Just had a "lucky break"

I'm not sure if I should be mad or glad.

I've been trying to get in some time to fly again after a longish layoff, and it seems like it's always one thing or another.

Anyway, I get out to the site with my stooge and all. Get everything set up, tighten everything down, test the stooge, blah blah.

Everything was set. Right before I put the fuel in, I gave it one last shake to make sure it was firmly held by the stooge.

It came loose! The bent music wire tail dragger triangle came out of the fuse. That was my attachment point. Of course I had no epoxy in my box (stupid) so here I am typing this while the epoxy dries

Thinking about it, it could have turned into a rather ugly situation if it had come loose. No one anywhere in sight or shouting distance. Chances are nothing bad would have happened, but still...

I think I'll just wait to find a human "stooge" for my first flights.

"In my experience there's no such thing as luck".

"Ben" Obi-Wan Kenobi

Jake is right....
Also see Murphy's Law.....
If it can go wrong it will... and at the worst possible time.

I have had my own moments with stooges.
Flying alone is dangerous enough, lots of people on here will not do so.....

Thanks for the " Heads-up " my next stooge mount will be stronger than my last....

FYI my only stooge problem was when it did not release.... I put the handle down, walked back to the 'plane.. got half-way back and it released..... luckilly no damage to people or ( MUCH less important, plane.. ) a guy 100 yards away was most amused to see me chase the handle to save my Pride-and-Joy

Keep in mind that I tested the tail skid on a number of occasions as well! This was a random final check.

No harm, but it could have been foul.

>Jake is right....
>Also see Murphy's Law.....
>If it can go wrong it will... and at the worst possible
>time.
>
>I have had my own moments with stooges.
>Flying alone is dangerous enough, lots of people on here
>will not do so.....
>
>Thanks for the " Heads-up " my next stooge mount will be
>stronger than my last....
>
>FYI my only stooge problem was when it did not release.... I
>put the handle down, walked back to the 'plane.. got
>half-way back and it released..... luckilly no damage to
>people or ( MUCH less important, plane.. ) a guy 100 yards
>away was most amused to see me chase the handle to save my
>Pride-and-Joy
>
>Dave Moffitt

Wise words.
And this gent used to race side-hacks and he is still in one piece...

JAK

Tom,
Not too long ago, someone was flying with a stooge, and had a very severe cut to his hand/fingers. The plane released as he was "walking out" the lines. When the plane caught tension, the slicing began. IIRC, when a friend returned to get his equipment for him, it had been stolen.
Consider yourself lucky.
Bill <><

I think I will have a cold beer and toast my luck

Wow, talk about a bad day. I imagine the plane got chewed up pretty well too.

Note to self: Find human stooge

>I think I will have a cold beer and toast my luck
>
>Wow, talk about a bad day. I imagine the plane got chewed
>up pretty well too.
>
>Note to self: Find human stooge

Have one for me too.
Won't work any better...
The human element is just as bad or even worse: hands get oily and slip or they aren't strong enough and lose hold and/or at the worst moment get scared of the noise etc. and do the same. There is NO "foolproof" launcher, PERIOD!

Jake

>The human element is just as bad or even worse: hands get
>oily and slip or they aren't strong enough and lose hold
>and/or at the worst moment get scared of the noise etc. and
>do the same. There is NO "foolproof" launcher, PERIOD!
>
>Jake

You should see my stooge.

>
>>The human element is just as bad or even worse: hands get
>>oily and slip or they aren't strong enough and lose hold
>>and/or at the worst moment get scared of the noise etc. and
>>do the same. There is NO "foolproof" launcher, PERIOD!
>>
>>Jake
>
>You should see my stooge.
>
>Ion

Or they crush the heck out of your rear fuselage or wing: "Well, YOU told me to hold on to it tight!"

Jake

>>
>>>The human element is just as bad or even worse: hands get
>>>oily and slip or they aren't strong enough and lose hold
>>>and/or at the worst moment get scared of the noise etc. and
>>>do the same. There is NO "foolproof" launcher, PERIOD!
>>>
>>>Jake
>>
>>You should see my stooge.
>>
>>Ion
>
>
>Or they crush the heck out of your rear fuselage or wing:
>"Well, YOU told me to hold on to it tight!"
>
>Jake

A guy asked me to launch his combat wing for him. I took it by both wingtips and immediately noticed a real "spongy" feel underneath, right where your fingertips go. I remarked about it; he said "That's from when my wife was gonna launch for me...when the engine started, she REALLY clamped down..."

Glad you still have the plane.

Recently had an interesting experience with my stooge. Weighs about 11 lbs and I fly off concrete, everything was fine until I got to the handle and reached for the stooge line. It started moving across the concrete, the plane was pulling the stooge along the ground. The plane then spun around and cut the lines (a new set of course) and proceeded to drag the stooge into the grass where the engine was killed. In total the plane pulled the stooge about 40 ft.

It's hard to believe a 40 size engine could drag that much weight on rough concrete. Won't happen again (I think) the stooge now weighs almost 20 lbs and I am adding something on the bottom for better traction.

There is one thing to remember about Murphy --- He's an Optomist.

>Glad you still have the plane.
>
>Recently had an interesting experience with my stooge.
>Weighs about 11 lbs and I fly off concrete, everything was
>fine until I got to the handle and reached for the stooge
>line. It started moving across the concrete, the plane was
>pulling the stooge along the ground. The plane then spun
>around and cut the lines (a new set of course) and proceeded
>to drag the stooge into the grass where the engine was
>killed. In total the plane pulled the stooge about 40 ft.
>
>It's hard to believe a 40 size engine could drag that much
>weight on rough concrete. Won't happen again (I think) the
>stooge now weighs almost 20 lbs and I am adding something on
>the bottom for better traction.
>
>There is one thing to remember about Murphy --- He's an
>Optomist.

That doesn't surprise me a great deal, I have a piece of steel plate on my test stand base (as a weight) that goes 10 lbs and sometimes wonder it that is enough for some motors.

J
>