Fortune7

I got a brief flight today with the GPS module installed. Numbers:

Jett BSE 90LX, APC11x8, 15% Morgan coolpower fuel, Florida humidity and about 88 degrees ambient.
RPM: 14900 static, leaned about 400-500 off-peak for flight, which peaked at 15822 and averaged in the level-flight runs at about 15,400 (+/- 200)
Airspeed: 147 peak, average level flight about 136-140mph (taken from EagleTree systems Flightdeck Pro, and looking at 10 samples per second of airspeed info). The trick is to look at the post-flight graphs of speed, height and rate of climb to see where 'level flight' is occurring, but I'm pretty confident of the numbers.
GPS Groundspeed: the sample of 'good' data was fairly small, and lagged the airspeed by between about 0.5 and 1 second. On only one run it wasn't ideal, and I think the position of the GPS module close to the FDR's wireless transmitter and antenna may have been less than ideal. However, again, I got sufficient GPS speed info to validate the airspeed from the pitot/static system, i.e GPS groundspeed looked matched the airspeed numbers less about 5-7 mph.
Temperature: I took the opportunity to better secure the temperature probe to the head - in between the top fin of the cylinder and the head, over the exhaust stack - and saw a max temp of 316F, not in flight but on the static runup and peak-out of mixture and rpm. This is much more realistic than the figures I was getting before, and indicates a in-flight cylinder temp of between 220 and 240 degrees F.

Overall, I'm confident the 'Toni is flying level at about 135-140 mph with this setup.

Unloading the engine in shallow dives the engine faltered indicating lean, so I set up to land and richen another 200 rpm. Unfortunately, I mis-judged the landing and put it into long grass / rough ground within 2 feet of the mown edge of the grass runway. It caught the gear, stopped the airplane instantly (from 43mph!) and flipped, punching the wheel pants through the wing and busting the gear mount almost out of the fus. I messed-up, no excuse, except the pressure was on, with about three other guys giving advice over my shoulder, at a field I hadn't flown at for a few months. So the Toni is pretty badly bent, and I'm not sure if I want to try fixing it as I know I'll have to add weight doing so. Also, I noticed before the fateful flight that the firewall was starting to get 'flexible'; not affecting the flying (yet) but nevetheless an issue which needed to be fixed.

Maybe I'll get another Little Toni as I do like the shape and the way she flies. Otherwise, maybe an Alley-Cat? My problem is time to build; with a busy job it's difficult to find the time. Is the Alley Cat a true ARF? I know some of you have built them and give good reports. I'll sleep on the idea, lick my wounds and go practice centerline landings with something slower!

For me, the point of the exercise was definitive speed and rpm measurement and I'm happy I got both. The electronics will go into my turbine Eurosport build, but maybe not before I use it another fast prop plane. Besides, I need something for this wonderul motor!

Cheers, Andy