How not to unload an airplane

[stormman]

Well the old T made it all the way from California to Arkansas without a scratch UNTIL we decided to unload it from the top top of the Trailer that put the wheels 6 feet off the ground and the top of the tail 12 foot in the air. Attached the ramps, hooked up the rope and pushed her back till the wheels were halted by the incline. NOW let the story be told that i put it up on the trailer by myself and a Come A Long. But were in farm country now and TWO Farmers are thinking out the unloading delima. Farmer #one is thinking the Old Come a long triick and Farmer #two wants to whip out the Old JOHN DEER. Well as the place of storage belongs to farmer # 2 and it would be less work and less work is the reason farm boy #1 retired (retarded) did he not, we go with , Farmer ( now to be known hereafter as "moron" ) #2 's JOHN DEER.
Well as the story goes the KILLER DEER was attached to the tail wheel with a too short rope and and gently pulled the T back up the first ramp and on the level section of the trailer while letting the rope slide through the pulley system that the morons devised to let the T roll off the trailer with. Moron #1 and Moron #2 are as happy as a Basset with a possum on their successs of using a big manly Power Tool and maybe save an hour of work.
Now here is where the rub comes in. The Two MORONS have to pull the T up over the lips of the ramps and from there its all down hill to the ground 6 feet below.
Now Don't try this at home using stretchy nylon rope . WE all know that nylon rope steches do we not?. WELL it seeeeeems That the MORONS with over 100 years of conbinded experience between them were having a BRaiN FART that day. To make a long story short the KILLER DEER pulled the T over the lip of the ramp, the T went down the Ramp. the rope stretched ,
the rudder smashed the bucket of the K D . And NOW the T needs a rudder
DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME
" A man has gots to know his Limitations"

[David Price]

Re: How not to unload an airplane

Norm,
Trying hard to find something to say,
that would help!
Yet, it does not come.
Feeling your pain!

[lfries]

Re: How not to unload an airplane

I know this won't help. But you sure do make the facts of what happened interresting reading.

[Carl Ellis]

Re: How not to unload an airplane

WELL it seeeeeems That the MORONS with over 100 years of conbinded experience between them were having a BRIAN FART that day.

Who is BRIAN?

[alwaysoar]

Re: How not to unload an airplane

I truly feel sorry and hope that you are consoled (misery loves company) by the fact that a VT Moron with two moron helpers managed to bash in my wing tip. It did take three morons. At least they knew that one moron was not up to the task.

[crispy critter]

Re: How not to unload an airplane

Norm,
This may not make it easier but at least your not alone.The guy i'm partners with leasing Super Cubs and Husky's all over the northwest had a 180hp Super Cub that needed to be recovered due to sever hail damage(lots of holes in the fabric).Instead of recovering it we decided to sell it as a project and replace it with a new rebuild from Cub Crafters.When the guys loaded the fuslage(engine,cowl,& prop still attached and no tail feathers on it to help counter weight it)they didn't have enough sense to relize that thier truck and trailor was facing slightly down hill in the airport driveway.They only had a couple 2X6's for ramps that wasn't hardly long enough.So after they fought with it for about 20 minutes and finally got it barely setting on the back of a 34' trailor they just sat down on the back of the trailor one on each side of the rudder.When one of the guys decided to roll it forward just a little bit so they wouldn't be trying to talk to each other threw the rudder the airplane just kept rolling.It hit the 2 foot guard on the front of the trailor and with all that weight still on the front of the fuslage it just stood on it's nose and fell across the tailgate of the truck putting the rudder through the windshield.Totaled the fuslage and they said it cost almost $5000.00 to repair the truck.OUCH!!
PS. Did your son-in-law win the 100hp t-craft on ebay??

[Jim Herpst]

Re: How not to unload an airplane

Norm, I am going to pause for a moment of prayer for you..... There did it and hope things improve for you soon. Best regards Jim

[stormman]

Re: How not to unload an airplane

Thanks Guys
I stiil see Humor in it
Carl , i fixed the brain
Kevin, no the reserve was not met, he only had so much $$$$$ to spend on
me. Too bad , i could have used your. delivery service

[Marcus Bates Jr]

Re: How not to unload an airplane

Norm....full set of t-craft tailfeathers on e-bay now... ....individually offered. Marcus

[Mark Julicher]

Re: How not to unload an airplane

Norm,
Factory rudders are highly over rated! You are in ARKANSAS remember? Ya gotta think farmer engineering.
Go to Home Depot and get a sheet of 1/2 inch BC plywood, exterior grade of course. Cut it out to match the outline of your rudder and put a couple barn door hinges on it. A magic marker puts the N number on just fine.

Once you get your new slab rudder working I'll tell you how to clear hornet nests out of your lift struts. Trust me man, I bought my T-craft in Little Rock and I got this stuff down cold.

[stormman]

Re: How not to unload an airplane

Mark
Plywood is a nice touch but I was thinking concrete backer board , very durable and i can chizle them tere numbers in with my booey knife. Now we both know barn door hinges are too heavy so i's is going to use a couple of inces of my leather belt . It's too long anyway now thats i has lost abits of wayit (weight)
Also i think i gots the horn bug thing down. I shoot just below them with my 22 when they sit still on the strut , gets them every time and all you hve to do is put a pop rivit in the hole

[crispy critter]

Re: How not to unload an airplane

It's a good thing you guys don't live in kentucky because they'd think you were serious.Besides,rocksalt from a full chock shotgun works better and it doesn't put holes in the strut,just knocks a little paint off sometimes and that's an easy fix with a little squirt of Crylon from the dollar store.However if ya hit the fabric with the rock salt it takes a lot more duct tape to patch the hole then if ya did it with a 22.
As for the tail surfaces.Try to keep it more original just incase ya ever get ramp checked.Frame them back up using old worn out cane poles(ya know,the ones ya used to fish with when ya were kids)and cover them with a burlap sack(just cut one corner off and sew it back up,makes a great envelope)and some good exterior latex paint,nobody would know the difference,they'd just think is was old Razor Back fabric

[NC95842]

Re: How not to unload an airplane

just use it with a smaller rudder and take the {D} off the name.
if you heat the faberic with a torch, all the rinkels will be removed. dont forget this must be done with the rudder attached.

then take off for south america on your motorcycle

Jonathan

[Forrest Barber]

Re: How not to unload an airplane

Jonathan , somebody has been looking for you on the net.... AND where is Jessica & Peepers-Squeekers ( sp) . or whatever that birds name is???

[NC95842]

Re: How not to unload an airplane

Hi forest sorry I did not get back with you sooner… I am now in Antigua, Guatemala.
Me and Jessica broke up a little after we came up to see you last year. But she and I have remained good friends, so good in fact that when I would write love letters to woman in Peru she would translate. I ended up getting a second bird also, a pain in the ass Quaker parrot. It was kind of a rescue situation. One of my new women is taking good care of them while I travel the world. Not to bad huh? I am about to go looking for a Spanish school here. So far this trip has been amazing! It’s hard to believe that you can get on a bike and just ride here. If I Had I been in a hurry I could have made it here in a week. Is all going well in alliance? It’s nice to see your comments on the web.

On a Taylorcraft note: I was hanging out with some (the only) Experimental guys in Belize helping them sort out and make the rules for light and experimental aircraft there, and one of them said that there used to be a Taylorcraft there. He said it was based at the airport in Orange Walk Town. This guy had flown in it once and said that it was a tandem, like a DL. He also said that he did not think it was an L-2. Anyways the plane had come from the states and after it was crashed in Belize, someone loaded it on a trailer and took it back to the US. Do know if this plane? It probably does not matter but I thought I would ask.

Take care,

Jonathan