Plane crash

Travis got a beginner’s RC plane for his birthday and yesterday we decided to fly it for the first time. The family (plus dog) piled into the minivan and headed for Horseshoe Farm Park.

Horseshoe is the perfect place to fly an RC plane: a large, open, grassy field with few people around. I tied up the dog to the barn and the kids played nearby while Kelly assembled the plane. We warned the kids that this could end in disaster because it was the first time we flew and they seemed okay with it. We followed all the pre-flight checks, though the wind was a bit stronger than we anticipated. Ignoring this, Kelly hand-launched the plane into the wind as I cranked up the throttle.

The plane’s electric motor whined perfectly as the plane gained altitude. I adjusted the controls to bring it around and do a turn. The wind continued to blow as I struggled to get used to the controls. Kelly voiced concern as the plane neared the barn. causing me to struggle even more with the controls.

It looked as if we were going to be safe. The plane was climbing over the barn and was feet away from the roofline.

Then I let go of the throttle control for some reason and the plane nosedived. Hard.

Bang! It bounced off the tin roof of the barn and slid lifelessly down to the ground. With it came my spirits: I had crashed Travis’s birthday gift.

Initially the plane looked like it was in one piece. Closer inspection revealed a broken tail, unfortunately. We would need a replacement part as the plane’s built out of Styrofoam and can’t easily be repaired.

Surprisingly, Travis was unfazed by the destruction. I put the plane back into our van and we spent the next 45 minutes on a delightful walk around the treeline of the park. Later last night I ordered a replacement part, so with any luck we’ll be airworthy for next weekend.

Lessons learned: I shouldn’t have tried to fly it into a stiff breeze my very first try. Also, with all the open space available at Horseshoe, I started way too close to the barn. I think our next flight will be much more successful and we’ll continue to improve. And heck, maybe Travis will get a chance to fly, too!