John,

I'm sorry to hear about the A-7. Lots of rudder combined with cross-wind can be a recipe for difficulty. It took me a while to figure that one out myself. However, I've since toned down the rudder considerably on mine (at Brian's recommendation) and the airplane is much more manageable in adverse wind conditions. Also, taking off without flaps has helped improve takeoffs dramatically (also at Brian's recommendation) in these conditions too. I've found that it also helps keep the wing tips from lifting during the takeoff ground run in a crosswind. A few years ago, I converted my original mw-44 powered A-7 to 90mm EDF and she's still going strong! Here are a couple shots from our Warbirds and Classics event this past weekend.




Kris,

If it's helpful, here's video of my A-7 that was taken around 2008 when it still had the MW-44 in it. At the time, I was using flaps for takeoff and you can see the airplane wheel barrow prior to lift off. As Brian mentioned, the airplane likes to cruise with a decent amount of speed. As it slows down, the wings can wag a bit, but the key is to not try and correct it. If you're using a multi-axis gyro, then I don't expect you will see that at all. CG the airplane by lifting it with your finger tips at the LE sawtooth, that is THE best way to CG the airplane (don't bother with using the measurement shown on the drawing in the instructions). Lastly, regarding rudder throw, I have mine set at about 3/8" travel, I don't recommend any more than that, otherwise elsewhere I'm using all the same recommendations for throws that are in the instructions. Let me know if there's anything I can do to help!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xcXLeOcB00A