Re: quite a sight

It was a really rotten looking overcast sky. A video would have just looked like a bunch of black silhouettes flying around. Maybe these clowns will show up again some day when the sun is shining...

Actually, three of us were joking the whole time that what we really wanted to see was a head-on collision. Everybody there was just itching to see these guys crash, but our little group was discussing the relative excitement and general merits of different types of crashes. You can see belly flop landings, wild gyrations caused by reversed ailerons, crashes caused by general incompetence or even a plane that gets momentarily forgotten due to a bee in the pilot's glasses. But you don't get to see a midair collision every day. We started out rooting for a midair, and our wish was soon granted, but then what we really wanted to see was a head-on collision. How many RC pilots are lucky enough to see such a spectacle in one short lifetime? Alas, it was not to be on that particular day. I hope they come back...

I know what you mean. I have tried it before, but it's not easy. I did it with a friend once while we were flying identical planes that I had built. But mine had a 40 OS Surpass and his had a 40 OS LA, and it was hard to maintain formation. Yesterday I observed the 4 man formation flying technique and figured out that they did not even try to make up lost ground in the straight-away. If they were spread out they made it up in the turns. The lead plane would go farther before turning, and the trailing one would turn right away. They could be all over the place going into the turn, but when they came out of it they were always together in a tight cluster.

They were mainly doing just the one set of maneuvers where they would go around and around until they got formed up, then they would do the pull-up in the middle of the field followed by stall turns, plus the general high speed crossing in the middle. If I ever see these guys again I'm going to suggest that they do a chain-loop, where they would fly in a line of four and do a loop as if the planes are all tied together on one long string. Then they could fly in a line and all do four separate loops at the exact same time. That would be very cool. It would of course also increase the potential for accidents, which are the best part.

. . .

What sort of sickos do you hang with?

Have you ever tried to fly formation? I bet not judging by your comments. My flying bud and I try it a lot and it is very hard to do so before you go knocking these guy's and hopeing for a crash, just give it a try and you will see how good these guy's really are if they are flying like that for any length of time before they hit one another. Jelousey rears it's ugly head in many ways includeing hopeing for a crash when you see someone that could probably out fly you in their sleep.

You really miss the point. These fellows were obviously trying to put on a show, and in their own words crashing is a big part of it. A good time was had by all.

Everybody says that they like to watch racing but don't like to see the wrecks. But then everybody always sits up to watch more closely when they show the replay over and over in slow motion. In fact, just yesterday I saw a pair of tires from a tractor trailer rig fly off at highway speed and take off on their own trajectory. They hit the median wall and bounced about twenty feet in the air, then they crossed to the shoulder and went down an embankment. When I passed them, they had traveled about 6 blocks through various back lots and wedged themselves halfway under a chain link fence. I'm glad nobody got hit, but I'm also glad that I saw it. It was spectacularly entertaining.

Besides, just because you find something difficult doesn't mean that it is.

LOL!

My flying buddy and I frequently get wrapped up in touch and go games that makes the spectators just sit there and gawk. He gets the near side of the runway and I get the far side. Usually he stays on his side, except when he is trying to lap me. Then I have to be careful because he MIGHT be on my side and I frequently flare while in the turn to final.

Want to try something that sounds difficult but is easy, try night flying!

YMMV

-- Jim Branaum AMA 1428

Six_O'clock_High Target snipped-for-privacy@Guns.com

You should visit a 1/12 fighter scale aircombat competition. Midairs are not all that uncommon due to the small flight window and up to seven combattants up there.

Around herer, you get extra points for flying down someone else (if you manage to stay up yourself) So when all the streamers are cut, then the fun starts...

I tried that once. My wrist was just too sluggish to get the bottom loop of a vertical 8 above ground level :( It is nice to see the lines tangle up and twisting, and then have the fliers untwist them again. Unbelievable!

Had that happen to me several years ago. Both drive wheels on the left side of my bus decided to part company with the axle. The outer one bounced over the median barrier, across the southbound lanes, the median between the freeway and the access road, and the access road, and rolled up to stop, then lean over against the gate to an RV storage lot. The other passed me, crossed in front of me, went across the northbound median and access road, jumped the airport perimeter fence (8 feet), and ended up against the fence around a pipeline valve on the airport property.

Luckily, it was Sunday morning, and everyone was in church, or still nursing their Saturday night hangovers; no traffic, to speak of. Interesting to watch; it all seemed to happen in slow motion.

J.D. to e-mail, pull the post