1 Fatal ...r.a.h or r.a.p?

Peter Dohm wrote:

heck that sounds like a good idea. wasn't there a time that engineers

would

tow a plane behind a ground vehicle to see if it would fly?

sounds like a way to avoid risking getting hurt if some design flaw comes
up. make sure to sandbag for CG!



I don't recall hearing of that, except for launching gliders. But a BD-5
was pushed along on a boom ahead of a pick-up truck as a sort of poor man's
true motion simulator. I believe that something similar may have been done
with another design as well--possibly one of Rutan's.



I got to "fly" that contraption - once.
That was enough.

It was sorta fun, but with the truck driver manning the "throttle", the
limited lateral range, and limited roll range, it was - well - interesting...

I heard it was later destroyed by some guy who claimed 10,000 hours of glider
time...


Richard

"Richard Lamb" wrote in message
ink.net...
Peter Dohm wrote:

heck that sounds like a good idea. wasn't there a time that engineers

would

tow a plane behind a ground vehicle to see if it would fly?

sounds like a way to avoid risking getting hurt if some design flaw
comes
up. make sure to sandbag for CG!



I don't recall hearing of that, except for launching gliders. But a
BD-5
was pushed along on a boom ahead of a pick-up truck as a sort of poor
man's
true motion simulator. I believe that something similar may have been
done
with another design as well--possibly one of Rutan's.



I got to "fly" that contraption - once.
That was enough.

It was sorta fun, but with the truck driver manning the "throttle", the
limited lateral range, and limited roll range, it was - well -
interesting...

I heard it was later destroyed by some guy who claimed 10,000 hours of
glider
time...


Richard

The picture of it that I recall suggested that it might be - well -
interesting...

Peter

"Richard Lamb" wrote

I got to "fly" that contraption - once.
That was enough.

It was sorta fun, but with the truck driver manning the "throttle", the
limited lateral range, and limited roll range, it was - well -
interesting...

I heard it was later destroyed by some guy who claimed 10,000 hours of
glider
time...

That sounds like something Capt.. Zoom, the test pilot would have done,
don't you think?

What would you bet that he looped and rolled it, too? g
--
Jim in NC

Morgans wrote:


"Richard Lamb" wrote

I got to "fly" that contraption - once.
That was enough.

It was sorta fun, but with the truck driver manning the "throttle", the
limited lateral range, and limited roll range, it was - well -
interesting...

I heard it was later destroyed by some guy who claimed 10,000 hours of
glider
time...


That sounds like something Capt.. Zoom, the test pilot would have done,
don't you think?

What would you bet that he looped and rolled it, too? g

Zoom, maybe.
I dunno about mere mortals.

That thing would be real easy to set down a little sideways...
Right in front of a speeding Dodge Ram!

Actually, the driver tries to stay right behind the airplane.
If you start drifting to one side of the other he'd stay with you -
up to a point. Then he decides to "chop power", and down you come!

That was the only time I've ever felt an airplane decelerate like that -
while still airborne.

Like I said, Once.


Richard