On Sun, 10 Aug 2003 15:10:19 -0400, "J. McLaughlin"
wrote:

Dear Ed:
On my farm, varmints are shot on sight. There is no component of
hunting or enjoyment or torture. It is a matter of stopping theft and
the real danger that their holes present to livestock, humans, and even
farm machinery. (I have a nasty scar on my shin due to a plunge into a
woodchuck hole.) They also pose a danger to drainage systems.
I have never shot at a squirrel. They are very rare here and just
not a problem. Woodchucks and deer are the major problems. Deer cause
hundreds of accidents, some quite serious, per year in this county

You want a thrill...I was landing my airplane ( a 3100#, High
performance/complex/retractable at the Gladwin Airport (GDW) one night
when a big doe decided she wanted to be on the other side of the
runway

http://www.rogerhalstead.com/833pics.htm (bout 243K)

The mains had just touched down the nose gear was still up when she
charged across. Her head hit the underside of the leading edge of the
right wing about 2 feet out from the fuselage. Just about inside the
prop circle.

The impact drove her head down and then the right main hit her with
the wheel running over. It tore the gear doors right off and busted
the stainless steel brake line.

All this at something like 70 MPH drove the right wing up and of
course the left wing down. The wing tip was probably within 3 or 4
inches of hitting the runway. I could see the runway lights above it
as I was watching out of the corner of my eye.
I managed to maintain control, riding down the runway on the left
main only. I didn't even know if I had a right main still attached.
I kept it on one wheel as long as possible and then the right main
settled onto the pavement. ( Yippie! I had one!)

Now I was riding on both mains with the nose gear still up in the
air...I didn't know if I had one of those either. Fortunately I did
and the roll out was uneventful...other than I discovered that broken
brake line which resulted in only having brakes on the left side.

Between the brake line, tire, gear doors, hinges and a very small dent
on the underside of the leading edge the freight came to a bit over
$5,600. Those little tiny stamped hinges for the gear doors are $480
each.

They said it was either the third or fourth deer airplane accident in
the previous two weeks.

Roger Halstead (K8RI EN73 & ARRL Life Member)
www.rogerhalstead.com
N833R World's oldest Debonair? (S# CD-2)
alone.
Someone who took delight in torturing anything would be a pariah in
this most rural and tolerant township. That is just not on.
..... and back to antennas
73 Mac N8TT