Originally Posted by
jester_s1
Trike gear is easier to ground handle with. When the plane is slowing down (as it will be often on a bumpy surface) the weight transfers forward. So that puts more traction onto the wheel that is steering you with a trike. That's why cars are all built with the steering tires in the front. A taildragger will save you a little bit of weight and can make engineering the front end easier. Given the terrain you'll have to taxi on, you might consider using a servo saver for the front tire. A metal gear servo might not be a bad idea either.
I agree that tricycle landing gear will make the taxi mission easier but how does the weight compare vs conventional landing gear in terms of weight for the same sized aircraft?
Originally Posted by
jester_s1
On the test flight, it looks like you've moved the wing back some. The tail moment is so short on the plane that stability is going to suffer. If you guys will use the Cunningham specs for your overall plan, I think you'll be much happier with your results. If the tail moment has to be that short, have a look at the Sig Wonder to see what kind of horizontal stabilizer area is needed to keep the plane stable.
This is true, and I was not happy with the reasoning behind the moving of the wing and also believe it affecting the plane. The esc was damaged so the wing could not be tested after being moved up. I have set up additional checks before further test flights to make sure the plane follows historical data.