A first for me and boy did this shake me up!!! I don't ever want to do it again!

[Paul Taylor]

OK I was not going to post this because I was not to proud of it. But then I thought if I share this it might help someone else in the future.

I had my first fly away yesterday. I have told myself that it is what it is, an accident. But then I think it could have been avoided. I did learn a few lessons.
When in doubt don’t fly a plane with rolling issues.
It was my little Scrapper, and yes I did have a warp in the wing, but my untrained eye could not see it. The plane rolled in inverted, popped the ground hard and broke the lines at the handle. Both of them right behind the wraps at the handle. It danced on the ground and then took off again. I was ready for another jerk on the lines, but it was just the one jerk holding a handle. I stood and watched it fly away! And there were small kids close by.
It was a very sicken feeling. 
I almost thought of hanging my handle up for good.

What’s your story?

[Russell Shaffer]

Did you get it back?  Pretty scary all right. 

[Leo Mehl]

Paul, there isn't to much you can do if your lines break an most of have had airplanes that did not fly good. I can remember a couple that were complete failures on the first flight. crooked wing. this will shake anyone up. Art had a plane that brook a Brdack belcrank and parted company for parts unknown. this shook a bunch of the guys up because they don't fly free flight at Delta Park. Its all part of the learning curve my friend an probably before you fly a new plane you will geta second opinion about the airworthyness of you plane first. Sorry for the stress but this is usually a one time deal.

[rustler]

Don't forget a good hard pull test every time you attach the lines. Sounds like your lines were ready to break, and the pull test can help you to get there first!
Last year I was flying a 16 year old model generously sold to me by a clubmate at a very favourable price, just to get me in the air. I'd had several flights over the weeks, but this time we did the pull test and bingo! we had a failure right where the lines emerge from the wingtip. Means I still have a model, and it was still a bargain, but it didn't save the seller from a few legpulls!

[Warren Leadbeatter]

I personally havent had a fly away, but I loaned a set of 52' lines to a friend one day so his 13 yo son could have a fly of his OS 15 powered Peacemaker. The plane took off into the wind, the lines went slack momentarily, and when they went tight again, the model ripped the handle out of his hand off went his model and my lines. It flew about 50 metres before smashing into a barbed wire fence. Luckily there was no-one else around other than us.  My lines seemed like they were fine, but on another day broke the up line flying my own Peacemaker.

[Willis Swindell]

Rootbeard
Flying speed, racing and combat and being a CD for close to 50 years I have had many days like you felt, knee shakers. I have seen probably more then a hundred fly away in combat  some funny all worrisome and a few down right scary. I bounced one off a car once, that's how I found out that your home owners pays not AMA. I haven't seen to many racing scares a few speed happenings. It happens so fast its usually over before you realize it, then you are scared. Just dumb luck I guess I haven’t seen any one hit with a fly away

[Willie Johnson]

Paul,  Sorry about your mishap.  Don't give up flying.  You enjoy the hobby and you are moving up the ladder.  I know I've had my share of incidents in everything I've tried in life.  When things go bad but could have been worse, I thank God for preventing things from being worse than they could have been.  I then learn/work to prevent the same thing from happening again.  Did you salvage anything?  You've got to build another one.  I wanted to see it fly.  I've got a few parts hanging around in the shop if you need any.

Willie

[Paul Taylor]

Thanks Wille!

From what I can tell the TE is broke on the inboard tip. The wing tip weight broke lose inside the outboard tip. And that is about it. I will peel the covering off at some point but right now that is low on my list of things to do.

Later
Paul

[Harleyman]

Don't hang up that handle to fast.  Snapping both lines at once is a sign of pure stunt talent.   
Wish I could have been there.

I never had one get away like that, but when I was a kid, after a long afternoon of flying, let my blue Cox Crusader go free flite.
It was kind of funny.  I disconnected the lines, fueled it up and got it started.  Then just tossed it into the air.  It started to spiral around as it got higher and higher.  Then at about 60 feet it started to flop around and nosed right into the front lawn of the local highschool.
My friend and I gathered up the few pieces and were surprised that nothing really broke. The only things we could not find were the rubberbands that held it together.  It did live to fly the next day, after all that.

The next year, the last flight for that Blue Cox RTF was without the foam wing.  Fired up the motor and shot it straight up.  It went pretty high before arching over then smashed into the pavement at the school.  By that time, I had already built a Carl Goldberg Lil Jumping Bean and Lil Satan, so it was time to move on.

[Bill Gruby]

OK Paul you heard it from some of the best, now stop kicking your own "butt", sit down and talk to your boy, make up a safety check to do each time you fly, and get back out there and do what you like to do "FLY FLY FLY"

"Billy G"   

[Paul Taylor]

Ok guys. I willgive it one more time. I am gone out of town but when I return I will try again. Talk to you giys in a week.

Chris got your emai can not open the pic on my phone.

[Bill Little]

Yeah, Paul!  Willis is even older than I am, if you can believe that!  he's done more than a whole lot of people realize.  Him and John Tate, along with Mr. Ringgold and Mike Garmon, were an inspriation to a whole lot of people in this hobby.

Bad things happen to good people.  It's a good sign that nothing serious happened!  Review the program, and y'all get back into the air.  It may never happen again........

As an aside, one of the most "puzzled" people I ever saw was dear *PaPa* Dave Hemstraught (PT-19 fame) who was at a contest in Huntersville one day.  He was flying a great new piped stunter, and putting in great flights!  On his second official in Expert, he was doing his insides and they were excellent.  On the bottom of the last one, the plane dropped straight down, flat, into the pavement!  It jut slammed down........ nothing broke, and he didn't input any control.  The air gods just gobbled up the plane with no warning!  He was visibly shaking.  He had never had anything happen like that before!  And that was with 40 plus years of upper level level contest flying.  It can happen to anyone.......

Bill <><