So I'm sitting in my home office and hour ago, caught up for the morning.  hmm, nice day, little wind blowing up the street, why not get in a couple flights?  Got out the Green Giant, 061 wasp fired right up.  Went through a couple fun manuevers, wingovers, then went into some downwind lazy 8's.  Came in for a nice landing.

Gassed back up, same thing.  Did notice wind picking up a bit, better make this my las flight.  Landed with no issues.  Well, maybe one more .   

Got into the air and the winds bumping me quite a bit, begin to think uh oh better jsut keep this one level.  Wind died down bout half way through the tank, what the heck, lets do some 8's.

As I'm swinging from the inside to outside loop of my second 8, a big gust hits the bottom of the plane and pile drives it vertically into the pavement (why do I insist on doing tricks over pavement  ?)  I was running a 6X2 APC prop that has been peaking aroudn 53 mph towards the end of the tank according to my sherriff buddies radar.  Metal nose cone made a perfect 3/4" hole in the concrete and the prop split around the shaft.

Outboard wing covering looks like Freddy Krueger got a hold of it, SHREDDED, but the wing is in tact.  Elevator split and assembly snapped loose, already glued back on thanks to some CA.  Wood covered section of the wing is in tact, but has little cracks.  No telling what it looks like under there, but everything feels okay.

But the big issue, Engine housing cracked right where  the venturi goes in.    .  The old wasp is now regulated to the spare parts drawer.

yeah, I know, but it still makes you want to kick yourself.  Just got off the horn with the Local Hobby Store.  Got 2 Wasps on order, be here in a couple days.  Going to finally break down and build that twin engine I've been thinking about since I was 8.  40" Wingspan, with twin 061's should be a screamer!

Yep, own design.  Have built many twin boom planes, but never a twin engined one.  The P-38 lightning has always been a fav of mine and would be the general inspiration. 

Plan on a 40" built wing with "half inch stick" booms and sort of a profile "cockpit".  Trike gear.  Thinking Dukes of Hazard Orange for the wing with some black trim on the ends and black for everything else right now, maybe with some Rebel flags on the outboard side.  Also thinking about some engine cowls (used to make them out of th bottom of an aspirin bottle)  Prolly paint them orange.

Thats the plan, but I've not figured out all the details.  I never draw anything out as far as plans go, just go with what I think will work and what looks right.  Believe it or not, most of the time it pans out pretty well.  Maybe I'm just lucky.  I've got a wing rib design that I've been using that I like a lot.  Keeps me from having to deal with spars (which I HATE, never can get them lined up right) and provides a ridiculus amount of lift. 

My Green Giant will rise off the ground with no elevator input in about 10-15 feet.  If you give it much up on a standard take off, it has the tendancy to stall, but if you let it do its thing and go from a wet 2 stroke to a nice scream as the venturi speed picks up it will do the prettiest climb you've ever seen.  Hoping for the same thing with this new plane when I get around to i.

Kinda like "Why is the lost item always in the last place I look?"

MAkes you wonder why we didn't look there first huh?

Got my supplies for the new plane.  Thinking bout calling it Rebel Yell!, or maybe Boss Hog.  We'll see

I'll have to pass on that one, too superstitious