Originally Posted by
Dean Bird
The recommended CG range is 100mm - 120mm behind the leading edge at the wing tip. I flew the maiden flight and the first 14 flights with the CG behind the recommended range because the receiver batteries were mounted on the tank tray. I was about halfway through the set up steps at this CG.
The CG range is very forgiving. The plane flew great with the CG well behind the recommended range. It wasn't until I was working on spin entries that I wanted a further forward CG.
With the hardware mounted where you've seen (receiver batteries at the top right of the motor dome) the CG is at 120mm behind the leading edge at the wing tip.
The maiden flight was uneventful. The wind was blowing 8 - 10 mph in a direct crosswind. The positive tailwheel steering had no issues in the strong crosswind.
The 3rd flight of the day was the first vertical upline. The engine starting cutting out at full throttle. When I was defueling after that flight it was drawing a lot of air. I was thinking the engine was drawing air at full throttle. The fuel tubing is very large.
I went back to all the connections and put double wire wraps on each connection. That solved the problem.
The landing on the 3rd flight of the day ended up side loading the Pilot RC wheel and breaking the plastic hub.
The Dubro 3/16" axle is too small for the wheel, so I can't blame it on the wheel. I replaced the tires with the slightly heavier Dubro wheels. The 41.75 pound weight shown for the plane includes the heavier Dubro wheels.