John, with most of the AV8R's coming in between 13 and 14 pounds (mine is 16.5 pounds wet)... they do indeed slow down and land easily.

Here is something I was given when I built mine. Its from Dean Wichmann at RC Helijet. He built one of the early kits here in Canada.




"Just thought that I would give you a brief overview on the flight characteristic of the AV8R off of grass. First off, make sure you have a good solid nose wheel - 3 inch or more and strut / wire assembly. Make sure the steering is really solid and tight and go with no more than 5 degrees in either direction. The aluminum spring main gear works very well with 3 1/4 inch wheels and up. Don't be shy here as the larger the tire the better off of grass. For those flying off of short grass runways, brakes are a good idea for a couple of reasons. Firstly, you can run the engine up then release for faster acceleration and secondly, if you get into trouble, you will be able to power down and brake in a hurry. Great if you land a little long.

Set the throws per the manual - they are well within the ball park. My aircraft came out at 15 1/2 lbs C.G as per the directions. I balanced mine with the UAT ( hopper ) tank full as I never expect to empty it. Use only the 50 oz tank it will be ample enough for a 7 1/2 - 8 minute flight. Oh, extend the top hatch forward a bit as well. This will give you better access to the front compartment where the battery pack etc is located.

O.K. back to the flying part. NOW THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT! USE THE TAKE OFF FLAP POSITON NOTED IN THE MANUAL - IT SUBSTANTIALLY REDUCES THE SPEED AND DISTANCE REQUIRED FOR TAKE OFF. Apply full brakes, go only to 1/2 throttle for now. Release brakes and as she starts to roll rapidly go to full power ( say within the first 50 ft ). I have found this method to allow for straighter, easier takeoffs. As the engine does sit higher on the thrust line - even with the built in down thrust there is a slight tendancy to push the nose down a little on rapid acceleration. This is not nearly as noticeable as on the Kangaroo with larger engines but I feel that the steering is easier if you ease in full power. On grass you may not notice it as much. On pavement it is more pronounced. Some guys are using a gyro on the nose but I am not and do not plan on it.

You will find that the aircraft has no tendency to leap off of the ground and in fact about 1/2 back pressure will be needed to attain lift off. At the field ( 4000 ft msl 23 C ) that I fly off of I can get her off in 65 - 70 paces using the above method. Interestingly, it is very stable in roll on take off with the flaps in take off postion so don't worry about becoming airborne prematurly - it will fly when it is ready. Once airborne, relax a little on the elevator and contiunue with full power until ready to turn downwind. As soon as you make the turn retract the flaps. Expect the aircraft nose to pitch DOWN a little. This is normal and trim for normal flight.

She flys very well with no expo on roll and 10% on elevator but adjust to your taste. She does very, very nice rolls but don't get carried away as it is capable of a very, very fast roll rate. Go slow at first and get used to it. Loops are really staright forward. Apply full throttle and haul back - she will do a very nice big loop if you wish. Inverted flight is one of the best of all the jets I have ever flown. Only very little down pressure is needed for sustained inverted flight - turns etc. Quite surprising given the shoulder wing design! The aircraft is also very stable in this configuration probably due to all the mass hanging below. Slow flight is where this design really shines. Reduce power and slow down to where the plane just begins to descend despite pulling back on elevator. This is the sweet spot. Add just a little more power and you can happily cruise around at this setting. I found that the AV8R likes this configuration more so than with take off flap slow flight as the drag induced in turns causes the nose to drop a bit more and you have to be more on top of the elevator. The difference in speed is marginal anyway so I go with stability here. A word of caution - use smooth inputs with this bird - if you get overly aggressive on the sticks there is a tendancy for the fuse to wiggle. When this begins to happen simply let go of the controls and she will settle down. I think this may be due to the twin fin / high thrust engine design - At any rate, the aircraft will give you ample warning if you get the speed to low and control input too rapid. Simply speed up and relax a little on the sticks. Rudder control is quite effective and useful in crosswind conditions but I would not exceed a 5 knot ( 8 mph ) crosswind component as the twin fins really do push the plane around and A LOT of rudder input is needed to straighten out. Unless you have a lot of experience here, practice your first dozen or so flights with sraight down the runway winds.

O.K. last part - the landing. Here is where guys tend to screw up because this is the most stressful part of flying and they want to get it done and over with. In fact. this is time that you have to be most patient and take your time. When the timer goes off prepare to do AT LEAST TWO nice square practice circuits in landing preparation. Why??? First off this gets you into the low and slow mode and allows you some time to get the aircraft into a nice, controlled circuit. This is also good practice for when you move up to heavier, retract, flap / speed brake equipped jets where you need time to set up all the parameters. When you are ready to initiate landing, drop the flaps to full down position ( approximately 3/8 "automatic down elevator should be programmed in ) Keep the plane in level flight by adding power. You will note that the AV8R will become very stable in flight. Start your downwind leg in this configuration - once you pass infront of yourself and at a point 45 degrees to your left or right ( depending on the circuit ) begin pulling back on the power and initiate a DESCENDING base leg turn. By the time you are final you should be all the way off on power and begin leveling off the aircraft. Begin flare and you will note how rapidly the aircraft bleeds off speed - keep the nose up and continue to flare for a landing. The flaps are very effective inducing drag thus steepening the descent rate. This makes it easier for the pilot to pin point the landing zone which is what we want. Floater designs are tougher to land consistantly as they are more unpredicable given a variety of ambient conditions ( ie temp, wind, )

So there you have it. The AV8R overall - out of the box ( price, performance, design ) is about as close to a true grass field jet trainer that I have flown. It is kinda A10 Warthogish which may turn off some but it does grow on you. It is also one tough cookie.

Best of Luck to you
Dean Wichmann"