Me and My Stooge (Dumb Stunts I have Pulled)

[Mike Griffin]

Somewhere in the back of my mind, I seem to remember someone, somewhere, writing about the different hazards that could occur when flying alone using a stooge. Well folks I am here to tell you that it is true.

A couple of weeks ago I decided to go to the club field and fly a trainer that I had built for our participation demo during the Southeastern Model Show in Perry, GA. I took my stooge which is the type that holds the stabilizer until you pull the pin. These are especially good for tricycle gear planes.

I started the plane, walked to the handle and pulled the line and the plane took off just fine. I use a chalk line string for my release cord. They are great for stooge lines because you can wind them up and throw them in your flight box.

The plane was doing about 5 1/2 second laps and after several laps I felt something on my ankle. I glanced down and the string was wrapping around my right ankle. I thought, Ok...no problem I will just shake it off. This was the maiden flight for this plane and the trim wasn't good so I was having to watch the plane pretty close and I started lifting my right ankle and shaking it (doing the hokey pokey)while I was turning with the plane. No dice... the line was just wrapping tighter. Then....I felt something wrapping around my left ankle. You guessed it, the line was now wrapped around both ankles. Does anyone remember the character that Tim Conway played on the Carol Burnett show where he was the old man that took little bitty shuffle steps? That was me. Going around and around doing little bitty shuffle steps. The more I turned, the tighter the line got. I started to sweat. Profusely.....My feet were tied together and I was hopping like a rabbit on crack in a little bitty tight radius. I started praying for a tank leak, a bird strike or a direct hit by a meteorite. The plane leaned out. The #### thing picked up speed. The line was getting tighter around my ankles. My body was aching all over. Thoughts of Kamakazi suicide planes flashed through my brain. I was wondering why I ever got into this hobby. Finally the plane ran out of gas. Was it an immediate cut off? Oh no.. it had to stutter for a couple of more laps. Now I was pissed. It was messing with me. Finally I was dead stick, I stumbled, fell on my butt, bounced the plane off the ground about 3 times and brought it to rest on its nose. I couldn't move. Not only were my legs completely numb, the mess around my ankles looked like a baitcasting reel with the world's worst backlash. I managed to get to my feet and bunny hopped over to my flight box and grabbed my exacto knife. I cut the line, stabbed my ankle and finally got free. I think I am going into model trains.

It was a bad day.

Mike

[ray copeland]

Mike that is a great story,, thanks for sharing with us!!  Sounds exactly like something that i would do! My stooge is built and tested but no official flights with it yet, because of stories like this it may stay in storage a while longer!!   

[Richard Grogan]

So the moral of the story is- if you fly with a stooge,don't be a stooge!(nyuk nyuk!)

Bring a knife or scissors to the handle on you! And don't run with them scissors either! 

Dang Mike, sorry you got all tied up. That has got to be an awful, helpless feeling! Had it been me, that plane would be re-kitted for sure!(I don't hop!)

[Paul Taylor]

Mike, sorry to hear about your bad day.

No one really like to fly along but sometimes we just have to smell fuel.

I sometimes have to fly off a stooge. Here is what I do. After I pull the line, I toss it back about six feet on itself. The as the plane gets off the ground, I walk another six or eight steps away from the stooge line. This will do two things. It will put a lot of distance between you and the line, and will keep you from hitting your stooge when you come back in for a landing.

[Bill Heher]

When I launch from my stooge I alway (almost always anyway!) toss the release line toward the rear of the stooge-an underhand toss below the flying lines usually puts it 6-10 feet away, and toward the downwind side of the circle so there is less chance of walking into the release line while backing up to maintain line tension.

Sounds so basic that you wouldn't have to spell it out- guess how I learned the lesson!

As with anything else we do playing with these "toys that can harm"- have a plan and practice it. 10 minutes spent tossng the stooge handle with your flying lines in the other hand will get you to the point where you place it safely away from your center circle without taking your eyes off the plane.

[sleepy gomez]

Of course the answer to these problems is to use a properly designed line less stooge.

[Clayton Berry]

I use some sort of nylon cord.  The kind where if you don't melt the end, it'll fray?  I have a loop in the end that I only pick up after the handle is in the good hand.  Anyway.  It must have some elastic property, because once I pull it, it springs a good six or eight feet back towards the stooge.

I think if I got wrapped up, I'd be doing some lazy eights.  Lots and lots of 'em.

And of course, as soon as I say I don't have stooge problems, I'll probably end up on the receiving end of an APC.  I was hoping to fly tomorrow (with a stooge) for the first time in awhile.  Gads - I hit the 'post' button, and I'm doomed!

[Paul Taylor]

I can not remember who wrote the article in SN, might have been Bob Z. Any way the guy said some things that stuck with me. Get in a routine where you do the same thing each time. I even think they said something about a check list. Real pilots have a check list.
I have read a few post where the plane took off before the guy got to the handle. The plane few away dragging the handle. Always put a Screw driver in the ground and loop your thong around it. This will prevent the plane from getting away and going free flight. The worst thing that would happen would be the plane nose over and might break a prop. Never walk out to the handle in front of the plane and lines. Always approach the handle from the back of the plane and behind the lines, and well away from the stooge line. It is a good idea to have a cell phone in your pocket. Just some food for thought. These are just a few ideas, there is much more.

[Alan Hahn]

Well I hate to admit it, but the exact same thing happened to me. Fortunately I was able to loop the plane in one place.

Now I set the stooge up so when I launch, I back up ~5 feet to the circle center---safely away from the stooge line.

[John Stiles]

That is hilarious....I almost snorted kool-aid on my keyboard!

[Will Hinton]

Mike,
I, too, have had to sit here and calm down from howling out loud in laughter!  You are a great writer because I felt like I was right there in the circle!
Thanks for making my day!
Will

[Mike Griffin]

It is funny now that it is over.  When it was happening it was .....well let's say uncomfortable at the least.  I dont want to do it again  but I do have to laugh at it myself.

Mike