Plan CG importance
03-02-2003, 10:12 PM
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Plan CG importance
Hello,
Got a question for anyone whos knows. Friend of mine just got me into RC flying, He gave me the G2 Realflight sim to learn the basics on and so forth. I was leary of the balsa plans and how fragile they were until I found out about SPADS.
Long story short, I showed him after he had just exploaded his cap 232. He was a bit leary about using plastic at first, but once he got the wing formed and saw just how tuff it was he was hooked. Here comes the problem, I shoed him the Qhor and the debonair, he built the DEB but he balanced the plane about 4 inches behind the spar. This of course made it extremly tail heavy. I tried to explane that it need to be at spar and whatnot, but he was convinced that it should be balance at the Wings CG not the planes.
Today we went out for its madien flight, after I tried to convince him to move the wing to get the CG right for about an hour. Finnaly i said try it, the plane took off in about 3 feet, hooked verticle then spun to the right. He managed to fight it up into the air but it was EXTREMLY Elevator sensitive, and was so bad he could let his finger off the stick to trim it. He finnaly said I cant fly it like this, i have to land it after about 30 seconds. Landing was less then gracefull. Landing gear broke away as did the motor mount and front trike. Prop was fine tho
nothing major really just frustrating heh.
Anyway this post is for him mainly, Im almost postive it was hooking so bad due to it being tail heavy and not balance at the spare. And would like confirmation as to wether that is true or not. Just a not, Aerolons where level with Fus as where the elevatrors, and when he did fly in a strait line it was almost hovering, dragging its tail horrid.
So please enlighten us both, I have yet to build one as this was the experiment plane for us both. Hes bumed thinking spads suck, but i know it was builder eroor not the plane.
Got a question for anyone whos knows. Friend of mine just got me into RC flying, He gave me the G2 Realflight sim to learn the basics on and so forth. I was leary of the balsa plans and how fragile they were until I found out about SPADS.
Long story short, I showed him after he had just exploaded his cap 232. He was a bit leary about using plastic at first, but once he got the wing formed and saw just how tuff it was he was hooked. Here comes the problem, I shoed him the Qhor and the debonair, he built the DEB but he balanced the plane about 4 inches behind the spar. This of course made it extremly tail heavy. I tried to explane that it need to be at spar and whatnot, but he was convinced that it should be balance at the Wings CG not the planes.
Today we went out for its madien flight, after I tried to convince him to move the wing to get the CG right for about an hour. Finnaly i said try it, the plane took off in about 3 feet, hooked verticle then spun to the right. He managed to fight it up into the air but it was EXTREMLY Elevator sensitive, and was so bad he could let his finger off the stick to trim it. He finnaly said I cant fly it like this, i have to land it after about 30 seconds. Landing was less then gracefull. Landing gear broke away as did the motor mount and front trike. Prop was fine tho
nothing major really just frustrating heh.Anyway this post is for him mainly, Im almost postive it was hooking so bad due to it being tail heavy and not balance at the spare. And would like confirmation as to wether that is true or not. Just a not, Aerolons where level with Fus as where the elevatrors, and when he did fly in a strait line it was almost hovering, dragging its tail horrid.
So please enlighten us both, I have yet to build one as this was the experiment plane for us both. Hes bumed thinking spads suck, but i know it was builder eroor not the plane.
03-02-2003, 10:35 PM
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Plan CG importance
Welcome to the forum Pinker, also be sure to come and see us all at the SPAD World forum.
well for a start YOU are correct, if he's balanced it behind the spar (did you say 4 INCHES!!!) he's lucky to land it at all, paraphrsing from some thing i saw: nose heavy is bad
, tail heavy is sad :cry: .
the CG should be about 25% - 30% of mean average cord including ailerons.
the CG info for all the SPAD planes is on the build instructions, stick with these and you wont be far wrong.
good luck and have fun
PS if he balanced the CAP the same i'm not surprised it is matchsticks
well for a start YOU are correct, if he's balanced it behind the spar (did you say 4 INCHES!!!) he's lucky to land it at all, paraphrsing from some thing i saw: nose heavy is bad
, tail heavy is sad :cry: .the CG should be about 25% - 30% of mean average cord including ailerons.
the CG info for all the SPAD planes is on the build instructions, stick with these and you wont be far wrong.
good luck and have fun
PS if he balanced the CAP the same i'm not surprised it is matchsticks
03-02-2003, 10:43 PM
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Re: Plan CG importance
Originally posted by N_Pinker
he built the DEB but he balanced the plane about 4 inches behind the spar. This of course made it extremly tail heavy. I tried to explane that it need to be at spar and whatnot, but he was convinced that it should be balance at the Wings CG not the planes.
He should have "Followed the plans" rather than balancing it where "he" thought it should be.
He finnaly said I cant fly it like this, i have to land it after about 30 seconds. Landing was less then gracefull. Landing gear broke away as did the motor mount and front trike. Prop was fine tho nothing major really just frustrating heh.
I'll bet there is a lot less damage on this plane than his last (balsa) one. Probably can have it back in the air in no time.
Anyway this post is for him mainly, Im almost postive it was hooking so bad due to it being tail heavy and not balance at the spare. And would like confirmation as to wether that is true or not.
You are correct, from your description, it sounds like the plane was balanced incorrectly and it is amazing that it flew at all in that condition.
So please enlighten us both, I have yet to build one as this was the experiment plane for us both. Hes bumed thinking spads suck, but i know it was builder eroor not the plane.
After he exploded his cap 232 I'll bet he thought they suck too
At least the damage to the spad is much less costly and time consuming
Repair the plane, following the instructions regarding balanceing it and I believe that you will be very happy with spads.
he built the DEB but he balanced the plane about 4 inches behind the spar. This of course made it extremly tail heavy. I tried to explane that it need to be at spar and whatnot, but he was convinced that it should be balance at the Wings CG not the planes.
He should have "Followed the plans" rather than balancing it where "he" thought it should be.
He finnaly said I cant fly it like this, i have to land it after about 30 seconds. Landing was less then gracefull. Landing gear broke away as did the motor mount and front trike. Prop was fine tho
nothing major really just frustrating heh.I'll bet there is a lot less damage on this plane than his last (balsa) one. Probably can have it back in the air in no time.
Anyway this post is for him mainly, Im almost postive it was hooking so bad due to it being tail heavy and not balance at the spare. And would like confirmation as to wether that is true or not.
You are correct, from your description, it sounds like the plane was balanced incorrectly and it is amazing that it flew at all in that condition.
So please enlighten us both, I have yet to build one as this was the experiment plane for us both. Hes bumed thinking spads suck, but i know it was builder eroor not the plane.
After he exploded his cap 232 I'll bet he thought they suck too
At least the damage to the spad is much less costly and time consuming
Repair the plane, following the instructions regarding balanceing it and I believe that you will be very happy with spads.
03-02-2003, 10:52 PM
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Plan CG importance
he balanced the plane about 4 inches behind the spar.
Move the wing back until the plane balances on the forward spar, and you will have a very sweet flyer.
03-02-2003, 11:10 PM
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Plan CG importance
whay you saw was a direct result of a tail heavy airplane been flying r/c since 1971 and have encountered almost every problem imaginable as an instructer and test pilot this plane would never have been allowed into the air as all new planes at our field need to be pre flighted by an instructor or test pilot.
03-02-2003, 11:26 PM
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Thanks! For the quick replys.
Im confident this will be ab eye opener for him. And i have begun creating my own plane. Gonna try the DEB with a Strait Wing, I really dont like a plane that wants to correct its self, I had a harder time flying the trainer in G2 Then I did the Cap 232 and the Extra 300s.
Oh and Tattoo, aftyer he had taken off there was a point were it rolled strait at me, I jumped out of the way as he got it up again.
Also, we dont fly at a club, its his back yard with a 100yard driveway and 4 acre feild, he is a self taut pilot and i have yet to fly anythong besides the G2 sim. Getting decent at the sim, landing and take offs are EZ now, And i have the wind set different with what conditions are outside. I can even Hover some of the planes, my favorite flyer so far is the Suhoki (SP) I just love how it handles.
Yep I do lurk over at the spadworld forums, tons of info there and has given me alot of ideas. I read about spads and building them day and night. Looking forward to finnaly building and flying one
Im confident this will be ab eye opener for him. And i have begun creating my own plane. Gonna try the DEB with a Strait Wing, I really dont like a plane that wants to correct its self, I had a harder time flying the trainer in G2 Then I did the Cap 232 and the Extra 300s.
Oh and Tattoo, aftyer he had taken off there was a point were it rolled strait at me, I jumped out of the way as he got it up again.
Also, we dont fly at a club, its his back yard with a 100yard driveway and 4 acre feild, he is a self taut pilot and i have yet to fly anythong besides the G2 sim. Getting decent at the sim, landing and take offs are EZ now, And i have the wind set different with what conditions are outside. I can even Hover some of the planes, my favorite flyer so far is the Suhoki (SP) I just love how it handles.
Yep I do lurk over at the spadworld forums, tons of info there and has given me alot of ideas. I read about spads and building them day and night. Looking forward to finnaly building and flying one
