Plane hits parked car

[Miami Mike]

This happened during the early part of last year at the Markham Park airfield in South Florida. The wing folded on a glow plug plane and it headed straight for the parking area.

http://www.vvsss.com/ezone/crash_at_markham_park.jpg

Looks like a large caliber bullet hole, doesn't it?

My own vehicle was parked right next to this one but wasn't touched.

[eBird]

Wow! I used to watch the guys fly out at Markham years ago when I lived in 'Lauderdale.
I always thought it was a bit too close to the freeway.

[GaryMC]

For those of you who remember, Bob Newhart, besides being a television star, used to do stand up comedy. Some of his best stuff were the one-sided phone conversations.

The insurance adjuster:

"Yessir, you'd like to file a claim. Okay, let me get a pen. Okay sir, what happened."

Your car was struck by a plane? Really?"

"And this happened when, sir?"

"Less than two hours ago? And you were at the airport?"

"You *weren't* at the airport? Where exactly did the plane hit you, sir?"

"No sir, I didn't mean on the hood and fender, although I guess I do need to know that. No, what I meant was where were you when the airplane hit you?"

"At the park? Yessir, I'm sure that really *did* ruin your picnic. Uh, could you tell me what happened?"

"Yessir, I realize a plane fell out of the sky and into your car, as unusual as that is. Ah, sir, did you bring any alcoholic beverages to the picnic?"

"And just how many beers *did* you have, sir?"

"So, the airplane was only 200' off the ground, and it was going round in circles over the park? Did the police or anyone in authority notice this airplane, sir?"

"Well sir, an airplane that low would call some attention to itself."

"The *other* five airplanes didn't seem to bother anyone? Uh huh."

"Ah sir, I've had the radio on in the office all afternoon, and I haven't heard anything about a plane crash."

"No need to shout sir, I can hear you just fine. When did the rescue crews arrive?"

"The rescue crews sir, the firefighters, police, those people? When did they get to the park?"

"Uh huh, they haven't arrived yet. Sir, was anyone in the airplane hurt in this crash?"

"No one was in the airplane? Sir, are you *sure* that all you had was a six pack?"

...and on and on.

My deepest apologies to Bob Newhart.

Gary

[eBird]

That was pretty darn good. I remember those stand up bits. I read your whole conversation in my head with Newhart's voice.
:)

[Trikster]

Uh oh, better get Maaco.

[eBird]

The owner of the plane should have stormed over to the car's owner and said "Hey man, you're car totally trashed my plane!"

Hope the car's owner was a fellow pilot and had a decent sense of humor.

[Trikster]

Hope the pilot had AMA and was flying at an AMA field. Insurance... :)

[Muxje]

Hope the car's owner was a fellow pilot and had a decent sense of humor.

Maybe it was his own car? Heh, I heard about a guy flying one of those early French turbines that ran on propane. He crashed the plane into his own car which then caught fire and burned up. Talk about a bad day... :p

Then again, looking at the picture of that car's chewed-up bonnet, I am glad that is was a car rather than someone's head!

[fprintf]

When I was in Lauderdale last year I saw the planes flying from the highway. As I recall, I got off at the next exit and found the park. I had a blast watching some pattern guys running their big planes through their paces.

Anyway I overheard a conversation between some of the club members and apparently that field has had its share of accidents and AMA involvement. They were warning one father and child that the child needed to stay behind the safety fence... then went on to say that a child was injured when a plane came off the flight line. According to the conversation I heard the child ended up with permanent eye damage and the AMA insurance coverage kicked in. I missed how much the settlement was.

[GaryMC1]

That was pretty darn good. I remember those stand up bits. I read your whole conversation in my head with Newhart's voice.
:)

Steve, now both of us are showing our age. :p However, I did find that some of that old stuff is still available, now on CD. My two favorites are the "Driving Instructor" and "Submarine Captain".

Gary

[pimp_squeak]

Then again, looking at the picture of that car's chewed-up bonnet, I am glad that is was a car rather than someone's head!

There was actually a guy in the city where I live and one of his friends planes had a radio glitch, hit him smack in the side of the head. I think he's still in a coma....

[Miami Mike]

Hope the pilot had AMA and was flying at an AMA field. Insurance... :)Yes, he had an AMA membership. This did happen at an AMA flying site, but that doesn't matter. It would have been covered anyway.

[Tomcat Fan]

Who's Newhart?

Just kidding.
Went to the PARCS Warbird Event last month.
It was all fun and games until some genius's P-51, glitched and tore off to the right into the parking lot. Don't know whose car got hit, but I know mine was a bit too far to be in the line of fire.

I only begrudge the pilot/ owner of the '51 b/c the plane glitched like 4 times while he was trying to fly it and he kept sending it up. Hello, a little common sense? It wasn't going to work and maybe ya ought to bring it home and figure out what's broke before flying it again. A lot of people there too-could've been real bad.

[Miami Mike]

...the plane glitched like 4 times while he was trying to fly it and he kept sending it up. Hello, a little common sense?But I can see his side of it. Imagine how long he might have been looking forward to that event.

[Dhughes]

Homeowners Insurance will also cover liabilty for damages caused by these planes, atleast mine did.
Had an elevator control surface rip off of a brushless gws corsair and slam fullspeed into a parked van.

-David

[GaryMC1]

But I can see his side of it. Imagine how long he might have been looking forward to that event.

No, I can't. If the airplane glitches four times prior, you don't fly. That is just common sense, something which it seems that many members of our society have failed to learn. Or, if you do want to fly it to test it, you do that somewhere safe, not with a crowd of people around.

Gary

[Tomcat Fan]

But I can see his side of it. Imagine how long he might have been looking forward to that event.


Imagine how people were looking forward to their cars remaining in one piece, not to mention their thin little skulls. I definitely do not see his side of it. He looked like an idiot, could have caused a lot of damage, and while he was messing with the plane, trying to get it fixed, that was another frequency off the boards for everyone else. Not to mention the fact that he kept gunning then engine, then cutting it. Major distraction to everyone around. Don't get me wrong; I know this hobby takes a lot of work and tinkering and occasionally will not be uber convenient for everyone around you, but courtesy and respect for each other's property, concentration, and physical safety are some of the things that make this hobby possible. This guy ignored all of it. It's called cut your losses. Enough people fly there regularly that you can show everyone your cool 'stang when you have the electrical problems ironed out. the middle of an event just wasn't the place to be playing Mr. Goodwrench for that long and that carelessly. end of lecture. Sorry.

[Miami Mike]

I guess you had to be there. You were, I wasn't.

[altur]

Just curious, but what material was the mudguard made from? And might we assume that the spinner made the hole in the bonnet? If so, what part made the hole in the guard?

[Miami Mike]

Sorry, I took the pictures but I don't have any more information beside what you can see. Perhaps there are some auto body experts out there.

[Ju388]

LOL! Notice there is a AMA sticker in the windsheild of the car! LOL!...............................oh....sorry it's not funny........I'm sorry .........really.......

[Spencer J]

LOL! Notice there is a AMA sticker in the windsheild of the car! LOL!...............................oh....sorry it's not funny........I'm sorry .........really.......

:D :D :D

It is to me!! LOL all right!!!!!..................................oh.... .............................sorry it's not funny..................I'm sorry...........really............ ;) :D

[Miami Mike]

It protected his windshield, didn't it? It's too bad he didn't have AMA stickers on his hood and fender too.

[Hovertime]

Was this claim settled by AMA?
Any troubles with them?

[Miami Mike]

Sorry Hovertime, I don't know. See post #20 (http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showpost.php?p=2799669&postcount=20).

[mcflyboy]

Something similar at a club site in Scotland a couple years back, one of those Italian ARTFs with the hollow plastic wing hit a Range Rover.

Doing rolls along the flight line when the wing folded and pushed the plane toward the car park, THROUGH THE PITS. Two guys were missed by about 4 feet.

After a seriously thorough crash investigation, we noticed that the fold in the wing was caused by a weak point in the build. The manufacturers got a good complaint about it.

[bamm]

Hey I know a good Body MAN LOL My DAD is a Body MAN

[Joe Ford]

I read your whole conversation in my head with Newhart's voice.
:)

Same here :D And that was a very good impersonation.

[50+AirYears]

Before anybody starts talking about the light weight park flyer types not doing any damage, I once put a $100 dent into a car's door with a 1.5 ounce Free Flight hand launched glider. The old M V Squared.

[armaniac]

very lucky it didnt hit a person!!

[BuzzBomber]

Before anybody starts talking about the light weight park flyer types not doing any damage, I once put a $100 dent into a car's door with a 1.5 ounce Free Flight hand launched glider. The old M V Squared.

Sure it wasn't a rocket-assisted hand launch? I wouldn't want to drive a car that dents that easily :p . I've had hickory nuts about that weight put dents in my roof, but they're free-falling from about 80' up!

[50+AirYears]

Nope, it was nearly landed, probably doing 10-12 mph. 1/8" thick Basswood fuse, 18" span. Car was a Toyota Celica. Hit straight on perpendicular to the door surface. The plane was a Flash design from FM, plan built. I've probably built, and lost, 40 of this design, except I've never had one fly away from me during a contest.

[geoffbeneze]

Ah, the never ending topic, it'll go on for eternity.

Sorta like the AXE MURDER that took place in Alton, IL when I was four or five. My grandparents were STILL talking about it when they died.

[Brian Allen]

Greetings All

Just saw this thread and figured I would throw in my 2 cents. As if anyone cares that is!!!! :-)

Car looks like a Saturn. My wife has one. They have composite plastic fenders and hoods so the damage looks consistent with a Saturn body.

Wonder what the repair cost was?

Brian Allen

Veni Vedi Volavi

I came I saw I flew