Ever had a bad day at the heartless airfield?
This list was made the hard way, check it out and it just might save some airplanes to crash another time.

Contact Info:

Questions or Comments?
erik@foamcasualty.com
May 2010: Starting May 1st my BF-109E plans are up for grabs! You will find them to be a highly detailed layout of everything you need to build a 1/7 scale BF-109 Emil.
April 2010: Kits will be available soon! If you are interested, please email me at erik@foamcasualty.com

The RC Pilots Checklist

All right, I'm reinstating the kill board...
Each time I kill an airplane I get another mark. I used to have it hanging in the garage, but as crashes became few and far between crashes I took it down in the first great garage reorganization. It helped me keep track of the number of flights per aircraft as well as the number of props, wings, and other parts I've broken. It also served as a score board of how many times I successfully flew under the local soccer goal post, and how many times I didn't.

Today was a horrific day for me to be flying, and is a large part of the reason I decided to bring it back to life. Along with the kill board goes a pilots check list of things not to do, and a few things you should always do. So here it goes...

The Pilot's Check List

  1. NEVER EVER try to fly when you are tired!
    Especially after working a 12 hour shift!
    This includes the "morning" after a night shift!
    IGNORE the seemingly calm wind conditions, it only looks calm because you are tired and not thinking clearly.
    Being tired is a lot like being drunk, you don't drive drunk so don't even try to fly!
    If you're still not convinced, look at the kill board!
  2. If most of the field is taken up by other people, go to another field!
    It's always difficult to land in a crowd, especially a dead stick!
  3. ALWAYS check the control surfaces before each flight!
    Remember the side of the wing that goes down goes up!
  4. Do not fly so that you are facing the sun!
    Head to the other side of the field...
  5. Since you couldn't wait for a windless day, remember to launch into the wind.
    Walk you're lazy arse to the other side of the field already!
  6. Land IMMEDIATELY if you discover a problem in the air, at best a crash is the only thing you'll have to deal with!
  7. When you get a dead stick, DO NOT try to bring the plane around for a better approach.
  8. Always keep in mind that a dead stick can happen at any time.

Special Considerations for new or problem airplanes.

  • If hand launching, launch the aircraft as low as possible to the ground.
    There will be less distance to fall if there is a problem

When you do crash...

  1. DO NOT fix the broken plane on the same day.
    Most likely you crashed because you were tired, ignoring the first rule, and trying to fix a plane you just broke will only make things worse.
    Instead, take a picture and add it to the kill board.
  2. It's a bad idea to put another plane into the air right after you have crashed!
    You're likely breaking many of the rules on this list so take a timeout and read this list!
  3. Remember half the fun is crashing!
  4. If all else fails, bring a fall guy!

Onto the kill board!