Full-size free-flight!

[Geoff S]

A full-size micro-light took off by itself and flew out over the North Sea off Northumberland.  Restraint matters no matter how large or small the aircraft is.  I suppose it's happened to models in the past but this seems a step up 🙂

[J D 8 - Moderator]

 In the day's of hand swung props it was not uncommon for getaway's. Some just ran around in circles on the ground, some were chased and caught and some just flew away.

[i12fly]

3 hours ago, Geoff S said:

A full-size micro-light took off by itself and flew out over the North Sea off Northumberland.  Restraint matters no matter how large or small the aircraft is.  I suppose it's happened to models in the past but this seems a step up 🙂

The manufacturer described it as being "peerless flying characteristics", not pilotless flying characteristics....  😲

[Jonathan M]

13 hours ago, J D 8 - Moderator said:

 In the day's of hand swung props it was not uncommon for getaway's. Some just ran around in circles on the ground, some were chased and caught and some just flew away.

Makes one wonder why a small folding anchor or claw was never carried to temporarily hold (or at least drag) the tail to give the hapless pilot time to wizz around and slow the throttle.

[Piers Bowlan]

27 minutes ago, Jonathan M said:

Makes one wonder why a small folding anchor or claw was never carried to temporarily hold (or at least drag) the tail to give the hapless pilot time to wizz around and slow the throttle.

Probably because the pilot thought, ‘What can possibly go wrong?!’

Back in the day I had a D31 Druine Turbulent. I carried a small pair of lightweight chocks plus a double spike to pin the tail skid to the ground to stop the aircraft tipping onto its nose when I swung the prop. No broken props or fly aways in my ownership fortunately. 🙂

Edited December 18, 2024 by Piers Bowlan

[i12fly]

Same thing happened to McCudden in WW1. When he was an Aircraftsman he was practicing prop swinging, and unfortunately the last pilot had left the ignition switches on and no chocks....

Serious damage ensued, he would have been in big trouble but for the pilot's negligence. Don't know what happened to the pilot.  🙄

[Paul De Tourtoulon]

1/2 throttle on a druin turbulant (?) at Sunderland airfield, also going around in circles till we stopped it,

 Worse was a Varieze near Montpellier, it didn't stop, it went into the salt water swamps.

[Piers Bowlan]

In a previous life as a flying instructor I always taught my students to never touch the propeller. If they had to turn the engine over always to treat it as if they expect the engine to start, even if they had checked the mags were ‘off’ not ten seconds before. A simple bad connection could make a mag live even when off. 

[Piers Bowlan]

38 minutes ago, Paul De Tourtoulon said:

1/2 throttle on a druin turbulant (?) at Sunderland airfield, also going around in circles till we stopped it,

 Worse was a Varieze near Montpellier, it didn't stop, it went into the salt water swamps.

I’ve seen that too. Pilot desperately hanging onto wingtip while pilotless aeroplane goes round in circles. Bit like full sized control line! 🤣