Bear Grylls Techniques Actually Work!
The novelty of having successfully launched and briefly flown the plane proved irresistible. So on reaching the field again, a little scratched by brambles but otherwise none the worse, the Floater was given a quick look over, retrimmed to correct some bank I'd noticed on the flight and pronounced fit for action.
Another successful launch (good lord, was I actually getting the hang of this!) and the
Floater was airborne again for the second time in a morning. This time I kept things on a tighter reign, using moderate throttle and keeping the flight within the bounds of the field.
Moderate flight techniques and careful trim adjustment had revealed the nature of the
Floater's; With throttle chopped after launch, the craft floated magically and silently over the field, the frosty stillness broken occasionally by the squeak of the servos. For someone with such a chequered and disappointing introduction to the art of RC flying as myself, this was an absolute revelation, magic captured in silent tranquil flight.
Such magic required capturing, of course, delight to be relived. I plunged my hand into my pocket for my phone and frantically scrabbled to get the camera active. The Floater continued to float ethereally across the field. Now I concentrated on the phone, feverishly clicked the icon and lifted the phone to capture the beautiful flight. The Floater had of course by now crossed most of the field and was heading serenely towards the trees encircling the field.
Pocketing the phone in a hurry I grabbed the transmitter again in both hands and rapidly put the
Floater into a left turn, silhouetting its form against the still-dark form of the trees in the pre-dawn light. Adding a little power to compensate for the bank all appeared well and my actions appeared timely as the
Floater began to climb gently.
This happy scene was rudely interrupted as the
Floater embedded itself in the branches of a moderately large eucalypt.
Two things. The poor depth perception of trees in simulators is apparently quite real. Secondly, attempting to capture ethereal moments may lead to disappointment.
Approaching the border of the field the scale of the task ahead was immediately apparent - the
Floater was perched about two thirds of the way up the tree, many metres out of reach. The tree had a sheer trunk, branching only several metres from the ground making it virtually impossible to climb. An adjacent tree provided the prospect of access to shake some branches and possibly loose the craft.
Quickly climbing through the branches, for a record second time that morning, I reached over to give the branch a vigorous shake. The Floater wobbled sufficiently to dislodge its canopy but otherwise stuck fast. Climbing down I sought a large branch and returned to the tree. After my third or fourth attempt at poking the Floater down the only course of action was clear - to climb across to the large tree itself. This achieved by taking a deep breath and leaning precariously across, I edged higher and out with my stick, saying a silent but deeply felt prayer that the branch would hold. Yet, despite my greatest efforts, the Floater was too far out. Time to go.
Starting to climb down, the three metres of sheer tree trunk below me looked impossible to negotiate. No branches to clamber down to, too high to jump (for me anyway), so what to do. Now, memories of Mr Grylls using bear-style descents popped into my head. Did that really work, I mean for normal people? Could I manage that successfully, bearing in mind that once committed to grabbing onto the trunk there was no going back. Seeing that there was no other option, I slid my legs down and around the trunk, then let go of the branch above, grabbed the trunk and anticipated a precipitous and painful descent.
In fact I found myself suspended with remarkably little effort. It appeared that the locking effect of my legs and shoes pushing on the trunk were largely sufficient to hold my weight, and the by loosening grip bit by bit, I could slide down under the guiding control of my arms around the trunk. Remarkably then I found myself at the base of the tree unharmed, and a few brushes with my hand had my trousers in an approximately passable state for work.
The Floater was still wedged fast, but a return visit tomorrow with a bamboo and pipe assembly would fix that...
