- Joined
- Sep 6, 2007
- Messages
- 3,287
- Reaction score
- 2,250
But back to my story, now that you have some Idea of what I am going to describe! I was up in Snohomish Washington for the local combat contest that was held at the airport back in 2003 and staying at a friends house when this person who's name is ommited stopped by. All were pilots of full sized airplanes, and he sees a half dozen combat wings in the back of my Suburban and told me this story! Now you cannot make stories like this up as real life is, ...well real life!
He was in the Air Force stationed near a small town in the Midwest and his enlistment was up and was going to move back to the NW. He had a number of model airplanes of which several were combat wings! His first wife at the time was not happy that he had moved this collection of ratty wore torn models from duty station to duty station and could not understand the appeal and affection he had for what in her eyes were old toy airplanes (Junk) and did not want to move them again as to her, they would be best at home in a trash can? They had been married long after his youthful model airplane flying days, and she had no idea of how it all worked? So he said being a true combat pilot he would fly them and it would not take long to use them up as he was sure they would be in numerous pieces in short order or at least by the end of the day!
He had earlier driven by and found a large area, and some nice green grass next to a school yard, it was a fair day with sunshine for February in the Midwest! He had this van and had talked his wife into going with him to help in the demise of these old treasures and his thought was that old combat wings should go out in a blaze of glory and that this would certainly be the case! They parked some distance from boys playing basket ball on an outside court!
He had found some Cox Red Can Fuel about 40 percent nitro and had this old Voodoo with a Fox 36X! He also had an old Jimmy walker U-Reely control line set, the kind that had a handle that allowed you to wind and unwind the .018 steel braided control lines cable, which he did leaving the handle in the middle of this large green grass field. Then had fueled the model, the weapon of choice for fuel tanks in the old days were Binky baby pacifiers, that one filled up using a syringe like a balloon. Because the models flew so fast and turned so tight they would starve for fuel with a regular vented tank and this binky would give continuous fuel pressure to the engine!
He and instructed his wife on how to hold the airplane (Combat Wing) something she had never done before, and with it fueled and a fresh drycell battery all was ready! Now you have to remember this day was Super Bowl Sunday and the game was going to start in only minutes! His wife was just fine holding the wing as instructed, until the engine started, but unless you have held or heard one of these fire breathing Fox 36X powered monsters with no muffler run in your hands you have no idea, what to expect? Nor did she?
These engines run, and with no muffler they are loud and turn about 25000 rpm on 40 percent nitro, apparently it was quite startling and terrifying for her to hold, as she had never seen or heard one up close before! He sensing that things could go wrong at any minute headed in haste to the black plastic Jimmy walker U-Reely handle! Just as he reached down to pick it up, she ever so more terrified could hold it no longer, then screamed with disdain as she let it go!
He barely was able to grab the control handle falling down as he did, and while laying on his back holding the handle looked up, watched in slow (Not Really) motion horror this Voodoo with a screaming Fox 36X arc up in a beautiful wing over an contact the first of three gigantic very tall high tension electrical lines of upwards of 20,000 kV! The Voodoo continued around in its fateful arc contacting the top power line and as it did, completed the circuit, so as to cause a tremendous explosion taking out transformers and all of the power for the town and the rest the residents within 40 miles in all directions!
As the model continued around it vaporized the metal cable lines, this apparently kept him from being electrocuted, and with the engine still screaming the VooDoo continued straight down towards him burying itself into the soft green grass only several feet from where he was laying! Everything stopped, and was quiet for a moment as people came outside their houses wondering GD**** what had happened to cause the explosion and take out all of the electrical power!
After he realized he was still alive and unhurt with his adrenalin up and his heart pounding, he and his wife that was still screaming decided that they should get the H**** out of there as police and fire dept sirens went off! And could hear them converging on their location! He grabbed the smoking remains of the model, the handle threw them in the van, then he and his wife beat a hasty retreat passing police cars and fire equipment as they went!
Apparently the boys playing basket ball had told the authorities a plane had crashed, not being specific as to that it was a model airplane! This had sent police and fire off in all directions looking for a real full sized airplane that they assumed had hit the power lines and then crashed! In the paper the next day no one seemed to know what had actually happened or what had caused the power outage, but by the time power was restored the Super Bowl was over and had resulted in a lot of unhappy people!
He was worried that his discharge may have been hastened...speed-ed up along with a big dollar fine and perhaps some jail time, but nothing ever came of this amusing and terrifying aviation event on Super Bowl Sunday!
Again the names dates and place has been omitted to protect the not so innocent, but it is a story that needed to be told in this context! Dave
He was in the Air Force stationed near a small town in the Midwest and his enlistment was up and was going to move back to the NW. He had a number of model airplanes of which several were combat wings! His first wife at the time was not happy that he had moved this collection of ratty wore torn models from duty station to duty station and could not understand the appeal and affection he had for what in her eyes were old toy airplanes (Junk) and did not want to move them again as to her, they would be best at home in a trash can? They had been married long after his youthful model airplane flying days, and she had no idea of how it all worked? So he said being a true combat pilot he would fly them and it would not take long to use them up as he was sure they would be in numerous pieces in short order or at least by the end of the day!
He had earlier driven by and found a large area, and some nice green grass next to a school yard, it was a fair day with sunshine for February in the Midwest! He had this van and had talked his wife into going with him to help in the demise of these old treasures and his thought was that old combat wings should go out in a blaze of glory and that this would certainly be the case! They parked some distance from boys playing basket ball on an outside court!
He had found some Cox Red Can Fuel about 40 percent nitro and had this old Voodoo with a Fox 36X! He also had an old Jimmy walker U-Reely control line set, the kind that had a handle that allowed you to wind and unwind the .018 steel braided control lines cable, which he did leaving the handle in the middle of this large green grass field. Then had fueled the model, the weapon of choice for fuel tanks in the old days were Binky baby pacifiers, that one filled up using a syringe like a balloon. Because the models flew so fast and turned so tight they would starve for fuel with a regular vented tank and this binky would give continuous fuel pressure to the engine!
He and instructed his wife on how to hold the airplane (Combat Wing) something she had never done before, and with it fueled and a fresh drycell battery all was ready! Now you have to remember this day was Super Bowl Sunday and the game was going to start in only minutes! His wife was just fine holding the wing as instructed, until the engine started, but unless you have held or heard one of these fire breathing Fox 36X powered monsters with no muffler run in your hands you have no idea, what to expect? Nor did she?
These engines run, and with no muffler they are loud and turn about 25000 rpm on 40 percent nitro, apparently it was quite startling and terrifying for her to hold, as she had never seen or heard one up close before! He sensing that things could go wrong at any minute headed in haste to the black plastic Jimmy walker U-Reely handle! Just as he reached down to pick it up, she ever so more terrified could hold it no longer, then screamed with disdain as she let it go!
He barely was able to grab the control handle falling down as he did, and while laying on his back holding the handle looked up, watched in slow (Not Really) motion horror this Voodoo with a screaming Fox 36X arc up in a beautiful wing over an contact the first of three gigantic very tall high tension electrical lines of upwards of 20,000 kV! The Voodoo continued around in its fateful arc contacting the top power line and as it did, completed the circuit, so as to cause a tremendous explosion taking out transformers and all of the power for the town and the rest the residents within 40 miles in all directions!
As the model continued around it vaporized the metal cable lines, this apparently kept him from being electrocuted, and with the engine still screaming the VooDoo continued straight down towards him burying itself into the soft green grass only several feet from where he was laying! Everything stopped, and was quiet for a moment as people came outside their houses wondering GD**** what had happened to cause the explosion and take out all of the electrical power!
After he realized he was still alive and unhurt with his adrenalin up and his heart pounding, he and his wife that was still screaming decided that they should get the H**** out of there as police and fire dept sirens went off! And could hear them converging on their location! He grabbed the smoking remains of the model, the handle threw them in the van, then he and his wife beat a hasty retreat passing police cars and fire equipment as they went!
Apparently the boys playing basket ball had told the authorities a plane had crashed, not being specific as to that it was a model airplane! This had sent police and fire off in all directions looking for a real full sized airplane that they assumed had hit the power lines and then crashed! In the paper the next day no one seemed to know what had actually happened or what had caused the power outage, but by the time power was restored the Super Bowl was over and had resulted in a lot of unhappy people!
He was worried that his discharge may have been hastened...speed-ed up along with a big dollar fine and perhaps some jail time, but nothing ever came of this amusing and terrifying aviation event on Super Bowl Sunday!
Again the names dates and place has been omitted to protect the not so innocent, but it is a story that needed to be told in this context! Dave
