ORIGINAL: AA5BY

RJ... I've started work on a Spacewalker. After repairs were finished on an AT-6, a project was needed on the boards. Another was in mind, a scratch built for a longer winter effort but I've been informed that several job site projects are coming up and at my age after a day of construction trades, I'm too tired to build models so decided the scratch build will better suit another time. Perhaps I should get priorities straight and fully retire... but I like staying in the game.

Seemingly everything needed for the build is here except a pitts style muffler. After fitting a Zenoah G-26 ei, it became apparent that a side mounted muffler doesn't clear the cowl.

I'm not a fast builder any more and don't care if ten minutes or several hours a day are expended. I recall those early years of being hell bent to build a project and get it flying... no more of that here.

Interestingly, I've spent a few sessions at the flight simulator getting a feel for the Spacewalker and she floats with the best of them. With no head wind, one has to get low and slow on final unless flying the plane to the runway and that is not my style. I'll do just about anything to avoid giving down elevator on a landing approach. After you get some flight time in, tell me about how the Spacewalker does on those no wind days without any head wind on landings. Any one else with observations?

I might consider rigging the flap switch for spoilerons to kill some lift... then again, the Seagull Spacewalker might not fly like the one in the flight sim.