Your advice looks like somethings I can try. But I have some questions.
Originally Posted by
tedsander
I flew a tail dragger of this decades ago, and it was very easy. Long time ago, so details are pretty hazy.
1. Check speed's advice about landing gear alignment and freewheeling of the wheels. Even a hint of drag/misalignment on one side, especially on grass, can make things behave poorly. Make sure they do not start to drag if pushed to one side or the other when turning.
I'll check, but they should be ok.
Originally Posted by
tedsander
2. The pushrod note above definitely holds true for this plane. Verify that they don't flex or bow at all, ever, under load.
My push rods are the metal kind guided through a sheath. I don't think they are flexing too much, but I'll check. (The reason why I chose metal is because metal doesn't flex easily.)
Originally Posted by
tedsander
3. From your description, I might suspect over control and PIO (Pilot Induced Oscillation). Can you set up dual rates for the rudder? - use low, with expo, for takeoff. Or just dial back the amount of rudder possible....
I bought this plane to be something easy to fly. I also wanted for using up old radio equipment. My transmitter is an old Futaba 4 channel. It doesn't have dual rates or expo.
Originally Posted by
tedsander
4. Does it really track straight in the air? Fly into the wind, wings level, pull exactly vertical, and chop the throttle. Before speed bleeds off completely, does it want to yaw right or left? Repeat several times to verify that it is the rudder out of trim, and not just an issue with how it entered the vertical. Trim rudder as needed so it no longer yaws in the vertical at idle.
Does this need to be done in the wind? I don't usually fly when it's windy.
Originally Posted by
tedsander
5. Repeat after correcting (if needed) in step 4 but at full power. Does it now yaw one way or the other? If so, engine thrust is off. Don't jump to this step until #4 is correct.
I'll keep this in mind.