AustinTatious Heliman Location: Hurst, Texas
| Ive seen it twiceBoth time the blade went strait for a LONG time...
The first time was wooden blades when I ws real young.. I dont remember much except that the blade went a LONG ways.
The second was at the 2001 Heli Heat wave... An x-cell ST ejected a Tapered FG main blade.. There was a MASSIVE sound that I can no way discribe,, followed by the engine Revving up and" POP"-ing. The whole mess fell out of the air about 75 feet hitting the ground.. .. I have never seen a heli so Decimated... My bets are that it ws totally trash before it even hit.... Just after the explosion, I saw somthign flutter way over to my right.... It was the blade. It fulttered and went down... I watch where it went. After nobody went to even close to wher eit was, I walked out strait line to it.. picked it up and marched a Full 100 yards back to the heli reckage.... It was the only part that was undamaged on that Heli. A guy named Roland was flying. He was not even doing any aerobatics to speak of.. only flying level when it happened.
That blade went 75 yards in the blink of an eye, then fluttered and decelerated in the last quarter.. or somthing liek that.... I would sooner be shot with a .22 than have been hit with that!
After seeing this twice, it is really hard for me to stand next to a Hovering heli with confidence... it just urks me, and Im a pretty fearless guy.. I always find myself standign BEHIND the pilot instead of next to him. Odds are low, but DAMN! |