Almost.....

Which is why you NEVER have an untetherd, engine running plane in the pits. I don't care who they are, they are NOT God. Most clubes I have flown with have no-engine running zones which are on the other side of the pit fence (flightline side)

Paul, While you are right, I think this post proves one very important thing. Even the OF's have problems when they break the rules. Had this guy NOT been violating club rules, the plane would have been on the flight line or taxiway at worst instead of in the middle of milling pilots and helpers. Would it have made a difference" Your guess is as good as mine.

While he may be an asset to the club in terms of 'he can save anything', it sure sounds like he needs to be reminded that safety rules are for _everyone_, not just VIP flyers.

Probably no need to make a Federal case out of it, but the club needs him to nod his head up and down in acknowledgement of his own screw-up : failure to heed the engine shut-off line.

In some clubs that will get you a free pass to the one-month no-flying seat at the field. Cheers, Fred McClellan the dash plumber at mindspring dot com

Fred I agree. The pilot in question has been properly beaten. I don't think we will have any trouble enforcing the engine cut off line rule from now on.

Wouldn't full down elevator put the prop into the ground and kill the engine?

Carrell

Yesterday we had our sixth, and last of the year club fun fly contest. The clubs "go to when you are in trouble" test pilot landed his Webra 32 powered fun fly plane after the first round. This guy usually practices very safe flying techniques. We have rules about not taxiing through the pits with established shut off lines, but he did taxi the plane quite a ways on the wrong side of the line. When he went to shut off the engine by pulling down the throttle trim, apparently the servo pulled the clevis off of the throttle arm. (the silicone retainer tube broke from old age) Webra 32's have a pretty strong spring behind the throttle barrel. When this happened, the throttle went to full. So, we now have a Webra 32 with a 10X4 APC prop on the ground pointed at a group of pilots at full throttle. If it were anyone else in our group but this guy, I think really bad things would have happened. He steered the plane around in a tight circle with guys leaping out of the way of that 14,000+ RPM spinning veg-o-matic prop. When he had a clear shot at the runway, he took it back off and flew it around until it ran out of fuel. It took longer to read this than it actually happened. Apparently, the planets were lined up correctly and the airplane gods weren' t in the mood for a human sacrifice. The point here is accidents can and do happen when you least expect them.

Bill

Maybe, I have the exact same plane and I will give it a try. The guy holding the transmitter had less than one second to decide what to do. The really scary thing was it was such a complete surprise since things like this only happen to the other guy.

I understand having to decide 'right now', as I did not make the right decision last weekend. No one was hurt, and really was not in danger, but it scared me.

I've seen so many tail draggers nose over that it was the first thing that came to mind. Of course, if the plane is not a tail dragger, my theory is no good at all.

I'm still learning to fly. Last weekend, Paul [my instructor] mentioned as we walked up for our first flight that it was looking like a really good day to solo. I had a good takeoff, flew consistent patterns, did a good loop and an OK roll, and landed smoothly. I thought, "Maybe he's right; maybe I can solo today." Since my plane can fly forever on a tank of fuel, Paul suggested I take off again and fly some more. I straightened it up on the runway and gave it the gas. We had the slightest crosswind, or maybe the nose gear was slightly bent on the landing, and I didn't compensate. I was so scared by the plane coming straight at us that it never occurred to me to kill the throttle. Paul never panicked, and took the plane over our heads and got it back over the field. He gave me a minute to compose myself and the rest of the flight, and two more, went without incident; but it showed us I'm not quite ready to solo. He waited as long as he could for me to abort the takeoff because he wants me to learn to see my errors and respond correctly.

The guys in the pits were pretty good. They did put some lattice panels up in front of the picnic table like a safety net; and made sure I saw it after I landed.

I know how you feel. This particular fun fly plane is a tail dragger with the landing gear angled so the wheels are actually ahead of the prop. Don't know if giving it down elevator would have worked. I have seen more planes destroyed because the pilot didn't pull back on the throttle, this includes pilots with years of experience. We were sitting around one day watching a guy fly an old, very overpowered stick. We thought he was being particularly aggressive as he was all over the sky, until he yelled for help. He had the ailerons reversed. A more experienced pilot took over but it got out quite far and he finally lost it. Neither pilot, or everyone who was around at the time thought about pulling back on the throttle. Don't know if this would have saved the plane or not. We have a guy who has absolutely no concept of rudder for take off. He points the plane down the runway, gives it full throttle and hopes for the best. When this guy flies, EVERYONE is watching and most of us are planning our escape route. We have an old metal fuel tank with a door that we use to store shovels, rakes and implements of destruction. Some of us have thought about using it for a shelter when this guy flies.