samsdad

Hey all,

I need a little assurance/ advice from all of you. I will be ready to maiden my new mid star that I built this winter next weekend. I have been flying for 3 years now. I learned to fly with an Avistar. then I built a 4* 40 last winter and flew it most of the summer until I augered it into the dirt. I was very comfortable with the 4* and had no problems at all. As I said I flew it for the majority of the season with no problems. I was talking with my father in-law yesterday, and he told me that he thought the mid star would be "too much plane for me to handle" I happen to disagree with him seeing as how I could wring out my 4* quite nicely. My question is is the mid star that different from the 4* as far as its flying characteristics go? I have a super tiger .40 in it, so it should not too wild. Should I hang it up for awhile and go with another 4*? Let me know. Thanks!

donkey doctor

Hello; I have built and flown 3 Mid-stars, wonderful planes. I prefer their flying abilities to the four star series. Mine had an OS 40FP, a Saito 45 then a Saito 50 in the last one, it now has an Enya 46 4stroke in it. the Mid star 40 is a very versatile plane, no surprises, but it will knife edge with the best. I prefer tail draggers, and built them all that way. If you can handle the 4 star, you won't have any problems with the mid-star.

MinnFlyer

My Feedback: (4)

If you were good with a 4*, you won't have any problems with a Mid*

samsdad

Thanks guys! I really don't think I'll have a problem with it either, but when the father in-law speaks up I figure I'd better listen!

XTOL

If you can handle a 4 Star then the Midstar will be no problem.
They have basically the same wing and both were designed
by Bruce Tharpe.

IMO the Midstar is a better plane. It doesnt have some
of the bad habits the 4 Star has like bouncing on landing
and tending to float forever on approach. And you can
build either as tail dragger or a trike. I prefer the tail dragger.

The 4 Star flies a little faster and has a slighlty better
roll rate. Other than that they are about the same.

Mine has a TT46 Pro on it and I use it as an advanced
trainer for the student pilots I train.

Mike Hammer

Bruno Stachel

My Feedback: (4)

What these guys said. And if you're still not sure of yourself, let a more experienced guy at the field check out your setup and balance. Then take it up for a check ride (if possible, with you on a buddy box). Maybe that's what your father-in-law is fishing for.

samsdad

Bruno,

Maybe he is itching for a free ride with it. I think I'll deny him of it

XTOL,

In my opinion, there's no sense building it if it can't be a taildragger.

If this flies anything like my 4* did, this summer should be a lot of fun!

GarySS

My Feedback: (13)

If your Midstar is balanced per specifications for/aft and laterally and your control throws are also within guidelines you should be OK on your first flight. Another tip would be to use a Robart incidence meter to get your ailerons as close to each other as possible. Do it with the radio turned on. Good luck.

XTOL

I'll go along with that. One thing...ditch the stock tail wheel
arrangement and replace with a Sullivan. The stock tail
wheel wire will break in short order. Other than that its
fine built stock.

I can make the nicest softest 3 point landings with mine
you have ever see. Always a crowd pleaser...

Now I want to drag mine out and fly it again. Only
problem its raining and sleeting and freezing rain here
in Illinois. Argh...

Mike Hammer

samsdad

Mike,

I used the Sullivan tailwheel on this one. I made the mistake of using the stock tailwheel on my old 4*. I'll never do that again. I hear ya on the crappy weather. It's been pretty cold and windy here. I have gotten the chance to take up the old trainer a few times so far this year though.

Flylow

My Mid Star didn't last too long. It may have been my lack of flying skills at the time, but I think it was because one of my solder joints on the ailerons came loose. Went straight to an Ultra Stick 40 and flew with no problems for about a year.

Flyboy1958

My Feedback: (1)

I have a question, what are the throws you are using on the three control surfaces of the Mid-Star 40? I have one and haven't flown it in a while and can't find my instruction manual.

Flylow

I think I still have the instructions. Will look when I get home from work and post the info.

Just went through my saved stuff and I don't have the Mid-Star book. Don't remember why I tossed it but still have the one from my LT-40 kit. Samsdad is getting ready to maiden so I'll bet he has the book.

Bruno Stachel

My Feedback: (4)

Flyboy1958,

The manual suggests these throws for testing. No other measurements are given.

Elevator - 1/2" Up, 1/2" Down
Rudder - 1" Left, 1" Right
Ailerons - 3/8" Up, 5/16" Down

I could never find the CG in the manual. But it's indicated on the plans between 2 3/4" and 3 1/8" from the leading edge.

Hope it helps.

Flyboy1958

My Feedback: (1)

Thanks guys, helps a lot.

XTOL

One thing to watch out for...You CAN get too much elevator
throw on the Midstar. During my first season of solo flying on the
Midstar I would bump up the throws a little on each outing.

I got to the point that it would snap out of a loop. Of course
a snap in a Midstar is pretty mild. It was pretty much just
a roll out at the top of the loop. I didnt know what was
occurring so I got my instructor to fly it once to check it out.
He said it was fine. Just too much elevator. Toned down
the throw a bit and it was fine. Unexpected snaps are pretty
exciting for a new pilot.

All the other controls you can pretty much get away with
all the throw you can get get.

Mike Hammer

fokker20planes

I have many, many old RCM's and EVERY Sig advertisement says the mid star is the perfect second plane! Fly with confidence if you have that much stick time on your 4*. Sometimes thats 99% of what it takes to fly a new plane!

XTOL

It can also be the perfect FIRST plane if you have a good instructor.
Such was my case. I had an excellent instructor and we used my
Midstar as a trainer. Its a plane you wont so easily get bored
with or outgrow so fast as with a typical trainer.

I still have mine and its still enjoyable to fly. Now that Im
a designated flying instructor for our club I plan on using
the old Midstar for advanced training flights.

Mike Hammer

samsdad

Well guys, I took her out for the maiden on saturday. I got the Super Tiger .40 purring along nicely and taxied it around for awhile to get the feel for it on the ground. Once I got comfortable with that, I lined her up into the wind and let her rip. She traked nice and straight with minimal rudder input once the tailwheel left the pavement. She climbed out so nicely, I hardly had to touch the sticks! Once I did have to give it 2 clicks to the right aileron and three clicks up on the elevator. I just flew circuts for a few minutes to get comfy with it and then I did a couple rolls. I noticed that the roll rate is rather slow. Loops are no problems though. By then the sun was stating to get pretty low, so I brought her down for a landing. This is where this plane shines! She came down real nice. It didn't float nearly as bad as the 4*. She taouched the runway and rolled out perfectly! This is a very nice plane that I feel very comfortable with. I have since added more throw to the ailerons and plane on seeing what she'll do next weekend. Thanks for the advice everyone!

Flyboy1958

My Feedback: (1)

It's still one of my favorite planes as well, a real nice flyer.

XTOL

Glad to hear you had a successful maiden flight...
Yes the roll rate on the Midstar is a bit low. Its got
a lot of wing. You can up the aileron deflection and that
will help some. But its adequate for the type of flying
it was designed for. I considered clipping the wing
on mine but decided against it.

The Midstar is also excellent for learning rudder
coordinated turns. You will notice that the tail
tends to hang a bit low in the turns. Just add
a bit of rudder to kick the tail out a bit and
you can make nice pretty turns.

Mike Hammer