Wang 1Maverick RT 503 / Contour wing
?? since 1973
Recent SW Idaho trike crashes
I was not present for either mishap, but I did retrieve Wayne's trike wreckage. Wayne is an experienced pilot with 40-50 hrs in trikes. He fell into the addicting habit of flying low for the ground rush and did not listen to the voices of experience that warned one day he would be sorry. Wayne was playing chase with a train and hit the power line maybe 2' above his head, so if he was 2' higher in altitude he would have been decapitated. He hit with enough force to take down a power pole that was holding up the power lines.
You could see where the line hit the top of the control bar and then was cut or it just broke from the force and wrapped itself around the prop hub. The wire and pole took most of the energy and Wayne hit in a muddy patch of field. Walking away with a very badly sprained ankle and totaled trike.
I have not seen Dave's trike since it left my hangar or talked to him. Hope he is ok and returns my calls.
Comments
The news article said Wayne hit the power line around 9pm. It hard to see power lines in dim light. A sprained ankle and totaled trike is bad, but it could have been a lot worse. I hope he doesn't get too discouraged.
What is the story with Yosh's mishap?
Wayne is an old timer in HG and GA flying. This is not his first power line mishap, at one time he slid down a set of wires in a HG and earned the nickname "Insane Wayne" He is currently looking for another trike. I have a copy of the go-pro footage but promised not to post it. We had hosted a trike CFI for the new guys (3) and so far only one is left flying. Don't know how many hours of dual they received but some were signed off for solo? Nice to hear from old friends when they see or hear of a trike crash and they call to see if it was you. )
Still waiting to hear from Dave/Yoshi, hope he posts his story here.
From the pictures it seems Dave crashed very close to the runway (you can see the airstrip) behind the police cars, there is a runway and a taxiway and a lot of dirt to land on...there is trees on both sides of the runway (so if you missed the runway, taxiway or the dirt in between) then you are landing between the trees and that can be tricky. Also the little I know about Dave, he moved from a 19 meter single surface Northwing to a double surface Orca 12 meter wing...that is a huge leap and requires proper instruction and transition. Not sure if he was attempting to make the transition by himself. I hope he didn't because if that was the case, that would be a very expensive lesson to learn.
Ted,
Did you hear from Dave? I have seen for sale ads by him for his propeller and also his engine.
Ted, do you know of anyone at Caldwell with an available hangar space...I am looking for a T hangar.
Regards,
Rizzy
208-713-1844
look on craigslist