In case of emergency...

It is always interesting to learn that something you have been told is unlikely, and hard actually turns out to be easier than expected. Such is my new appreciation of whether or not it is possible for model aircraft to collide.

Yes - mid air collision between a mate's electrafun xp and my GWS zero. Now to be fair, I was trying to track him in the zero - to see if my newly timed brushed motor had given me enough poke to keep up with him (It hadn't, but he was running 9.6 rather than 8.4 volt packs) and because it is a great way to challenge yourself. But there are limits.

In the end the problem came when I turned inside him, leveled, and he came up behind me. It seemed like he had just clipped the rudder and the EF flew on just fine. But it was immediatelly obvious that there was something wrong with the zero. Three seconds later my carefully timed electric engine stopped spinning - dead stick. Fortunately every other control was available and I made a reasonable fist of a dead stick landing.

He continued to fly the EF and I checked the Zero's engine. Seemed like the engine had seized but I had no idea how this had happened given that the only contact seemed to be the rudder clip.

Later his EF was landed and we noted a 3 inch cut in the EF's wing - it didn't slice anything off - just a clean cut through the wing like a scalpel. Okay - so the Zero did make contact with the engine/prop - maybe enough to knock the engine out of time, and hence the seizing. Most importantly (well, not really) - the EF didn't escape unscarred from the encounter!

Back home I tried to adjust the timing again on the engine. By brining it back a mm or two I freed up the engine and it spun with about the amount of resistance I would expect. Put the engine on power - good speed - in fact possibly a better timing point than what I had originally. Put a drop of super glue on the engine can to hold it in place.

Flew the zero again today in some appalling winds - it flew really well with the retimed motor, so it would seem no harm done. Met another guy flying at Curtin this morning and he told me a brilliant piece of advice about the TigerMoth - use a coke bottle bottom as a replacement cowling - super idea - I might look into setting it up over the next few days.

Can't wait to see what my better half has gotten for me for Christmas...