Summary and Images
(Click on these thumbnail images to view a larger image)
by Maurice Sheldon
Bill Wright flying for the first time at this field.
"Bill and I had some very nice flights this Saturday morning. The field was a great place to PPG in, with no trees, cactus, or other vertical obstructions for miles around and it is easy to get to... just 2 miles off of I-10 on exit 190 near Case Grande. The field has a dirt RC runway, which we used to take off in. There happened to be several RC pilots there who were keen on seeing us fly and we shared airspace perfectly, with them on one side and us on the other.
Bill was out at the field at around 6am and I arrived closer to 8am. When I arrived the weather was ideal: not too hot (80's), SSW winds of 3-7 mph, little thermal activity.
Bill was the first in the air. His take-off was long, but intentional since this ws his first flight with his new equipment. He was off the ground and did (what seemed to me) about 6-7 fly-by's around the LZ and reached an altitude of no more than 200 feet before coming in for a great landing. He claimed to be a beginner, but certainly didn't fly like one. His technique, control, and knowledge of flight and PPG's didn't show otherwise. And he looked so cool in that Airforce helmet!
I took off within minutes of him landing. While running on takeoff, I heard an unusual sound on my left that sounded like the propeller hitting a small rock. Once off the ground, everything seemed fine until I noticed one of my risers had a twist in in. After two turns around the LZ, I landed, figuring I'd try again once my equipment was set up correctly. I untwisted the lines and inspected the motor for damage. I noticed the leading edge of the prop tips were scraped. After carefully inspecting the cage, I did notice a small area with paint residue. The damage seemed negligable, so I decided to try again. On my second take-off, the same thing. I heard the same noise of the prop impacting the cage. However, I was up in the air without a problem. I flew around the field for good 20 minutes until I started to feel some thermal activity that made me a bit uncomfortable. Landing was textbook.
When I got home, I inspected the props more carefully and noticed some small, yet troublesome stress cracks about 3/4 of an inch long on the tip of one of the prop blades. I inspected the motor for loose bolts or connections of any type and found nothing. The only thing that came to mind, was the space where the prop hit the cage was not enough to clear it safely (it's only about 2 inches away). Since I did nothing unusual, I attribute this accident to a design flaw in the cage."
