Kestrel run over by multiple cars!

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Note that even though the main spar was snapped, the hinge assembly was not damaged and was in fact reusable. This is not a recommended test to undertake however!

The Story: I was flying along just fine when the Kestrel started to drift with the wind on a thermal. It was going a bit further downwind than I wanted due to the high wind at the altitude I was flying, so I started to bring it down by slowly flapping it to the ground to what I thought was a flat portion of the open field behind some trees. When I got around those trees to get my Kestrel, I found a roadway with a decent amount of traffic and my crushed Kestrel! I picked up the pieces and mailed it back to David at R&R Model Aircraft, who was able to save some things, but not many. The hinges were intact and reused, but not much else. Surprisingly, the receiver, speed controller and main shaft were OK. You can see my new bird in flight here on the website with it's improved paint job. 

Jerry Craig

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