Today's Dumbass Stunt

[Av8r3400 1179]

Okay-- I did a good one today that may be of value to you guys...

Went to the airport, today. Rolled the ladder up to the wing and put one of my 5-gallon cans of fuel in the wing tank. Drained the sumps, walked down to shoot the bull with a couple of the hang-arounders for a couple of minutes, then fired up and went flying.

Shortly after leaving the pattern I switched to the local "porkchop channel" that we use to BS. One of the chapter guys about 30 miles away talked with me while I flew the short 10 miles to a local grass strip. I did a touch and go there and started to fly away to do a big circle around back to the airport.

All of a sudden off my wingtip is a "Short-wing-Piper-deathtrap" belonging to one of the guys I was talking to before I left the airport. I switched frequencies back to the unicom and called him up. He said very tersely that I needed to return to the airport ASAP. Okay, I said to myself. I turned inbound for the long 10 mile trip back to the airport, not knowing what to expect.

Well-- I come to find out that one of the guys found a red fuel cap on the ground in front of my hangar. Yup, mine. The cap did not get put back on the right tank after I sumped the tanks and gascolator (I pour the gas back in the tank through the filler).

Lesson: I was very lucky. I lost very little gas out of my tank. One of my chapter mates wound up putting his Kitfox in a hay field because of this same mistake. The tanks on Avids and Kitfoxes will siphon themselves out very quickly if uncovered or if the vent is not pressurized. I don't know why mine didn't. Someone was looking out for me today.

I need a good kick in the ass for this stupid stunt.

Edited 10 Nov 2009 by Av8r3400

[dholly 718]

Sorry, gonna have to settle for a kick in jewels!

Although, I freely admit to living in a glass house... wife picked off a nice 8-point last week so I'm driving this loaner while the body shop does it's thing. For some reason, fumbling with two sets of car keys while tossing crap in the back seat and leaving the office was distracting enough for me to forget my cell phone sitting on the top of the car. Doesn't take much to lose focus sometimes, glad it was an easy lesson learned for you but my phone is fookd.

[akflyer 1427]

Sumbiatch I am glad I am not the only one that does dumb shit! The first time I ever saw what a loose or missing fuel cap would do, I was flying wing man for a buddy that was pulling some hunters off the side of a mountain. He wanted to keep it light so we were only putting 5 gallons in his J5. The second take off, he came off the ground, and I saw a streamer coming out of the top of his wing. I called him and he did a 180 and sat right back down on the runway. He could not have been in the air for more than a minute or two. I landed and we walked the runway and found his cap. In those couple minutes, he had lost all but about a cup full of gas!

[C5Engineer 1170]

Yesterday I was getting ready to go and fly. I bent over to grab the fuel hose off the reel and sort of caught my toe at the same time on a crack in the concrete. My lower back COMPLETELY let go. I piled her up right there on the concrete. Took my breath away it hurt so damn bad. It took everything I had to get my fuel cap back on and the ladder put away. I hobbled over to the FBO and flopped on the couch until someone else showed up. Luckily it was a buddy of mine. I enlisted him to taxi my airplane back to my hangar for me and put it away. He had to help me in the truck. Lots of ice, ibuprofen, and two trips to my chiropractor later and I'm getting around at least today. Man I was pissed...it was perfect flying weather all day yesterday!! I'm not even 30 yet...all those years of Motocross are catching up to me I guess.

[akflyer 1427]

Yesterday I was getting ready to go and fly. I bent over to grab the fuel hose off the reel and sort of caught my toe at the same time on a crack in the concrete. My lower back COMPLETELY let go. I piled her up right there on the concrete. Took my breath away it hurt so damn bad. It took everything I had to get my fuel cap back on and the ladder put away. I hobbled over to the FBO and flopped on the couch until someone else showed up. Luckily it was a buddy of mine. I enlisted him to taxi my airplane back to my hangar for me and put it away. He had to help me in the truck. Lots of ice, ibuprofen, and two trips to my chiropractor later and I'm getting around at least today. Man I was pissed...it was perfect flying weather all day yesterday!! I'm not even 30 yet...all those years of Motocross are catching up to me I guess.

OUCH.. I know the feeling. When my lower back goes out, it pinches nerves off and my core temp goes down to 91-92 and I sleep until they put my back in... kinda like a bear in hibernation. I used to sleep for days at a time on a heat pad till they figured it out. Some of the tests they did trying to figure it out were worse than the back pain!

<speedy recovery brew. get back on your feet and back in the air. We need more pics, vids and GOOD stories.

[Av8r3400 1179]

Ironic-- I'm on an ice pack and doing 3x a week visits to the chiropractor for my lower back too...

As a side note to the video, that landing was without the fuel cap on the left tank...

[akflyerbob 41]

Hark,,I think I smell a dead fish

NO, We beat the hell out of ourself when young thinking

its cool or what ever and soon its time to pay.

The motorcross rings a bell, also when I used to race for

Ski doo on a factory team, I was young and lived in

Anchorage and the older machines really beat you up

I've been paying for @ 15 years.

[jliltd 0]

Yet another great feature of a light tractor airplane like an Avid. Just a little embarrassment.

If you were in a Rutan canard you would have probably taken out your prop. I watched a pilot and his wife (both very nice people) auger in after they forgot to replace the fuel cap on their Vari Eze and it went through the prop on takeoff. It was a near vertical impact with a big puff of flame and smoke. Unsurvivable.

I took off with my fuel valve closed in my Avid one day and it got my attention on climb out (landed in the grass at Arlington, WA). And then to top it off I took off with the radiator cap off on an initial test flight. I had landed and checked the coolant level and then left the cap off so it could cool better. The rest was history. Didn't hurt the engine but it was a long flight back to the airport smelling steam and seeing coolant drizzling down the firewall near the rudder pedals.

[C5Engineer 1170]

Yet another great feature of a light tractor airplane like an Avid. Just a little embarrassment.

If you were in a Rutan canard you would have probably taken out your prop. I watched a pilot and his wife (both very nice people) auger in after they forgot to replace the fuel cap on their Vari Eze and it went through the prop on takeoff. It was a near vertical impact with a big puff of flame and smoke. Unsurvivable.

I took off with my fuel valve closed in my Avid one day and it got my attention on climb out (landed in the grass at Arlington, WA). And then to top it off I took off with the radiator cap off on an initial test flight. I had landed and checked the coolant level and then left the cap off so it could cool better. The rest was history. Didn't hurt the engine but it was a long flight back to the airport smelling steam and seeing coolant drizzling down the firewall near the rudder pedals.

I read about that one in the logs you sent me...sounded sporty. Welcome to the forum Jim (original builder of N279AF) Glad to have some of your knowledge here.

[C150L 6]

Av8r3400,"Short wing Piper "deathtrap"?

Not talking about that Clipper based up there, are we? Anyway, I spent most of this day up in one of these deathtraps and was wondering, what's that all about. Because they sink like a rock? Won't win any short field take off contests, but I sure enjoy flying this 1949 flying machine. Until the Avid is done, this is about my old opportunity of aviating. (Not that I'm bias on these short wings but it's just a fun plane to fly.

Edited 30 Dec 2011 by C150L

[Av8r3400 1179]

The "short wing death trap" is a dig at our favorite site administrator, Leni (AKFlyer), nothing to do the museum quality, way better than new, restored Clipper based here in Merrill.

Ironically enough, Dave, the owner of that beauty calls it "Scruffy".

[akflyer 1427]

Larry has this one right... It was actually the short wing death trap is a dig on another Jackwagon from another site that has carried over to here.. I love my pacer... well, all the parts that are left from it anyway! One of these days soon, I will be rebuilding it so I can try to cheat death again!

[Av8r3400 1179]

Chuck the pacer and buy this clipper. Way better than new complete with a (legal) lycoming 320.

[akflyer 1427]

Chuck the pacer and buy this clipper. Way better than new complete with a (legal) lycoming 320.

No can do. I am stretching and widening the fuse and stretching the wings. Not to mention, it will be a home design / built so I can go experimental with it. If I am not trying to hire it out, I see no good reason to ever buy certified again. I like my full lotus floats too much