Building a Nieuport 11...

[Floatsflyer]

Ah Frank, I'm so sorry for your loss but so happy that, once fully recovered and healthy from your minimal injuries, you'll be able to put Humpty/Babette back together again. Given your flying history to date, you're one very lucky dude. Better to be lucky than good lookin'.

I would not ever presume to second guess you but if those were MY only choices, I would have taken the road with cars. Historically, seems to mostly work out well for airplanes in similar circumstances with a little luck. And you are lucky!

[Kyle Boatright]

Frank, sorry you had an accident. Glad you're mostly OK and don't have any long term health issues from the crash.

As for the airplane, well, you needed something to do this winter anyway, right?

[Dana]

Oh.... no....

Wow, sorry to hear about it. Welcome to the club... glad to hear you're not badly hurt... and already talking about rebuilding.

[cwilliamrose]

Very sorry to hear about your engine failure. Dollars and time will bring back the airplane and your injuries will heal so there's a lot to be thankful for. As soon as I read your latest post I thought back to this post and how nervous it made me feel watching it. It was beautiful and concerning at the same time for the same reason -- the scenery. Thankfully the problem choose a different moment than this to become part of your life.......

[Sam Buchanan]

Frank, very sorry to hear of your misfortune but glad it had a "good" outcome.....you are here to tell us about it.

May be too soon to think about this, but carefully consider whether or not it would be most expedient to repair or build a fresh ride....would it be best to have an aircraft with crash history or a new one.....best wishes for whichever path you choose!

[Frank Giger]

I made the FAA man chuckle when he asked me my plans and I replied "I have a data plate, an N number, and a repairman's certificate, so..."

[Frank Giger]

For those curious about what a tube-and-gusset aircraft looks like after it falls out of a 50 foot tall tree:



She did a great job of collapsing and taking all the acceleration of the stop so I didn't have to.

I must have taken a branch to the face, judging from the goggles:



I like this photo because it looks far more dramatic than it actually was.

[Floatsflyer]

May be too soon to think about this, but carefully consider whether or not it would be most expedient to repair or build a fresh ride....would it be best to have an aircraft with crash history or a new one.....best wishes for whichever path you choose!

Wow, that's a picture of horrific damage you posted. Again I'll say it, you are a very lucky dude. Perhaps you should give some serious thought and consideration to Sam's suggestion of building a fresh ride rather than rebuilding a twice crashed airplane.

[Frank Giger]

C'mon, folks, it's actually a rebuild - and I'd say the "twice crashed" is a bit of hyperbole.

Yes, I did flip her at five miles an hour and replaced two spars in two wings, along with a precautionary engine tear down. But that's hardly a serious crash.

Everything gets stripped and pulled apart, with most of the fuselage re-built from scratch (I'll most likely recycle a few tubes, the stringers, and the hardware), the left wings re-done, and the right wings stripped and inspected. The gear will be rebuilt as well.

A "fresh rebuild" infers throwing everything out, from instruments to nuts and bolts.

Think more "repair" in the way the airplanes from beneath the glaciers were.

[Kyle Boatright]

I like this photo because it looks far more dramatic than it actually was.

There are few things more dramatic than an airplane crash. Its a big deal and I'm glad you came out mostly OK.