Farmer_Dave Posted June 24, 2009 Share Posted June 24, 2009 I must overcome my male pride and perhaps a little embarrassment to make sure you're all a little wiser and potentially safer. If you feel you have a little more (or less) torque steer than normal, do take a look up to see if you have rocks in your wingtips. I really dont know how I collected one in my wing but I did launch from a freshly cultivated field (first attempt reverse too) and had a pound of stone (one piece) in my wing when I landed. I allways look up and check the wing before and after T O. I thought it was a patch at first but did notice a slight right turn that wasn't there before. I also managed 5 touch and goes and some stall point taxi-ing with the said object where it shouldn't have been. I would like to laugh about it but I consider it as a failing on my pre flight checks and that's not so funny really, so I hope my experience helps you all NOT to make the same mistake I did. Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
t_andrews Posted June 25, 2009 Share Posted June 25, 2009 Good point Dave. This is one that we all usually get away with until something large enough to add a little awe in the mix makes it a pre-flight check. I once flew around with a big sandstone beach rock middle-wing trailing edge until someone showed me a photo taken mid flight and the offender became shadow obvious. At least a pound it was. Easy to miss when being chased around by airborn bloodsuckers and sweaty from a flightsuit. Picked it up from a beach landing and took it home and stored it until next flight. Good thing they didn't come flying out on inflation eh? Also glad it wasn't a grasshopper or cricket. Damn mandibles. No more hitchikers, part of the post flight and pretrip now. Fine bit of advice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
norman Posted June 25, 2009 Share Posted June 25, 2009 Gremlins David, they trip you up, turn off your fuel and pull off plug caps. Filling wings with rocks now are they the little sods. Exclusive pix here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carvingair Posted June 25, 2009 Share Posted June 25, 2009 that's trippy art work Norman, twisted and very cool. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farmer_Dave Posted June 25, 2009 Author Share Posted June 25, 2009 Nice one Norman. I only seem to have the rock throwing GREMLINS here although one of the little sods had a hacksaw to one of my silencer bolts and cut the head off. These gremlins must have different peculiarities to certain geographical locations too as I dont seem to have the trippers, plug cap removers, propeller vandals or fire starters here. Mind you. I did take the added precaution (in the light of gross speculation) of having the unit EXCORCISED when I shipped it over. That alone might've flushed them out Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
norman Posted June 26, 2009 Share Posted June 26, 2009 Thanks Carvingair, my friend Gurgle helped find 'em. 'Caint flush 'em out David, they hide inside pipes and resist all liquids. Little buggers! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farmer_Dave Posted June 26, 2009 Author Share Posted June 26, 2009 In pipes Norman ? You watch they dont freeze your kerosene mate ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
norbertflyer Posted July 12, 2009 Share Posted July 12, 2009 Rocks? Try flying with half a hundred weight of sand in your wing's trailing edge after a day at the Dune Du Pyla in south west France. Only plus point was that I had permanent min sink all afternoon (PG), hence flew very high. A small induced collapse removed quite a bit of sand though. RP Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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