On Christmas day I was able to go down to a huge vacant parking lot to try my hand at taking off again. All attempts were a failure. I had to use 5 min epoxy about 3 or 4 times. Absolutely every time I would go to take off the plane would turn left and crash. After I broke my propeller, I took the plane back home and did some serious thinking. I did all of my center of gravity checks. My weight was good. I still couldn't figure it out. So I took the plane outside and simply pushed it with my hand one good time on the ground. The plane arched at almost a 45 degree angle when it stopped around 10 feet away. Although my wheels looked perfectly straight, they obviously weren't. I bent the front wheel to compensate for the left draw and tested it out again. This time it rolled perfectly straight. So from now on when I do my pre-flight checks, I will always hand push my plane one good time to ensure that the wheels are aligned properly for a straight take off. Hopefully now I will be able to actually get my plane in the air.. Here's hoping!
I will have to apologize for not posting any pictures or videos so far. Next time I go out to fly, once my new propellers get here, I'll have to drag someone along with me and get the flight recorded with my HD Camcorder. But anyways, here's my Cessna 182:
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