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Cox Engine of The Month
When Bad Things Happen to Good Planes
Page 1 of 1
When Bad Things Happen to Good Planes
Well it HAD to happen sooner or later; the 3 Meter Bird of Time finally found it'self out of airspeed, altitude, and ideas over, of all things, a field of corn-stalk stubble!
We were flying the 9 foot glider out of Uncle Wayne's backyard aerodrome in beautiful downtown Boaz, Illinois...on a photo mission to get images of his recently completed house: 'Pappy's Pad'.
The first flight went OK, with the GoPro equipped B.O.T. flirting dangerously with the FAA's 400 foot agl alttitude retriction as it circled high over Pappy's Pad. After the Cox Medallion .15 sipped the last of it's fuel, we got a good, long thermaling flight before sliding back for a touch down next to 'The Bob Tree'.
On the next run though, sliding in dead-stick as always, I pulled one-too-many altitude-burning 'S' turns, followed by a hard pull (yeah, I DON'T know why!). The resulting tip-stall snapped the big sailplane in exactly the wrong direction...heading it back out over the stubble.
Dropped the nose and jabbed in some rudder in the recovering turn, hoping to pull out just above the evil, plane-crunching monoliths, and coast back home in ground effect. Nope, the left wing-tip caught a stalk and, in cool pilot-speak, 'the surface departed the airframe'.
That was the whole of the damage though, and the 3 Meter B.O.T. is no stranger to catching crap from fences and gates and such. So, a rebuild of the left spar box will see the battered old buzzard once again rising through the ether.
And yes, we got some fair-to-workable images, but still want to do it again with better light.
From last year:
We were flying the 9 foot glider out of Uncle Wayne's backyard aerodrome in beautiful downtown Boaz, Illinois...on a photo mission to get images of his recently completed house: 'Pappy's Pad'.
The first flight went OK, with the GoPro equipped B.O.T. flirting dangerously with the FAA's 400 foot agl alttitude retriction as it circled high over Pappy's Pad. After the Cox Medallion .15 sipped the last of it's fuel, we got a good, long thermaling flight before sliding back for a touch down next to 'The Bob Tree'.
On the next run though, sliding in dead-stick as always, I pulled one-too-many altitude-burning 'S' turns, followed by a hard pull (yeah, I DON'T know why!). The resulting tip-stall snapped the big sailplane in exactly the wrong direction...heading it back out over the stubble.
Dropped the nose and jabbed in some rudder in the recovering turn, hoping to pull out just above the evil, plane-crunching monoliths, and coast back home in ground effect. Nope, the left wing-tip caught a stalk and, in cool pilot-speak, 'the surface departed the airframe'.
That was the whole of the damage though, and the 3 Meter B.O.T. is no stranger to catching crap from fences and gates and such. So, a rebuild of the left spar box will see the battered old buzzard once again rising through the ether.
And yes, we got some fair-to-workable images, but still want to do it again with better light.
From last year:
Kim- Top Poster
-
Posts : 8528
Join date : 2011-09-06
Location : South East Missouri
Re: When Bad Things Happen to Good Planes
Sorry to see that. Hopefully the break is as clean as it looks and the repairs go easily.
fit90- Diamond Member
- Posts : 1336
Join date : 2011-08-11
Location : Naples, Florida
Velcro is the answer. LOL
Kim wrote:Well it HAD to happen sooner or later; the 3 Meter Bird of Time finally found it'self out of airspeed, altitude, and ideas over, of all things, a field of corn-stalk stubble!
We were flying the 9 foot glider out of Uncle Wayne's backyard aerodrome in beautiful downtown Boaz, Illinois...on a photo mission to get images of his recently completed house: 'Pappy's Pad'.
The first flight went OK, with the GoPro equipped B.O.T. flirting dangerously with the FAA's 400 foot agl alttitude retriction as it circled high over Pappy's Pad. After the Cox Medallion .15 sipped the last of it's fuel, we got a good, long thermaling flight before sliding back for a touch down next to 'The Bob Tree'.
On the next run though, sliding in dead-stick as always, I pulled one-too-many altitude-burning 'S' turns, followed by a hard pull (yeah, I DON'T know why!). The resulting tip-stall snapped the big sailplane in exactly the wrong direction...heading it back out over the stubble.
Dropped the nose and jabbed in some rudder in the recovering turn, hoping to pull out just above the evil, plane-crunching monoliths, and coast back home in ground effect. Nope, the left wing-tip caught a stalk and, in cool pilot-speak, 'the surface departed the airframe'.
That was the whole of the damage though, and the 3 Meter B.O.T. is no stranger to catching crap from fences and gates and such. So, a rebuild of the left spar box will see the battered old buzzard once again rising through the ether.
And yes, we got some fair-to-workable images, but still want to do it again with better light.
Kim: Looks like you need some weaker Velcro strips. LOL
It looks like you use the same rod and tube system I do for wing panels. I usually add clear tape over the wing joints to help the panels stay together. After a few years the piano wire - stainless steel, (?), rods usually start rusting and do a good job of holding on to the brass tubing. As the saying goes, "you got off easy".
Save the fix for a rainy day, which may be tomorrow in your case. Wish I was there with my Sagitta 600.
Happydad
happydad- Rest In Peace
- Posts : 1592
Join date : 2012-05-28
Age : 78
Location : Escondido, CA
Surfer_kris- Diamond Member
- Posts : 1905
Join date : 2010-11-20
Location : Sweden
Re: When Bad Things Happen to Good Planes
Looks like an easy fix at least. I have had wings EXPLODE in crashes where every single part is reduced to unusable splinters. As "rekitted" goes that is pretty close to ARF looking.
Phil
Phil
pkrankow- Top Poster
- Posts : 3025
Join date : 2012-10-02
Location : Ohio
Re: When Bad Things Happen to Good Planes
Oh, I've always loved your photojournalistic missions with that plane. Spanning from a plane selfie of its own rack of RR1 power, to snowscapes, tours of your part of the Heartland and the ol' Bob Tree. I look forward to seeing her in one piece again. I too, have caused some recent bad things to happen to good planes lately.
Rusty
Rusty
_________________
Don't Panic!
...and never Ever think about how good you are at something...
while you're doing it!
My Hot Rock & Blues Playlist
...and never Ever think about how good you are at something...
while you're doing it!
My Hot Rock & Blues Playlist
RknRusty- Rest In Peace
- Posts : 10869
Join date : 2011-08-10
Age : 68
Location : South Carolina, USA
Re: When Bad Things Happen to Good Planes
hopefully u fix it and i have my glider up and running too!
cox24711- Platinum Member
- Posts : 722
Join date : 2014-01-18
Age : 21
Location : Noosa Queensland Australia
Re: When Bad Things Happen to Good Planes
Thanks Guys!
Yeah, it's rebuildable...just got to wedge it in with the other waiting projects in the shop. Guess the biggest thing was the shot to my pride in landing a perfectly working airplane so FAR away from it's field...that was a LONG 'Walk of Shame' ! Luckily, Miss Beth was there to memorialize the moment for eternity!
It was getting time for a little maintenance anyway, the B.O.T is showing it's age (think I've been flying it since 2004 or so...not sure). The ply ribs where the panels meet were starting to delaminate, and it's fuselage is starting to show stress from a few hundred flops onto the ground. It's an ARF version of the Bird, and has held up really well to the punishment it's been handed.
My old Kadet Mark I is ready for paint after it's 3rd or 4th rebuild, so there'll be a bit more room...it had a LOT worse experience than the B.O.T. !
Yeah, it's rebuildable...just got to wedge it in with the other waiting projects in the shop. Guess the biggest thing was the shot to my pride in landing a perfectly working airplane so FAR away from it's field...that was a LONG 'Walk of Shame' ! Luckily, Miss Beth was there to memorialize the moment for eternity!
It was getting time for a little maintenance anyway, the B.O.T is showing it's age (think I've been flying it since 2004 or so...not sure). The ply ribs where the panels meet were starting to delaminate, and it's fuselage is starting to show stress from a few hundred flops onto the ground. It's an ARF version of the Bird, and has held up really well to the punishment it's been handed.
My old Kadet Mark I is ready for paint after it's 3rd or 4th rebuild, so there'll be a bit more room...it had a LOT worse experience than the B.O.T. !
Kim- Top Poster
-
Posts : 8528
Join date : 2011-09-06
Location : South East Missouri
Re: When Bad Things Happen to Good Planes
Ah, Kim - you give me hope for my crunched and crumpled Sig Sr. I acquired at a garage sale some time back. It just has not gotten it's turn on the repair bench. Missing the main ingredient of "time" haha. Once again, living vicariously thru other peoples adventures Thanks for the pictures and story.
Marleysky- Top Poster
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Posts : 3618
Join date : 2014-09-28
Age : 71
Location : Grand Rapids, MI
Re: When Bad Things Happen to Good Planes
Marleysky wrote:Ah, Kim - you give me hope for my crunched and crumpled Sig Sr. I acquired at a garage sale some time back. It just has not gotten it's turn on the repair bench. Missing the main ingredient of "time" haha. Once again, living vicariously thru other peoples adventures Thanks for the pictures and story.
Thanks Marley!
Yeah, I'd add 'passion' as the other crucial ingredient, along with time. If I'm not in the mood to build/rebuild something, I can flail away at a project for a long time...and waste every minute! But when the Mojo is going, things seem to jump together on the table !
Good Luck and Good Mojo to the Sr. !
Kim- Top Poster
-
Posts : 8528
Join date : 2011-09-06
Location : South East Missouri
Re: When Bad Things Happen to Good Planes
Kim, I think you clarified something that I have had trouble defining until now, thank you. I have had a crazy works schedule lately. While working I have been thinking about working on the planes but when I got the time nothing happened. The mojo was simply wasn't there. Now I know what to start looking for so I am not just wasting time and making a mess.
Thank you.
Thank you.
fit90- Diamond Member
- Posts : 1336
Join date : 2011-08-11
Location : Naples, Florida
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