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Old 11-01-2010 | 09:38 PM
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hugger-4641
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From: McKenzie, TN
Default RE: Slowing Down to Land

Another hindrance to a good flair and slower landing speed is a nose heavy air plane. Just a few hours ago I helped a new comer to our club balance his Avistar. He had been flying it with the Cg towards the front of the plane because that was how his first instructor set it up for him. Absolutely the right thing to do for a true beginner. But he has a little experience under his belt now, so we moved his battery aft and hence moved his Cg moved aft about 1/2" . Reccomended postion is 3 1/4" from LE and now his CG is about 3 3/8" from LE. He was impressed with how much easier his plane was to fly and land now.

A nose heavy plane tracks straigher and is more stable, so it is best to err towards nose heavy if you are a begginner or you are new to that particular plane. But a nose heavy plane lands at a faster speed and looses elevator authority as you near stall speed and try to flair. Many times this will also contribute to bouncing down the runway during landings. Make sure your CG is within reccomended range for that plane, but it will land slower and flair easier if the CG is slightly into the aft portion of the reccomended range.