Lost Bixler :( .......... found later :D

[KKArioKA]

I was flying the Bixler today and as usual the wind was around 20 km/h

the wind was coming from 330deg (make 0 deg runway heading) so i had to approach from a angle to the runway.


As i did the last turn to enter the final approach, i decided to turn flaps on so i can glide less, my runway is a footbal field ( the field has a fence 5 meters high around it, so i cant go low on approach).

all good but i forgot about the wind !!!! as i turned my flaps on the plane imediately dropped nose behind a tree and i lost sight of it !!!! tried to do a loop to regain but it was too late ...... it "landed" somewhere else !

I packed my stuff in a hurry and got into the car .....

after about 30 min searching i found it !!!! the nose was bent sideways but didnt broke off - thx to the "extreme packing tape" i had around it, and the right wing had a crack near the fuselage that went from the trailing edge to almost 2/3 of the cord.

All in all i was pretty happy and amazed that i found my plane in one piece (sort of).

as i type here the epoxy on the wing is curing and i had to spread some uhu por to the nose where it joins in the 2 halves (the glue cracked open a bit).

I hope for a good weather tomorrow

any1 want to see pictures ??

 

[colorex]

330deg

Had to be an airline pilot... makes me remember Flight Simulator X:

- "Cessna 182, at end of runway 23, request takeoff clearance"
- "Cessna 182 Cleared to take off, runway 23".

---------------------------------

And yes, we want pictures. One doesn't ask that.

 

[teflyer]

Sure, Let's see the pictures!
Colorex: I believe that KKArioKa is/was actually a pilot.

 

[KKArioKA]

I´m a pilot, but i dont fly anymore, working with real state now - selling condos and houses.

Okay, Okay; the picture question was rethorical ... i was taking the shots

here it is after surgery:

nose job; reinforcing and straightning the "neck" and wing glued: you can see the glue, but can you see the crack ???

popsicle sticks on both sides of the cockpit to reinforce and to keep straight.

 

[colorex]

Great job!

 

[teflyer]

You can hardly tell it was broken! Like Colorex, Great Job!

 

[Aditya Gupta]

even i lost mine and never found it !

 

[KKArioKA]

even i lost mine and never found it !

that too bad i know the feeling .....



thx for the compliments ! its flying like new

 

[Tom O'Connell]

the bixler is one strong plane. If it was epp just imagine how it would have bounced so high you would have got sight of it again

 

[lobstermash]

I inspired a work colleague to get a Bixler RTF. He flew it like a pro for his first few flights yesterday, but it ended up at the top of a very tall tree in Yarralumla. If anyone finds it, he's very sad today and you would make his day...

 

[KKArioKA]

[Bixler Retrival Episode 2

Bixler Retrival Episode 2

Hello friends; another not so happy story i would like to share ....

Last saturday (yesterday for me) was a great day for flying, slow winds and nice weather not cold or hot.

I was flying my beloved Bixler full of mods and as usual the crowd was OHHHH, AHHHH what a nice glider !!! so ... one of the guys who flies TREX 700 nitro, Wings with super fast heli motors aproached and started the small talk... oh wow it glides so nice, it flies so pretty ....

Being a good sport i offered him the control, at first he was doing pretty good, gliding from here to there, used the motor sparingly till he found out that i had A LOT of power under the hood; after that he tried loops, rolls, inverted till he stalled the plane... i warned him to take it easy and when i was about to get the controls back he STALLED the BIXLER AGAIN and went for the spiral of doom to the ground .. i watched it in shock, wasnt fast enought to take the controls off his hands ....

The area i fly its a dense weed with swamp underneath it, we made a small search but couldnt find it.


Today a friend of mine brought the easyglider with the HD wing camera we made a rescue pattern and we found it !!!



Tomorrow (monday) im planning a rescue mission, wish me luck !!

List of material:

Machete
gloves
old boots
old pants

any suggestions ?

EDIT: I downgraded the HD video so i could upload to the YT: can you spot the Bixler ??

 

[bmsweb]

Wow! Looks like a lot of excitement down your way! I hope its all OK when you get it back. can't wait to hear how this turns out! Fingers crossed its all good.

 

[colorex]

HA! I flew over the sea again today - and for some reason I almost lost it to the sea!

 

[KKArioKA]

its not about the money invested, what bothers is the feeling of loosing something you treasure.

Also the rescue mission seems a fun adventure

 

[KKArioKA]

FOUND IT !!!!!

So as planned, down i went to my flying field at 08:30 in the morning to the Search and Rescue mission.

i had a pretty good idea where the plane was and had very good landmarks to start with thanks to the air footage.


here are some pics of the rescue. NICE WEATHER TO START A RESCUE ?!?!?!?!



I made a deal with this guy, payed him 10 bucks to assist me ( plus 2 doses of "street brandy" and a cigarrete after the rescue haha )

the battery WAS DEAD, and it had a small dent in the wing, nonetheless the plane is perfect !!!

the battery was a nanotech 2200 3S, and was only holding 8.6V .... should i ditch it or there is a way to save it ?? tried charging with PB, Nimh and Nicd ... as i said, only hold 8.6V before it drops to 7.5 and start charging again to 8.6V (goes on and on on this cycle)

 

[colorex]

HA! Great to have your plane back

 

[KKArioKA]

the weed was 10' tall and the water was waist high; im feeling like RAMBO right now HA HA HA

MISSION ACOMPLISHED AND IM GOING TO THE SHOWER !!!!

 

[king_carlos_v]

the weed was 10' tall and the water was waist high; im feeling like RAMBO right now HA HA HA

MISSION ACOMPLISHED AND IM GOING TO THE SHOWER !!!!

hell yeah! good rescue pal.

did you take video from the lost-recover-bixler? it would be nice the climax moment when everything goes bad(i have my own experience too, but i found it 15 minutes later jumping like a rabit)

 

[bmsweb]

. . .im feeling like RAMBO right now HA HA HA

MISSION ACOMPLISHED AND IM GOING TO THE SHOWER !!!!

Mission accomplished no two ways about it!! Well Done. Its great to hear it all worked out