May 20, 2008
RC Plane - Lost in the Fog - CRASH !!!
Here's a great video and story. My son Greg and I have the RC flight bug. It just finished raining on New Years Day. All the fields are muddy except for Leavitts Field, an astroturf field about 8 blocks from my house.
Before that day, Greg has taken off a few times, practiced his landing approachs, but has never landed. It was very calm after the rainstorm so the first two batteries, which last about 10 minutes each, he flew. Congratulations to Greg, he did a couple of 'touch and go' passes and landed for his first time ever!
Then it was Dad's turn for a flight. I always fly with a video camera in the plane. Greg had flown into the coulds during his flight, but not so far that he lost sight of the plane. It was the first time I had ever seen an RC plane go into clouds. I was excited to think that I would get video, inside the clouds. I took off and played with a building, did a low pass over the field, and then went up for a 'loop de loop'. It was at that point that the trouble began. When it came out of the first or second loop, I lost it. As I called out to my Dad and my sons who were with me, I paniced and shut the motor off. Hindsight tells me that what I should have done was, after shutting off the motor, put the plane into a downward spiral, so it would have come out of the clouds where I was still looking. When I shut the motor off, it just stayed more or less level and flew through the clouds, where I couldn't see it. Now I know for next time, spiral out.
So we all get to the car and start driving around, looking for the wreckage. After a few times around the 'hood, I had the good idea of going up to the roof of one of the many six story buildings, to see if I could spot it. When I get up to the roof I started scanning the area. I couldn't see the tops of the other roofs but I could see the ground around the building well. I looked over one side, then another side. When I got to the back of the building, as I approached the edge, there was my plane. It was about 100 feet from the edge, nicely stuck in the top of a tree. It was between the 4th and 5th story. I went back down to the car to tell my Dad and my kids the good and bad news. We went home to get some baseballs, softballs, and tennis balls, in hopes of knocking it out of the tree. First we had to ask the super to let us in. The courtyard below the plane was locked and bob-wired. I hit the plane a few times, but I could hear the tree laughing at me. It wasn't letting go. I knew it was supposed to be windy overnight and hoped that it would blow down, but my hopes were not high, certainly not as high as the plane.
The next day I returned at 8AM. There it was, just like it was the day before. The tree was holding on and would not let go. After the purchase of 100 ft. of rope I went to the roof again. I started by throwing a piece of exaust pipe, tied to the rope. The first thing to fall to earth was the video camera. Luckily, it fell onto the soft dirt, missing the concrete by inches, where it would have shattered. After the exaust pipe untied, and I threw it over the tree, I switched to a heavy pair of visegrips. They were working better, but that damn tree was really holding on. Finally after two-and-a-half hours of throwing the rope over the plane, (and one broken apartment window) it finally fell to earth.
We got most all the expensive stuff, and I got the video!
Duration : 0:3:19
Filed under RC Planes by admin
Comments on RC Plane - Lost in the Fog - CRASH !!! »
he should have …
he should have realy flw in the park,also on a sunny day
yeah… look at all …
yeah… look at all the people that were around … loser
I think u should …
I think u should learn to fly or fly in a open area rather than in a city. not just for ur safty but 4 others. if u had hit someone with that plane u could of really hurt someone. and there is less chance of crashing. dont matter if field is bad just do it. can hand launch and land on the field. but bad luck anyway.
Not bad if it was …
Not bad if it was Greg's first flight…! I wonder what people in the buildings thought if they saw the plane buzzing by….
didn't it crash …
didn't it crash into a tree?
cool, lucky it …
cool, lucky it ended up crashing into a building:D
lol cool m8
lol cool m8
If you know that rc …
If you know that rc planes don't have instuments, why did you advise "familiarize yourself with instrument flying"? As for putting peoples lives in jeopardy… During that entire flight, did you see even ONE person that could have been hit? The odds of hitting someone are better at an airshow or flying field. MORON!
Boy, i'm glad that …
Boy, i'm glad that we got that straight. Like i didn't know rc planes don't have instruments. First of all moron, I am a pilot. Secondly, flying a re plane in fog conditions is extremely dangerous .
I agree with …
I agree with Hootydavis who has already left you a comment… First off… for a 43 year old, you should have better reading comprehension… Greg is 12 years old (and probably comprehends better than you), his father flew into the fog. Second rc planes don't have 'instuments'…
greg, piece o …
greg, piece o advice. before you put someones life in jeopardy other than yours, familiarize yourself with instrument flying.
thanks
I lost my plane due …
I lost my plane due to pilot error.(I suck)Fishing line and a sinker got it out of the oak tree 4 days later.I'll be back in the air soon.Great video.
> Life is about …
> Life is about taking chances sometimes.
You should take those changes with your life, not others'.
wow your a …
wow your a astonishing guy, first of all for flying into a cloud and second of all for geting it stuck up a massive tree, but mainly becuase even tho the plane im guessing cost about $100 you broke a window… what made you not stop after you broke the window?!? i want that plane! its a peice of history! *not joking*
im going to favorite this clip
tell me when you crash his new plane hahaha
so thats why it …
so thats why it looks like "liberty city" then
New York City… …
New York City… Borough of Queens… Town/City of Flushing
nice vid, reminds …
nice vid, reminds me of GTA 3 in the clipped wing cessna!
what city is it?
Years ago i had a radio failure on a RC ane and it flew away, it came down on a house roof about 2 miles away and took out 5 tiles!We have insurance for that in the UK but you have to be flying at a proper flying site for it to pay out
have you seen rc dons vids? have a look they're awesome
thanks for telling …
thanks for telling me. sounds great!
into the tree. …
into the tree. Almost into the building
the song…. an …
the song…. an excerpt (my favorite section) of Perpetual Change by YES
what song is this …
what song is this and what band? anyone know?
How fast were your …
How fast were your plane going and how high?
ENGLISH PLEASE !!!
ENGLISH PLEASE !!!
Yeah… we all see …
Yeah… we all see the many people around …. that would have been bonus points!
Lucky you didn't …
Lucky you didn't hit somoenes window or kill someone with that.