stokke
Well-Known Member
After crashing my Gaui NX4 about three weeks ago, I started ordering spare parts. As I was browsing the pages I stumbled over some night blades that I just had to have! So I ordered a bunch of stuff, including the necessary equipment to perform night flight with my 500 Nitro.
These two last nights I have been rebuilding the Gaui. But after assembling my tail pitch slider, I somehow managed to reverse the slider output, meaning that the gyro compensation and rudder input had to be reversed. Last night I had completed the build and hooked up my fluorescent tail blades and illuminated main blades - only thing needed to be done was to get the tail reversing set straight. For some reason I managed to mess this up every time I was hooked up to the computer. Between these tests I was down in our apartment building's parking garage trying her out.
I finally got it right while she was standing on the concrete at 2300 rpm, the little .37 engine screaming. I was just playing with the tail CW and CCW while admiring the sweet led-lighted blades. It's a rather small parking garage, with about 25 parking spots, a rather low ceiling (8 feet?), concrete pillars placed between every other car (the Gaui sitting double parked LOL) - so the noise was quite loud due to the acoustics of the garage and smoke started to build up.
SUDDENLY I GET NO RESPONSE. No response from my rudder inputs..... !!! I frantically try to hit throttle hold and throttle cut SEVERAL times - NOTHING!! She's just standing there SCREAMING like a bat outta hell. I feel the panic, the shaking hands, the sweat on my forehead. SHIIIIIIIIII***** My first reaction is to run and grab a broom standing against a wall - thinking I could use it to disarm the outta-control illuminated giant buzz saw...
I take cover behind one of the concrete pillars and observe. My God was I panicking at this moment, trying to figure out whether to destroy what I had just built (also risking damage to parked cars, sprinkler systems, myself) or to wait a little longer and see what happens. I try the TH and TC again - no use. Then I see it; the Rx-pack lead is sticking out from the frame - it's disconnected!!! OMG OMG OMG
Luckily I had the bird at mid stick when testing, and for some reason the tail was still holding - everything was holding! She's just standing there, screaming... I see the main tank is empty and the header is half full. I risk it, I'm waiting her out!! After what felt like forever, the header was empty and she gave out with a extra high pitched scream - then died. I came out from behind the pillar - still shaking like crazy. I couldn't believe it. Me, the bird and everything else - still in one piece!
THAT my friends is called luck.
Lesson is: don't hurry when doing anything in this hobby. Take your time - and for Christ's sake: make sure you properly seat battery connectors! LOL
These two last nights I have been rebuilding the Gaui. But after assembling my tail pitch slider, I somehow managed to reverse the slider output, meaning that the gyro compensation and rudder input had to be reversed. Last night I had completed the build and hooked up my fluorescent tail blades and illuminated main blades - only thing needed to be done was to get the tail reversing set straight. For some reason I managed to mess this up every time I was hooked up to the computer. Between these tests I was down in our apartment building's parking garage trying her out.
I finally got it right while she was standing on the concrete at 2300 rpm, the little .37 engine screaming. I was just playing with the tail CW and CCW while admiring the sweet led-lighted blades. It's a rather small parking garage, with about 25 parking spots, a rather low ceiling (8 feet?), concrete pillars placed between every other car (the Gaui sitting double parked LOL) - so the noise was quite loud due to the acoustics of the garage and smoke started to build up.
SUDDENLY I GET NO RESPONSE. No response from my rudder inputs..... !!! I frantically try to hit throttle hold and throttle cut SEVERAL times - NOTHING!! She's just standing there SCREAMING like a bat outta hell. I feel the panic, the shaking hands, the sweat on my forehead. SHIIIIIIIIII***** My first reaction is to run and grab a broom standing against a wall - thinking I could use it to disarm the outta-control illuminated giant buzz saw...
I take cover behind one of the concrete pillars and observe. My God was I panicking at this moment, trying to figure out whether to destroy what I had just built (also risking damage to parked cars, sprinkler systems, myself) or to wait a little longer and see what happens. I try the TH and TC again - no use. Then I see it; the Rx-pack lead is sticking out from the frame - it's disconnected!!! OMG OMG OMG
Luckily I had the bird at mid stick when testing, and for some reason the tail was still holding - everything was holding! She's just standing there, screaming... I see the main tank is empty and the header is half full. I risk it, I'm waiting her out!! After what felt like forever, the header was empty and she gave out with a extra high pitched scream - then died. I came out from behind the pillar - still shaking like crazy. I couldn't believe it. Me, the bird and everything else - still in one piece!
THAT my friends is called luck.
Lesson is: don't hurry when doing anything in this hobby. Take your time - and for Christ's sake: make sure you properly seat battery connectors! LOL
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