During first flight attempt with my new batch 3 machine, I had a bit of a mishap which resulted in a few spar connection post on the frame getting bent and the cage pushed back into the prop zone.
There was zero wind and during taxi the wing overshot me. I lost my balance and went face down. It wasn’t an extremely hard fall but the right side of the frame took a hit. The aluminum spar connection posts didn’t do much to resist the impact. The worst damage done was to the tube at the lower frame where the hoop end goes. That hole was elongated due to the force applied to the cage.
I should have taken pictures of everything but I was more interested in trying to bend things back into place and the give it another go. I was able to bend the post back and get the cage back to its ‘normal’ position but unfortunately, my right shoulder was hurting so I packed it in.
I’m currently designing some bolt-on braces that would add considerable support at those connection points. I’m wondering if anyone else has also experienced similar issues and effected any kind of a fix.
The best fix that comes to mind is to quit crashing and just get ‘er in the air!