Big Mistake

[gepatch]

I took my PPC 80 miles from home last week with two other friends and their PPC’s. We decided to take off on a forest service runway next to the main hwy in the area. We were setting the machines up and several cars stopped to watch. As I was laying out my chute, my friend, who was ready to take off ask me to check our radios. I put my helmet on and did a radio check. By this time, the people in the cars walked over and started asking questions, what is it, price, speed, etc. I tried to be nice and answer their questions and in the meanwhile, my other friend took off. I told them I had to go, my buddies were waiting overhead. We were excited about flying in a new area. I jumped in my machine (which I had already warmed up), put my belt on and started my takeoff roll. I watched my chute come up perfect in my mirror and lifted off. At about 20 ft in the air, I looked up at the chute and my helmet started coming off. In the confusion on the ground, I forgot to buckle the thing. The helmet has a big visor that was open and acted like a big windbreak when I lifted my head up. That was all I needed for the helmet to go thru the prop. As I reached up to get it with both hands, I must have move the throttle back with my leg, because the next thing that I knew, the machine started diving to the ground. I caught it in time and leveled out. Luckily, I had a long runway with no trees. I’ve made a commitment to myself now, that when the helmet goes on my head, it is buckled immediately to help stop this from happening again. Its easy to get distracted with a bunch of people around talking.
Glenn

[jwards]

Hi Glenn, sounds like you had an exciting ride. Good to hear it turned out okay. Bystanders with questions can be a dangerous distraction...as you learned. Sometimes you have to be blunt and ask them to back off and let you do your thing. I'll bet you double check that helmet strap for awhile. :) What machine do you fly? I think I'd consider moving the throttle. ;)

[yoopergoobs]

I had a similar experience... I was bran-spankin' new to the sport (I'm still a newbie, but at the time I was bran-SPANKIN' new!) and was setting up with a bunch of buddies standing around pegging me with the standard questions. I was still on the ground though when I looked up and my visor caught the wind. I immediately looked back down and aborted my take-off, much to the amusement of my friends, I'm still getting ribbed about it but at least the prop and myself are still in one piece!
I have often thought of making a recording to play while I'm setting up that answers all those "standard" questions... how much, how many horsepower, how far can you go, how fast does it go, how high can you go, where'd ya get it, is it colder up there... so on and so forth. The question that really needs to be answered is "How much patience do you have?" Although in reality I kind of enjoy answering the questions!

Glad to hear everything turned out O.K. for you Glenn.

[critterculler]

Hi! The same thing happened to me, except instead of being bystanders, it was other pilots wanting to know about my Infinity. "Do you like it? How much? What chute? etc.,etc. Now I put helmet on, sit down, belt in and go! Seeya Phil

[gepatch]

I fly a PC2000 and love it. When I first got it, the throttle was between the legs and you had to pull back on the stick for power. I know why they did it that way, make it like a stick airplane, but everything I own, you move the throttle forward to give it gas. Lawn mower, boat, etc. I was affraid that I would need more throttle (like last week) and move the stick the wrong way. I have two other PPC's and their throttle is on the side. I purchased a new throttle and cable and mounted it on the side, but too close to my leg. This week, I'm building a new bracket and moving it further forward.
Glenn

[jwards]

Hi Glenn, I think the PC2000 is a good machine but I have never understood the thinking when it comes to the throttle. I think the Buckeye was the same way. I've heard people say it is more "intuitive" because of the reasons you mentioned. The only problem I see with using this analogy with a "stick-type" (or I've heard the term "real" airplane) is that we're talking about the throttle and in a "real" airplane you push the throttle forward for more power/pull back to throttle down. Anyway, I guess if that's what they are used to it works for them. The bottom line is that I'm glad to hear you recognized that a change would make you more comfortable and you're working toward changing it. Keep after it, have fun and fly safe.

[critterculler]

Mornin gents! I'm really glad to hear that I'm not alone in my feelings about throttle travel. I have an Infinity and it came with the reversed throttle travel. When I first got the machine, I didn't like the way the throttle moved so I got a new cable and changed the direction, so move forward for power. I took lessons on my instructors machine (also Infinity) with factory settings (reverse for power) and soloed. My instructor jumped my butt for changing it and said that 90% of PPCs had the throttle travel the same, so I did. Now I want to change it back to normal travel but about half afraid that if a panic situation occurs I will screw up and push or pull the wrong way. Well, I know it is a personal problem and I will work thru it one way or another. It sure seems to me that there ought to be a standard for these machines to be built.:D Seeya Phil

[ZipItyDoDa]

I was still on the ground though when I looked up and my visor caught the wind. I immediately looked back down and aborted my take-off, much to the amusement of my friends, I'm still getting ribbed about it but at least the prop and myself are still in one piece!


The incident database is FULL of people who didn't want to look foolish in front of people by aborting a takeoff.
Instead they ended up looking hurt, crippled or dead.

I think theres a moral there somewhere.

;)