Posted Tuesday, November 20, 2012 @ 01:26 PM
"low passes with a hard pull up at low altitude are to be avoided, lest you snap roll into the ground"
I couldn't help thinking how the above wisdom applied too me even with both feet on the ground...sort of!
I have been pretty preoccupied with non-flying things since the summer but still managed to find enough time to crash.
Its one of those stupid things that happen when you least expect it, yet the conditions where all there in plain sight.
I was checking in on the RF4D in its Ensign hanger and coming out to give the engine a little run to circulate some oil to keep things lubed as I had not flown in months.
The tail is a tight fit in the hanger and I usually have only about a foot that I can squeeze by the tail carefully to get to the rear of the hanger.
Well this day I was about to squeeze by the stabilizer but tripped over a shovel along the way.
If it had been a rake I'm sure to have received it squarely between the eyes like Wiley Coyote, but alas I'd have my own unique style of crashing in this case.
Like heck I was going to land on the RF4D's stabilizer and bust it, so I twisted and pushed hard leaping over and to the side of the tail like an Olympian high jumper.
As I was flying through the air heading for the hanger wall, which seems like it was in slow motion, I couldn't help thinking that this would have made a funny GoPro video of my first aerobatic attempt.
I crash landed hard on on my side with hip and ribs taking most of the impact.
I notice my success at saving the tail from any trauma and was immediately gratified by my leap.
Now I had to inventory my own damage, as I slowly got up.
Everything is still working, so if you can walk away from it, it was a success....Hooray...Success!
I had a month of minor aches from bruising but definitely worth it and much less discomfort than repairing the tail...it was a good snap decision.
Lesson learned, keep your hanger tidy and in order, else hanger rash will bite you, your plane, or both if your very unlucky.
Having said that I am now thinking about the hanger door car battery sitting on a shelf, unsecured, that is but 2-3 feet from the RF4D's tail and 5' up on a shelf.
I'll be going out to secure that ASAP, after all I live in a quake zone.
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Ray
RF4D #4057 N-1771 Rectimo 1400cc
http://picasaweb.google.com/jb92563/FournierRF4D
http://www.touringmotorgliders.org
