Originally Posted by
1967brutus
Well... the first attempt at a maiden failed due to a combination of freshly mown grass (lots of clippings) and too wet, making those clippings sticky.
What happened is that the grass collected in the swingarm of the nose gear, not only braking the wheel but also compressing the suspension. So the plane did 2 things: not gather much speed, AND the AoA (which on the ground is 3,5 degrees) reduced to about zero...
I need either a dry field or a paved runway.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YN7idEdeIjs
On the upside: the plane tracks straight on the ground without even the slightest tendency to break either left or right, as long as the nose gear is not fully compressed, the suspension makes for a very smooth ride, and apparently the modifications I made to the airflow towards the engine made for good cooling, because the engine never overheated during the take off attempts and also not during the downwind return rides. It never came abouve 125 degC core temperature.
The engine also appears to handle well and fairly reliable.
Pretty happy about that, less happy about the grass issue...
That reminds me of the "little engine that could"
You need a run of short cut artificial turf, and stake it to the ground for a temporary rwy... There's a couple Brothers from Slovenia I believe, that use a run of heavy duty ground underlayment for their rwy, but for some reason the moles are attracted to it and burrow underneath it... probably the warmth and moisture generated by the cover ground attracts the grubs.