I thought I had all my control problems fixed when I replaced the Tamiya connectors (hate 'em) with Deans. Alas, my battery died and the ESC cut motor power when I was only about 20' over the trees. Without the prop wash over the control surfaces, I couldn't get it back over the field in time to avoid disaster.

Luckily, it was only up there about 15-20'. Sing along with me now: "A-climbing we will go, a climbing we will go, I ho the merry-O a climbing we will go."

I managed to get it out of the tree without causing any more damage. The wing had been shifted, (thank you rubber bands!) and a 3/4" radius dent had crunched in the front of the wing. No other damage. I was lucky. I bent the dent back in as best I could, and flew my other two batteries with no further drama. I have to say, this thing has really taken its beatings in stride.

I'm going to fix that wing, and go back to the first wing, which is less damaged now. That, and order another wing, tail set, and a few more props. This thing is a barrel of monkeys, and I have sure learned a lot on it.

I've wire-tied the ESC (other side) and receiver to the fuselage; the double-stick tape wasn't doing it. You can also see where I had to epoxy the tail boom to the fuse, as their hot-melt glue wasn't doing it either. Poor little guy...

Ah the joys of a plane stuck in a tree... I got a plane stuck in a tree once.. Tried to use a shotgun to "shoot the branch" it was stuck on... Heh...

My planes love trees. I have asked for a chain saw for christmas.

An older gentlemen was flying a T-hawk when I was visiting Michigan a few months ago. WHAM! right into a tree. It's a good thing my 13 year old son was there because the Hawk was a good distance up the pine. The plane held up fine and after the rescue he let my son take it for a flight. One tough plane.

Jim

Consider wrapping the leading edge of the wing with 3/4" reinforced stapping tape, the stuff with the fiberglass strands in it. This is the same type tape used by Toytronix for strengthening the wing, usually applied to both the bottom and top sides of the wing. When used on the leading edge of the wing out to, but not completely to the tips, the tape provides some dent protection. Also helps, when used close in on the TE of the wing, prevent the prop from cutting into the wing when the wing gets dislodged in a hard landing or crash.

Yes, it's a great plane, in stock or modified form.

RD

Originally Posted by Tram

Ah the joys of a plane stuck in a tree... I got a plane stuck in a tree once.. Tried to use a shotgun to "shoot the branch" it was stuck on... Heh...

Bravo tram! for the hundreds of flights I have had on my slow sticks, only twice each one got stuck in a tree. the first time, it was in my back yard. I tried to throttle it out, hoping the thrust would get it out of the tree, when the prop got tangled with a branch (stupied me! ) so, my dad cut the tree down. he said it wasn't a big deal, the tree was only like 30', and it was a mall-berry tree. the second time, was up north, in a more rule area, and my dad actuly SHOT the branch out, with some sort of single shot rifle (NOT a .22, that would not blow a branch out) It was very cool to see, everything within 5" of where the bullet hit was like exsploded. I don't think a shot gun would be a good idea to shoot a branch out, one of the BBs might hit the plane, even if you don't aim for it.

Yeh, shotgun with a slug will do it.. Using bird shot or the like, is a bad idea..

I think THawks must like trees! Mines been up in trees twice now. The first time it was really windy and I lost control and it blew into a tree. The wing came off and stayed in the tree and the fuselage came crashing down. I found the wing the next day on the ground luckily with no damage.

The second time I was just cruising around seeing how long I could keep it in the air. Missed the top of one tree barely and ended up in the top of the next one. I taped 3 of those extendable swimming pool poles together and managed to get it out. It worked great, but the pole was so heavy I could barely lift it, it must have been 50 ft. long.

The T Hawk sure is a great little plane. Mine is just about indestructable and just keeps on flying. Has survived several full speed nose ins and I just put it back together and away it goes again.

DH

Originally Posted by Tram

Yeh, shotgun with a slug will do it.. Using bird shot or the like, is a bad idea..

I asked my dad, he said the rifle was a 30-06 (whatever that means) he said it like "thirty-yat-six" VERY WEIRD

Originally Posted by Y B U?

... he said the rifle was a 30-06 (whatever that means)

It means you need to be very certain nobody is in the way for about three miles downrange. The "thirty-aught-six" is a very high-powered rifle, able to launch a standard 1/3 oz. bullet from the muzzle at about 2872 feet per second.

30-06 describes a cartridge .308 inches (7.62mm) in diameter and 63mm long. The M-1 Garand 30-06 rifle was used in WWI, WWII and Korea. The 30-06 Springfield is among the most popular deer rifles because of its high power and flat trajectory. Bullets are produced in weights from about 1/8 oz. (55 grain), useful for small game, to about 1/2 oz. (220 grain), for combat or large game. The larger rounds are lethal out as far as 6,000 yards. That's more than three miles.

Any round from any weapon fired at a vertical angle poses a potentially lethal hazard when it comes down. Counting on a branch to stop a bullet is a gamble against life if anybody is downrange.

Wow.. shooting an airplane down with a 30-06 is something else..

I used a 20 guage with some slugs.

X-Planer, not trying to flame you, but, the M1 Garand didn't go into production until 1936, long after WW1. It's first action was in WW2, then Korea and finally a some were used in the early Vietnam era. The M1A (M14), was designed to replace the Garand, both use .30 caliber cartridges. In fact the receiver group on both rifles look similar. General George S. Patton was a big fan and praised the Garand very highly.

The 30-06 caliber bullet was used in WW1, WW2, Korea and Vietnam. It is still considered by many to be the best "all around" hunting cartridge for North American Big Game animals.

Originally Posted by Norm66

X-Planer, not trying to flame you, but, the M1 Garand didn't go into production until 1936, long after WW1. It's first action was in WW2, then Korea and finally a some were used in the early Vietnam era. .

Sorry, I was paying more attention to how forward it goes than how far back. You're right, the WW1 30-06 was a Springfield - a modification of the 1903 Springfield 30-03.

3 miles downrange!?!?! WOW!!! Good thing he was shooting toward Lake Huron. That’s probably why.

Originally Posted by Y B U?

3 miles downrange!?!?! WOW!!! Good thing he was shooting toward Lake Huron. That’s probably why.

I have to avoid any judgement in your circumstance - by your description he seems to have hit the limb with no stray bullets unaccounted for, and I'm allowing that he was very confident in his shooting skills.

My reply was more inspired by an interest in contributing to the thread knowledge of what could happen if a person missed their target - maybe due to sudden windage, a mesquito biting their eyelid at the moment they pulled the trigger, accidentally misaligned sights, or whatever. Lakes and waterways are often used by boaters, so in my shooting I wouldn't consider a lake a good place to allow for possible stray bullets to come down.

In regulating hunting, some states with flat ground and dense populations don't allow rifles even for big game, because of stray-bullet hazards. Shotguns with slugs are the preferred weapon in such terrain. In most cases, a visual command of downrange areas, knowledge of human activities in the downrange area based on careful observation, and shooting in a trajectory toward terrain or timber sufficient to stop stray bullets provides the most reliable margin of safety.

Avoid shooting up toward deer standing on hills because missing those target could result in stray bullets going beyond the hunter’s line of vision.

Some incidents, often deadly ones, have occurred when stray bullets have hit people out of the shooter’s sight. Be sure you have a proper backstop before you shoot.