August 13 was one of those days that I'll look back on and say, "If I had only done this instead of that..." Actually, what I should have done was fly something else. Something better suited for the weather conditions that morning.

I knew the flight was going to be "interesting" as soon as the wheels broke ground. The model was marginally powered anyway...but this time it really strained to gain altitude and I thought I was headed for the trees or ...the swamp! Our models are effected by hot humid air much like their full scale cousins, poor lift and sluggish performance. My beloved Tiger Moth did manage to clear the branches and I was able to nurse it to a comfortable height, but I struggled to maintain stable flight.

After a few circuits around the field to slow my pulse, I decided to put it down and call it a day. But, on approach I let it drift a little too close to the pilot stations so I decided to throttle up to go around for another attempt. The engine torque at approach speed caused the right wing to lift and unfortunately catch a gust of wind. I managed to partially correct with rudder but my airspeed was still so low (and with that hot and humid no-lift air factored in) the ailerons were not effective and I was unable to stop the rolling. It went in nose first into the grass on the opposite side of the runway with a dramatic crunch!

Looking back now...I'm really not sure if I might have applied left rudder instead of right...YIKES...effectively compounding the problem. I certainly would have saved some damage if I thought to cut the throttle, but I was too intent on regaining control and airspeed.

I'm going to call it a loss. Everything from the wing saddle forward is just splinters and the cowl was mangled. The wings might be salvageable, but the spar and struts were snapped in several places so repairs will be extensive. I'm thinking of moving the radio gear to Bill Lloyd's Miss Texas and saving the engine for a project I'm planning for a winter build.

My biggest regret was that I was preparing the Tiger Moth to fly at The Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome model aircraft fly-in this September 10-11 (oldrhinebeck.org). It may sound silly...but flying at Old Rhinebeck has been a dream of mine since I was a teenager. Only scale models representing the pre World War 2 era can participate...and the Tiger would have fit in perfectly.

Lessons learned...and I already have another project in mind for Rhinebeck. I've waited this long...what's another year or so!

Jim

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