Epic HERO moment for me today!

[Nitro Blast]

An amazing feat for sure, I wish there were more club members on the forum to validate, but Nitro Jr. was there with me today


A couple of weeks ago, we are all checking each others eyesight. Trying to read signs on buildings, text on banners etc that was within extended visual range. Lots of guys were impressed that I could read text that was too fuzzy for them.

Ok, flash to today. Nitro Jr. is with me at the field as he is on summer break. We are flying his new Electro-Stick and my Maniac. The winds starts blowing. We are putting our foamies away so they dont get blown around, and I can see a pilot and assistant at the flight line, in trouble. They were flying a flat foamie, and were now way way down wind, crossed a freeway, and no longer in control. The pilot could see it, but not control it. I could see him in a terminal loop, just going round and round, not really losing altitude, but blowing down wind fast, getting smaller and smaller. I hustled over to them, not taking my eye off of it, I was giving him verbal commands first, trying to get him to straight and level flight, but he'd go vertical, then loop again and again. With my back to them, now straining on the tiny little dot of an airplane low on the horizon floating over the unknown, I say "Give me the TX, I can see it!" The pilot said yes, and I held my hands up.... I hear, "I cant get the lanyard off!" and it takes another second or three to feel a TX put in my hands.. Now no one else is flying, and the whole flightline has started watching the excitement. I grabbed tx, and started walking down the middle of the runway, trying to get visual orientation. I found vertical, and went up to get some altitude. There was a problem. Ailerons were slow and non responsive, and elevator was hyper-sensitive... I say out loud "CG MOVED!!" and struggle to find level flight, but I found it, and lucky for me, level flight was somewhat coming back our direction, because I would not have been able to get it home if it was going away at that distance. I was lucky it was coming back. I did my best to hold straight as the 20 mph plane was fighting 15 mph winds. After a good minute or three, it came in over the threashold, and I parked it on the runway. The battery had slid all the way back and was tight on the wire, thats all that was holding it in.

There was a round of applause, I raised my arms in victory, and handed the pilot his TX back. I did what no one there said they could have done! After, the lunch group went out and had a good story to share.

The owner said that he figured it gone, and was not going to stress if I lost it. I was just thrilled that I was the hero for the moment.

[firemanbill]

Cool man! Neat story!

[xmech2k]

LOL! Classic! 'Umm, it seems the flight crew has eaten some bad fish... Does anyone onboard know how to land a plane?'

Good save!

[road king 97]

I fly like that every day ! lmao Nice save, i know i could not have seen it thats why i build bigger planes

[CHELLIE]

Good Save

[M@!]

Very cool, the guy you saved must have been one happy camper.

[kenchiroalpha]

Hi Jim
Outstanding
Great job, Im very proud of you
Take care dear friend
Yours Hank

[stuart]

very cool save!!!!! it's times like these we pull together and help each other out. i hope he bought ya a coffee...lol

[flashburn]

Good Save! I once did about the same, It felt like forever before the plane started to get bigger than a dot.
My best save ever went like this..... Our club is located beside a clay brick factory so there is a very large open pit parallel to the runway.
We have 4 high bleacher seating behind the spectator fence.
Good spot to sit and BS between flights and "encourage" flyers.
One of our newer flyers was ripping around with a fairly new 40 size Hots and got a bit behind it. The plane from his viewpoint vanished, from mine it was still flying and fairly level @ that. John let go of the sticks and turned his back to the flightline thinking the plane was gone. I could see it was still airborne and since not being yanked around was flying wings level and descending slowly. I am not the quickest guy but that day I jumped down, sprinted? to the flight line and yanked the radio from his left hand, I eased in some elevator plus throttle and found out right away why he was in trouble. Way way too much throw but we had climbed back into sight and were under power so life was good. I did one circut and offered the radio back to John, he declined so I landed the plane and handed the radio back to him then started over to my stuff. He called me back and showed us all several long strands of green stuff caught in the wheels!
I figure the drag from catching the grass is what halted the spin and leveled the wings before I took over.
The Hots only lasted a few more flights after that.

[FlyWheel]

ALL HAIL THE NITRO! (hip-hip-hooray!)

I wish there was someone like you around when I was losing my 1st Miss Stik. But then I wouldn't have as a good excuse to build another one would I?