You bet Is there any way not to have fun with a sailplane? <G> -----Original Message----- From: Pat McCleave [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Sunday, April 16, 2006 12:20 PM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Cc: RCSE Subject: Re: [RCSE] Graupner Winch #2 - The rest of the story
Sheldon, I guess the real question is. Did you have fun? See Ya , Pat McCleave Wichita, KS ----- Original Message ----- From: "Sheldon-YNT uDesign" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "RCSE" <soaring@airage.com> Sent: Sunday, April 16, 2006 10:23 AM Subject: FW: [RCSE] Graupner Winch #2 - The rest of the story > OK, since the original "This sounds interesting" popped-up on RCSE, I > thought I'd "share" my first "Huh...Where'd that tree come from" > experience > with everyone. I'm sure parts of it will give somebody a chuckle... > > ~Sheldon-YNT~ > > PS: Sailplanes can be so cruel sometimes...<G> > > ________________________________ > > This is kinda' long and I may have missed some of the "details but here > are > the salient points: > > 1. Rewire my Graupner winch for the new Clipper footswitch I got from > Injoy > 2. Winch doesn't work (strike 1), better go to Erie & have Reece look > at it to make sure it was wired right (it was)...Besides, we can fly (what > an excuse!) > 3. Plan on leaving at 6:30am, left almost an hour later (strike 2) > 4. Get to Reece & Mindy's, Reece applies power to winch in launch > position, magic smoke starts escaping (never a good sign) > 5. Follow Reece to airport, & start setting up his winch > 6. Drive Mindy's van and mine down the far side of the runway, reeling > out line... > > 1. Sheldon: That should be enough > 2. Reece: Nawww...I want it all out > 3. Sheldon: It's pretty soft out here...That should be enough > for us > 4. Reece: All of it, besides, it's drier up ahead > 5. Sheldon: OK...You da' boss > 7. Less than 10 seconds later...Reece has Mindy's van stuck...Damn! > (strike 3) > 8. Reece, gets out, checks & decides I should give him a little "nudge" > to get him going > 9. BIG mistake! Now my van is stuck as well...Damn, damn, damn! (strike > 4...NOTE: we should have "known" by this time...(sigh)...) > 10. Airport manager lives on-field...Uhhh Mark, We've got BOTH vans > stuck, can you pull us out with your 4wd? Sure no problem & don' t go down > there again, it's too soft (Like we don't know this now???) > 11. Mark pulls both vans out of the muck, & we finish setting the winch. > At this point it would be prudent to mention that we are now positioned > appx > where Sheldon had said earlier "that's should be enough" (as noted above) > 12. A bit of confusion setting up the retriever...A phone call solves > that puzzle > 13. Wind is blowing about 10-13, with gusts upwards of 17. We launch...A > short but adequate flight, add a couple of click of down to keep the speed > upwind, with a landing that is not too bad, although somewhat distant. Put > in several short flights with the Soprano, a couple of pop-offs included, > something is still not right with the retriever. > 14. Damn, that last landing I slowed it down too much, hooked the wing > tip landing it! (strike 5) > 15. OK, we think we have the retriever problem resolved, lets launch > again > 16. Launch again...Pop-off...A LOT lower than before, and Reece says > just fly straight-out > 17. "I" think he means fly straight-out until I get some speed up (he > actually meant land it straight-out) > 18. I've got airspeed, so I swing downwind, intending to just make an > approach & land, start to make my upwind turn for final...No rudder! > 19. Then all of a sudden I have rudder, but it's too late...By about 10 > feet, and the Soprano is in a tree...Damn, damn, damn! (strike 6) > 20. We make the hike across the field & look up...WOW! It's REALLY in > there good...flew right into the crotch of a limb that extends > straight-out > into the flight path, with branches capturing it top, bottom, etc. Then we > look down, the trees are in the middle of a bog, nasty! Now there's "dry" > land on either side of the trees, but the tree itself is in the middle of > the bog! (strike 7) > 21. Weight a line, trying to get it over the fuselage (maybe we can > "pull it backwards" to free it???). After MANY attempts, we do get a line > over it, but no dice, this is not going well. This is not happening! > 22. Reece calls his buddy Jay (who lives on-site) and says "Hey! Get you > ass out of bed & come help us get an airplane out of a tree at the east > end > of the runway!) > 23. Jay shows up about 20 minutes later, looks, says "no problem", & > proceeds to walk a fallen tree to the other "dry" side. > 24. Reece spies a deer stand against a tree about 50' away...Hey Jay, > wait a minute...We got a deer stand ladder down there! So we go retrieve > it > and get it across to Jay. Reece says go get your radio, Jay says if he > gets > to it he'll just toss it and we can fly it down...& get me a bottle of > water > out of the van too. > 25. Go to the van & by the time I get back, Jay is already up in the > tree & almost to the plane (How the hell did he do that???) > 26. Jay is at the plane, gets it loose, & says: How hard do I have to > throw this? Reece says it takes nothin'! Jay: OK, but I'll have to throw > it > with the wing on the diagonal, I can't throw it flat. Reece: Just toss it! > 27. Now you have to picture Jay, perched precariously out on a (not very > substantial limb), with a 10' glider, in a 12mph wind, trying to throw it > out of the tree, with one wingtip at a 45 degree angle up, at about a 45 > degree angle to the wind. Surely this thing is gonna blow right over!!! > 28. Jay heaves it, Reece flies it down right towards the winch (across > the field), and slides it into a landing. > 29. Sheldon: WOW! Jay I owe ya' Dude...How 'bout lunch on me? Jay: No > problem ~ I'm always up for a free meal...Subway! > 30. Get the plane over to the vans...Upon examination, LE is crushed a > little in 1 spot where the crotch of the limb stopped it, the carbon TE > has > clean breaks in 2 spots, & a few of the carbon spar caps have popped on > either side of the breaks. CA will take care of all of the damages. Quick > check of the rudder & there's about 3/8" play either > way...Hmmm...something > is not good there. We surmise that either the pushrod is damaged or its > teflon sheath has broken loose inside the fin. Screw it...I'll wait 'til I > get home & check it out. > 31. Over at the hangars...Meanwhile, the skydivers have shown up & Reece > is supposed to take them up to 6K for a drop. While they're getting ready > we > go to Subway & Sheldon buys lunch. Back to the airport, swallow lunch. > 32. Sheldon needs a little time, 'cause he wants to go up with Reece to > make the drop... > 33. Sheldon makes the "call of shame" to Helene & says...Honey...I flew > the Soprano into a tree, we have to get it down, I'm gonna be a little > late. > OK, we already had the plane down - let's not dwell on it...Besides, Reece > is taking some skydivers up for a jump & I wanna go up with him. Is he a > good pilot??? Hell, I don't know, I've never flown with him. Helene is not > happy...I can tell by the sound of her voice. OK, I'll just stay long > enough > to watch them jump, then I'll head home. Do whatever you want...(YOU all > know how it sounds AND what it "really" means!!!) (strike whatever...By > now > I've lost count!) > 34. The jumpers are ready, one of them pulls out an extra rig, positions > the legstraps on the ground & says: > > 1. Jumper: OK Sheldon, just come over here & step right into > these > 2. Sheldon: What are you??? NUTS??? What the hell am I going to > do with that??? > 3. Jumper: Well, you're going up with us aren't you?...It's > "just in case"... > 4. Sheldon: Hell, I don't know the first thing about what to do > "just in case". Not me Dude...If anything happens, I'm sticking with HIM > (Sheldon pointing to Reece). > 5. Reece: (As he straps on his 'chute) Then you need a > 'chute...'Cause if anything happens, I'm out the door & you better be > right > behind me > 6. Sheldon: Nope! The way my luck has run today...NO WAY...I'm > staying right here on the ground. I'll watch you guys jump & then I'm > headed > home... > > And THAT gentlemen, is the our lead entertainment story for the > weekend...Well...Almost anyway... > > I got home about 2 hours later than I'd planned...Helene is not too upset, > & > we decide to go out to the noodle place we like for dinner. Over dinner I > tell her the whole sad story of the day, etc. & show her the pic I got on > my > camera phone of Jay, just as he landed from his jump (oh yeah, besides > retrieving sailplanes from trees, Jay has built & flown a couple of > ultralights, flown P3s, skydives, & who knows what else! <G>). > Uhhh...Honey, > how about an "early" birthday present...for $150 & 5 hours training, I can > make a jump??? NO! But honey... NO! ABSOLUTELY NOT! NO WAY! But... NO! I'm >gonna do it...You know that I've always said I want to skydive, just once, > make 1 jump...NO! I don't want to talk about it...I'll get up and walk > out...NO! (Hmmm...this is going to be more difficult than I thought...I > need > a "plan"). Now I know this is not the "proper" time to continue this > course > of conversation so I wisely shut up about it. We have our dinner...the > bill > comes & with the bill of course there are fortune cookies. I let Helene > select hers, I take the one that's left, and this is exactly what it said: > "You should be able to undertake and complete anything". Needless to > say...I > start LMAO & hand it to Helene...She reads it, scowls, & says...You > guessed > it...NO! > > (I'm still working on a "plan" to make a jump...Anyone got any "helpful" > suggestions) > > -S- > > PS: Reece & I have made a blood pact...From now on, 3 strikes & we quit > for > the day! > > ________________________________ > > From: James V. Bacus [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > Sent: Saturday, April 15, 2006 9:26 PM > To: soaring@airage.com > Subject: Re: [RCSE] Graupner Winch #2 > > > This sounds interesting... > > > At 07:54 PM 4/15/2006, [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > > > oh Sheldon ,tell them the whole tale.Let them know how it went from > bad to worse .Don't forget about the 4 wheel drive part > lol..............Reece > > Jim > Downers Grove, IL > Member of the Chicago SOAR club, and Team JR > AMA 592537 LSF 7560 Level IV R/C Soaring blog at www. > <http://www.jimbacus.net/> jimbacus.net <http://www.jimbacus.net/> > > > > RCSE-List facilities provided by Model Airplane News. Send "subscribe" > and "unsubscribe" requests to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Please note > that subscribe and unsubscribe messages must be sent in text only format > with MIME turned off. Email sent from web based email such as Hotmail and > AOL are generally NOT in text format > RCSE-List facilities provided by Model Airplane News. Send "subscribe" and "unsubscribe" requests to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Please note that subscribe and unsubscribe messages must be sent in text only format with MIME turned off. Email sent from web based email such as Hotmail and AOL are generally NOT in text format
