Don't do this!!!
Before I took to the air, I wanted to try and verify the engine was behaving well, and I thought I could learn more on a high speed ground run than I could doing static tests. Well, it was a bit too windy to spend an extended amount of time on the runway at medium speed, and I ended up catching a gust of wind that was way stronger than whatever rudder authority and tailwheel traction that I had, and it pushed me right off the side of the runway into the grass. Tragically this was also in the same place as the only taxiway sign within a couple thousand feet, and I collected that sign with the left wing leading edge.
I inspected the whole plane according to instructions from Sonex, and found no damage beyond the left wing. Unfortunately the main spar received a dent as well, which means this whole wing is compromised.
Luckily my insurance just went into effect, so I'm going to do an insurance claim and buy a quick-build left wing box from Sonex, re-rig it, transplant the control surfaces, lights, and wiring, and then I think I can have it fixed. Still, this is definitely going to take a while and set me back a few months!
