I was out at the airport the other day when a new guy working for the airport staff walked over to say hello. He was smiling, wearing his new ball cap with the county patch on it, looking at me as he came up from behind and beside a Cessna 152. I could see his trajectory was taking his forehead right into the back of the left aileron. He must have wondered why I had that horrified look on my face as I tried to choke out "stop! look out!" but it was too late.

Booom! You could hear the hollow echo reverberating through the whole airframe of that 152. The poor guy buckled and almost went down on his knees.

I ran over to make sure he was ok. He was just a little stunned, and then embarassed. He had a little crease up near his hair line, but amazingly, no blood. He must have just hit the fiberglass wingtip fairing instead of the aileron.

I told him about the last time I wore a ball cap around my 182. It was a couple of months after I got it. I made real solid contact with the back of the flap, but recovered in a few minutes. I was by myself and didn't think much of it. A half hour later, I felt something wet under my headset. It turned out to be blood running down through my hair. I'd removed a stripe of hair about 3 inches long, too.

Moral of the story: The ball cap stays in the plane at all times! If you're gonna wear a ball cap around a Cessna, just make sure it's red. That way, the blood doesn't show.

CAVU

I laid myself out on the hangar floor a couple years ago by walking full steam into the trailing edge of a flap. I was working on something under the tail, and was jumping up and down from laying on my back to spryly fetching tools. I got a little too enthusiastic on the getup and took the corrugated control surface square to the forehead. It was the kind of impact that made my teeth ache and I had to sit down for a minute.

It ain't just Cessna's, but the old ones are the best for the neat little diamond shapes they can punch out of your head My Maule gave me a scar that you can see to this day right across the bridge of the nose where my glasses tore into me. It had something to do with me getting the 29"s.

I'd be careful if any of these incidents occurred without a record of having an IA sign off returning the AC to service!? Never know who is looking at your posts and why?

Some day, archeologists will dig up our bones and say "These must have been tribal leaders. See the elaborate markings etched in bone above their eyebrows?"


CAVU

Scolopax wrote:I'd be careful if any of these incidents occurred without a record of having an IA sign off returning the AC to service!? Never know who is looking at your posts and why?

Absolutely. Inspection, dead skin removal, and logbook entry required.

My blood is TSO'd, if not Milspec.

CAVU

Summer of 1973
No body died. Flap worked fine. Wing attatch is good. No inspection needed.

I test my flaps, ailerons and the worst is the darned wing strut. I have had my head down and hit the blessed strut several times. I should wear a football helmet.

Ahhhhh, I've met a bunch of cessna "diamond heads"! I've even managed to knock myself out a few times.

When I bought my Husky, the dealer delivered it to Minden. Before he even left ramp I was swept off my feet and staring up at those damn flap hinges. The factory thoughtfully put a lump of foam on each of them - - this serves only to inflict blunt force trauma and to change what surely would be a code-3 ambulance ride to just a severely painful ordeal and accompanying concusion
.
As I recall, my exact words were, "&^%$&* that hurts, I won't do THAT again!"

A week or two later I was laying on the hangar floor admiring the underside of the wing whilst holding my aching head. After that bout, I posted to the Husky list and asked if this was "normal". Someone responded that it was and that I was doing just fine. Oh . . . good.

Now I start flinching whenever I approach the plane . . . dogs bite. I hear that the spades on pre-05 dogs can actually scalp you

My problem is with rental birds when traveling. You get a whole new appreciation for the habits you develop around a 172 with 8.50 x 6 nose wheel and 26" mains.

I knew I wasn't the lone ranger but misery does love company. I am forever hitting my head on the flap hinge closet to the door. The other day I ran into it with the top of my head. Well lets just say that I yelled out some choice profanity. Even the dam geese that play on the runway took off for a friendlier environment and nothing bothers them. Yesterday I went slow mo and managed to get through the day without one incident. I attribute this to the fact that I still have a painful bump on my noggin That helmet idea is looking better all the time Maybe a bike helmet

Eh, yup...

Some of us that spent our childhoods on the short yellow bus and had to wear helmets, still do. My dents are permanent.

Gump

There is an easy fix......I am 6' and walk right under the Scout wing no problem.

Just Call Wup, he will have your head clearing those flaps and aileron's in no time.

bumper wrote:Now I start flinching whenever I approach the plane . . . dogs bite. I hear that the spades on pre-05 dogs can actually scalp you

Oh, great. I give up my 182 after 20+ years of occasionally "diamond-heading" into the flap trailing edge (always when wearing a ball cap)...for a doggy that'll bite me. I'm scared as hell to be anywhere behind the struts or under the wing