Gryf
Active member
You all might enjoy this one, as it's slightly amazing.
I built a new FT Storch just before Flite Fest, and the plan was to maiden it at the event. I was really looking forward to it... the plane was a nice clean, straight scratch-build, and I had expectations of some excellent flights as a result.
Such was indeed the case. I sent it up for its maiden a little while after the rain moved through, and once I'd adjusted the CG slightly and added some trim, it flew perfectly. Neato.
On its third or fourth flight, there was a pretty big crowd of planes up there. We were in the Intermediate Section of the field, and pilots were many. While flying patterns with the new Storch, I was motoring along the back straight when I noticed that it wasn't responding to the controls any more. Then... worse... I noticed that the plane I was watching wasn't even mine. I'd lost it in the crowd, and had absolutely no idea where it was.
I started working the sticks while looking around at all the planes aloft in an attempt to pick mine out from its movements, but to no avail. It appeared to be well and truly gone. Several guys from our tent area kindly joined me in a search through the bean field, but even though we fanned out and covered a large area, there was no trace of my Storch.
So I returned to our tent, resigned to the fact that I'd lost my plane for good. A little later, while I was getting another plane ready to fly, a couple of kids walked past our shelter, and one was carrying a Storch that appeared to be identical to mine. I stopped him, and saw that it was indeed my "lost" plane. I asked where he'd found it, and he replied that it had landed itself down near the Beginner end of the field, and had just sat there until its battery alarm started to go off - at which time they investigated it, saw my name and info on the bottom, and tried to call my cell. As many of you noticed, cell coverage varied a lot at the field... my reception was poor, so I didn't get the call. So they were headed to the lost-and-found with my plane. Now here's the amazing part... although it had landed by itself, and out of control at that, it was still in perfect condition. There wasn't a mark on it, so it must have made a nice soft landing. Right about the time I gave up on ever finding it, I suddenly found myself holding it again. Kinda messes with your head. Anyway, I got in a bunch more great flights with it over the rest of the weekend. Talk about making memories...
Gryf
I built a new FT Storch just before Flite Fest, and the plan was to maiden it at the event. I was really looking forward to it... the plane was a nice clean, straight scratch-build, and I had expectations of some excellent flights as a result.
Such was indeed the case. I sent it up for its maiden a little while after the rain moved through, and once I'd adjusted the CG slightly and added some trim, it flew perfectly. Neato.
On its third or fourth flight, there was a pretty big crowd of planes up there. We were in the Intermediate Section of the field, and pilots were many. While flying patterns with the new Storch, I was motoring along the back straight when I noticed that it wasn't responding to the controls any more. Then... worse... I noticed that the plane I was watching wasn't even mine. I'd lost it in the crowd, and had absolutely no idea where it was.
I started working the sticks while looking around at all the planes aloft in an attempt to pick mine out from its movements, but to no avail. It appeared to be well and truly gone. Several guys from our tent area kindly joined me in a search through the bean field, but even though we fanned out and covered a large area, there was no trace of my Storch.
So I returned to our tent, resigned to the fact that I'd lost my plane for good. A little later, while I was getting another plane ready to fly, a couple of kids walked past our shelter, and one was carrying a Storch that appeared to be identical to mine. I stopped him, and saw that it was indeed my "lost" plane. I asked where he'd found it, and he replied that it had landed itself down near the Beginner end of the field, and had just sat there until its battery alarm started to go off - at which time they investigated it, saw my name and info on the bottom, and tried to call my cell. As many of you noticed, cell coverage varied a lot at the field... my reception was poor, so I didn't get the call. So they were headed to the lost-and-found with my plane. Now here's the amazing part... although it had landed by itself, and out of control at that, it was still in perfect condition. There wasn't a mark on it, so it must have made a nice soft landing. Right about the time I gave up on ever finding it, I suddenly found myself holding it again. Kinda messes with your head. Anyway, I got in a bunch more great flights with it over the rest of the weekend. Talk about making memories...
Gryf
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