Guys, here are some shots from this morning’s flying, principally of the new planes that appeared for their maiden flights, or in the case of Steve Jakubiszyn’s “Venture”, a re-re-maiden flight. ... Read More

Lawton: Tick Causes Airplane Crash!

Today was the 13th of the month. That usually means trouble. I woke up early this morning and tried to be real quiet so not to wake up the wife. As I got ready to leave the house, I forgot to disarm the security alarm. The moment I opened the door I got my first clue that it was not going to be a good day. The alarm blasted, but I thought if I got the security code punched in fast she wouldn’t wake up. Haste always makes waste and I mis-entered the code which required clearing the alarm, which I had forgotten how to do. By the time I figured it out, got the code re-entered, and stopped the obnoxious noise, guess who was standing there glaring at me? That was a clue, but I missed it. Then I tried to open the garage door to load my planes in the car, but the door opener motor just hummed and didn’t turn.I had to haul everything through the house. This should have been another clue to stay home, but I missed that one, too. When I got to the field, the first person I saw was Ted, carrying his P-51 that had just crashed. I still didn’t get the message. So I proceeded to fly my Cub, ignoring the omens. I switched on the transmitter and the receiver in the airplane and nothing would move. I turned them both off and both on again and nothing. Thinking battery problem, I removed the wing and switched batteries. As I plugged the new battery in, I heard a servo twitch. That’s when I figured it out. I had transported the airplane to the field with the receiver on. So, when I turned everything on, I was actually turning the receiver off, and that’s why the servos would not move. I was beginning to think that maybe things were not going my way today. I should have heeded the warning but, Nooo! So, I taxied out and flew the Cub, so gentle with the bright yellow highlighted against the blue sky. What a sight! Then the excitement began, when the Cub exploded with yellow pieces going everywhere and floating down. There were red pieces from Larry’s airplane floating down also, following the mid-air collision that surprised us both. The Cub started a flat spin which seemed to take forever before hitting the ground. So long that I had time to realize what was happening, switch to high rate and give full up elevator in an attempt to flatten the spin even more. It seemed to work and the descent rate slowed. It hit the ground in the tall weeds and as we discovered later and Larry reported, apparently right in the middle of Tick City. Larry and I, along with a search party, went out looking for aircraft remains. Our planes had hit wings. My Cub had the outer third of the left wing cut almost completely off, though it was hanging by some covering. The Cub’s fuselage was not even scratched, thanks to the flat spin’s slow descent rate. I never saw Larry’s plane though it didn’t fare well and I don’t think a lot of it was recognizable. After we were back in the pits and had the usual post mortem, I put the Cub parts in the car, and proceeded to ignore the clues even more. I decided to fly my Radian sailplane. How dumb does a person have to be to not get the message after all those clues?
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Those in attendance at Elkins Field were treated to the flights of several new airplanes, as well as those of the veteran planes that fly so well.

Ron Hipp brought a new Dynam Waco bipe that performed flawlessly and looked very realistic in the air—although it is still in search of a pilot figure to fill at least one of the cockpits.
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If today’s edition of the annual New Year’s Day “Chili Fly” is any indication, LAFFS can look forward to many more days in 2017 of flying in great weather, with clear skies and light breezes. Having suffered through ice, brutal winds, below freezing temperatures, and impenetrable fog in past years, today was close to unbelievable as far as weather and temperature were concerned. While many came bundled up early, coats and jackets were peeled off as temperatures rose and more and more flights took to the air. The first great flying opportunity of the New Year was augmented by great-tasting chili, courtesy of Bob McFadden, Ken Isaac, and Sean Holmgren, and a large selection of “fixin’s” and deserts brought by other club members in a pot-luck fashion. The backdrop for all of this was the newly bladed and packed runway surface to the west of the current runway, just waiting for its new covering. All in all, it was a terrific day of flying, friendship, and anticipation of more fun days to come. The attached photos illustrate what has to be labeled the best “Chili Fly” in the club’s history.
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