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Gust locks...what worked and what didn't?

Thermos

Well Known Member
Patron
I understand we're not supposed to discuss EAA policy with respect to the Oshkosh storm, so let's focus on effective (or ineffective) gust locks.

If you had control surface damage (and I'm sorry if you did), what gust locks were you using? How did they fail?

Same question for those of you who escaped. What were you using?

Dave
 
All our RV’s (two of which were at the show this year) are taildraggers, and we let the tailwheel locking pin hold the rudder. We generally use seat belts for the elevator/aileron. In twenty oshkosh’s and as many years flying them all over the country, those measures have always worked for us.

Of course YMMV!

Paul
 
Gust Locks

I made some DIY gust locks for my RV9A and they held up just fine while an RV-9A parked in front of me at HBC got his rudder twisted and non airworthy. Pictures attached. I use 1" #10 screws dropped into the locator holes in the rudder stop on the fuse sides. It is rugged, light, easy to install. I use a pvc rod in the cockpit to hold the stick back and left so it cant move. All held up fine.
Ed
IMG-1894.jpg

IMG-1895.jpg

IMG-1896.jpg
 
We've got the flyboy accessory tail wheel arm with the extra tie down hole. Fully secured the tail wheel and used the "ultimate gust lock". Appears to have gotten away with no damage.
 

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I have a 9A. I have used the AntiSplat gust lock for many years. Has always worked as advertised until Saturday, July 23rd. The gust lock did not break. It did pull back, as the wind blew the elevator, enough to pull the forks on the gust lock away from the rudder pedals. This resulted in the rudder being completely free to fling itself back and forth at will. Resulted in punctured skins, but more devastating, trailing edge rivets pulling out and buckling of the skin on the bottom of the rudder. It is difficult to see the buckling on my rudder in the pics below due to the red paint.
E5BCD621-7BA1-461C-AFC2-0C0435EE79DA.jpg

11C9CA67-9151-4639-B1E1-A67ECBC474F8.jpg

So that is only part of the story. Just down the row about 4 airplanes was a 14A with very similar skin buckling damage in almost the same area of the rudder as my damage. He also was using the AntSplat gust lock. It did not come free or break. It held firmly as designed. However, he has substantial damage very much like mine.

Here are pictures of the damage on his rudder. Due to the yellow paint it is much easier to see the damage.
D1557B44-2B41-4534-883D-031841AFC5F4.jpg

8089736E-E518-41F9-B2B2-CB8194F557B0.jpg



So, two ‘A’ model airplanes using the same type of gust lock. One gust lock failed! One did not! Both experienced almost identical skin buckling in almost the same position on the rudder.

It does appear that the tail wheel airplanes have a couple of advantages over the nose wheel models. One, the rudder is tied to the linkage of the tail wheel. Two, the rudder is low to the ground where the nose wheel models’ rudders are up high in the air. Besides my 9A I know of several 14A models and at least one RV10 that had rudder damage. All of these models have pretty large rudders suspended pretty high up in the air.
 
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Question

How much tension was set on those two gust locks? I know that when I setup mine, there were at least three adjustment holes that would work. I can see if the gust lock was set to the minimum tension how it could jump off the pedals; not sure if the middle setting would but I am fairly certain that the maximum tension would not be able to come off the pedals. I guess anything is possible with the winds we had…
 
My lock(s) worked perfectly fine. I have two matching pins between the rudder horn and stops on either side of the fuse, bent out of 5/16" steel rod from Home(built) Depot. I know others have similar, with less-than-satisfactory results - probably because they only have one pin installed on one side? I will agree if I only have one pin in on one side of the rudder, there still is a tiny bit of play. On a decent day, one pin is enough to cover the typical stiff breezes. With winds like Saturday night's, it's probably enough to either eventually work the pin out or bend the rod, potentially allowing for rudder movement. But having both pins installed, the rudder has absolutely no play.
 
tie downs

RV-8a I was parked on the west side, right along the road between the tower and the war birds facing East. There were no other planes near me when the storm rolled thru. Was tied down with the Claw and Anti Splat folding rudder, aileron lock that goes between pedals and stick that is made of steel not aluminum.
The Hooker ratchet straps on the tie downs were still tight and the gust lock was just as installed in the morning. No damage at all.
 
How much tension was set on those two gust locks? I know that when I setup mine, there were at least three adjustment holes that would work. I can see if the gust lock was set to the minimum tension how it could jump off the pedals; not sure if the middle setting would but I am fairly certain that the maximum tension would not be able to come off the pedals. I guess anything is possible with the winds we had…

The tension on my gust lock most likely could have been tighter as it did pull free. After talking with the 14 owner after the storm, we moved his elevator. It was very secure with little movement at all.

As some have supposed, having more tension on the gust lock should prevent the gust lock from pulling away from the rudder pedals. That is indeed worth noting as to the highly probable cause of my damage. What needs explaining is why the 14, which did not have a gust lock failure, experienced very similar damage!
 
I understand we're not supposed to discuss EAA policy with respect to the Oshkosh storm….

Huh?!?!?!

Is this regarding the fact that prevailing winds are out of west and HB parking/camping aircraft, when oriented east/west are always facing east, ie, tails facing west?
 
Anti-Splat Ultimate Gust Lock saved my tail, and according to many others, my bubble wrap protected the entire field from hail. Now recruiting volunteers to help remove tape glue.
 
From what I am reading - people with the same locks didnt have the same results.

The question I have is if you stood there during the wind and physically held the bottom of the rudder in place, could the rudder be bent over anyway?

In my non engineer mind, the wind could have been strong enough to bend the rudder if it was held tight or flapping around. Im sure the rudder was not designed with wind of that strength hitting it at that angle. The trailing edge of the rudder needs to be thin and light to give us the performance we want.

The one night my plane was outside I used gorilla tape at the top over the rudder and VS. My rudder wouldnt move a bit. Maybe both the top and bottom need to be held. The tape worked when I had nothing else but it didnt help my paint job!

I hope to fly over next year so I am really interested in finding out all we can.
 
Many years have passed since I did cantilever beam calculations but by moving the support from one end of the rudder to the center point would decrease the deflection by 1/2 or more at the end points.

The photo showing the duct tape passing behind the half way point on the rudder out to the ends of the horizontal stabilizer may have been the best solution had it been on before the storm hit.
 
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I have the Anti Splat Ultimate gust lock on my 6A. I was on the same row as the twisted rudder. I had no problem. I do have the lock installed very tight- that is why there is a lever built into the lock that you push with your foot to get the lock to engage. If you install it without that tension it will jump off the rudder pedals.
 
Why not crank the rudder hard to one side against the stop and pin it there?
Why are all proposed solutions centered?
Just curious if there is a reason other than cosmetic.
 
Why not crank the rudder hard to one side against the stop and pin it there?
Why are all proposed solutions centered?
Just curious if there is a reason other than cosmetic.

That would be yet another way to secure the rudder. Centered, and the A/C pointed into the wind, would make sense, but you never know which way the wind will come from in the case of a gust front or the errant (read lazy) airplane driver that power-turns his C182 into a parking spot. Those are the "gusts" that worry me the most.

-Marc
 
So, two ‘A’ model airplanes using the same type of gust lock. One gust lock failed! One did not! Both experienced almost identical skin buckling in almost the same position on the rudder.

Make that three. Except for the color, the damage you guys saw was almost identical on my 14A. Heartbreaking. The ultimate gust lock clip on the right-hand rudder pedal apparently slipped off and rotated below the pedal sometime during the violent shaking. I am going to add pieces to increase the depth of the clips to try to prevent that in the future. I am also going to add an additional gust lock to try to hold the rudder itself. BTW- I spoke with Allan Nimmo about my damage and my plan to modify his gust lock. He could not have been nicer and it was clear he was very disappointed in the damage we experienced. He said he even helped locate a replacement rudder for someone with more severe damage than we saw. One thing I don’t understand is how the rudder even reached the elevator when there is about an inch of clearance when the rudder reaches the stop. The rudder must have flexed, but there is no evidence in the rudder skin, paint, or trailing edge.

BTW-I used what felt like full body weight to set the gust lock, knowing the storm was coming. It didn’t seem to matter.
 
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Does this happen every year or just even years?

Steve Melton (now anonymous) offers a printed set of gust locks that holds the TE and anchors to the elevator locks with ropes employing a short shock cord.

Did anyone have one of these (or similar) at OSH?

The engineer in me wonders about the structure of the 7/9 rudder constrained in this manner to withstand a 90 ft-lb torque (basically 90 lb side force) to survive the event. But it is better than all the rest, structurally IMO.
 
belt, suspenders, block, bolts, pin,.. for gust lock

I wasn't there, but have worried about how I set the ultimate gust lock and what happens with extended period of gusts, so I ended up with the following.

- added a pin to hold slip down collar device in place at the "joint" (noticed it wanted to work loose)
- have a "belt" of nylon strap with velcro on both ends to hold rudder pedals in gust lock
- "block" of wood, (not optimized) that the gust lock shaft passes through, to minimize the aileron movement allowed
- bolts holding the block of wood in place, that attach through an aluminum plate, which is held by using existing screws for floor (there is a piece of plywood screwed/glued on to the bottom of the block of wood, that provides a foot for the bolts to go through)

made me feel better when leaving the plane for several days on a western trip,... but now wondering about what level of gusts the rudder will handle.

Maybe a "heavy weather" lock/block in addition at top of rudder would spread the loads out enough??? or does it require something on trailing edge
 

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Steve Melton (now anonymous) offers a printed set of gust locks that holds the TE and anchors to the elevator locks with ropes employing a short shock cord.

Did anyone have one of these (or similar) at OSH?

The engineer in me wonders about the structure of the 7/9 rudder constrained in this manner to withstand a 90 ft-lb torque (basically 90 lb side force) to survive the event. But it is better than all the rest, structurally IMO.

It would be interesting to see some actual data... In your example, a 90 lb side force spread over a relatively small area of the trailing edge of the rudder. Even if the TE was able to support that kind of load, what about the rest of the structure? It would seem that many of the damaged rudders have similar failures so an analysis of the loading required to do that damage would provide a good insight on a good way to prevent it...
 
gust lock

I've got the anti-splat, and it seems to hold well, but to be sure, the only way is to have multiple gust locks like this on each control surface:

2016-609892.jpg

No matter how tight you install something holding the rudder pedals or stick, there will be some play, and a lot of force. I'd be curious to know if Van's has an opinion on the best way to keep the control surfaces from banging to their stops.
 
The question I have is if you stood there during the wind and physically held the bottom of the rudder in place, could the rudder be bent over anyway?

In my opinion, yes. And we saw twisted and or broken examples which were fixated at the top, at the balance mass arm, as well as at the bottom, at the stops or rudder pedals.

Many years have passed since I did cantilever beam calculations but by moving the support from one end of the rudder to the center point would decrease the deflection by 1/2 or more at the end points.

The photo showing the duct tape passing behind the half way point on the rudder out to the ends of the horizontal stabilizer may have been the best solution had it been on before the storm hit.

Agree, although I'd substitute a rope and trailing edge fitting for duct tape. External fixation at the vertical center of rudder area will work at wind levels way beyond the limits of fixation at the top or bottom. The yellow -14A rudder Steve posted is a perfect example....fixed at the bottom via the rudder pedals, but hit with a gust which exceeded the torsional capacity of the rudder.

The smaller -8 rudders held up better...less area, and I suspect torsionally stronger due to the folded trailing edge.
 
All our RV’s (two of which were at the show this year) are taildraggers, and we let the tailwheel locking pin hold the rudder. We generally use seat belts for the elevator/aileron. In twenty oshkosh’s and as many years flying them all over the country, those measures have always worked for us.

Of course YMMV!

Paul

Excuse my ignorance. Could you explain the tailwheel locking pin and how it holds the rudder?
 
Excuse my ignorance. Could you explain the tailwheel locking pin and how it holds the rudder?

So long as the rudder is within about 25 degrees of center, the tailwheel is locked to the rudder (for steering). So if you have you’re tailwheel straight on the ground, the rudder will be locked to it, and since the weight of the aircraft is on the tailwheel, in the grass it is a great rudder lock.

Structurally, this is similar to a locking pin or fixture at the bottom of the rudder on a nosewheel RV - so the real question is if you could still get the “twisting” failure that some of the nosewheel airplanes experienced - or if not, why not?

Did ANY taildragger RV’s suffer rudder damage in Saturday’s wind storm?

Paul
 
All our RV’s (two of which were at the show this year) are taildraggers, and we let the tailwheel locking pin hold the rudder. We generally use seat belts for the elevator/aileron. In twenty oshkosh’s and as many years flying them all over the country, those measures have always worked for us.

Paul, I think I know the answer, but I'll ask in the interest of clarity and data: All the rudders in question have been the folded-trailing-edge variety, correct?
 
Excuse my ignorance. Could you explain the tailwheel locking pin and how it holds the rudder?

Knee bone connected to the leg bone....;)

If the tailwheel is tied down and centered, the pin is extended into the notch in the steering arm, which is coupled to the rudder by a link or chains. Thus, the key is keeping the tailwheel firmly tied down in the dirt. That, BTW, means driving the tail tiedown very close to the wheel.

Tailwheel mechanics:

https://www.danhorton.net/Articles/1013_TailWheelTuneUp.pd.pdf
 
Steve Melton (now anonymous) offers a printed set of gust locks that holds the TE and anchors to the elevator locks with ropes employing a short shock cord.

Did anyone have one of these (or similar) at OSH?

The engineer in me wonders about the structure of the 7/9 rudder constrained in this manner to withstand a 90 ft-lb torque (basically 90 lb side force) to survive the event. But it is better than all the rest, structurally IMO.

I use a home-made version similar to Steve's design. It held perfectly with no issues or damage. I don't have a picture of my set-up though.
 
Paul, I think I know the answer, but I'll ask in the interest of clarity and data: All the rudders in question have been the folded-trailing-edge variety, correct?

Correct! Original -8 and original -6 rudders…..both folded.
 
5WB (RV7) weathered the storm right next to others that had damaged rudders .. I tie the stick back with both belts and shoulder harnesses and have a DIY rope lock that ties the trailing edge of the rudder to the exposed elevator horns.

After seeing the buckled rudder (RV7A) that happened right in front of my row, I'm a big believer in not testing the math and depending on a pin lock or pedal locking system. Direct restraint applied to the trailing edge was bullet proof.

I was also very impressed with the Claw tie downs that were a new addition for the trip to the show. Zero movement.


I'll post a pic of my rudder lock soon. Whole rig weighs an additional 4 oz in my tie down bag.

And just an observation: That was the worst wind I've ever weathered in a tent! My roof was flat on my face and the wind was so loud I didn't hear the rudder smashing back and forth on the plane next door! Good stuff
 
Was there enough warning so that people could have relocated their planes?

There may have been enough notice, but I certainly didn’t expect to have a bow shaped gust front come through with 50+ gusts. The prediction didn’t call for hail, and I was just expecting a lot of rain with some wind.
 
All our RV’s (two of which were at the show this year) are taildraggers, and we let the tailwheel locking pin hold the rudder. We generally use seat belts for the elevator/aileron. In twenty oshkosh’s and as many years flying them all over the country, those measures have always worked for us.

Of course YMMV!

Paul

I am doing the same.

At one point in the past, I had aileron and elevator guts locks that had a peice of metal or plastic that went between the gap and 1/4" aluminum tube covered with plastic tubing / hose that locked the aileron to the wingtip or flap and the elevator to the horizontal stabilizer at the counterbalance. They had a "Remove Before Flight" streamer hanging down under them. They worked well till the wind picked up. Once the wind started gusting, they would work themselves out. I went back to the seat belt around the stick after the 2nd time they came out in the wind.
 
I have a RV-14 taildragger with the Tail Lynx springs installed per the manufacturers instructions. I feel there is too much slack in the cable/spring assemblies to safely rely on it solely for a gust lock. Those with taildraggers not using any gust lock on the rudder do you have a chain and spring set up or a solid steering arm?
 
Perhaps we can help! PLEASE READ!

---- I thought I should perhaps chime in here and share our findings and thoughts, in hopes of eliminating some of the confusion as to our Ultimate Gust Locks. This weather event that took place at OSH caused some real havoc and grief for many of our fellow pilots. The damages it caused were spread over many different aircraft types, with many different gust locking methods and restraint products in play. A very large number of our gust locks were in use and performed perfectly as designed, protecting these aircraft. In an effort at full disclosure, we had two owners reach out and contact us about our gust locks and issue (rudder damage) they experienced. The first had his gust lock become dislodged from one of the rudders peddles and it suffered damage when it hit the elevator corner. After talking with him we determined the product was not installed with adequate tension to keep it in place with those heavy wind loads. With this product installed properly this failure is virtually impossible as evidenced by the many others in use that had no issues whatsoever. The second issue was a direct failure of our product! Our very early release of this product incorporated the use of an aluminum adjustment tube that went through a couple of design changes to improve its strength. The first being a thicker tube, and the second changing to a 4130-steel tube. We sent out E-Mails to (we thought) all purchasers of the early series of gust locks, as well as a replacement tube to eliminate any possibility of failure involving this tube. We also posted the change, potential failure, and offered a new tube at no charge to anyone who had an early red anodized aluminum tube. We thought we had this covered, but it seems we missed this poor guy. As luck would have it, his tube failed and allowed his rudder to hit the elevator and destroy itself beyond repair. We put together another rudder, upper and lower fiberglass caps, crated and shipped it to him within the week. We realize this is just a small part of the frustration and effort involved in getting him back in the air, but it all helps. We are overall very satisfied with the Ultimate Gust Lock and their demonstrated performance over the years. They have saved many aircraft from what mother nature has to offer. Should anyone have questions, or concerns regarding this product, or something we can address to be of service please give me a call. Thanks, Allan--:D
 
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Wind at OSH

Was there enough warning so that people could have relocated their planes?

This storm front was a doozy and came quickly once it arrived but with some warning. That is the first time I have seen EMERALD GREEN Clouds and I knew we were in for a beating. That is usually where tornadoes germinate!

I was working the line in Vintage and there were no airplanes in the pattern. Suddenly we saw a Cessna 150 on downwind for 18!!:eek::eek: I kept watching the storm front and that airplane. He got it on the runway and we ushered him into the nearest best spot. The wind was already starting to BLOW. He jumped out and was so proud that this was his 43rd OSH! Nearly his last; had he been caught in the storm......:eek::confused::eek: He had no tiedowns and no chocks. Good thing we carry them for exactly this situation! I was waiting to throw the half hitches in the tiedown line as my fellow volunteer pounded in the upwind stake. I was ready with the second one and, just as he hit the stake for the last time, slammed three half hitches in and the storm hit JUST AS I THREW THE LAST HITCH!!:eek::eek:

The pilot ran for the point building (a station for our volunteers) and I jumped in the VW and headed for camp. The Wind/Rain/Hail bashed painfully into my left ear. It was Raining so hard I couldn't see where I was going and the windshield wipers were doing their best to keep up (impossible). We jumped into our Cabelas tent (wouldn't have any other) and watched as the storm beat on the side of the tent.

We had no damage in Vintage that I heard of. I believe it hit harder in the North section of the airport including Custom. Had airplanes been moving themselves around (there would not have been enough volunteers to help) many would have "gone flying" from where they were untied. :eek::eek:

SO attempting to relocate airplanes in anticipation of where a storm might blow from would not be possible. It can gust from many different directions, not just from the West. This one shifted from West to Northwest to North during the course of the storm....at least according to my tent walls. Leaving them anchored to the ground is the best option.

IMHO.......
 
this was his 43rd OSH! Nearly his last; had he been caught in the storm......:eek::confused::eek: He had no tiedowns and no chocks.
IMHO.......

Been here 42 times before and didn't know to bring tie-downs? Kinda hard to believe.
 
Coming prepared!!

Been here 42 times before and didn't know to bring tie-downs? Kinda hard to believe.

I'm not sure how many sets of tiedowns we build over the Winter out of rebar but it is a large pile. It amazes me how many times Security is called during Convention to bring someone tiedowns as they come to OSH without them! Not quite like leaving the fuel at home but can have similar consequences to the looks of your airplane.....:eek::eek:
 
RVPLASTICPARTS

I had Steve Meltons 3D printed parts and worked fine. I was in a pack of A models (Row 352) that 4 in my row, the one in front and back had substantial damage. I literally flew mine from the paint shop to OSH. I would have been more than pained if mine was damaged. Broke my heart to see people show up and find the damage to their airframes.
 
RVPLASTICPARTS

I had Steve Meltons 3D printed parts and worked fine. I was in a pack of A models (Row 352) that 4 in my row, the one in front and back had substantial damage. I literally flew mine from the paint shop to OSH. I would have been more than pained if mine was damaged. Broke my heart to see people show up and find the damage to their airframes.
 
Sounds like field validation.

I had Steve Meltons 3D printed parts and worked fine. I was in a pack of A models (Row 352) that 4 in my row, the one in front and back had substantial damage. I literally flew mine from the paint shop to OSH. I would have been more than pained if mine was damaged. Broke my heart to see people show up and find the damage to their airframes.

Short of a lazy susan on top of a truck (60 mph) rotating with a rudder held by this gust lock, that is a good endorsement!
 
I have a RV-14 taildragger with the Tail Lynx springs installed per the manufacturers instructions. I feel there is too much slack in the cable/spring assemblies to safely rely on it solely for a gust lock. Those with taildraggers not using any gust lock on the rudder do you have a chain and spring set up or a solid steering arm?
I'm with you Glenn. I use Tail Lynx cables/springs on my big-rudder RV-7 and even with no slack in the cables I wouldn't trust them to provide any serious protection. There's just too much flexure in the big rudder and linkages.

I use Steve Melton's 3D-printed rudder and elevator locks, the rudder lock applies force at the most advantageous point - the trailing edge. Steve makes quality parts but they're not cheap...I saw some folks who fabricated their own locks that do the same thing that probably work just as well for less ducats.

Dave
 
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I have a RV-14 taildragger with the Tail Lynx springs installed per the manufacturers instructions. I feel there is too much slack in the cable/spring assemblies to safely rely on it solely for a gust lock. Those with taildraggers not using any gust lock on the rudder do you have a chain and spring set up or a solid steering arm?

Good question - and good point! We’ve got single-arm steering links on al our RV taildragger. They aren’t solid - they have springs to add a little flexibility - but pretty darn stiff.

Our big load hauler (Tundra) still has springs, but they are kept very tight - I prefer tight tailwheel chains better than loose ones….but respect those pilots who like them loose. Different strokes and all….
 
Was there enough warning so that people could have relocated their planes?

Well, sort-of ...

On Friday it was shaping up to be a minor storm.

On Saturday morning the National Weather Service put out the severe T-Storm warming with 15% possibility of hail.

Having a tad of PTSD from 2019 (and my rudder with a hole in it, destroyed tent, busted rudder lock) I was understandably concerned. By just pure luck, another RV builder had the same concern and found a field just 8 minutes north with a mass hangar.

We both moved our planes. Mine sat in the mass hanger until I left Thursday. I'm over the insane weather. Really takes away from the relaxation. Way worse than the flight up and dealing with the traffic.

A surprising number of people just didn't seem to care that much. I'm convinced that with those kinds of winds it's just the luck of the draw.

I think I saw that the AntiSplat lock was only guaranteed to 60mph or something like that. Pretty sure for about 10-15 minutes we were well above 60mph, best guess 80-90mph.
 
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Kamikaze arrival.....

This storm front was a doozy and came quickly once it arrived but with some warning. That is the first time I have seen EMERALD GREEN Clouds and I knew we were in for a beating. That is usually where tornadoes germinate!

I was working the line in Vintage and there were no airplanes in the pattern. Suddenly we saw a Cessna 150 on downwind for 18!!:eek::eek: I kept watching the storm front and that airplane. He got it on the runway and we ushered him into the nearest best spot. The wind was already starting to BLOW. He jumped out and was so proud that this was his 43rd OSH! Nearly his last; had he been caught in the storm......:eek::confused::eek: He had no tiedowns and no chocks. Good thing we carry them for exactly this situation! I was waiting to throw the half hitches in the tiedown line as my fellow volunteer pounded in the upwind stake. I was ready with the second one and, just as he hit the stake for the last time, slammed three half hitches in and the storm hit JUST AS I THREW THE LAST HITCH!!:eek::eek:

The pilot ran for the point building (a station for our volunteers) and I jumped in the VW and headed for camp. The Wind/Rain/Hail bashed painfully into my left ear. It was Raining so hard I couldn't see where I was going and the windshield wipers were doing their best to keep up (impossible). We jumped into our Cabelas tent (wouldn't have any other) and watched as the storm beat on the side of the tent.

We had no damage in Vintage that I heard of. I believe it hit harder in the North section of the airport including Custom. Had airplanes been moving themselves around (there would not have been enough volunteers to help) many would have "gone flying" from where they were untied. :eek::eek:

SO attempting to relocate airplanes in anticipation of where a storm might blow from would not be possible. It can gust from many different directions, not just from the West. This one shifted from West to Northwest to North during the course of the storm....at least according to my tent walls. Leaving them anchored to the ground is the best option.

IMHO.......

Fortunately my RV-14A was safe in the hangar, due to its incomplete build state. I flew up my Zenith 801, which had the tallest tail as far as I could see in HBC. It was well tied down, and suffered no damage. But I did see a mode of RV tail damage that I have not yet seen mentioned. I noticed on RV tail with the rivet line split up the trailing edge. Unzipped so to speak. I believe this was on a 6A.


Unknown.jpg

After we tied down, we decided to leave the gear in the plane, find a dry place to sleep (a friend with a hotel saved the day), and make camp in the morning after the storm blew trough. Proved to be a good call, and we rolled out dry gear the next day, and it stayed dry all week! A first for me at Oshkosh.

However, we got a little bit excited when we were watching the storm move on fore flight, and the ADS-B showed the traffic had all given way to reason and abandoned the approach.... BUT WAIT.... no they had not. There was one small and slow 150 heading for Ripon. We had to look twice to believe it. We looked outside and saw this:

IMG_7552.jpg

Then back at fore flight and saw this one little 150 making for Ripon. It was quite clear that the weight of his testicles greatly exceeded that of his cerebral cortex. From his track, and the storm track we could see that the weather would be at Ripon first......

"Turn little guy... TURN"

I guess he figured it out (belatedly), and made straight 18-36. When we saw him drop off the ADS-B, I wasn't 100% sure it was a 'traditional landing', but we heard nothing more, so figured he made it. So as Paul Harvey used to say.... now we know the 'Rest of the Story...."
 
Fortunately my RV-14A was safe in the hangar, due to its incomplete build state. I flew up my Zenith 801, which had the tallest tail as far as I could see in HBC. It was well tied down, and suffered no damage. But I did see a mode of RV tail damage that I have not yet seen mentioned. I noticed on RV tail with the rivet line split up the trailing edge. Unzipped so to speak. I believe this was on a 6A.


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That rudder… Yikes!! That does it for me.. if I ever build a -7 or -14, it’s getting the -8 Rudder and vertical!!
 
I had a friend in Vintage... He was in his tent beside his Bonanza which was right on the flight line. I was in my tent holding everything down as the storm hit. Then my friend in Vintage texted me that an airplane just taxied by! I couldn't believe it... :eek:

All I could do is shake my head. I figured there was no way he got tied down safely... I wondered how it ended up... now I know!
 
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