... launches their plane with the ailerons reversed? Don't people do preflight checks?
I'll admit that I've thought that before. Well, now I know precisely what kind of moron does that.
The story:
My Tiny Trainer was getting so beat up that it wouldn't even fly any more. I decided I'd build a Baby Baron to replace it. It looked fun, could use all the components, etc. It's a beautiful little plane. I painted it red and white and put on all the decals. It looks just like the one in the intro/build video. I went to maiden it a few days ago. I gave it a good throw. It rolled like 4 times to the left(it has an incredible roll rate!) and dove straight into the ground. Broke the prop in half. Destroyed the skewers holding the power pod in. Shoved the power pod and motor all the way back into the fuselage, ... You get the idea. It was one of those times when you can't even think or speak. You just stand there stunned. I just brought it inside, put it on the bench, and walked away.
I had some extra time after dinner tonight, so I thought I'd take another crack at it. I made sure my ailerons looked like they were trimmed right, that I had enough throw to counteract what MUST have been a wicked torque roll, double checked my CG, then headed outside. I was holding it up about to throw it when I wiggled the right stick one last time. My brain told me something looked funny, so I didn't throw it. That's when it hit me. I moved the stick to the left, watched the right aileron come up, then just hung my head.
I reversed them, then threw it for the best maiden I've ever had. What a GREAT little plane! It flies like it's on rails! I'm just running the Blue Wonder out of my old trainer in it. I swear it's almost as fast as my Mini Arrow with a 2300KV 2204 in it.
TL;DR Check your control surfaces before you launch. The Baby Baron is an awesome little plane.
I'll admit that I've thought that before. Well, now I know precisely what kind of moron does that.
The story:
My Tiny Trainer was getting so beat up that it wouldn't even fly any more. I decided I'd build a Baby Baron to replace it. It looked fun, could use all the components, etc. It's a beautiful little plane. I painted it red and white and put on all the decals. It looks just like the one in the intro/build video. I went to maiden it a few days ago. I gave it a good throw. It rolled like 4 times to the left(it has an incredible roll rate!) and dove straight into the ground. Broke the prop in half. Destroyed the skewers holding the power pod in. Shoved the power pod and motor all the way back into the fuselage, ... You get the idea. It was one of those times when you can't even think or speak. You just stand there stunned. I just brought it inside, put it on the bench, and walked away.
I had some extra time after dinner tonight, so I thought I'd take another crack at it. I made sure my ailerons looked like they were trimmed right, that I had enough throw to counteract what MUST have been a wicked torque roll, double checked my CG, then headed outside. I was holding it up about to throw it when I wiggled the right stick one last time. My brain told me something looked funny, so I didn't throw it. That's when it hit me. I moved the stick to the left, watched the right aileron come up, then just hung my head.
I reversed them, then threw it for the best maiden I've ever had. What a GREAT little plane! It flies like it's on rails! I'm just running the Blue Wonder out of my old trainer in it. I swear it's almost as fast as my Mini Arrow with a 2300KV 2204 in it.
TL;DR Check your control surfaces before you launch. The Baby Baron is an awesome little plane.