Tony
Staff member
So I took the "Plane" out for the second video session and flight with some added weight to the rear to try and adjust the CoG. I put my keychain cam on it this time for a FPV of the flight, and not what you see from me. Because the plane was on the left wing (should have put it on the right), I had to add a LOT of right aileron. So, I trimmed it out and thought "why not do a slow pass just to see what it does"... Yeah, that was a mistake.
As I'm coming along the ground, I punch full throttle and try to climb. The torque of the motor makes this thing do something out of Willy Wonka or something, and I'm fighting it. As I'm fighting it, and trying to climb, The plane hits the canopy of a tree and gets stuck up there... FIRST FRIGGIN TIME EVAR!!!!!
You would think with all of the trees I have out here, that I would have done it sooner or later lmao. Well, my time has come now.
So, I take a walk thinking I can just throw some sticks up at the plane and knock it out. Yeah right, I under estimated the height of this tree. It was up there. I was able to toss some sticks up there, and out of about a dozen, one got "close" lol. This being a rare day in Oklahoma, not much wind to help. So I fire up the motor and use the elevator to try and get it out of the tree, and it starts moving, then lodges its self harder lmao.
After what seemed like an hour, I started looking around at some things hanging from the tree. Holy crap there is a vine going right up to that branch. SCORE! I did have to do a little climbing, and for someone as fat as me, that sucks!!!! lmao. so I make it to where this vine loops back up to the top, almost bust my ass, but I start pulling and tugging on this thing for all I have. After a little bit, I see the plane pop up and started to flat spin to the ground. I'm like "Yes, a soft'er' landing. Then, half way down, thank you Mr Nose Heavy, she points straight to the ground and lawndarts hard. I see the battery go flying and I'm wondering about the camera lol. If you remember, this thing likes to over heat and shut off. So, I climb back down and go over and push the little button on the camera. The light comes on!!!! Holy Crap!!! When you turn these on for those that don't konw, there is an amber light. When you hit record, the light goes out. When you are done, you don't know if you got the footage or not, until you push that button and that light comes back on.
So, I grab what's left of the plane, the battery and my DX8 and we head to the house. I hope to never do something like that ever again!!!
As I'm coming along the ground, I punch full throttle and try to climb. The torque of the motor makes this thing do something out of Willy Wonka or something, and I'm fighting it. As I'm fighting it, and trying to climb, The plane hits the canopy of a tree and gets stuck up there... FIRST FRIGGIN TIME EVAR!!!!!
You would think with all of the trees I have out here, that I would have done it sooner or later lmao. Well, my time has come now.
So, I take a walk thinking I can just throw some sticks up at the plane and knock it out. Yeah right, I under estimated the height of this tree. It was up there. I was able to toss some sticks up there, and out of about a dozen, one got "close" lol. This being a rare day in Oklahoma, not much wind to help. So I fire up the motor and use the elevator to try and get it out of the tree, and it starts moving, then lodges its self harder lmao.
After what seemed like an hour, I started looking around at some things hanging from the tree. Holy crap there is a vine going right up to that branch. SCORE! I did have to do a little climbing, and for someone as fat as me, that sucks!!!! lmao. so I make it to where this vine loops back up to the top, almost bust my ass, but I start pulling and tugging on this thing for all I have. After a little bit, I see the plane pop up and started to flat spin to the ground. I'm like "Yes, a soft'er' landing. Then, half way down, thank you Mr Nose Heavy, she points straight to the ground and lawndarts hard. I see the battery go flying and I'm wondering about the camera lol. If you remember, this thing likes to over heat and shut off. So, I climb back down and go over and push the little button on the camera. The light comes on!!!! Holy Crap!!! When you turn these on for those that don't konw, there is an amber light. When you hit record, the light goes out. When you are done, you don't know if you got the footage or not, until you push that button and that light comes back on.
So, I grab what's left of the plane, the battery and my DX8 and we head to the house. I hope to never do something like that ever again!!!
after the fact anyway lmao.
