gyroplanes
FAA DAR Gyropilot
- Joined
- Mar 18, 2004
- Messages
- 6,205
- Aircraft
- (1) Air Command, (1) Bensen glider project (1) Air Command 2 place kit, (1) Sycamore gyro
- Total Flight Time
- 2650
This was a posted response to a question in a hijacked thread. I located it here where it belongs:
After my training wreck with my instructor Terry "Crash" Kobelenz (never fly with a guy knicknamed crash) We rebuilt the gyro glider and started training at our club strip in Frankfort, IL.
The tow boom to mast cable was too long and a club member thought the best way to fix that was to tie a knot in it, so he did. Many tows later it popped a few strands. To avoid cutting his hand on the popped strands, another club member wrapped the knot in electrical tape.
Weeks later, I was towing the glider bearing Dave Vana & Bo Berglund on a training flight. Mike Fornal was in the window of the fastback GT350 as an observer and I was at the wheel.
They were airborne when Mike said they popped up in the air real fast and I can't see them anymore. I looked back to see them free-falling to the ground. I slammed on the brakes so as not to drag them.
It turns out Dave pulled back to climb, the cable broke and flew back in their faces. The redundant mast bent back from the sudden drag force to around 40 degrees.
The enormous back tilt shot them to the top of the tow cable's limit. I believe Dave said the blades flapped out of control and down they came.
Neither required hospital visits, but both were very sore the next day. We scrapped out the trainer for good.
After my training wreck with my instructor Terry "Crash" Kobelenz (never fly with a guy knicknamed crash) We rebuilt the gyro glider and started training at our club strip in Frankfort, IL.
The tow boom to mast cable was too long and a club member thought the best way to fix that was to tie a knot in it, so he did. Many tows later it popped a few strands. To avoid cutting his hand on the popped strands, another club member wrapped the knot in electrical tape.
Weeks later, I was towing the glider bearing Dave Vana & Bo Berglund on a training flight. Mike Fornal was in the window of the fastback GT350 as an observer and I was at the wheel.
They were airborne when Mike said they popped up in the air real fast and I can't see them anymore. I looked back to see them free-falling to the ground. I slammed on the brakes so as not to drag them.
It turns out Dave pulled back to climb, the cable broke and flew back in their faces. The redundant mast bent back from the sudden drag force to around 40 degrees.
The enormous back tilt shot them to the top of the tow cable's limit. I believe Dave said the blades flapped out of control and down they came.
Neither required hospital visits, but both were very sore the next day. We scrapped out the trainer for good.