rcktnut
Well-Known Member
http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/pi...ee-lands-on-parking-lot/ar-AArL8cU?li=BBnbfcL
Rockets aren't the only things trees like to grab.
Rockets aren't the only things trees like to grab.
I did something like that over 20 years ago with an R/C Paragon glider that had a 10 foot wingspan. I built a straight dihedral wing with ailerons (instead of a polygon wing), (with flaperons), Gaupner spoilers and retractable release hook. I got too far downwindBrilliant landing! Probably doesn't want to try that technique again though.
My grandfather was a pilot, and while we were on a road trip, he asked me a few things about flying, such as which side of a highway you'd want to land on in an emergency (going with traffic, not against it). He mentioned that in the event that a plane was going down over a forested area that you want to try and pick a place where you can hit two trees at the same time with the wings if you can. Fortunately, neither of us had a reason to try either type of landing.I worked with a guy years ago who said he would deliberately target a wing on a tree in a crash landing if he knew he was going to crash. His theory was that turning the kinetic energy into rotation was a good way of lessening the impact. Seeing some really high speed car crashes with similar processes makes me think he was onto something. Fuel coming out of the wings would be my worry.