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From: stevenp@decwrl.pa.dec.com (Steven Philipson)
Newsgroups: rec.aviation
Subject: Re: Flying C-152s with the doors
Keywords: C152, Control Surfaces, Doors
Message-ID: <1990Sep15.063755.520@wrl.dec.com>
Date: Fri, 14 Sep 90 23:37:55 PDT
References: <9956@goofy.Apple.COM>
Sender: news@wrl.dec.com (News)
Reply-To: stevenp@decwrl.pa.dec.com (Steven Philipson)
Organization: DEC Palo Alto
Lines: 73

In article <9956@goofy.Apple.COM>, rcm@Apple.COM (Robert Monsen) writes;

> [...] I was wondering if there was a recorded case of
> someone losing aileron control, and actually landing the aircraft by using
> the doors to control bank?

   There is one southern California pilot who does this *intentionally*.
He has a Champ that is specially "modified" to look like a flying
disaster area, and it can shed parts in flight.  This is usually part
of an airshow act, but one day he got a little rambunctious while flying
through Canada, and thought he'd have a little fun...

   He stopped at a small field for fuel, and gave "directions" to
the line boy on how to refuel the airplane.  The Champ featured
a two tank system....  After filling the fuel tank ahead of the cockpit,
he had the "auxiliary tank" filled, which is a drum secured to the rear
seat with a filler hole at the 2 o'clock position.  This "tank" has no
direct connection to the engine.  In flight, he removes the cap from
the filler, rolls the airplane into a bank, and then slips.  He thus
pours gas into an oversized thermos bottle, and then in turn pours it
into a hole *in the instrument panel* that is connected via a hose to
the standard tank.

   He made a point of being loud while explaining this procedure, and
gesticulated wildly to make his point.  In doing so, he put a hand
*through* the covering on the fuselage.  "Oh heck, I hate it when that
happens" says he, and he rips the covering off at that spot.  The
covering, it turns out, is painted pages of _Trade_a_Plane.  The hole
reveals a fuselage tube that is rusted through in the middle, with the
points not quite touching each other!  (It takes an expert to realize
that the tube is an extra member that has been welded-in and eroded
with an oxy-acetylene torch to look like it has rusted away.)

   With refueling accomplished (and a crowd growing), he fires up,
and taxies out.  The Champ doesn't require much takeoff room, thus he's
off and climbing by mid-field... at which point he pulls a release and
the rudder falls off the airplane and flutters to the ground.   So, he
uses the door for yaw control, circles back, lands, picks up the rudder,
throws it into the airplane, and takes off again.  By now the crowd is
going crazy, but he's not done yet.

   He dives on the field, gaining just a little speed, then pulls
another release, and away drops an aileron.  Undaunted, he circles
back again, lands, picks that surface up, tosses IT into the back of
the Champ, and takes off again!
   
   Our pilot thinks that this is all grand fun, but meanwhile the
locals are sacred witless by the thought of this maniac plying the
skies of Canada... and alert the RCMP.  A massive search is
undertaken, and eventually the prankster is apprehended (after all,
how fast can a Champ go?).  He had a lot of explaining to do, but
since he had all the paperwork to support the unorthodox mods plus
airshow authorizations, he was sent on his way with a lecture and a
warning NOT TO DO THAT EVER AGAIN.

   Now you may believe that I am making this up, but it's all true --
I heard this story directly from the perpetrator.  He was a friend
of a member of a model aircraft group in Pasadena, and was invited
to speak about his experiences as an airshow and movie stunt pilot.
At the beginning of his speech I was really excited, and thought that
it would be great to go flying with him.  By the middle of the
presentation, we had heard about a half dozen intentional crashes for
various films, with the concomitant destruction of many fine aircraft.
At that point, I wasn't so hot to fly with him any more.  Finally, he
told the above story about the Champ, and I didn't even want him to
know my NAME!  Funny thing is, I've forgotten his!  (Must be hysterical
amnesia.)  Anyone know who this guy is? And please, keep him away from
me, OK???


						   Steve
					(the certified flying fanatic)
					    stevenp@decwrl.dec.com