Maidened my Habu-32 today, all went well. So, here is my report from a jet novice point of view. I have to say is that this is an easy, fun little plane to fly. Weather today was a little mixed, but much better than it has been out here in San Diego. We had a 10 to 15 mph wind that was mostly cross (blowing in), to the runway. This had me a little concerned since this is my first jet, and I didn't know what to expect. Turns out, the Habu doesn't much care about the wind; it just tracks straight, and even crabs nicely on landing.
My setup and
control throws, are exactly as suggest in the manual. They work very well. I suggest everyone start there. I set mid flaps and mid rates for the maiden take off. Our field has a clay surface, so is a little rough after the recent rains. Still, the Habu tracked well, took off in about 200 feet, and climbed out with authority. I put the gear and flaps up, switched to low rates, and began to trim the plane. It took two clicks of down, three clicks of right, and the plane was trimmed out.
I was a little concerned about the differences from what I am used to in flying a jet. However, this plane is very easy to fly, and I was quickly comfortable. The manual says for advanced pilots, but I think any solid intermediate pilot should do very well with it. As Tony F. previously said, it has no bad habits. I flew four flight with the Habu today, and by the end of it I was comfortable enough to do 4 and 8 point rolls, slow rolls that took the length of the field, knife edge passes (coupling here, will mix later), and inverted flight. I even got half way around a rolling circle before the plane got too small and I chickened out. I will get to them soon though. I found that I actually preferred to fly on mid rates even at speed. Maybe it is just because I like the extra rudder throws. I will be turning up the rudder on low rates.
After seeing the videos, and other jet pilots having so much trouble with landing, I was expecting it to be much more difficult. However, with throttle management this jet just settles in nice and easy. No tendency to tip stall, and a nice comfortable pace. I started landing on high flaps, and mid rates as suggested in the manual. By the last flight I found I liked mid flaps, and high rates better on landing. This could be the result of the higher winds today. I will probably use full flaps in light winds. I did have one flight where the nose gear did not come down (loose connector, my bad). Between the wind, and the high rates, I was able slow the plane way down, and set it gently on the mains. It was going so slow when the nose finally touched that it only got a small scuff mark under the nose. It just scuffed the paint, and was easily covered up with a black sharpie.
I really am not experienced enough to judge speed in MPH, but the plane flew with enough speed to be entertaining, but not scary. That could be because the plane is so well mannered. Verticals were impressive; the plane went up until I pulled it down. For now the speed is enough for me. I think the real adrenaline junkies might want one of the upgraded power packages. I will probably go there some day as well.
I had my timer set on 5 minutes. With the mixed type of flying I was doing, 50% aerobatics to get the feel of the plane, and 50% full speed passes just for fun, the 6S 30C 5000 mAH Blue lipo packs came in nice and cool. I flew for 5 minutes, when the timer alarmed, I did a gear pass, and landed so probably 5 1/2 minutes total. The most I put back in was 3380 mAHs, so six minutes with my flying style will be easy on the packs. This will change as I get more aggressive
.
This was the first Habu-32 to show up at the field. It got lots of positive attention just based on looks, and the quality of the kit. It also has an impressive flying presence. I think HH has done a great job on the Habu-32. I am very happy with my purchase. It is a fun change of pace for me. I am anxious to get more flights on it tomorrow.
Steve
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RE: HABU 32? - 
