mtv wrote:If you use a helicopter, make ABSOLUTE CERTAIN that the operator knows PRECISELY what they are doing, and that they have experience doing this kind of recovery work. More than one perfectly good aircraft has been dropped enroute because they oscillated.

Of course, Peter only needs the helo in order to get off the ground and above stall speed in a forward-traveling direction. Then the on-board occupant starts the engine, radios for disconnect, and flies out from under the helo. Saw it once in a James Bond, I think...

Of course, this kind of goes against point number two:

If you use ANY other means of recovery, GO SLOW, and don't let anyone's testosterone or HDAD get ahead of you.

I like the hot air balloon idea. Or was it an air matress idea??? Or maybe put the prop on backwards, start it up and gun it and it will drive backwards in the ruts. These things sometimes have very simple solutions....

Motorcitymaule

Would it not be possible to get a bunch of people together and dig your Maule out and move it to a more firm location. I would do everything possible to fly it out of there. Since there is no damage to the plane, the FAA should have no jurisdiction nor interest. It is still your plane.

Good luck

flyer

Wup, ya need to haul some 35s up there and land next to Peters M7. Put the 35s on Peters and then both of you fly out. Video of course. Wup, just think how many of us would buy the 35s if we saw that.

Rob

Helium balloons and string. A lot of helium balloons.

Helium balloons

with helium in the 35 akbushwheels

Made the FAAs web page

IDENTIFICATION
Regis#: 235WT Make/Model: M7 Description: M-7-235, MT-7, MX-7-160/180/235, MXT-7-1
Date: 04/07/2008 Time: 0435

Event Type: Incident Highest Injury: None Mid Air: N Missing: N
Damage: Unknown

LOCATION
City: BLANDING State: UT Country: US

DESCRIPTION
AIRCRAFT CRASHED UNDER UNKNOWN CIRCUMSTANCES, SUBJECT OF AN ALERT NOTICE,
LOCATED NEAR NOKAI DOME SAN JUAN COUNTY, NEAR BLANDING, UT

INJURY DATA Total Fatal: 0
# Crew: 1 Fat: 0 Ser: 0 Min: 0 Unk: 1
# Pass: 0 Fat: 0 Ser: 0 Min: 0 Unk:
# Grnd: Fat: 0 Ser: 0 Min: 0 Unk:

WEATHER: NOT REPORTED

OTHER DATA
Activity: Unknown Phase: Unknown Operation: OTHER


FAA FSDO: SALT LAKE CITY, UT (NM07) Entry date: 04/08/2008

Tito wrote:Made the FAAs web page



INJURY DATA Total Fatal: 0
# Crew: 1 Fat: 0 Ser: 0 Min: 0 Unk: 1
# Pass: 0 Fat: 0 Ser: 0 Min: 0 Unk:
# Grnd: Fat: 0 Ser: 0 Min: 0 Unk:

04/08/2008

Typical FAA idiots. They have him listed as being FAT... Now how do they know if he's fat or not.

I bet they saw how far the airplane sunk in the sand!

Pinheads!

The FAAs information appeared to be correct. They probably had to investigate and have a response. When there is that much publicity, news media, the FAA probably has to get involved.

There was no damage and no injury so it was an incident not an accident. Different rules apply to an incident.

I would try to fly it out of there. Are there not some people down there that can help him dig it out?

Good luck
flyer

I'm assuming that the wheels are in motion to get it out of there. But if it is as simple as finding some volunteers someone should say so. We are heading into a spell of perfect weather and if I can be of any help I'm ready.

Any news on the status of MM's extraction situation? Most of us who would be willing to help may need some advance notice. I can still put together a pack outfit if needed.

I will slip over to the Community thread in the next few days and properly introduce myself. That appears to be where introductions are made.

Jim

hello all, the wheels are in motion i will keep you all updated. Thanks for all of the helping hands. Now i gotta work on getting my wife to come with me to the BCP fly-in so she can give her terrible side of the story, which took place in the livingroom, while we are all safely enjoy our spirit of choice by a warm camp fire. Talk to ya soon. Peter

Great MM, another fly in attendee.....I can just immagine the livingroom situation, I experienced a living room lecture when we got home from Columbia last July. Not bad just a good natured kick in the ass to get more dual before she flies again ....

MM,
I still think you are going to have to build a swing set out of lumber and hoist it from the engine mount.
You are lucky as hell, I know Maules are tail heavy, but I don't know how you kept it from going over on it's back.
And yeah, miss a few days and a novel is written.

Iceman: i was talking about my wifes side of the story that took place in the livingroom while i was MIA. She totally though that i might never come home, and the next morning was a frenzy of phone calls and crying, i did not get in contact with her until 2pm the next afternoon when i finally got out.
A64: I hope not on the swing set idea, even though that sounds pretty smart.

Be careful on how much force you apply to the bottom of the wings. I found out real recently that the tie downs are not jack points. I had assumed they were. Well apparently the "right" way to jack up a Maule from the wings is to remove the wing strut cuffs and place a 2x4 between both spars adjacent to the struts and jack from under the 2x4. The 2x4 apparently spreads the load enough so that nothing will be hurt, but it just didn't look stable to me, especially if I jacked it up enough to put a 29 on one wheel while the 8.50 was one the other. I pulled the top engine cowling and used a fork lift to pick up the entire front end of the aircraft with a fork lift. Very safe and stable that way as it comes up level, can't fall off of anything and you get both wheels in the air. I know of course you won't have a fork lift or wrecker or backhoe etc., That is why I was thinking about the swingset.
I've recovered many aircraft in my 20 years in the Army and I can tell you there is typically more damage done in the recovery process than there was done in the "incident".
I don't care if it was free, no aircraft of mine will ever spend any time under a helicopter if there is any other way. I've seen two perfectly good aircraft destroyed under CH-47's. One OH-58 was dropped and a UH-60 slipped in it's sling and was set down very gently, but on it's face and the entire front was crushed under it's own weight.

Hi a64,

I believe MMs Maule has lift rings, and that, in a perfect world is the best way to lift the a/c. I also understand he has several people going to the site to help.
If they take their time and are gentle getting it raised should be a non event. On the other hand I'm sure we've both seen our share of a/c suffer more damage after the incident / accident than need be.
In a perfect world helicoptering should be no big deal. A couple spoilered wing covers work nicely to keep it from flying under the helo. sometimes the windmilling prop will make it try and turn around and fly backwards. And no two types fly the same on tow. I too would not helo a good a/c unless the pilot had experience towing that exact make and model with that exact make and model helo. And even then it's not always a perfect world


This bird was on it's back, it suffered no post wreck damage, not even a wrinkled leading edge.



We used Dave Kings AlouetteIII on this cub. That bird was not the ideal ship but Dave had done many many of these up to as big as a c172 Notice the Alouette has no "chin bubble" Dave lifts and sets down all by "feel" as he can not see the a/c below him.


The wing dipped down as a gust swirled on the p/u... we had just walked away from it


These two flew like this for almost 2 hrs...worked out just fine.

BTW... we were in the process of swapping props, a lift strut, and taping on a new windshield to fly this cub out when the helo happened on us and through the friend of a friend process life was made easy...

Lift rings are good for slinging or picking up with a hoist, course that's what they are there for, just use a spreader bar. Engine mount would not require nearly as tall of a device to attach to though. I was surprised that you aren't supposed to lift from the main spar. How else could several people lift an aircraft? Being stuck in the ground would mean more than the aircraft's weight will have to be lifted. For a stuck M7, that could easily be 2,000 lbs. or more.
I don't know if your lucky or good to sling an aircraft with no drouge chute, I've never slung a fixed wing either so I can't say. Just the potential for something really bad is there when your sling loading.
I'm curious as to how he get's it out. Wish you guy's luck.

If there were horses and mules available, just ramp up out of the mud on plywood. Then put the bushwheels on out on level ground. I could provide two gentle mules broke to harness.

Ever read the story of the MGM lion? They brought him out with mules. That was interesting. I suppose I will have to post the story if there is an interest.

Jim