I destroyed my ultralight in 20 minutes ( filmed it)
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- Опубліковано 1 жов 2024
- bought a 90% complete ultralight aircraft that only required 90% left to build !! so after months of pain staking restoration I destroyed it in 20 mins.
God help me - Please even just $5 could help us and I have done so much to entertain you without any gain whatsoever ..would really appreciate the kindness of others as I have done my whole life.. ..plese read my storey here www.gofundme.c...
I was glad to see how much caution you exercised during the whole testing process. I was fully expecting to see a couple of test runs before trying to get her in the air. You allowed enough time for a fault to appear before seriously putting your life at risk. This was a well told story.
If that had broken while you were in the air, it's a very good possibility you wouldn't have survived it. Which lends great support to the methodical and painstakingly slow testing phase of a new or rebuild aircraft. I purchased the EAA Flight Test Manual and Test Cards package for this very reason. It's very detailed, and takes some time to get through. But it walks a beginner (amateur builder like me) through the proper steps and phases of testing your new or rebuild experimental aircraft. I am in the process of rebuilding what was sold to me as a "ready to fly" experimental. Which turned out to be anything but ready to fly. Posting the progress on my youtube page under my name. Thanks for sharing this valuable learning experience. Cheers from Winnipeg.
Cool
It seems as though you're implying he wasn't or didn't test properly
@@shmeli It's not that he didn't test properly, it's more that he didn't do a complete restoration, including a detailed inspection of the airframe. The fact that he tested properly is the reason he's still alive.
Like who would have thought that the structural parts of the plane were held together with zip ties. Crazy. The guy who sold this plane should have been prosecuted as this plane was a death trap.
At least he should refund the moneys paid for it.!
Should of used heavy duty zip ties, who ever heard of such a thing?
I just can't possibly imagine selling an aircraft that has been zip tied together without letting the new owner know.
Thanks for sharing and sorry for your loss. Glad you weren't injured. Would you be okay with me sharing this in my series Weekly Dose of Aviation? Of course you will be credited both in the video and in the description.
You probably saved more than one amateur builder's life or at least injury by posting this. It sure helped me keep my head straight with my upcoming test runs. Slow and steady wins the race. Nicely done and thanks for sharing. Sorry for the loss of hard work and funds.
Can't believe he shit canned it. I would've completely taken it apart n replaced what was broke
I'd be finding the sheisty bastid that first raped me wallet then tried to kill me with the broke plane. I'd have got me money back or gotten satisfaction one way or another
Man that was a beautiful job you did on that plane. Could have been welded and straightened out... Pre inspection would have sorted that out. Bastard should have told you about those zip ties
He just gave up
Exactly. I think that I'd be going over for a little chat with the fellow I'd bought it from.
He should not have told you He shouldn't have put them in there in the first place He should be charged with attempted murder
Would love to know who you bought the plane from that should be convicted for Attempted Murder. Don't feel sorry for the guy. Because all he wanted was to recover money and Your life being put in danger was just fine with him. This way everyone knows who to stay the Hell away from and why. Hard to think another human can have zero respect for You, & Your life. Just take the worst that could of happened. you flying, the zip ties brake you loose control of the plane and take out a young Mother and Baby driving thier car. Some one who can put You and the General Public in danger should be Strung up! This guy may have sold a defective Car to someone, or a piece of equipment or a Shot gun with known issues. If he has done this to You, He has done this to others and people need to know this guy can't be trusted. Stay Safe. Bob Jackson, Papillion, Nebraska
Your extra caution in completing extra ground runs kept you alive. If that had unwound at 500 feet it is not likely you would have survived. Many people would have been in the air after a few quick tests, well done!
I’m working on a project now that I didn’t start. You definitely have to go through every nut and bolt and make sure they are correct. Don’t leave your live in the hands of someone you don’t know.
I bought a fiber-optic cable based inspection device. This could be used to inspect all of these hidden spots. Also, it could be used for inspecting scoring in the cylinders.
Yes! A wall camera or a bore scope would be extremely helpful for this application!!
If your new hot rod car dies on the highway, most of the time you can coast to a safe stop. Even if a wheel comes off or a tie rod breaks, odds are you can safely come to a stop on the side of the road… If your airframe twists at 1000 ft AGL in a freshly rebuilt used experiment aircraft, your likely fucked!
@@kevintucker3354 well said, better hope the pooch is at least pretty 'cause ya' just about to screw it.
Now I feel the need to get one.
Sorry on all the hard work that was done. I agree with what you did about putting the Airplane out of commission. You did the right thing safety first and far most. I hope you can rebuild another plane. Thank sfor showing the video.
Why are you sorry ?
If I buy a used one im taking my time and stripping it to a bare frame and checking every weld and rivet. After watching this.
You didn't destroy the plane, the former owner did!! Thanks for sharing.
No, but the music destroyed the video..
Yes he did
This is the saddest aircraft story yet. I rebuilt my Champ years ago and know how much sweat and curses it takes to finish such an all consuming project . However, because of your good sense to complete a thorough taxi test, you are alive today.I hope there is another aircraft in your future and thanks for sharing your painful story. All the best and blue skies.
Young mate has successfully restored, test flown and safely operated half a dozen classic Australian ultralight aircraft. I reckon he's one of the most broadly experienced and skilled UL pilots Downunder.
That is especially amazing given he didn't grow up amongst it in the glory days. He's got bigger balls than me but the skills to match.
Yeah... that guy that sold it to you knowing it was held on my zip ties should be charged for attempted murder. Theres no excuse for putting you life at risk like that
So you mean the guy who sold it to you knew full well the frame’s damage was hidden and didn’t tell you? That HAS to be illegal. If you would’ve gotten in the air you could’ve been KILLED!!
Haha yeah?... would that be Charles Darwin High Court's law?
Yeah, couldn't you sue the ass off the guy you bought it from?
A decent inspection would have found that zip tie issue, and probably the cracks before any parts were installed.
As a lifelong mechanic, flight engineer and private pilot, my rule #1 is never trust anyone else's work. Especially if you expect to take it off the ground with you in it!!
Yeah, I'm just blown away by the fact he spent months finishing it, but didn't spend even one minute inspecting the frame... I don't blame the previous owner at all.
Yeah, build every plane you fly entirely yourself. Better mine all the oar, as well. Melt your own alloys. Grow your own forest for wood. And be afraid in every other plane, be trembling during each flight.
For YOU are the only perfect worker on earth. Good night.
Holly Cow man !
I'm NOT going to bash you, I think you did a great job.
Zip ties?
Well, Just Build Another One,Simple.
No one was hurt. Most Important!
Thank you for the video,it Woke me UP.
Those are the words of a wise man.
I like to do my own work because when something goes wrong I like to have the a-hole responsible close at hand.
Man that was a terrible thing to happen and I'm glad you weren't injured or worse. Smart to cut your losses but what a terrible thing. You have a great attitude and that will take you a long long way in life.
Honestly it sucks to have this happen after all that work you put in restoring it but it's better to have it happen here than 6000 feet in the air. This incident likely saved your life.
Wow.. well, it's certainly a good thing that you took those test runs on such rough ground. If you had been on smooth tarmac, you may have been tempted to take it airborne.
Wow, I would have thought that after finding the problems, which is what a "shakedown cruse is all about, you would get to it, get it done and make it better. Personally I can't understand why the first thing you would do is to check the frame, welds, seams, and especially all connections long before painting.. in fact test it thoroughly before painting and where I let my stuff look like it total shit so no one wants to steal it. But my connections are good.
To me that is the lesson here, start from scratch, FRAME, FRAME, FRAME, CONNECTIONS, CONNECTIONS, CONNECTIONS. Remember if you did not see it then it is no good!!! Simple rule, if you did not test it, it is no good,!
Second... you had video!! If you looked at it, at least I noticed that you were using right rudder (depending on the flipping of the video) a lot, all the time and on both directions, which indicates that there is a major problem either in the FRAME or the tail section or both.
Three, two 55 gal. drums and Styrofoam blocks or two poles in the ground to use for stress testing and load tests is fast and effective. There is a young man who designs and builds some of the most beautiful flying things and he always does load tests and much more and they always work and never to my knowledge has a failure. (a failure is no accident!!!)
Anyway, it looked like such a cool design, perhaps you can share the kit or the plans of it so we can possibly do it and do it right. ??
BTW what the hell is with screws ?? if it doesn't have a nut then its no good and even then I rasp the end of the threads after cutting off so it will not budge. I think making flanges or slots makes more sense to remove the twist sheer. It's more time consuming but with them you can use a pin and make them removable. Other than folding over the ends and welding when fabricating, that's all the suggestions I have... Blessings to all who dream and do!!!
As one comment said, you may have saved a few lives by sharing. Thank you
I would have to agree with you 100%. Not only that when he got in that airplane the last time he actually grabbed on to that brace and he should have felt that it was loose. I'm glad he didn't get hurt but I think maybe he learned something .
That sucks man! It's always sad when failure jumps out at the victory gates like that, but at least you walked away from it. Better luck on the next build. What a pretty paint job.
I can feel you pain. Great video to show the importance of a thorough, metodical, test-flight procedure! Some people believe a test-flight does not start until they are airborne. I believe many ultralight builders should see this video before they attempt to go airborne - nice job - hopfully, it's a "Life-Saver"...!
I believe you ground looped it and it bent the airplane. Sad.
Damn close. I’m glad you weren’t hurt. So did you talk to the guy that sold it to you and ask him why he didn’t tell you about the broken frame held together with zip ties? If he would have come clean you would have known to get in there and do the required repairs. That guy could have killed you. I think he needs to be sued for losses. He could have been sued by your family if it hadn’t gone well for you.
It's really buyer beware like a used car it seems to me then he should have done his due diligence just crazy that the guy would repair it that way and not tell him
Stay away from amateur built stuff! To many take too many shortcuts!
It was living up to its namesake. Next time call it SKY Tracker.
Sorry mate I just had to.
Sorry for your loss.
It's unbelievable what people will do for a few bucks. This bit of butchery was hidden just to make the sale with no regard for human life. It was probably repairable had the seller just been honest. Either way that bit of dishonesty could have cost someone their life what a scum bag.
I might of missed it but what airframe is this?
Not really an airframe by usual standards. It was just tubing and zip ties thrown together.
Taking over another’s project can be fraught with danger. An AI had finished out a clipped wing T-craft through cover in silver when I had bought it. In the course of completion, I recovered those,”Freshly covered wings.” Structural disasters were concealed within. Crushed wood on the spars because the old hardware was reused on the new thicker spars. It might have flown but it would have killed me under aerobatic loads. I got three Indepenent experts to recommend a repair which worked fine but if I had only trusted, I’d have died. Always get in depth fresh eyes to inspect a project. Leave the egos outside the hangar door when you do. Sorry for the loss but kudos and then some for sharing a hard earned lesson.
I'd hesitate to take over someone else's half-built R/C airplane, let alone one that I'm going to be sitting in myself! Especially if I can't easily inspect the work already being done.
I would guess the answer to this sad story is, don't buy someone else's "half completed" projects. You never know what you are buying and in this case couldn't see the problems that existed with the airframe. Lucky this happened while you were on the ground and not in the air !! I would never buy a project plane as you don't know what the builders skills were when building it. Take a look at the Aerolite 103 as its a great machine and you would be very happy with it as its built with quality materials and fly's like a dream. Sorry for your bad luck and hope you get in the air again soon.
Should have started with the airframe first. Sucks, bet you won't do that again.....
That was a lot of taxi test . Wasn’t your fault . Respectable of this guy to dismantle it instead of selling it to someone . Hope you get another soon .
Man my heart feels for you been there with projects. But the worst is someone was willing to place your life in danger selling you a junk airframe that no Doubt was advertised as "excellent condition"....this is why people suck.
NOT "PEOPLE", just 'SOME'. I wish I lived closer to this guy, I'd help him build a NEW plane using the same dimensions from this plane, then go kick that guys ass who sold him that other previously crashed plane and take his money back for him.
I always tried to be a people person, but people keep ruining it for me!
@@glenturney4750
This really is the kind of shit that makes me wanna get nutz for a while. Jack sounds like a nice guy and I hate seeing this kind of stuff happen to people like him. But, he survived it and he has cut his losses.......Respect to him for that.
Man, so good you resisted the temptation to take it off the ground. It was taxing so well. I've would have taken to the air myself. The test flight would have been less than desirable.
Cheers from Louisiana.
Always get a licensed A&P mechanic to do a prebuy inspection before you purchase someone’s build project or completed, flying aircraft.
So, why does it look like it crashed a few more times between your ground loop and its current state?
Go back and watch it again. He cut the aircraft in half himself, after discovering all the problems with it, so nobody would every try to fly it.
@@jasonwhite1069 Yeah, I caught the part where he cut it up afterward, that much was fairly obvious. What I didn't catch the first time around was where his son took a hammer to it afterward LOL
Luckiest crash I've seen thus far. Pilot not hurt, airplane given the proper send off that it deserved. Thanks for sharing and hope your luck continues
Damn shame what people do to others by malice or by incompetence. Glad you are ok. Lesson for all. Inspect. Everything. Do your pre-flight checks as if your life depended on it... Because it does.
Man, that had to be heartbreaking. Unreal that the previous owner literally had zip ties holding it together. If that broke in flight, I could’ve very easily made the airplane uncontrollable. I would sue them. I don’t know how that works in AU, but here in the U.S., that would be a lawsuit. Glad you’re ok bud!!
Someone sold you a zip tied plane?
Sad to see!l would have to sit for a think after finding that zip tie!
Thank goodness that happened sitting taxi practice, and not in flight!!!
I'm glad the problem popped up before flight. I am in a similar situation to yours and a couple of other respondents here... 2 years ago I found a Slepcev Storch... an original AU kit shipped here in 1994 and completed in 1998... sans engine/prop and some avionics... Then Covid hit and I was unable to go to see the plane halfway across the country... Already had a deposit on it and an agreed deal in writing. Due to the 1.5 year pandemic delays I eventually just payed the agreed price and picked it up finally Sept 2021 with 2 - 2000 mile round trips. Once everything was home in the shop I discovered that the "ready for your powerplant and avionics and go fly" airplane was definitely not. Found that the left wing had been bent up at the tip by a couple of inches from what I can only guess was a ground strike... No apparent damage (yet) at the wing root so I'm stripping the fabric from both wings and going over them inch by inch and also making new wingtips (Hoerner style). Then I discovered that the plane had been left outside at some point and water had collected in the footwell/behind the firewall.... and rust in the tubing undersides.... a lot of it.... now I'm also stripping the fuselage and going over it with a magnifying glass. I think everything will be repairable and I will feel confident to fly it after going over every inch of the aircraft. Diligence can pay off by saving your/my life. I really appreciated how you did more than a couple high speed taxi runs. I plan to do the same! I hope you got another aircraft
and continued flying!
Make certain you check wash in and wash out by adjusting both wing struts. I have seen some wings that far off simply by not checking these. Should find the specs in owners handbook. I feel you know this but after watching this video, take nothing for granted
Maybe I'm dumb, but it seems like something a certified mechanic should go over before you buy? (Always makes sense with cars, so it seems it should be more so with an aircraft.)
I was getting sadder and sadder as the vid went on. I am sorry for your bad luck but glad you took the time on the ground cheers Canada
You have done the industry a great service. You did everything right and saved yourself [and someone else for sure]. Great vid...thanks
LOL "did everything right" LOL
Been there, done that.
Shame you invested so much into it.
The cruel reality is the first thing you need to do is check the structure and even pay someone independent to clear it.
I’ve had friends seriously hurt after not catching a cracked weld and the COG being fatally incorrect due to ballast being removed at some point in time prior to it being sold.
If the plane didn't feel right on the last attempt why did you push it further without at least doing an inspection? You had no hesitation. This is a shitty situation but you could have made it a little less shitty by just calling off the test and salvaging the project.
@Jack Flyer hello I need to know what is the name of this aircraft because I love it
What did the seller have to say?
A great pastime, and a very wise man to abandon such a project, under those circumstances. Just glad that you did not become another statistic. It was your over-cautious approach to self-preservation, and assessing the problems that arose before any take-off! A great video that ALL Amateur Plane Builders should see. Thanks for posting this. Greetings from Australia.
Good thing you taxied a bunch instead of just jump in and fly it..i know you wanted to
Hard to believe a plane owner would put a seller in that kind of danger. They know that plane could have lifted off and came apart in mid air.
Happens all the time.Thats why they need to be stripped down to nothing and start over from square one!
I would be looking up the seller who sold this if I were him and demand a full refund
So glad you kept it on the ground for testing!
I absolutely love your song playing in the background.
From 🇺🇸 USA
It would be nice to know the previous owners name so no one else gets is stung by them. Their actions could have resulted in a death if it were not for your experience and extensive ground work. Thanks for sharing.
Proving that it takes more than a pretty face to make a good aircraft and never trust a used airplane salesman......
I learned 45 years ago that buying a used airplane is like buying a used car. ANYTHING is possible.
I don't know why UA-cam recommended this video to me, but I'm glad it did. It's not often that one sees a dream that one has worked so hard at come crashing into, well, an embankment. You're still alive thanks to your thorough testing. I think you should be proud of your hard work and testing regimen. One learns a lot from failure too. Thank you for posting the video. I wish you success with your next project.
Having a "chat" with the past dodgy owner? He'd be having a chat with some hard part of my body if he put my life at risk like that.
Beautiful little aircraft! Sorry for your loss. You are absolutely right saying it was better that this happen on the ground and not in the air.
What a jerk, I'm glad you made it.
Never ever Discount a Complete Pre Flight Check of the Entire aircraft ! You should have caught the zip ties ! Glad you are OK !
I just finished building a plane and I feel your pain from all the work you put in but looks like someone was watching over you to not let you get off the ground with that damage hiding....
You’re lucky to be alive on that one. Lesson learned for all of us, thanks for sharing!
Thank Heaven your ok! Remember to always double up on those primary zip ties. Redundancy is very important
Yes, and the best mechanics would put 2 layers of Flex Tape 2000 over the doubled zips ties for extra strength and a longer service life!
Good lesson about taking on someone else's project. They get low on cash and start cutting corners. Cut enough corners and you'll have a sad ending for sure.
Very sorry I know the work involved . I’ve been fixing one for a couple of years tested it many times but mine has no skin on it so I can see every nut and bolt I feel it’s ready wish me luck 👍
You dodged a very large bullet my friend. You didn’t lose a dime because you are alive and well thankfully. 🤙
Ah, the old zip tie the frame of an airplane repair. Nice.
Congratulations, but my dad did it faster in the 90's with a Rally 2b that he "landed" short of his grass field runway in a barb wired fence at the threshold. I'd flown it first and as a commercial pilot was stunned how dirty it was and the steep angle it took to maintain airspeed with power off. I made him take flight instruction in a C-150 to prep for his daring ambition and at least he crashed short in a flying configuration instead of a stall. Glad he had the Rally with the front bars instead of the popular alternative Quicksilver with the unprotected cockpit. Point is that you did very well indeed to avoid the air until you did the testing. My dad was shaken but ok. Flying sure is fun eh? I used to own and fly a Lake Amphibian LA-4 for my good times. Take care, stay safe and away from RC airplanes unless you want to beat your "Re-kit" time.
OMG GOOD THING THAT YOU DID NOT GET IT IN THE AIR. LUCKY TO BE ALIVE. GOOD LUCK. SO SORRY BUT YOU DID THE RIGHT THING WHO KNOWS IF THE WELDS ARE ANY GOOD COULD JusT ALL FALL APART IN THE AIR. sHOULD START FROM SCRATCH. jUST WHAT I said" better destroyed on the ground then in the air. LOL. Was typing this while watching the end. Best wishes!!!
If i was your son i would have gone out and steam rolled the thing, imagine if that had happened when you were at altitude... really sad whats happened to months of work BUT you're still here to tell us about it. lucky escape and a good lesson to the rest of the home builders out there!
Reminds me of when my dumbass stalled a newly bought UL on a grass runway bc I didn't have the specs on speeds, Vs, Vne, Vr, Vx, Vy, etc on the brand-new purchase. I stalled about 10 feet above the runway and crushed the gear; lucky I landed okay but hit hard. Now, I go back and recall how stupid and impatient I was instead of seeking instruction and a good inspection. I also had the Rotax 582 DCDI, and that's basically all I salvaged. I bruised my tailbone with a lot of soreness for at least two months. Of course, my wife was pissed. I was down on myself and counted my losses, too. Ironically, not 3 days later, another fella trying out a plane to buy from one of my neighbors criticized me for that FU of mine; he also had a mishap and wrecked in the trees and landed on the bank of a river in much poorer shape than me on one of those VW engine motor planes. You are lucky and skilled. Looking back, I was more lucky than skilled. Thanks for sharing.
I am finishing up over 2 years and I can certainly understand what a disappointment this was. I agree with other posters that you were set up by the previous owner.
What type is this weird Ultralight? Suspiciously small stabs but HUGE elevators (what kind of pitch stability will this thing have?). Same for yaw: Small fin & huge rudder. This thing is bound to have very positive flight controls but iffy stability at best.
Trying to start this thing with no chocks in front of the wheels is NOT wise, but continuing high-speed taxi runs after establishing deficient rudder control is even worse. This goes to show that a "Restoration" by a nice paint job does nothing for airworthiness. Discovering the zip-tie-secured structural element AFTER the crash is a strong hint that you are useless at aircraft inspection and maintenance.
You were so lucky - it could have proved tragic if you would have said, “Fuck it - everything feels A-ok, so, I’l just do a quick little touch-n-go maiden-flight around the neighborhood. I’m kinda torn, I think it sucks that you discovered IN TIME that you had structural defects, but I also understand how you must have felt at the time. I do know how important ‘passion projects’ can be, and it really a terrible thing that you probably lost a fair bit of money and time. But look on the bright side, you may have really made an impression on some other would-be pilot, and the important of doing a ground test before you take flight so, in a way, you did a very good thing to bring your plight to the masses…. You did a good job with the video overall and the narration was spot-on - Nice Job!
have you sent the "Boys" around to SEE him????
Bro I feel ur pain! That just sux ! ! ! Idk how I would feel in real life situation but I feel pain in ur situation! I really mean it. I am learning to fly myself I just can imagine getting my plane and crash it like that. At least u WALKED AWAY. Thanks for the video
Bruh, how do you not inspect every millimeter of this shit before you put your life at risk? Especially a super cheap used ultralight? I just don't even get it. 🤦
I don't understand....the previous owner appeared to have defrauded you by knowingly failing to disclose a material condition of the airplane known to him before transacting the sale of aircraft to you. This cannot have been legal or allowable in your country (UK?). I'd be in touch with seller to demand your money back. If refused it's certainly legally actionable in the US. Probably your country too. I'd be speaking with an attorney if I were you.
Just made me sick to watch this. What a beautiful job you did on the painting, etc. I kept hoping through the whole thing that you didn't really destroy it and that was just an expression. Best of luck to you, mate!
You sir are lucky you were so meticulous about testing before flying. Really nice video though, and very informative.
Looks like you hit a berm. Glad you were ok!
In all of your buying this, then all the prep-work, and never saw anything that caught your eye? And the previous owner lied which
could have easily resulted in a death - of you or some other poor guy. I hate shady business & the liars of this world. peace
Such bollox! 1st attempt to start it with no brakes on and a 3 bladed prop. 2nd attempt "the next day" with a 2 bladed prop. Then a "test run" and he loses it, wipes off the undercarriage and the first thing he does after climbing out is retrieve his camera and not check the aircraft. Then we see the "wreckage" with a different Garfield, all the other identifying marks conveniently removed and obviously a long time after "months of restoration". Nope!
You put in all that effort but didn't bother to fully inspect the frame when you know it was someone elses project? That's a no-no. Glad you are OK and weren't in the air.
Former owner should be contacted. Maybe a couple hard slaps to the face. Selling a dud car is one thing..but a jimmy rigged plane ?? Ya that’s wrong
Great story. Glad you weren't airborne! Is that your hanger there with the models hung up? (Damos here)
Yeh mate :) I always wanted my man cave attached to the house so I can just walk from lounge into hangar ..living the dream dude
@@flyerme Hell yea, nice work
Whoever sold you a knowingly defective frame should be sitting in jail for long enough to think about it. He could've been spending years in prison for reckless endangerment or negligent homicide. Thank god you knew enough than a less experienced pilot to ground-test extensively.
You should thank God that pile of crap didn’t get off the ground. You just won the lottery.
The guy that owned it before you obviously didn’t realize that if he was going to use zip ties, they need to be high speed aviation grade as well as FAA PMA approved. What a mess….glad it didn’t happy in the air. You likely would have ended up as a smoking hole in the ground.
Good job on the exterior, looked bloody good, could have been extremely bloody on the inside had you took it for a circuit!! That thing would have folded like a womans bicycle as soon as it landed. Such a shame. Lol a zip tie!! fk me dead.
Reminds me of my own incident, bought a Renegade from a bloke who didn't fancy taking me up in it but didn't matter, whole build had been signed off by UK CAA licensed aircraft engineer, so what could go wrong? Same engineer flew it to me one-up and next day, UK commercial pilot with 50 types to his name offered to convert me, took off and he asked me if stick was fully back in my gut, Yes I said, Oh he said, we didn't climb much and he did a flat circuit with a very flat approach but we landed gracefully in a crop just short of threshold safely. Undercarriage had gone so we rang insurer who carted it away and got it rebuilt. Mender, who was Guru at Renegades, found unlawful parachute wires under skin, all skins were full of 12 bore shot, unknown incident low flying over gun school, 5kg weight on tail wheel to help c of g, ribs that should have been drilled out to lighten hadn't been done, all in all he took out 25kg!!1
When released back to me it was a dream, flew like a true bird and went onto win several rallies! Now the Boeing Max farce seems familiar!!!
8:37 This is an ancient Australian phrase adopted to express bitter disappointment
Damn! Really sorry that happened to you. I wanted to buy a used plane to start off with but I have my heart set on a Aerolite 103. I have a hard time trusting someone with my life. It will be new and I’ll be at the factory on the first flight and disassemble and I’ll transport home.
You are very wise ! and your choice of plane is spot on. I've checked the Aerolite 103 out from top to bottom at the sun n fun fly in and it is a quality built plane with quality materials !! The owner of the company would have it no other way. Happy flying when you get your plane and enjoy the weather in Deland at the factory. I also told this builder to look into the Aerolite 103 as I think he would be very happy with it.
JEEEEZZZZZZZZeeeeeeeeezzzz No Shit Sherlock, Your a lucky boy, would bust in air for sure.
A shame, was good lookin kite.
You could bring criminal charges against the previous owner. Using those cord ties in a hidden area could very well be considered sabotage. You could have been killed. I don't know if it was you but the rudder was constantly moving left and right a small amount.
As a Pilot, once you are in the air, you cant pullover and repair things like you can in a car. Zip tie?? what was he going to do after he did that and it went to another owner and maybe only a professional inspector would have spotted it but if you bought a plane, you would want to remove all panels and check cables and tension and hidden rust and danger and wasp nests!! I was watching this video and thinking ok this plane is stable, its worth taking off to 10 feet a bit out of ground effect and thats a safe height for short test flight, but in this case likely not!!
Thank god you followed your own rules and taxied it for as long as you did.
In some cases, the old owner could be charged with attempted murder bc he knew about the damages and he didn’t tell you about them!!!
Glad to see that your ok!!❤🙏🏻💪🏼👍🏻