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Old 07-29-2012 | 08:29 PM
  #7  
jester_s1
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Joined: Dec 2006
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From: Fort Worth, TX
Default RE: How much downthrust is right?

For what it's worth, you don't adjust your CG to fix trim changes. CG is all about getting the best handling characteristics for your plane and is the first adjustment to do once you're trimmed for straight and level flight. On a high lift floater like the Slow Stick, get to cruising speed and then cut the throttle. Don't touch the elevator while you watch for the next few seconds what happens. If the nose drops immediately, you're nose heavy. If the plane continues on for a few seconds before gently dropping the nose, you're good. If the plane continues on and the nose rises slightly just before a fast nose down descent you're tail heavy. Get the CG right first and trim for straight and level flight, then adjust the down thrust so that you don't get any attitude changes with changes in throttle. One caveat here is that if your thrustline is way off, you'll find that the nose instantly reacts when you cut the throttle, which will mess up your results. If you see that, adjust the thrustline to get it at least close then work on the CG.