Finally maidened the Gee Bee today. Wow!
This one is set up with a Moki 250 and 32X14 prop. We started the engine and got it warmed up and did all the usual preflight checks. All was good to go. I did some taxi tests to get a feel for things and all checked out.
The field had a slight crosswind component with winds variable up to about 10mph. This is a 700+ft grass runway about 100ft wide. I was concerned with the wind and we waited for a while to see if it would turn and line up. Eventually it did by the end of the flight on landing. Going left to right I lined up for a slight diagonal take off into the wind, from near to far. All looked good, felt good, so I cleared out the engine and began to power up and roll out. Adding power and right rudder the tail came up quickly and I let the speed build on the mains. I was concered about the small rudder and short character of the plane but once the power is applied the plane just planted itself and tracked very well.
I pulled back gradually and from my point of view the take of distance was moderate but the guys said it seemed like less than 100ft. That seemed like a short estimate to me but I cant verify it. It didnt take long and I had the power at about 50%.
Climb out was uneventfull and no roll trim needed. I needed a lot of up trim and eventually I used all of the up trim but still required a slight amount by hand.
I have throttle and rudder mix programmed based on the manual suggestion and for sure this plane needs it. I added right rudder trim and did the rest by hand.
In flight I never pushed high speed or high G's just some basic flying, a roll, and two stall tests. The stock aileron throws are just fine the roll rate is good. The elevator can use another 10% up throw I believe.
Due to the molded in rudder fin compensation it takes some getting use to and you do fly the rudder carefully especially in right turns. This is where we're going to do some fine tuning in the rudder mix.
Finally the feared landing approach practice was next. My first pass was fast and low to get an idea of what to expect. The plane is very stable and straight forward to handle. Next pass I came in slower and lower then touched down and took off again, again no problem the engine came up on power gradually as commanded and the plane was stable as it flew past and away. The last approach was lower still and slower than before. The wind cooperated and lined up with the runway as onlookers called out the sock position at zero for me. I still favored the closer in approach and aimed at touching down near my position because I had walked down to the southern most side of the runway to give me more run out. The Gee Bee touched down with a small hop and I corrected then it settled in and rolled out about 400ft to a stop. I used full rudder left and right to keep it on the center of the runway with no problems. The struts soaked up the bumps and roughness of the runway. I shut it down in place and took a deep breath!
Fine tuning tips;
The elevators were initially trimmed so that the mold seams are lined up with the stab seams. This was the zero position for initial flight. As a result the plane in flight needs more up elevator to fly level. The CG was set to the manual recommended position and flown with a full tank of gas. Some minor CG adjustment and a slight increase in up throw will help.
The two Jesus bolts that are under the belly and tie the cables to the fuse from the gear are going to get a plate set inside and out. This will distribute the load across the plates not into the blind nuts and wood so much.
The servo mounts are bolted into the fuse skin per the manual and this just wont do. The skin is a composite of foam and fiberglass and compresses when the bolts are tightened. This will ultimately fail as the composite disintegrates. This will be redesigned and still serviceable.
So in the end it was more intimidating to appraoch this plane and fly it than the reality of flying it. You just have to go for it basically. Im very satisfied with the maiden flight and happy to bring it home complete. Amazing plane and more amazing Moki engine!