by lazflyn » Thu Apr 08, 2004 11:45 pm
Thanks guys. There are a few issues that need attention to make it fly better than it looks. But for the most part, it flies awesome. Now I know why I drove across the country to get one. Now I know why I spent a lot of time in a cold hanger this last winter. These little airplanes are great! I just love how easy and relaxing it is to fly these birds. Very satisfying. I can hardly wait to start flying with the other Mark that has one as well.
As far as the problems go, I would have to first start out by saying that it seems nose heavy. It is very eager to lift up the tail. This happens on pavement when I am giving it a touch of throttle or using the flinstone's to slow it down. I know the mains are close to the CG, but this is a little too close. The tail comes up way too easy. In flight, the trim speed is full throttle, maybe just a touch below full. The rest of the time I hold some back pressure to maintain level flight.
The second problem is that it taxies WAY too fast. I need to come up with some gear that are further forward, wider, and get some brakes. I don't want to change a good thing and spend all summer modifying. Worse, I don't want to add any weight if possible. The current set up has to go. I ran over my foot while using the nike/flinstone brake system and my toe now is purple and is pissed off at me for running it over. I've seen all kinds of different setups on the internet. I'll have to decide on what I like and what I am capable of building. If any of you have suggestions, I'm open. As it is now, I will wear steel toed shoes and taxi at a crawl till I get some brakes going.
Type at you later,
MarkDJ.