Bob Cat XL @ 19.5 lbs / Monocoted flying surfaces!!
Rcpete,
Just flew the maiden flight on my Bob Cat yesterday evening, OAT was 75 degrees, wind about 12 mph gusting to 15 out of the Southwest. Our field here in Denver is at 5600 MSL, I would guess a density altitude of about 7000 feet MSL,. Runway heading for this flight was West. (Quartering cross wind)
The "weight" of my Bob Cat XL would be slightly less than 19lbs, but I have incorporated the "Rat Trap" for near perfect on board generated RF suppression. The clean baseline range of the 10X modules that I am using is 2800 feet (full antenna check). Turbine operating at full power the range is reduced to 2650 feet, ruffly 1/2 mile! I am using the newest Jet Cat software and ECU, version 4.0/d. The only RF noise I am noticing now is from the fuel pump itself, and that is easily controllable by receiver antenna placement. The new Jet Cat ECU & software is a great improvement, generating less RFI over what some of the earlier ECU's were producing. The Traps box only weighs a couple of oz, but the fully double shielded set of cables add another 6 to 7 oz. The Rat Trap was designed for the earlier ECU's, but helps with the last remaining RFI generator the fuel pump.
The Bob Cat handles nicely, I didn't notice any weight factors at all. "Do not over control the ailerons, they are very effective." Make sure you allow yourself some exponential to desensitize the centering!
I had the airspeed pitot control set but never let it unwind to engage it. The setting was 250 kilometers or about 155mph. I did one vertical climb in which I opened up the P-120 but I quit long before I any vertical speed was lost!
The flight lasted until my countdown timer on my radio went off at 8 minutes. I was trimming out the three Mode settings which include (flaperons) with small flap movements 8% and 12% respectively, not needed with the Bob Cat, but I am using the modes so I will be able to trim out my testing of Crow or Butter flying of the Rudders. The use of mode will allow re-triming automatically!! I didn't get that far during the first flight but will in the next couple of flights.
The fact is I was having so much fun I wasn't ready for the timer. so I dumped the Bob Cat toward the runway threshold just like a potential dead stick landing, came across the numbers a little hot. I wasn't sure how much fuel was remaining in the tanks! (Upon inspection I had 1/2 of the 24oz aux tank Plus the UAT remaining or about 16oz not all burnable of course!)
The touch down was at about the 1/4 runway point and I was turning around for taxi back, at about 3/4 runway point. Our east / west runway at Chatfield Aerodrome, South of Denver is 700 feet in length. I was delighted to see the airspeed bleed off nicely even though I didn't raise the nose on approach, like I expect to normally. I didn't raise the nose until flair out. The wing on the Bob Cat has enough drag to be controllable similar to some our bigger sport prop jobs. The gear doors also do a job, I'm sure!
This bird will move make no mistake about that, I think the 175mph speed limit BV has required is conservative easily obtainable with the higher thrust turbines. I actually am going to back the pitot speed limiter down to close to what BV wants for the next few flights. He recommends 120mph for the first 10 flights or so, a good safe idea!! Checking the hinging and control surfaces carefully ----------
Lee H. DeMary
AMA 36099