Page 10 - MFWDec 2023

LARGE

model stuff

My beautiful 22kg Cat 1
, until
My beautiful 22kg Cat 1 C A R F F Rebel Pro at T okoroa earlier this year , until
My beautiful 22kg Cat 1 CARF Rebel Pro at Tokoroa earlier this year, until
okoroa earlier this year
A
C
Rebel Pro at T
R
the unthinkable happened!
the unthinkable happened!
the unthinkable happened!
How to avoid being “that guy”!
Being the Large Model Controller for MFNZ is a I had just had a larger than normal lunch and as
responsibility I take very seriously and to some degree sometimes happens due to my tetraplegia I experienced a
makes me feel responsible in leading by example, mild light headedness when I pushed out to the flightline
something I’ve recently done extremely poorly! due to digestive blood flow resulting in lowering BP, a
condition I'm aware of and manage. Whilst waiting for my
I’m sharing my story as it’s important for us all to recognise turn to fly I engaged in conversation with a new member
and ACT in a positive manner rather than progress with a who has just immigrated to NZ and flies model jets, all
flight when we are feeling out of sorts or somehow seemed normal. When my observer brought the Tx to
impaired. where I was positioned in the flight box he asked if I was
Ok, I replied yes. I proceeded to take-off and enter the
The story begins at our jet weekend at Tokoroa on circuit all was going well, I then came upwind to do a slow
November 28/29. It was going to be a great start to the pass which was fine then banking left to go downwind I
summer flying season for me, the weather looked perfect slowly descended below the tree line 200m to the east of
for the Saturday and indeed turned out to be. the runway. I kept descending and several observers
including my own questioned why I was not powering up, I
My new CARF Rebel Pro had passed it’s Cat 1 didn't respond as I thought I had advanced the throttle
certification in April and with only 9 flights to date was enough to continue safely and accelerate to a higher flying
ready and raring to go, as was I…so I thought! speed. The aircraft was observed to slow and ultimately
stall at quite slow speed crashing into open paddock area
Whilst some think “jet jocks” spend most of our time at in front of easterly tree line.
Bunning’s buying polish for our shiny toys the fact is we
think, talk and discuss our aircraft and how we fly them a So…what happened?
lot, Friday night and Saturday morning being no exception, Well, I’m embarrassed to say I literally “zoned-out” at the
we were pumped and ready to go! sticks due largely to a lower than normal BP that I let go
unchecked!
A mild health issue occurred Friday night after a long drive
and exacerbated by a couple of jolly old Appleton’s which My observer’s comment to my actions was:
had me waking up Saturday feeling a little jaded, not bad
mind you but enough to round off the sharper edges. I started the aircraft and brought it to end of the start-up
area. Rene was talking to another flying member as I
My first flight before lunch with the Rebel Pro went approached. He seemed a little less enthusiastic than
smoothly and all seemed well. I then had a larger than normal so I asked if he was OK and he replied yes. I then
normal lunch that resulted in my body deciding it needed positioned Rene in his chair, at the downwind end of the
vast quantities of blood for digestion purposes. pilot box and handed him the transmitter. The take-off and
first circuit were normal and uneventful. Rene then made a
All this manifested as I pushed out to the flightline and at slow pass along runway CL at moderate low height into
this point I’ll let my LM incident report take over the wind. He then turned left for the outbound crosswind and I
commentary: noticed the aircraft did not accelerate and climb away as I
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