It was an early start to the day. There were last minute items to tend to. Check all screws and pushrods for tightness, final fit of prototype landing gear. So many unknowns.
The airframe seem straight and true, but wait, the rudder is not central! How did I miss that. Full system check of the avionics needed and sort out the sub trim of that rudder. Have I forgotten anything else? make a list, pre-flight checklist.
Stability control gyros, must re calibrate them due to the rudder issue. Run the calibration procedure. Complex stuff, hang in there, the maiden flight is an hour away. Damn this is taking so long, wind is coming up.
The day is hot and now windy. Nerves are high as the Storch and it's pilot are transported to the air field. Should I have the unknown quantity, the stabiliser on or off for the first flight? Will I do a flight?
The wind is up and gusting as the air field is reached.
Ok pilots discretion needed here. Taxi testing on the ground only with stability mode on.
The prototype landing gear works well as the Storch bumps but not bounces over the rough tussocks of grass and weeds.
I turn the Storch cross wind on the ground, I feel the coolness over my face as the gust of wind flips the light airplane over on its back. This gust was a scaled cyclonic wind to the Storch.
Taxi into the wind that is the trick, hard to keep the tail down... this plane wants to fly!
Seems nothing can stop it. Slow down, back on elevator stick to drive the tail down and the skid into the ground. That cool feeling on my face once more, the Storch! is in the air! What! The gust, the gust of wind has powered the magical aerodynamics of this little plane and elevated it into the air.
Ok Lawrie, breathe in and fly!
Stability control seems to be also working its magic and keeping the plane level and true.
Gently apply some right aileron and rudder, up elevator and touch more throttle. So stable in the cross wind.
Turn to downwind about 10 metres above the small trees near the creek. Flying like it is on rails.
Lawrie! Wake up! Taxi testing on the ground remember!
OK must land. Good position for base and final approach.
Turn onto base leg on this round shaped circuit.
Now gentle turn to final. Throttle back to reduce altitude, back on elevator to reduce speed. Looking good to land on the clear gravel track.
Short Lawrie! Short of the touchdown point… Throttle up, up. Hold…..
Throttle off and now back on elevator stick to flair!
The prototype landing gear struck the ground. And without a bounce settled this fighting Storch onto the gravel and grass.
Damn that was good.
But as with me and the red mist.
Do it again!
Once more lifted off the ground as though driven by a mystical power and once more stable in the cross wind.
Downwind over the trees near the creek. “Battery Low” announced the calm female voice of my Taranis Radio Control transmitter. Ok keep flying.
Notice a gentle decent by the Storch. Nose up and power up… power up? Power up! The Storch did a lovely soft STOL (Short Take Off and Landing) decent into the top of the tallest tree.
I stood and looked at the bright red dot of the RAF roundel on the side and could clearly see the yellow of the underside. Peacefully sitting in the tree like its namesake the Stork.
From my point of view it had landed in a tree/bush of about 3 metres high.
So off I went to retrieve it. As I walked into the thicket of tee tree the ground fell away down to the creek, down and down.
Turned out the bush I could see was a 6 metre high TREE!
After about half an hour of poking the tree branches with very long sticks the Fighting Storch fell into my arms.
I think all of the damage to the Storch was by me poking it!
Luckily only scratches a wrinkles. But why no power? The battery warning was for the Taranis RC transmitter battery not the Storch’s battery. Did I run out of signal strength and lose control of the plane?
The stability control seemed to be working so well that it may have flow the plane gently down with no throttle as per the “Fail Safe” settings on the receiver were set to do.
Think it would have made a perfect landing except for the trees!
The Fighting Storch lives to Fight another day!