Dumb stuff we have done

[Joe Ed Pederson]

Could have been disastrous (but thankfully wasn't).

Engine quit near the beginning of a wingover.  The lines went slack as the Fancehrized Twister sailed in a beautiful (yet horrible) arc into the circle.   I ran AND grasped the loose lines (.015 braided) with my left hand and raised my left hand hoping to help get the line tension back.  Thankfully the lines never went tight.

It was only later that I realized that if the lines had snapped taught, I probably would have lost some fingers on my left hand.

Makes me shudder every time I think about it.

Joe Ed Pederson

[John Park]

Trying to hand-start a diesel on a very cold day, I over-compressed and over-primed it before giving it a good hard flick.  Result: it kicked back and the prop. came up under my thumbnail, ripping it almost all the way off.  Aaaagh... (Still, I found it possible, if not comfortable, to fly a combat model with my thumb wrapped in a bloodstained handkerchief, and the nail grew back in due course.)

[Dave Moritz]

Greetings All:

True confession here.

A couple years go, I was close to getting my brother back into flying control line but for a dumb move on my part. A friend had given him an immaculate, full-fuselage P-51 powered by an OS 35S. This ship, built many years prior, was completely unflown so we decided to give it a maiden voyage. After setting him up with my lines and handle, we fired 'er up, and he executed a good takeoff.

Suddenly some kind of beast in that craft took over and executed a wild wingover, almost falling in on my good bro! He escaped injury, but that P-51 blasted straight into the ground. Only the engine was salvageable. To add insult to injury, we even had an audience to witness our folly.

After the shock wore off, we both scratched our heads about the cause. Being a couple of American males of advanced years, we both rationalized that a gust of errant wind did us in, so we didn't feel too bad about the whole scene. We then packed up and headed home, not quite dragging our tails behind us.

But then, while unloading the gear, reality hit hard. I noticed that the adjustable handle's compression screw and leadouts were very, very loose! Maybe it wasn't that "wind" after all?!

Long story short - my brother swore off CL, and he is to this day a committed (and very accomplished) RC flier!

Dave Mo...

[TigreST]

1974. Cosmetically modified Ringmaster Sr.  It was beauty,  White MonoKote wings , Datk Navy blue fuselage. K&B Stallion .35/Veco Alum spinner.   We flew half on half off a parking lot and grass so there is of course a curb involved with any take offs and lands.   The Ring goes into low fuel/ engine shut down mode. And I can tell its gonna touch down at speed and maybe slam into the curb.  I start running.  I time it ( so I thought) to meet the plane before It crashed into the curb and trash the spinner .......wrong.  Foot through the outboard wing planel. Ouch.

[Dennis Leonhardi]

When you drop your Exacto knife with #11 blade firmly installed..........never try to catch it before it hits the floor!   Have scars will travel!

Isn't X-Acto a swear word?  Years ago, I was getting a combat ship ready for the annual Fargo (ND) contest and decided an X-Acto knife would speed the process of smoothing out the engine nacelle, which was covered in cloth and epoxy.  Almost predictably, the knife blade broke and what remained on the handle cut a jagged path through the outer side of my left thumb.

Fortunately, our family doctor flew some control line.  When he finished up the stitching and prepared to wrap my left hand in some heavy material, I asked him to wrap it lightly because I might need to fly with that hand the next day.

When he removed the stitches, I thanked him for that light wrap as winning the combat event required considerable flying with my left hand to get out of line tangles.

I'm still paying for that!  The base of my left thumb is considerably larger than the right, and I get injections of cortisone to help ease the pain of severe arthritis at the joints on that thumb.  Ouch!


Dennis

[GERALD WIMMER]

Hello While flying last weekend at the Reese Jones Memorial Fly-in (Whangarei Auckland) I gave my son Otto's Ringmaster a new wing decoration in blood.
The cut happened when Otto went to start the Enya 35 with an electric starter and I turned the prop back so it would spin easier but it kicked back and got my thumb.
My wife said it was a bad look for control line flying and quickly cleaned the wing after he landed but I got a picture first!

Regards Gerald

[Dennis Leonhardi]

1974. Cosmetically modified Ringmaster Sr.  It was beauty,  White MonoKote wings , Datk Navy blue fuselage. K&B Stallion .35/Veco Alum spinner.   We flew half on half off a parking lot and grass so there is of of course a curb is involved with any take offs and lands.   The Ring goes into low fuel/ engine shut down  mode. And I can tell its gonna touch down at speed and maybe slam into the curb.  I start running.  I time it ( so I thought) to meet the plane before It crashed into the curb and trash the spinner .......wrong.  Foot through the outboard wing planel. Ouch.

I think I'm gonna cry!  Ever think of being a dancer?  I mean, with that kinda ……………… footwork!?!
 

[Allen Eshleman]

My brother had just received a Beautiful Randy Smith tuned, Super Tiger 51.  We put it on the stand.  I started it and it needed a needle valve adjustment.  Somehow, in my excitement. I stuck my fingers right through the propeller.  Blood came out of my thumb and forefinger.  I jumped and ran around my brother's parking lot. I would like to say that I saw saying Praise the Lord but I'm not sure.  It was not bad language. Finally I went into the house and washed them in cold water.  My wife took me to the emergency room.  I was fairly lucky. None of the bone was injured.  They simply wrapped them and the skin eventually grew back over the tips of these two fingers.  However, they are always sensitive and get extremely cold in severe cold.  Fortunately, I can still play the piano, fly and start planes (with a chicken stick or electric finger).  But I can feel the damage all the time. I am very careful around engines.
 

[Steve Helmick]

When I was a poor teenager, we'd buy the cheapest fuel we could get...Blue Blazer. When the can was empty, we'd light the drops remaining and get a nice "jet blast" out of the open mouth of the can. Always did it, until I burned the f'k out of my left thumb. Didn't do that again! Did some other dumbchit stuff since, tho! Some, I'll never tell anybody, ever!    Steve

[Ken Culbertson]

I don't know if any of you have ever done any "wind flying".  I was in the 8th grade at Edgar Allen Poe middle school in Annandale, Va .and had my first "big" airplane.  A Flight Streak, Jr. with a Fox .15 up front.  Not knowing any better I had bought a Walker UReely and would take it out on really windy days and spin around letting out line till I had enough to do lazy eights in the wind.  One day I thought it was a good idea to start the Fox and do the line thing.  Only did that once.  Got about 10' of line out before I was spinning so fast that I fell over and crashed.

Ken

[John Hammonds]

Isn't X-Acto a swear word?  Years ago, I was getting a combat ship ready for the annual Fargo (ND) contest and decided an X-Acto knife would speed the process of smoothing out the engine nacelle, which was covered in cloth and epoxy.  Almost predictably, the knife blade broke and what remained on the handle cut a jagged path through the outer side of my left thumb.

Fortunately, our family doctor flew some control line.  When he finished up the stitching and prepared to wrap my left hand in some heavy material, I asked him to wrap it lightly because I might need to fly with that hand the next day.

When he removed the stitches, I thanked him for that light wrap as winning the combat event required considerable flying with my left hand to get out of line tangles.

I'm still paying for that!  The base of my left thumb is considerably larger than the right, and I get injections of cortisone to help ease the pain of severe arthritis at the joints on that thumb.  Ouch!


Dennis

I feel the pain of you both, I was once carving a cowl of and APS Princess (I think), Constructed of numerous bits of Balsa glued together. It collapsed in my hand and I almost sliced my thumb off.

I still have the scar 40 years later and it is the main reason I can no longer ride my motorcycle through the winter months due to the lack of movement I have.  There was also an incident with a cigarette lighter and a can of Nitrex 15 which left me with no eyebrows for several weeks. (Not a great look when trying to pull the ladies).

It's not just building toy planes I have problems with, don't get me started on my attempts to build flat pack furniture.   

TTFN
John.