Mistakes we make that make us say "WELL DUH !! "

[Mike Griffin]

Gil's post entitled "Bet I ain't the first" gave me and idea.  I thought about some of the crazy building errors I had made over the years and I thought it might be fun to share our goofs with each other.  Here is just one for me that I made recently.  I built a wing and sheeted right over the center section and right over the bell crank leaving me no access to install a pushrod.  Had to tear into the sheeting to get it in.

OK share some of yours....

Mike

[Mike Griffin]

Here is another I have done more than once.  Completely finished the plane and forgot the wingtip weight box was sealed over with no access...DUH...

[Tim Wescott]

I recently built a beautiful control system and a nifty adjustable leadout guide, then realized that the nicely-finished leadouts weren't going through the guide.

[Joe Just]

I once tried to be artistic and hand painted my AMA numbers on a newly finished stunt ship.  They looked professional until I realized I had painted on my 5 didgit NY State Zip code in stead of my AMA 4 didget number!  Did I learn?  Don't think so. In looking at some of the planes in my shop I found two with the correct numbers out of sequence. I'm convinced that I really do not feel as old as I am, and that may be another goof.
Joe

[Clint Ormosen]

I recently built a beautiful control system and a nifty adjustable leadout guide, then realized that the nicely-finished leadouts weren't going through the guide.

Been there, done that.

Twice.

[James D. Hayes]

 I made a bone head mistake two weeks ago,  I was in the middle of building a Voodoo and I planked the top of the wing instead of the bottom of the wing, so when I started working on it the next day I didn't notice and I went ahead and started to epoxy the bellcrank assembly in. I had test fitted it the night before. Anyway, I epoxied it and then I was kinda looking it over and I noticed that the inside wing was smaller then the outside, so I looked at the plans and sure enough, I had things backwards. Luckily the epoxy had not set. So I pulled it all out, flipped it over and I had to take some of the planking off to fix it. Felt pretty stupid.

Jim Hayes
AMA 988835

[Jim Oliver]

Mike---are you sure that's what you said???

[Mike Griffin]

I was trying to be nice Jim.  I think I said something a little more colorful....

I love hearing this stuff because it makes me feel human and normal..   I have done so many dumb things in building.  I will come up with some more....

Mike

[Jim Oliver]

This site doesn't have enough bandwidth for me to list all my "adventures in modeling".

[Bootlegger]

       But ain't it FUN!!!

[Frank Sheridan]

Does Mike Griffin's wife know that he is using the computer?

[Steve Thomas]

A few years back I was building the elevators for an Ares. For those who haven't made one, the elevators are built-up, then tapered in thickness by sanding with brass rods of different diameter up against the leading and trailing edges.

I was really pleased with how it went, till I realised that I'd done it backwards. The trailing edges were about 3/8" thick, and along the hinge line was only about 3/32" thick.    

And no, what I said was not "Well duh!"...

[Jim Thomerson]

Several years ago I built a Herns Demon for OTS.  I built it to have a slide in tank.  I started on the tank and realized that it was going to be upside down.  Huh!  I took stock and saw that I had built a clockwise airplane.  I finished it up and very carefully worked up to flying the OTS pattern with it.  I'm sure I have several hundred flights on it.  I still have to pay attention to what I am doing, whereas going counterclockwise, I just fly the airplane.  I flew the Demon ast several contests and at two VSCs without incident.

[Avaiojet]

I lost this Flite Streak because I forgot to put the protection pin to stop the handle from spinning on my U-Reely. Still have the U-Reely.

Plane actually hit a farm silo. True!

Charles

 

[Rafael Gonzalez]

Two weeks ago I was so excited to get to fly for a day that I ran to set up my new Pathfinder from Brodack's. Had flown it once at the Haverhill field. My friends were there to fly their planes also. Started on one flip again (49 OS Slanted plug). Gave the signal to my friend Bob and after 3 tries it took off. It kept nosing over due to high grass. Broke the APC 12-5. Put another. So here it is, finally up. I failed to check the tree short of the 70' circle!!!!!! The plane wrapped up and started doing 10' circles. I ran to get the plane and figured I would take my T-shirt off to stop it. Just got there and it broke the lines. I must say that it is perfectly trimmed for free flight. Another tree was hit, grabbed the lines and the engine stopped; saw the Pathfinder fall in between the branches to the ground. Was born again that day! Only a small pressed dent on the LE and another broken prop. Nothing else. What did my friends say?

"Wished we had the video" THANKS!

It is sort off the same thing as forgetting the transom plug on one's boat. Done that too. But only happens once...

[larry borden]

I did something similar to Tim. While building Wooten's SWIFT, I had made a nice wingtip piece for the adjustable leadout guide. It was then I decided to get ahead of the game, I finished the ends of the leadouts (solid) and then noticed I hadn't put the wing tip on or the guide in. Tom Niebuhr got a real nice wing tip for his SWIFT.
Also learned you can't take the head off of a small block Chevy with one head bolt still in.

[Rafael Gonzalez]

Well, this is a prooven super DUH! and a little sentimental...

 In 2008 I gave a plane to Dick Sherman Jr. It was the Smoothie by Brodack. He wanted to give it to his father as a gift (Dick Sherman Sr.) since he was having a hard time.  In those days, I was trying to get back into Gx. Time has always been an issue for me to do the flying on anything. So, I decided to build something in the Winter. It was going well. Nice paint job, etc., etc. Then I got soooo disgusted! 
I placed the weight box on the top side of the wing!!!  I never thought about it until I saw the Smoothie on the CLW magazine. You can see the weight box!! Double DUH!  for me...I would have loved to build the plane if I knew it was going to be for him. Dick Jr. stripped the whole thing for his father...

 

[Tim Wescott]

Also learned you can't take the head off of a small block Chevy with one head bolt still in.

That doesn't work for Chevy 216 straight-6 engines, either.  Even with a crowbar.

[Mike Griffin]

Eric Rule and I were comparing dumb things we had done in building and he told me that he built a wing once to show somebody how to build one and completely forgot about the bellcrank.  Here's your sign....

[Mike Griffin]

Hey Frank

She is letting me get on for short periods of time until I can build my stamina back up.....LOL..

Mike

[Randy Cuberly]

Hmmmmm...
Not the worst thing I've ever done but I'm still puzzled about how I managed to do this one...
I recently built a wing for a Gieseke Bear, and installed the flaps and hinges.  Set everything up with nice spacing for the hinges and when I finished I thought I noticed something amiss... counted the hinges and discovered six on one side and seven on the other...oh well flaps won't flutter!
Go figure!

Randy Cuberly
PS: I also am older than I feel.
Life is full of laughs.

[PJ Rowland]

Many years ago I built a model that had larger outboard flap. Smaller inboard flap with Trim Tab.

Went to do the final dry fit prior to gluing in the flaps and thought to myself " I'm sure the flaps fitted better than than.. "

Proceeded to re-slot the flaps so they fitted properly then Glued everything in except the trip tab because I still needed to add in the horn section which allows for the trim tab adjustment. I had planned to do that the following day.


Lesson learned : " Double check everything before gluing "

[MarcusCordeiro]

I once forgot to glue the hinges.. First fly, two laps and lesson learned.
Dumb dumb  

Marcus

[Chuck Feldman]

Wing tip box on the TOP. forgot to put the landing gear in a ringmaster. Prop on backwards, not yet! lines connected in reverse, also not yet. Went to fly and left the fuel in the shop, yes did that.  Left lines at home. Worst one is I built a TBird wing and planked the center section wrong.

Chuck

[afml]

"Prop on backwards"

Well...It's like this....
My flying Buddy & I were attending the Brodak Fly-In and for the first time, I flew in the Fox-Berg Racing event.
Someone had a plane , but no pilot, so my Buddy was asked to 'do the deed'. He agreed and all went well until the launch. All the other planes were lapping theirs. Cranked in the needle on the first pit stop, and STILL got lapped!
So they couldn't figure out what was causing the plane to fly so slow, even though the Fox was screaming! After the first heat, I walked over and noticed right away the problem. THE PROP WAS ON BACKWARDS!!!

"Tight Lines!"

Wes

[Gene O'Keefe]

Okay...I'll belly up to the bar....in my early years I was tossing together a Flite Streak for my McCoy .35 and "forgot" to glue in the hardwood motor mounts before I fully assembled and glued together the fuselage sides !

[john e. holliday]

Latest for me was sanding the P-47 after the planking and the tail blocks of balsa.   No tail skid/wheel.   Nothing like a few choise words and a couple of cups of coffee to calm done.   Then started cutting up the tail.  Hope it holds.   But, thru the years of modeling I have done about everything there is to do.   Like trying to start an engine on a full fuse plane, just to realize that the fuel line had not been pt in the plane yet.

[W.D. Roland]

I try to forget my mistakes. No discouragement that way.

Well now days no need to TRY to forget, seems that practice makes perfect! 

[KenP51]

I built a Voodoo a long time back. The engine would always go lean and die after launch. It would die after 2 or three laps.
When I finally opened it up I found I had the tank pick up to the inside of the circle. I must have had the plane upside down during tank install. 

[Alan Hayes]

I was doing a build.....different subject other than model planes.......and I had the pleasure of speaking to a gentleman who was a master at this subject.  I told him I had made some mistakes while doing this build and he said "there are things you could have done better but you have not made any mistakes" 

So, I guess I have never made any mistakes!   

[john e. holliday]

Well I was told many years ago that a good wood worker never make mistakes,  he just does it different.  My Dad could look at a set of plans for a house and then start with bare ground.   If I had only learned to listen to him while he was able to work.