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<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>The unfamiliar faces at the field thought my
Symphony was so cool. It was blowing hard on Sunday, about 30 mph.
Most were standing around but I was flying. The plane gathered attention,
so much so that when I began to do some work on it (change a glow plug) the guys
generously decided to shield me and my plane from the wind. They took the
steel topped, steel framed 8 foot table and laid it on its side as a wind
screen.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2> What nice guys I thought. After
the maintenence I stood up and talked about pattern. Out of the corner of
my eye I could see it happen. The tables had been laid with the legs away
from me and the plane. In other words, on the upwind side. it was
all in slow motion. the table began to roll over, I screamed and made some
uncoordinated lunge toward it but I was too far away. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2> I guess the shattered plane stand and
smashed canopy weren't able to slow the force of the table. But the fuse and
engine held better than expected. I now have stress cracks all over the
nose of the plane and a piece of table in my Mintor head fins but it is not
ruined. Fill sand and paint can restore the beauty, but I don't have that
many ounces to spare in a Nats plane. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2> Note to self: even well meaning people
can make mistakes around pattern planes. Do not ignore their gestures, no
matter how considerate.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>--Lance</FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>