Tell us about your most embarrassing stories from the field...

[David Davis]

Story 1. I put my first r/c model, a St Leonard's Models "Gemini," into a tree while learning to fly. I did not realise that when flying towards you left is right and right is left! Years later I built a second Gemini converted to electric flight, just to prove to myself that I could fly it. I sold it on to a clubmate.

Story 2. I used to have a Detroit Custom Cruiser powered by an OS 40FS Surpass and guided by a Sanwa Conquest radio. On the Conquest transmitter the on-off switch is in the centre of the box. I was bringing the model into land and reached over with my thumb to pull the throttle trim back but over-reached and switched off the transmitter! The model went mad and ended up in the top of a tree again. This time I hired a tree surgeon to recover it. Cost me £20.

Story 3. This also concerns trees. The picture below, taken in 2009, shows your humble servant at Forton Aerodrome, the home of Shropshire Model Flying Club, with his Flair Hooligan powered by an Irvine 46. I was enjoying flying it when the model hit the upper branches of the trees in the background. It bounced off, executing the most perfect knife edge at the same time! I remember pushing the throttle wide open and the bold Irvine responded! I flew it back to a perfect landing trailing the foliage you can see in my hand from the undercarriage!

The other model in the picture is my Radio Queen. On a later occasion, I was using a buddy box to teach my girlfriend how to fly. She flew it into the same trees! My fault, I should have re-taken control before she hit them but my depth perception has never been very good. I had to hire a tree surgeon to rescue it. Cost me £80! ) Different tree surgeon! Landing practice on my current club's 10 metre wide runway has improved things!

I sold both models before retiring to France. I now wish I hadn't. The Radio Queen was perfect for giving nervous elderly beginners their first experience of radio-controlled flight and the Hooligan was great fun in a hooliganish sort of way.

I sold it to a Brummie who was going to take his A Test with it.

Best of luck with that!

Finally did you hear the one about the modeller with sixty years building experience who made a simple trainer wing with 2cms more dihedral on one side than the other? No? I expect he's keeping quiet about that!

[David P Williams]

Hi David - I think the old age is creeping up on you! You gave us the same stories on page 1 of this thread

[Tim A]

A couple of months ago out at the field early with only an audience of three other club members watching I hand launched a foam board SU-29 underhand went ok except I launched my transmitter after it as well, managed to retrieve the TX before the plane hit the deck and recovered the flight. Behind my back the laughter and comments flowed. Worse thing was one member is the Editor of the club newsletter who reported it in the next issue, although my name was not mentioned luckily!

[David P Williams]

My story also took place at Forton, like David's above. I had a couple of flights with my model, concentrating on practising spins, which were slowly getting better. I was preparing it for my next flight when another member (not David!) came over to chat and ask questions about something. As I was chatting to him I was attaching the glowstick (clipped on underneath on the inverted engine) and starting the engine. Finished the conversation as I taxied out.

I took off, climbed straight up, throttled back and entered a spin. Went to my normal recovery and nothing happened. got a bit panicked and froze as it spiralled into the ground. When I got there the glowstick was of course still hanging off the engine. Don't let other people interrupt your routine!

p.s. I have probably, like David, told this story somewhere elso on here before

[J D 8]

Spaniels, they just have it in for model aircraft, my daughters dog ate my DB Rooky's wing, all of it !

Getting to the flying field with no batteries for electric or IC not good.

[Martin Harris - Moderator]

Before recounting this tale, I should point out that I post under a pseudonym and any resemblance to a modeller of the same age, build, experience, collection of models etc. etc. is entirely coincidental...

Quite a few years ago, I'd recently been added to the list of members authorised to check over new models for obvious problems, compliance with noise tests and, where requested, maiden flights. I was approached by a new member with a Nova trainer to do the honours. After checking the fuselage and controls, I asked him to fit the wing for me to check the aileron movements but he had no extension lead. No matter, like Peter M I always carry a multitool and with the aid of its long nosed pliers and after fingerwork worthy of a top gynaecologist, I managed to insert the aileron lead into the well secured receiver through the small gap between wing and fuselage.

A very keen friend was observing and as soon as the wing was secured asked me if I wanted him to carry the model out for the noise test, "...er, thanks...yes OK" I replied , "just let me check the C of G before you do". Feeling a small glow of satisfaction that I hadn't been rushed into forgetting this most important detail I let him prise it off my fingers as soon as it was checked and we started the engine, tuned it and carried it onto the field to do the necessary. With an OS 46LA there was little problem with the sound level and my friend was still keen to help and asked should he put it on the runway for the maiden rather than carry it back to the pits.

"...er, thanks...yes OK" I replied again...

Now I'm sure some of you will have an inkling of what's to follow but for those who, like I was, have been carried along with the rush of the story so far, I'll continue.

Throttle opened, the model rose smoothly into the air after a short run. A small correction was needed to level the wings...oops, quite a hard gust as the ailerons didn't do much to stop the wing rising - a boot thumb full of rudder helped the situation and the wings levelled nicely - bit more thermal activity than I was expecting... The climb out continued another few feet and a further correction became necessary. Again, ailerons were less than effective and rudder was needed to level the wings. The Nova had quite a lot of dihedral so the rudder was pretty effective in controlling roll. At this point, a light somewhere in the depths of my brain started to glimmer...let's try a little right aileron - the Nova rolled left...left aileron - rolled right.

Oh dear...

OK, let's try to get the model back on the ground in one piece. Mental note, hold the right stick in the middle and fly on power and rudder only. This worked while I turned crosswind and then downwind, but crossing the large wood next to the field, a wing was suddenly pushed up in the turbulence and I made an instinctive correction. The usual struggle to counteract muscle memory with brain power (rather an unequal struggle in my case) resulted in the model disappearing behind the trees almost vertically and I made a last despairing attempt to level the wings and apply up elevator at the appropriate point but nothing appeared over the treeline. After a few seconds of hope, rather than expectation, I turned to the owner and blurted out some sort of apology for forgetting to check the ailerons after the fiddle to connect them and not checking them before taxying out as per my normal procedure. In the midst of this another member shouted out "it's still flying!" Somewhat miraculously, there must have been enough energy for the Nova to just show its nose above the trees and I snapped the throttle open, regained some semblance of control and managed to nurse it back onto the strip with no damage!

[David Davis]

Posted by David P Williams on 06/05/2019 11:02:57:

Hi David - I think the old age is creeping up on you! You gave us the same stories on page 1 of this thread

You are probably right David, I'm starting to repeat myself. Old age probably accounts for the wonky wing too!

[brokenenglish]

Posted by David Davis on 06/05/2019 13:09:07:

Posted by David P Williams on 06/05/2019 11:02:57:

Hi David - I think the old age is creeping up on you! You gave us the same stories on page 1 of this thread

You are probably right David, I'm starting to repeat myself. Old age probably accounts for the wonky wing too!

I think we've got a problem of nervous, elderly instructors...

[Mowerman]

I decided to fly my old 'hanger queen' but it was not behaving the way I remembered and the engine cut so I managed to get it back on the strip. Having checked the engine and found no fault off it went again still not right so landed and decided to go home to do a full check thinking maybe damp had got into the rx. That's when I realized the model was still on 35 meg so I had not extended the aerial !!With the aerial now extended I had a couple of good flights. About a month later II took the same model to another club site where it would not respond to controls, finally hitting a 6ft dry stone wall, cause once again the aerial was still retracted. all my models are now on 2.4G.

[David Davis]

Posted by brokenenglish on 06/05/2019 14:27:46:

Posted by David Davis on 06/05/2019 13:09:07:

Posted by David P Williams on 06/05/2019 11:02:57:

Hi David - I think the old age is creeping up on you! You gave us the same stories on page 1 of this thread

You are probably right David, I'm starting to repeat myself. Old age probably accounts for the wonky wing too!

I think we've got a problem of nervous, elderly instructors...

No I never get nervous flying model aeroplanes. If I can build them I can repair them. If I don't want to repair them they make excellent kindling for the wood burner.