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Author Topic: Sunrise  (Read 5204 times)

Offline Matt Colan

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Sunrise
« on: January 19, 2014, 03:54:10 PM »
Got out to practice with Eric very early in the morning! How early? I finished my first practice flight before the sun came up. I managed to snap this picture as Eric was fueling up.

Matt Colan

Offline Will Hinton

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Re: Sunrise
« Reply #1 on: January 19, 2014, 04:25:00 PM »
Ah Matt me lad, ye have touched a secret place in me heart, ye have!  Now, dropping the fake Irish thing, if I let myself go I would probably fill up several computers just collecting sunrise and sunset pictures.  This one is a real gem!  It would look great along side the one of Crist Rigotti at the nats at sunrise a while back.
That one is in my shop in an 8 X 10.

Nice job.
John 5:24   www.fcmodelers.com

Offline George Grossardt

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Re: Sunrise
« Reply #2 on: January 19, 2014, 04:38:40 PM »
OK, that is an awesome shot.  Thanks for sharing it.

George

Offline Paul Taylor

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Re: Sunrise
« Reply #3 on: January 19, 2014, 06:01:36 PM »
Very Kewl.
I can say that I have never picked up a handle that early. Need to be awake.

Nice shot.
Paul
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Offline Dan McEntee

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Re: Sunrise
« Reply #4 on: January 19, 2014, 06:27:21 PM »
  When I first started to go to VSC in the early  90's, Chris McMillin, mark Hughes and Gary Hajek and I used to get up at 4 AM, eat breakfast, get out to Silverbell Park and Get set up by flashlight, and waited for the sun to come up. It was only a 2 or 3 day format back then, and that was the only and best time to practice and test fly. We would usually fly after dinner until dark, then do it all again the next day.
    We were younger then! y1 y1 y1
     Type at you later,
    Dan McEntee
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Offline Steve Fitton

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Re: Sunrise
« Reply #5 on: January 19, 2014, 06:35:05 PM »
thanks for posting that Matt!
Steve

Offline john e. holliday

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Re: Sunrise
« Reply #6 on: January 20, 2014, 07:33:08 AM »
That needs to be the cover on a Stunt News issue.  Great shot.   
John E. "DOC" Holliday
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Offline Matt Colan

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Re: Sunrise
« Reply #7 on: January 20, 2014, 08:12:32 AM »
Thanks guys!! It was fun out there early in the morning with the sun going up...despite it being 35 degrees.

It's too bad my Vector doesn't look like that anymore. :'(
Matt Colan

Offline Paul Walker

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Re: Sunrise
« Reply #8 on: January 20, 2014, 01:13:44 PM »
 Isn't 35 like the north pole for most of you Floridians?

How did you do?

Offline Steve Fitton

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Re: Sunrise
« Reply #9 on: January 20, 2014, 02:07:23 PM »
Go on Matt, show Paul the picture from facebook.....
Steve

Offline Paul Walker

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Re: Sunrise
« Reply #10 on: January 20, 2014, 03:55:30 PM »
This isn't sounding good.  :(

Offline Matt Colan

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Re: Sunrise
« Reply #11 on: January 20, 2014, 04:01:36 PM »
Here you go Paul. Wind was too much for it. After looking at the video, it shows it was complete pilot error, but I pretty much lost sight of the airplane.

Luckily Randy Smith had another one with him so I picked it up.
Matt Colan

Offline Paul Walker

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Re: Sunrise
« Reply #12 on: January 20, 2014, 04:48:46 PM »
Ouch. Sorry for your loss.

Pilot error. Say it isn't so....:(

Hope that doesn't happen again.

I bet Randy can get that motor running again!  He's a magician with motors.

Offline Matt Colan

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Re: Sunrise
« Reply #13 on: January 20, 2014, 05:07:43 PM »
Ouch. Sorry for your loss.

Pilot error. Say it isn't so....:(

Hope that doesn't happen again.

I bet Randy can get that motor running again!  He's a magician with motors.

This is the first CL airplane I've totaled. It was bound to happen eventually I guess.

I'm seriously considering getting my PA 40UL shipped down and modifying the belly to accommodate a pipe on the new one.

Matt Colan

Offline Randy Ryan

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Re: Sunrise
« Reply #14 on: January 20, 2014, 06:27:56 PM »
Dang Matt, bummer. Sure did a number on that LA, wow.
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Offline Matt Colan

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Re: Sunrise
« Reply #15 on: January 20, 2014, 11:14:46 PM »
Dang Matt, bummer. Sure did a number on that LA, wow.

It was a sweet running LA 46 too! I looked at the head and it looks like it had a hemi head in it rather than the stock head.

Matt Colan

Offline Peter Ferguson

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Re: Sunrise
« Reply #16 on: January 21, 2014, 12:42:36 AM »
I bet Randy can get that motor running again!  He's a magician with motors.

As I was picking up my Ampact which was balsa confetti and putting it into a garbage bag PW says . " Its fixable, not too bad". I see a pattern here.

Sorry for your loss Matt at least you have the photo.
Peter Ferguson
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Offline wwwarbird

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Re: Sunrise
« Reply #17 on: January 21, 2014, 12:58:56 AM »
I looked at the head and it looks like it had a hemi head in it rather than the stock head.



 Wow, you smucked'er good there Matt. :(

 There are hemi heads for LA's?
Narrowly averting disaster since 1964! 

Wayne Willey
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Offline Brett Buck

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Re: Sunrise
« Reply #18 on: January 21, 2014, 01:12:40 AM »

I bet Randy can get that motor running again!  He's a magician with motors.

 Sure, slap a little JB-Weld on there, should be fine.

   You don't need a magician. A medium, maybe.

   Brett

Offline Matt Colan

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Re: Sunrise
« Reply #19 on: January 21, 2014, 06:17:28 AM »
Wow, you smucked'er good there Matt. :(

 There are hemi heads for LA's?

I think my grandfather had this engine sent out when it was new to get a hemi head for it. Stock LA's do not have a Hemi Heads.

Matt Colan

Offline Matt Colan

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Re: Sunrise
« Reply #20 on: January 21, 2014, 06:18:26 AM »
Sure, slap a little JB-Weld on there, should be fine.

   You don't need a magician. A medium, maybe.

   Brett

I was thinking some clamps would work just fine with putting the top end of the motor back on. ;D

Matt Colan

Offline Randy Ryan

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Re: Sunrise
« Reply #21 on: January 21, 2014, 06:45:24 AM »
I was thinking some clamps would work just fine with putting the top end of the motor back on. ;D





A large screw clamp, just cut a hole around the plug!
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Offline Peter Grabenstein

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Re: Sunrise
« Reply #22 on: January 21, 2014, 06:52:02 AM »
AWESOME GREAT SHOT !!!  %^@
tells me I was at the wrong place at the wrong time  y1.
Hurts my (OS LA 46) heart  :(  and makes me jealous  y1  about your flying field  #^.
From our Officials, a 101% NO-GO/FLY  n1 mw~ n1......damn small Ge.many  HB~>  
 
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Offline john e. holliday

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Re: Sunrise
« Reply #23 on: January 21, 2014, 09:06:23 AM »
Jeese Matt,  and I thought my LA 46 was bad with a bent crank after I let my P-39 get out of site. 
John E. "DOC" Holliday
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Offline Brett Buck

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Re: Sunrise
« Reply #24 on: January 21, 2014, 09:47:55 AM »


A large screw clamp, just cut a hole around the plug!

   See, that's some good thinking right there. Why can't everybody here have positive suggestions instead of always thinking the worst?

     Brett

Offline Steve Fitton

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Re: Sunrise
« Reply #25 on: January 21, 2014, 09:56:53 AM »
Don't be too hard on yourself Matt, many a stunt plane has been wrecked at that spot on a windy day....

Personally I have probably crashed ten planes from that spot, mostly because it took me a very long time to realize that a reliable engine run is the most important part of trim.

With modern *really good* planes and engines, its easy not to have much experience with out of control flight.  It almost makes the case for taking out some beater planes on a windy day and see what you can get away with.  Sometimes you learn both cheats and saves that can be useful later on.

Steve
Steve

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Re: Sunrise
« Reply #26 on: January 21, 2014, 12:44:49 PM »
   See, that's some good thinking right there. Why can't everybody here have positive suggestions instead of always thinking the worst?

     Brett

Well actually, initial crash site findings are being verified by the NTSB (Not Terribly Serious Board) and here are their preliminary findings:


Executive Summary
On January 19th, 2014, about 1358 mountain standard time (MST),1 a Vector 40 ARF, N756355, operating as Expert flight 7 experienced a rapid departure from tethered flight while climbing through flight level 90deg. The flight crew conducted an emergency descent and diverted to Whitehouse OLF Jacksonville Fl terra firma. Of the 1 crewmembers and 0 passengers on board, one crewmember and one launch assistant off-duty  employee sustained no injuries. The airplane sustained substantial damage; post-accident inspection revealed that the airframe was no longer flight worthy.

According to the flight crew and recorded data, the takeoff and initial climb were normal. At 1404:25, an unidentified sound was recorded on the pit area microphone from the videographer “Oh $#!”.  The airplane crashed about 1404:26 on runway without further incident. About .01 seconds later, the captain announced that the airplane had crashed. The pilot deplaned via the pits.
 
Probable Cause
The NTSB determines that the probable cause of this accident was not directly attributable to pilot error, though he was a contributing factor pre-flight. NTSB involvement has rendered the possibility of airframe or engine rebuild impossible at this time since they will not be released until our investigation is complete, which is usually...well... a really long time. Crash site pictures show deep scratches in the piston from not running an air cleaner on sandy fields, combined with giving away compression with a suspect purported "hemi head" which crash site photos show to look more like just a reduction in squish band. It is our sad duty to inform you that our preliminary report finds the scratches and head modification might have led to being down on power at a critical moment in the pattern. The unsuspecting pilot then found out the age old lesson about flying inverted behind your head and out of visual range: Down is up, and up is expensive!


See Matt, I'm there for ya bud!
EricV

Offline Ted Fancher

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Re: Sunrise
« Reply #27 on: January 21, 2014, 01:32:00 PM »
Here you go Paul. Wind was too much for it. After looking at the video, it shows it was complete pilot error, but I pretty much lost sight of the airplane.

Luckily Randy Smith had another one with him so I picked it up.

I'll be darned.  I didn't realize the LA .46 came as a kit!

Live and learn, I guess.

Offline Steve Fitton

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Re: Sunrise
« Reply #28 on: January 21, 2014, 01:58:52 PM »
Ouch, even the rod is bent.  I think that might be more damage than Ty's supersonic crash into the tarmac at that Starke King Orange a few years back.
Steve

Offline Matt Colan

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Re: Sunrise
« Reply #29 on: January 21, 2014, 02:35:27 PM »
I would like to say that the little OS LA 46 was chugging right along and I didn't lose line tension except on the upwind side during my inverted flight until that moment in the vertical 8. I also felt like I was putting in an excellent flight given the wind conditions I was facing.

Eric, I enjoyed reading about the crash investigation! I do think you ought to add to the report based on reports from the captain that the sun was in the wrong place. The captain is also drafting a proposal to the FAA to move the position of the sun relative to the wind so that nobody goes through the trauma of looking into the sun and not seeing the airplane until it is pointing towards the ground.
Matt Colan

Offline Matt Colan

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Re: Sunrise
« Reply #30 on: January 21, 2014, 02:37:43 PM »
Ouch, even the rod is bent.  I think that might be more damage than Ty's supersonic crash into the tarmac at that Starke King Orange a few years back.

Supersonic?! That sounds like it was exciting!
Matt Colan

Offline MarcusCordeiro

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Re: Sunrise
« Reply #31 on: January 21, 2014, 02:54:40 PM »
Eric

You should apply for  a position with the TV News people... Very cool report!! LL~ LL~

Marcus
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Action is his reward, look out
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