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Yup, Did a Dumb

9 posts in this topic

Posted

You would think I would know better but I did a dumb and damaged my Flyer. 

 

I was unloading the plane from the trailer and usually I relax the winch line just enough to let the main wheels start down the loading ramps then slowly let the winch out to get the main wheels to the ground.

 

Well for some reason I let too much line out and when I gave the plane a bit of a push to get on the loading ramps the mains went all the way to the bottom of the ramps and then the winch line came up tight. 

 

With the main wheels on the ground and the winch line coming up tight the tail wheel jumped right out of the channel, went a bit sideways and the fuselage came down on the trailer cross bar and broke the wooden stringer on the bottom of the fuselage just forward of the tail spring mount. When the stringer broke it punched a hole in the fabric on the bottom of the fuselage. 

 

So now I have a repair to accomplish.  It is just cosmetic and doesn't affect the flyability or airworthiness of the plane.  But I sure feel dumb for damaging my Flyer.

 

I'll take some pics as I accomplish the repair just in case someone else has a similar repair to do.  I suppose if you hit a rock or something on an off-airport landing you could break the stringer on the bottom of the fuselage.

 

I have heard from others that trailering the plane back and forth from or to the airport usually leads to RASH of some kind.  I guess I'm now part of that club also.

 

MarkD

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Posted

I've done the same thing, your not the first to do this one. Hope you get her fixed up quick!

:BC:

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Posted (edited)

Let me think - No, better not!

It was 7 years ago when I had mine on top of the trailer and it got knocked off somewhere in Canada - Still rebuilding it !!!

Edmo

Edited by Ed In Missouri

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Posted

I managed to do that the first time I unloaded my kitfox.  My trailer is an old tilting two place snowmobile trailer.  I added a 16 foot tube for the tung.  I figured I didn't need ramps.  Just tilt the trailer bed.  I measured carefully to make sure when the bed was tilted there would be clearance from the front edge of the trailer bed to the bottom of the fuselage as the plane rolled of.  it was close but would clear.

 

I didn't let it down slowly with the winch...just let it roll off by itself.  When the main wheels hit the ground the bungees stretched enough to scrape the bottom of the fuselage on the front edge of the trailer bed.  Didn't break the wood stringer but poked a couple holes in the fabric. 

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Posted

At least it wasn't a runway light....  :(

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Posted (edited)

When I worked in a prop shop in Anchorage I saw several props with glass embedded in tips - mostly blue!

EdMo

Edited by Ed In Missouri

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Posted

I posted documentation of the repair in the Technical section. I thought it might fit better there if someone else was looking for help on how a fabric repair was done.

MarkD

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Posted

Mark,

Thanks. I have some to do.

 

Lou

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Posted

I'll just chime in with another "don't feel bad, I did it too."  :)    

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