RE: Unmanned parked aircraft takes off in high winds....

Not only that, but what happens if the elevator control locks keep the elevator up for a nosewheel aircraft!
Keith
 
Thus proving you don't always need a great deal of intelligence to own an aircraft!

Having personal experience with the Alberta Clipper I can vouch for the accuracy of the following story, which I read on a C-47 website.
An RCAF veteran recalled being on an RCAF flight line on the Canadian prairie as a young airman on a particularly blustery day and seeing a couple of C-47s standing on their main gear, facing into the wind. Someone had installed the elevator control locks backwards, causing the tail to rise. Several of the guys had to run out to the aircraft and throw themselves on the horizontal stabs when the wind moderated in order to hold the tail down, remove the locks, and reinstall them properly. :mixedsmi:
 
Every time I see this video I just can't help but question it's authenticity. I mean, the video is real, no doubt about that. I just find it extrememly odd that the camera was stuck right on that specific plane.
 
Having seen parked planes blown away in a hurricane, the smooth lift off and rise before lateral movement seems hokey to me.
 
Back
Top