skywagn180

Northstar owners, I need some advise. I picked up a twenty year old brick of a Northstar for cheap. It looks to be built without any mods. The previous owner only flew it a few times and couldn't get it to perform well. I took on the challenge to revive it. It is heavy but not unreasonably so. I strapped on a .46 fx with the biggest three blade I could get to clear the wing. I flew it on wheels, and after experimenting with CG all day, I found the sweet spot where wing rock is minimal and stability is at its best...about an inch in front of the step. It flew okay, but not great in my oppinion. I then took the gear off and took it to the water. I have it set up with elevator and elevons. It flies best at all speeds in that configuration. The first flight was on choppy water. It took just a little forward pressure to get on step. Rotation took forever even as the chop was assisting it. Later in the day it would not lift off glassy water at all no matter what I tried. I was finding that as the plane got up on step, or what little there is, the rudder would lose effectiveness. A tip float would then touch and create drag bringing the plane off step and pulling to its respective side. As it came off step I would regain rudder control as the stub below the rudder made contact with the water. The process then started all over again. I realized I needed a longer water rudder first of all. Second on my list was more step on the fuse. I used a broken propeller from the unfortunate guy next to me to fabricate a taped on exaggerated step. That actually was very effective and the aiplane planed at very slow speeds. Unforntunately, as the hull rose further out of the water, the tipping tendency toward the tip floats was exaggerated and directional control was almost impossible at speed. The next issue is that when you do get to flying speed and start to rotate, the back of the tip floats dig in and create instant drag slowing the airplane below flying speed again. I was finally able to bounce the airplane off a small buoy and get it airborne, but it was the sketchiest takeoff I have ever been a part of. I had to regain forward flight from the hover it ended up in. It took some fancy stick movements and even a little body english to pull it off. The crowd went wild and I finally got my five minutes of 90 mph passed out of my system. Landings are a non issue, but could be improved with a v-hull design. I don't want to hurt any feelings here, but knowing what little I know about aerodynamics, hull performance, and float design, I feel like the Northstar is kind of poorly thought out. I think the designer made many mistakes that are causing me and others a lot of problems. I know the fans are going to hate that statement, but I think even they know it is true after reading a bunch of related forums. I do understand that my overweight model is amplifying the issues, but the point is this model is not that out of line for weight and should still fly well for what these kits cost back in the day. If I were building a new one, I would address all of these issues in my build. Here is my list:

1. Poor engine placement/prop clearance.
2. Nose too short/engine too far aft for balanced CG in stock configuration.
3. Hull step too far aft of CG and not pronounced enough.
4. No step on tip floats.
5. No means of directional stability on hull or tip floats (v bottom, strakes, etc.)
6. Not enough water rudder depth.
7. Rudder not large enough.
8. Wing angle of attack to shallow on land and water for reasonable rotation speeds.
9. Ailerons/elevons not large enough.
10. Wing rock and whatever causes it should have been addressed and eliminated aerodynamically.

I know there is a lot of information out there about mods to these things, but it would take forever to get to them all. I will live with all the issues except getting this thing off the water. I would appreciate any and all suggestions both proven and unproven that will help me get this contraption to takeoff from smooth water. However crazy the idea, I'm listening and probably have the tools and materials here to do it. I'm even considering a three point hydofoill system. Obviously the simpler the better though. Thanks for your time and thoughts in advance.