deck but amazingly it survived quite well.

I had done the pre flight checks on the correct version, chickened out and then flew another model then went back to the other one and as they say - the rest is history...

I keep saying I'll never do that again...

Martyn

[Peter Miller]

Yes, we all do it. Done it more than once. And twice on V tail models

I am always reminded of the poster in every RAF Hangar.

"DON'T ASSUME. CHECK!"

The trouble is that we still don't check often enough.

[Tony K]

A man who never made a mistake never did anything.

[Don Fry]

As Mohamed said.

[Glyn R]

Posted by jrman on 09/02/2016 17:47:53:

JR and Spektrum have "Model Match" that prevents the model being operated if the wrong memory is selected. Other sets may also have this feature.

 

Edited By jrman on 09/02/2016 17:53:53

Edited By jrman on 09/02/2016 17:54:09

I changed to Spektrum for just this feature. Using my Sanwa RD6000 I was taxiing for take off when noticed my rudder was reversed. I went to the LMS and ordered a DX6i. Never had to worry about this since. I am amazed that other top brands don't use it. Spektrum must have the patent well sewn up.

Edited By Glyn R on 09/02/2016 19:33:01

[rcaddict]

jrman - spektrum - being a newbie to 2,4ghz I just assumed all 2.4 ghz had the model match function, i have to say it really is a great function and can confirm it works well

[Fatscoleymo]

Taranis has model match as well - rx. will only work with the model memory it is assigned to.

Fats

[Tony K]

Posted by Donald Fry on 09/02/2016 19:26:04:

As Mohamed said.

Actually I'm more inclined towards Buddha, but that is not for this forum.

Many years ago I was a racing car mechanic. The form was that after you double.checked everything, then you checked it again just to make sure.

[John Privett]

Posted by oldgit on 09/02/2016 19:38:30:

jrman - spektrum - being a newbie to 2,4ghz I just assumed all 2.4 ghz had the model match function, i have to say it really is a great function and can confirm it works well

It's my understanding that Spektrum patented Model Match to prevent other manufacturers using it. However, as already mentioned, FrSky have something very similar on the Taranis that I use. I've no idea whether they simply ignore Spektrum's patent, pay them a load of money to use it, or have found a way to implement it in such a way as to not infringe Spektrum's patent.

[Martin Harris - Moderator]

Jeti is much the same - remembers the receiver's GUID and flags up if it sees the "wrong" ID. You then get a choice of selecting the "right" model or continuing with the new receiver if that's what you want to do.

Not identical to "Model Match" but it's a potential model saver.

[Don Fry]

Posted by Tony K on 09/02/2016 20:25:05:

Posted by Donald Fry on 09/02/2016 19:26:04:

As Mohamed said.

Actually I'm more inclined towards Buddha, but that is not for this forum.

Many years ago I was a racing car mechanic. The form was that after you double.checked everything, then you checked it again just to make sure.

So why do you see the wheels falling off. As Budda said, "grasshopper, chill out man, it happens".

[Josip Vrandecic -Mes]

Dear Geoff, after your honest stories I think no one would should laugh or ridicule ... happen to such pilot or technical error all of us, but we are not talking about them.......

Cheers

Jo

[Geoff S]

In my case I was on the right model so model match wouldn't have helped. In addition to my little faux pas at the field my Taranis navigate buttons did the sadly all too common trick of disappearing into the case (it happened on my other Taranis). Then, to add insult to injury, I broke the fragile plastic as I was gently (as I thought) cleaning it with Ultraclens before glueing it back in place. Still T9 (hopefully) have come up trumps and some new buttons should arrive tomorrow.

I've ordered a new complete fuselage from Inwoods. The Riot is one model I don't want to be without for long. The old one has served me well since just after they first came out (4 years ago? Time flies) and countless flights (200+) and 3 times as many landings (touch and goes) in all flyable conditions. It doesn't owe me a lot and it was pretty scruffy. I was going to get its big brother, the XL, but decided on the Tundra instead.

Geoff

[Brian Spearing]

Reversed ailerons can affect full-size too. That's what killed Roy Chadwick, designer of the Lancaster.

I wonder how many similar accidents have happened.