1. On the ground, how fast does a plane need to be going before the rudder will turn it ?
2. How far back from the leading edge should the C of G be on this plane (with an empty tank). I have lost the instructions.
3. I built the plane when I was 15 and in a rush to build it. The film covering looks rough in places and the tail plane is on a slight slope to the fuselage (approx 2 or 3 degrees sag to the right). Will any of these factors have any adverse effects on the plane?
4. Tips on take off and landing.
1. Slow. Try it. Several times, without taking off. The longer you practice taxiing, without taking off, the better you'll be able to deal with in-flight corrections. Make at least ten passes, with the plane approaching you. Get used to which way to pull the stick to make the plane move away from you when it's headed at you - so you can keep it from running into you when landing and taxiing.
2. Balance it on the spar. It's designed that way.
3. Smooth up the surface as best you can. Don't sweat the canted horizontal stab.
4. Get the engine running well. Make sure you can point the prop staight up for 15 seconds without the engine RPM sagging at full throttle. Make sure your control linkages are not loose. Make sure your wing and tailfeathers aren't going to fall off. Same for your landing gear. Know where those trim tabs are, so you can move them a little without looking down at your transmitter. Make sure the transmitter and radio batteries are both charged well. Make a couple trials before you try to fly, so you know that the plane and transmitter will not run out of electricity before 20 minutes or so elapse. Then recharge. Do a range check. If you don't know how, look it up. Taxi into the wind, increase your speed, and the plane should lift off by itself. Be prepared to bring the nose down to level, with the elevator. Be prepared to tilt it up to level, in case it wants to dive. Be prepared to roll the plane level, in case it rolls to one side. Adjust the trims for straight and level flight. Practice making the plane turn away from you when it's headed toward you. To land, line the plane up with your runway, bring it straight toward you, and set it down right in front of you. You know how to make it move away from you, because you've practiced, now do it. Land with the fuselage level and the wings level. With power off, the plane will descend, just keep it moving forward.
Flight simulators are very inexpensive practice, even if you buy the most expensive one availalble.
Good luck,
Dave Olson