A day in the grass
06-02-2008, 01:46 AM
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A day in the grass
And that is exactly what it was, a day in the grass.
I have just gotten my brand new Firebird Commander 2 from Hobbyzone which, by the way, came on the bus, and have been eager to fly it. It only took a week to get it in the air, because the weather around here sucks. After patiently waiting for a whole week, I finally got a day when there was zero wind and clear skies. Little was I to know that this was to be the RC flight from hell........
Where to begin, where to begin????
Well, first off, this is the first 2-channel aircraft I have ever had. My history with model aircraft goes back about 20 years. It has always been 3, 4, 5 and 6 or more channels. How was I to know that a simple 2-channel airplane was to almost be the end of me. After rushing to get to the field, which is only across from my place, I hurried to set up the airplane. Setting up the Commander 2 is simple, and it goes as follows,
1. remove aircraft from box.
2. center wing on top of aircraft.
3. attach elastic bands to wing as per instructions.
4. turn on transmitter and install battery in aircraft.
Anyway, back to the subject at hand. After setting up the plane, I picked a sweet spot in the breeze for an upwind take off. The grass was about 3 feet high but this didn't matter as I was hand launching anyway. Then it began.............
1, 2, 3, TOSS...................... The wind changed direction.
Now, normally, this wouldn't be a problem, at the local flying field, but this is NOT the local flying field and there is a road on each side with power lines all over the place. In this case, setting up for a down wind take off involved a long walk across to the other side of the field, and another run into the wind.
1, 2, 3, TOSS................... DAMMIT, the wind changed again. By this time, I am starting to think that "Maybe this wasn't meant to be" or "Maybe someone is playing a very cruel trick on me". Who knows. Either way, the story ends like this.
I eventually, after 2 more walks across the field, got in a very nice flight of about 10 minutes, with a landing that involved a nose dive into parts of my body that I will not describe in detail here.
Moral of the story.
ALWAYS WEAR A CUP..............
Happy Flying....
Steve
I have just gotten my brand new Firebird Commander 2 from Hobbyzone which, by the way, came on the bus, and have been eager to fly it. It only took a week to get it in the air, because the weather around here sucks. After patiently waiting for a whole week, I finally got a day when there was zero wind and clear skies. Little was I to know that this was to be the RC flight from hell........
Where to begin, where to begin????
Well, first off, this is the first 2-channel aircraft I have ever had. My history with model aircraft goes back about 20 years. It has always been 3, 4, 5 and 6 or more channels. How was I to know that a simple 2-channel airplane was to almost be the end of me. After rushing to get to the field, which is only across from my place, I hurried to set up the airplane. Setting up the Commander 2 is simple, and it goes as follows,
1. remove aircraft from box.
2. center wing on top of aircraft.
3. attach elastic bands to wing as per instructions.
4. turn on transmitter and install battery in aircraft.
Anyway, back to the subject at hand. After setting up the plane, I picked a sweet spot in the breeze for an upwind take off. The grass was about 3 feet high but this didn't matter as I was hand launching anyway. Then it began.............
1, 2, 3, TOSS...................... The wind changed direction.
Now, normally, this wouldn't be a problem, at the local flying field, but this is NOT the local flying field and there is a road on each side with power lines all over the place. In this case, setting up for a down wind take off involved a long walk across to the other side of the field, and another run into the wind.
1, 2, 3, TOSS................... DAMMIT, the wind changed again. By this time, I am starting to think that "Maybe this wasn't meant to be" or "Maybe someone is playing a very cruel trick on me". Who knows. Either way, the story ends like this.
I eventually, after 2 more walks across the field, got in a very nice flight of about 10 minutes, with a landing that involved a nose dive into parts of my body that I will not describe in detail here.
Moral of the story.
ALWAYS WEAR A CUP..............
Happy Flying....
Steve
06-02-2008, 03:26 PM
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RE: A day in the grass
Hey thats not nearly as bad as the Pitts S-2 i took in the nads a few years back lol that cost me 62 stitches in the gut and a retrieval of parts unknown.............. lol
06-02-2008, 06:30 PM
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RE: A day in the grass
Hmm. THAT must hurt.[X(]
No offense but... Does it still work?
OWW!
Icant imagine what would happen if a plane like that crashed into someone!!
Ill wear a soup bowl with duct tape on top of the trio from now on!
No offense but... Does it still work?
OWW!
Icant imagine what would happen if a plane like that crashed into someone!!
Ill wear a soup bowl with duct tape on top of the trio from now on!
