Now that I have 50 flights on the plane, does it have the world class flight capabilities I was looking for?
ABSOLUTELY!!
I've judged the Invitational class at the Tucson Shootout for several years. I always liked how assertive the transition from a line, to a radius, and back to a line looked for those pilots. This plane, with this set up, does that. It locks on the line, flies a smooth radius, and aggressively stops on the exit line and holds it. That looks so cool to me. I've shown other pilots on a calm day that I can fly from one end of the field to the other without touching the sticks. The plane just stays on that line. I love they way it flies. It is so much fun!!
I hit my target weight range that is in the "sweet spot" for IMAC style competition. The upline power with the DA-200 is actually a little too strong. I'm going to be putting a 3-blade prop on to reduce the noise and, hopefully, get a slightly slower upline.
The aileron authority is incredible on this plane. That makes for awesome snap rolls. I showed another pilot how the snap roll stops the instant I get the sticks back to the center. It's so consistent. I'm looking forward to practicing and improving my ability to "see" when to get the sticks back to center. I know the snap is going to stop as soon as I do. Now it's up to me.
