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Old 02-09-2005 | 09:33 PM
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MikeEast
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From: Nederland, TX
Default RE: wing tips!

Oh gosh, virginian,,, the UCD would be the LAST plane I would want to copy for knife edge, it has the worst coupling problem I have ever experienced. I couldnt mix the coupling out, I didnt have enough elevator throw. []

Im not trying to be condescending at all but it may sound like it.. Im going to share my personal experience with wingrock. I found that wingrock is something that I can handle with a good aileron setup and the right amount of expo on any plane. All of the planes I have flown with the exception of foamies all wingrock a good bit. My 30% Edge being the worst of them all...

BUT with a lot of practice and tweeking my setup I can fly with absolutely NO wingrock whatsoever with the exact same plane I started with that wingrocked uncontrollably. Difference is that I can stop the wingrock with the sticks now. You could watch me do an elevator maneuver and you would think that the Lanier Edge was the most stable airframe you had ever seen. But the truth is its the most wingrocking son of a gun that has ever been built. As the plane is descending in an elevator I am constantly watching the plane and making proactive control inputs to stop the rock before it ever starts. My aileron and rudder sticks are moving wildly but the Airplane is descending like its on vertical rails. Same thing with a harrier. Its like hovering, its takes a lot of stick time to really get good at it. Light wingloading will help but ultimately you have to learn to fly the plane. My buddy has a 35% Carden and he has the same thing... IT wingrocks like crazy if you let it, but wacthing him fly you would think it had no tendency to rock at all...

My point is that I am beginning to think that most if not all airframes have a goodbit of wingrock inherently in high alpha attitude but good pilots are always several steps ahead of the airplane,,, stopping a problem before it ever starts. So if you want a plane that has zero wingrock either get a foamy or work on perfecting lateral balance, cg and setting up geometrically correct servo setups so everything is moving as it should and then practice practice practice until the wingrock goes away.