A strange bump in level flight

[Ty Marcucci]

 

[Tim Wescott]

Youch.

I have a rummage-sale Skyray whose control system has failed me twice, both times just barely short of a bad crash.  The first time the nuts rattled off of the bellcrank screw, leaving the controls screwed up and sticky, but still functional enough to keep plane and ground separate until the tank ran out.  The second time (about a month later) the elevator rod came off the bellcrank and stuck hard up (or down -- can't remember) right after I ran my lines out and did the obligatory controls check.  Had that happened in the middle of the previous flight, the plane would have been splintered for sure.

Save the pieces, and good luck with your repair & replacement projects.

[PJ Rowland]

I've felt that sort of "bump" before - In hindsight - the best thing would be to attempt to Ditch the model.

A couple of years ago - I was flying and felt a "tug / Bump" and had to hold in more up to maintain level flight.. I was *SH**ing myself to I decided to fly at about 1 foot from the ground just incase something pulled loose..

Lets just say - the up line eyelet pulled out and about 20 laps later even at 1 foot from the ground the performance of instantly hitting the down line as hard as you can still resulted in a write off...

Sorry to hear of your loss.

[John Stiles]

I felt that bump once with my Ringmaster Imperial[K&B .40].......it was the bellcrank tower pulling out nearly to the wingtip. If it wasn't for the left LG, I think it would've. No pieces of the airframe left to worry about fixin.

[john e. holliday]

That happened to me on my first SIG Mustang Stunter.   Had finally did several patterns with it before the bellcrank platform pulled loose from the foam.   Did it like the instructions.   Second one replaced bolt with one long enough to extend past surface of wing top and bottom.  Ply wood pads to hold it and wing in the fuse.  Lost count how many patterns I put on that one before I sold it to someone else.

[Phil Coopy]

Last year while practicing Saturday evening at KOI, while transitioning from the top loop to the bottom loop of a vertical eight, my Vector 40 just simply would not turn when I got about 1/4 way throught the down portion of the bottom loop, and went in. After studying theparts I foune out that the top brass ferril holding the bellcrank bushng in place had a bad solder joint allowing the bushing to slide up the rod and caused the bellcrank to hang up on the rib slot it passes through.  Funny thing, occasionally during previous flights would feel a slight snag once and a while, but it would go away, and so I never paid much attention to it. Thik the plane was trying to tell me something?

Phil

[Allen Brickhaus]

The Les McDonald birds are very nice.  Keep building and flying them.