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Author Topic: Very sad to report the Stiletto 770 is no more  (Read 1445 times)

Offline Jared Hays

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Very sad to report the Stiletto 770 is no more
« on: June 04, 2021, 10:30:51 PM »
Just getting around to posting this on here, My dad posted it on the control line page on facebook so quite a few people have seen it already.  But after 35 years of flying/competing, my dad's blue Stiletto 770 suffered a catastrophic stabilizer failure/departing of the aircraft at about the worst possible location.  Just as he was starting to make the inverted turn on the reverse wing over the stab broke and the plane went in almost full vertical nose dive.  Needless to say hes been pretty devastated the last couple weeks.  He hopes/wants to build another one but is worried with the poor quality and availability in balsa wood not sure if another one will be quite as good as this one was.  I only flew it a handful of times myself and it was a dream to fly.  My grandfather always said it should have been named the Spoiler instead of Stiletto because after you flew it you didn't want to ever fly anything else, you were spoiled with how awesome it flew lol.  We were trimming on it till the day it crashed trying different prop combinations and we think we had found the magic combination to have the best all around performance but now its back to the drawing board.   I have several videos of this plane on youtube and quite a fair amount of you folks pry have got to see the plane in person as he has flown it all over the midwest and even in North Carolina a couple times and the NATS back in the late 80's.  Anyways here's a few pics of the destruction.  We played "Taps" over  a bluetooth speaker at the flying site after the crash.


 

Offline Jared Hays

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Re: Very sad to report the Stiletto 770 is no more
« Reply #1 on: June 04, 2021, 10:32:02 PM »
pics

Offline Jared Hays

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Re: Very sad to report the Stiletto 770 is no more
« Reply #2 on: June 04, 2021, 10:33:05 PM »
pics

Offline Jared Hays

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Re: Very sad to report the Stiletto 770 is no more
« Reply #3 on: June 04, 2021, 10:35:57 PM »
This was one of the coolest pics I ever took of the plane, RIP Stiletto

Online Ken Culbertson

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Re: Very sad to report the Stiletto 770 is no more
« Reply #4 on: June 04, 2021, 11:11:52 PM »
You need a graphic violence warning before viewing those pictures.   :'(
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Offline Serge_Krauss

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Re: Very sad to report the Stiletto 770 is no more
« Reply #5 on: June 04, 2021, 11:47:30 PM »
This was one of the coolest pics I ever took of the plane, RIP Stiletto

Really great picture. My wife looked at it and said, "Somewhere over the rainbow. That's where he'll find his plane."

Online Dave_Trible

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Re: Very sad to report the Stiletto 770 is no more
« Reply #6 on: June 05, 2021, 05:17:01 AM »
Jared tell Gary I'm sorry he lost the old machine.  It was amazing it was still airworthy after all this time and that it still looked as nice as ever.  Now though he has a reason to build something new.  Call Russell at Okie-he'll get you some lumber.  Maybe a chance to try a pipe?

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Offline De Hill

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Re: Very sad to report the Stiletto 770 is no more
« Reply #7 on: June 05, 2021, 08:30:10 AM »
I remember seeing Gary and the Stilletto at the Topeka contest in the late 1980's.
It was a good lookin good flying airplane.
De Hill

Offline James Lee

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Re: Very sad to report the Stiletto 770 is no more
« Reply #8 on: June 05, 2021, 04:40:27 PM »
Jared
What a terrible day!!!!    I remember Gary flying at Gage Park in the rain with the big Stilletto, Many years ago.....   He could barely see with his glasses on....
And just last year here, it was still going strong!!!   Lotsa good memories
Jim

Offline Dick Pacini

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Re: Very sad to report the Stiletto 770 is no more
« Reply #9 on: June 05, 2021, 06:56:30 PM »
I don't know how much difference there is between the 770 and the 660, but Walter Umland makes beautiful laser cut high end kits and the wood and materials are top shelf.  You might want to give him a call or send an email.  I have attached a link.

http://www.builtrightflyright.com/2021/stiletto660kit2021.htm
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Offline Air Ministry .

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Re: Very sad to report the Stiletto 770 is no more
« Reply #10 on: June 06, 2021, 06:44:44 PM »
He made a good job of that . If your going to do something , do it properly .  :-[ Bit of a shame about the head fins , too . Seems a lotta ST 60s have suffered there . Tho seen a pic of a G-51 where it was machineds
for cowl clearance . So cleaning up the chamfer you can tell em , its to fit a closer cowl .

Sorry to see it trashed . Seems the tail planes easiest to catch in your feet / legs walking . Mayve caught a shuffle to weaken it ? . Hope he gets straight ontothge replacement . Mayaswell draw a airfoils & dimensions
PLAN , while your at it ! . S?P

Wouldn't reuse controls without a severe  twist & test , can be fatigue / impact cracks . Hardly worth the risk , as a small percentage of the overall build cost .  :(

 H^^

Offline wwwarbird

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Re: Very sad to report the Stiletto 770 is no more
« Reply #11 on: June 06, 2021, 09:01:14 PM »
Just getting around to posting this on here, My dad posted it on the control line page on facebook so quite a few people have seen it already.  But after 35 years of flying/competing, my dad's blue Stiletto 770 suffered a catastrophic stabilizer failure/departing of the aircraft at about the worst possible location.  Just as he was starting to make the inverted turn on the reverse wing over the stab broke and the plane went in almost full vertical nose dive.  Needless to say hes been pretty devastated the last couple weeks.  He hopes/wants to build another one but is worried with the poor quality and availability in balsa wood not sure if another one will be quite as good as this one was.  I only flew it a handful of times myself and it was a dream to fly.  My grandfather always said it should have been named the Spoiler instead of Stiletto because after you flew it you didn't want to ever fly anything else, you were spoiled with how awesome it flew lol.  We were trimming on it till the day it crashed trying different prop combinations and we think we had found the magic combination to have the best all around performance but now its back to the drawing board.   I have several videos of this plane on youtube and quite a fair amount of you folks pry have got to see the plane in person as he has flown it all over the midwest and even in North Carolina a couple times and the NATS back in the late 80's.  Anyways here's a few pics of the destruction.  We played "Taps" over  a bluetooth speaker at the flying site after the crash.


 

 Wow, 35 years of trimming? Maybe the next one will trim out quicker.  ;D
Narrowly averting disaster since 1964! 

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Offline Elwyn Aud

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Re: Very sad to report the Stiletto 770 is no more
« Reply #12 on: June 07, 2021, 07:31:02 AM »
From the 2020  and 2019 Gluedobbers contests. I remember first seeing it at the Topeka contest about 2005. The photo with the rainbow is wonderful!

Offline Jared Hays

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Re: Very sad to report the Stiletto 770 is no more
« Reply #13 on: June 07, 2021, 03:18:44 PM »
Wow, 35 years of trimming? Maybe the next one will trim out quicker.  ;D

I think he flew it off the bench trim for about 30 years lol it wasn’t about until I finally beat him at a contest he decided okay maybe I’ll start trimming it out lol

Offline Les McDonald

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Re: Very sad to report the Stiletto 770 is no more
« Reply #14 on: June 07, 2021, 08:34:21 PM »
It really hurts when you lose one with that much history. That plane must have been like a member of the family.
We need to remember that these planes grow old just like we do and sooner or later something lets go. As much as we would like to believe, fact is nothing goes on forever. Condolences to the Hayes family.
I see people my age out there climbing mountains and zip lining and here I am feeling good about myself because I got my leg through my underwear without losing my balance


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