Dallas Darling mid air crash with balsa plane.

[Tootall505]

Well folks This morning was a sad day. All was going well, second flight of the morning. P51B DD took off nice as usual, flew a few circles around the field. Came by for a full speed pass above the runway about 50 to 75 feet off the deck and out of the corner of my eye I see a big yellow streak coming right at my P51 at about a 45 degree low head on. I pulled up slightly but it was too late. It was a Big balsa sport 3D plane kinda like an Extra 300. On impact all you could see was yellow mono coat and wood sticks flying everywhere. What was left of the balsa went straight down and my P51B momentum carried it about a 1/4 mile away before it hit the deck. At the crash site my P51B was mostly intact. The gear was still up so they were safe, I turned the plane over and saw the gapping hole on the right side in between the wing and the elevator just behind the air scoop. All electronics and the wings survived all though it landed on pavement and suffered serve road rash. Needless to say the fuse is trash. I may get the replacement parts, BUT I just saw the new P51B color scheme " Snoots Sniper " I like it much better but they are out of stock at the moment so we'll see what happens.

Here is a photo. I wish someone was filming it, the explosion of the balsa plane was spectacular!!!

[Grossman56]

Re: Dallas Darling mid air crash with balsa plane.

Oowch!!!!
My and my wife were just reading your post, and I feel for you. We all know that the biggest fear is that we augure in ourselves let alone having someone else help you. How did the other person take it? I gather it a case of "you should see the other guy" It speaks highly of the damage a foamy can take.
Again, sorry for your loss

[Baron]

Re: Dallas Darling mid air crash with balsa plane.

You are so right about worrying that you will lawn dart your plane let alone have some other plane do it for you. No rational flyer wants to see anyone's plane destroyed in a mid air but when it does happen we all wish we were there to see it. I feel your pain as that is the same feeling I have had so many times when I picked up the shattered remains of one of my beloved birds.

[Baron]

Re: Dallas Darling mid air crash with balsa plane.

I am also wondering how the other pilot felt about the collision? Did he get angry at you or just took it for what it is worth, just an accident. If I collided with someone's plane I would feel very bad about the incident and more so if was an expensive balasa plane even if it was not my fault. That is one reason I never fly when there are more than two others in the air.

[Grossman56]

Re: Dallas Darling mid air crash with balsa plane.

I agree, the more airspace the better, especially when you're just learning, or when someone else in the same air as you is just learning

[Tootall505]

Re: Dallas Darling mid air crash with balsa plane.

Hey Baron. The other pilot was a friends dad that I have know for years so getting mad was not an issue. He felt really bad as well as I but the first thing I did after the crash was turn around to see if anyone got that on video.lol..it was spectacular. I wasn't mad at all, I fact I was laughing. " did everyone see that". It was totally an accident and was really no ones fault. Its just a airplane. Mine will be very fixable, His on the other hand wont be as easy if at all, and that's what made me feel bad. But all in all it was an experience.

I did get the new P51B " Snoot's Sniper " and everyone loves it as much as me. Sooner or later I will
rebuild the Dallas Darling and then I will have 3 P51's. My Red Tail holds a special place in my hanger!!!

P.S. We were the only 2 planes in the air at the time!!!

[StarHopper]

Re: Dallas Darling mid air crash with balsa plane.

Well, if nothing else it serves as a testament to the wisdom of having - and following - an established air traffic pattern procedure at your club. We still have those - mostly noobs - at our club whom the concept escapes. I leave the air to them whilst they're aloft!

[RonF]

Re: Dallas Darling mid air crash with balsa plane.

I agree with SHopper. I'm kind of the unofficial "field Nazi" when it comes to following the club and AMA rules. Our field is in a county park and sits near a road with cars, bikes, and foot traffic. Lots of potential for injury and property damage. There is a 150 foot buffer zone between the flying area and the road but that is violated often, though not on purpose. Still, I give a shout if they go over a few times but that doesn't help much. There are a few pilots that I avoid flying with as they don't follow a pattern nor do they seem to have good control of their plane. I just park my planes and wait it out. If its bad enough, I just pack up and wait until another day.

[Rocketeer]

Re: Dallas Darling mid air crash with balsa plane.

Greetings Gang,

I believe the important aspect of this is to remember (and I believe TooTall nailed it in his post response) especially when unexpected misshaps occur and we want to scream and perhaps lash out, is that our planes, while some more costly than others and can represent at times many, many man hours at our benches, they are just planes, just things. More times than not, things can be replaced.

Like many of us I have witnessed fellow RC Pilots senselessly go to blows for alot less than a mid-air impact.

Kudo's to TooTall and his friend's dad for being able to recognize this and their willingness to turn obvious dissappointment into a good laugh. I would like to think I would react the same, hopefully, I'll never have to know.

Gentlemen, you have my respect and you are a credit to our hobby.

Clear Skies

Bill L.
in Okla.

[Tootall505]

Re: Dallas Darling mid air crash with balsa plane.

First of all I would like to thank "Rocketeer" Bill for the nice and encouraging words. I have respect for all who enter into this hobby/lifestyle of model aircraft flying. We are a growing community of like minded people how enjoy having fun and learning and also encouraging others to do so. Thank you Bill.

Our club "Duke City Electric Flyers" also fly's at a city owned park. All our club members are required to join AMA, but the park is also open to the public which means anyone can fly there. The vest majority of our members follow the flight pattern and AMA rules. A accident involving a non AMA member would leave a bad scar on the club's reputation at the field and with the city, so AMA is strongly encouraged. Like others have stated when someone is not following the rules, I wait until they finish or wait until another day.

Chris J
DCEF

[RonF]

Re: Dallas Darling mid air crash with balsa plane.

Tootall, you make a point about open flying in a public park. When we first move to the current location, we did not require AMA or club membership. In the third year of operation, we had a non-AMA, non-club pilot flying a trainer as a guest of another person. This pilot was trying to hover the plane and lost control. The plane went down in a nearby ballpark during a game. The plane even hit a kid on the head but no damage, just a brush really. Still the parents, coaches, etc. were livid. Our field was shut down within a couple of hours and it took several months to work something out with the park and reopen the field. Now we require AMA and to be a member of the club. We also require every member, every year, to sign a form that exonerates the park from any liability. There are fences around the site, signs, locks, and other bariers to deter any unauthorized use. This caused a lot of flak with non-club member as they felt that the field was on public property so must be open to everyone. We are now in our 14th year at the site and most of the tension that was present those first few years has gone away. Still, we remain vigilant for excursions outside of the flying boundaries and near spectators or traffic.

We have many tens of thousands of dollars invested in our site so are very protective of it. It has a lot going for it but there are negatives as well. Being close to the city center is great but that also means being closer to property and people. Hope this help raise awareness that nothing is free and there is always someone behind the scenes that makes it better for the rest. Flying fields don't pop up out of nowhere. Someone made it happen. Support your club with time, sweat, money, or just following the rules.

[Tootall505]

Re: Dallas Darling mid air crash with balsa plane.

AMEN RonF. Keep up the good work. Our sport needs more people and clubs like yourselves!!!!

[Grossman56]

Re: Dallas Darling mid air crash with balsa plane.

Got that right!! I wish I was around your area. I signed up with the club around here and have yet to see anyone else flying at the fields. Kinda good in a way, but, the reason any of us join a club is to meet like minded people. Thats what is great about this forum, but to have a first class field would be nothing short of amazing.

Grossman56

[RonF]

Re: Dallas Darling mid air crash with balsa plane.

Hey, Gman. We have a lack of use at many of the local clubs. I'm up here in SW KC area and I know of at least 5 clubs within 20 miles. Many of them are going through a stint with a lack of people flying and participation in club duties. Until a few years ago, we had the same thing. With the efforts of a few dedicated members and a good training night, we have a good crop of new, young, pilots. Its not unusual to have 10-15 members out on a nice weekend with another 10 family members. We try to bring out hotdogs on these nice days and treat everyone. This is not paid by the club but a member or two get the food and cook. This year we had electricity pulled in to the shed so charging batteries is easy and really helps get more electric fliers out.

I think our success is mainly due to the envolvment of a few members and the change from a mainly retired membership to one of young, family men. I'd guess the average age of our members is around 45. That seems to be the the key.

PS. I belong to AMA Charter club #302, Shawnee Mission RC Club in Lenexa, KS. We fly out of the Shawnee Mission Park.

[RonF]

Re: Dallas Darling mid air crash with balsa plane.

Oh, one other thing I forgot to mention. We have WiFi at our field with a link to the Internet via a wireless modem (mobile phone like). As Sprint is a local company and many members work for Sprint, we have set up a wireless link with a router and a couple of webcams to monitor the flying site and allow members to see whats going on at any given time. Its nice to pull out your cell phone or tablet and pull up the field cams to check wind and see if anyone else is flying. Really helps to get people motivated.

As mentioned in the previous post, we have electricity at the field. Up until this year, we had mounted about 300w of solar panels on the roof of the shed and placed storage batteries inside. This supplied the power for the web stuff and power for battery chargers. Much of this equipment was donated and set up my club members. I'd guess we have about $2500 of solar equipment now, all useless with the addition of AC power. Still, this gave us a big calling card to entice new members with electric planes to join. It also pushed a few members to dip a toe into electrics. For me, I adopted electric power about 15 years ago and waited until cost, technology, and suppliers to catch up. Shoot, my first brushless motor was an Astro Flight .10 which cost about $350 with ESC (as best my memory can recollect). Things have come a LONG way.

Sorry guys, just had to do a little bragging on our club. I've been with them for 18 years now and have seen things change, both for better and for worse.

Ron