RE: GSP Giles 202
Well, I had 3 flights with the Giles today and it was everything I expected. Wind was about 8- 10 mph straight up the runway - perfect conditions.
First flight I had a dead-stick after about 5 mins, which was my fault as I had the tickover a bit too low for a new engine that's barely run-in. Had plenty of height so took her round in a nice big circuit to lose height, keeping the nose down to aviod a tip-stall. Lined her up with the runway and keeping the nose down until about 6 ft when I started to flair to a very gentle landing.
Second flight - tried a few big loops and checked the roll rate, which was just nice on low rates and fairly brisk, but not rapid, on high rates. As the ailerons are quite small I wasn't really expecting anything startling.
Third flight - few more loops and rolls and tried some knife edging - very easy and the MVVS has enough grunt to climb in knife edge. She tucked slightly to her belly, which I'll mix out for the next flight.
Landings are a very straightforward as long as you keep the speed up.
Couple of observations for those who are contemplating this bird:
1) Make sure you fix the spats securely with a ply backing plate and a couple of screws to stop them rotating. I found out the hard way.
2) The trim on the wings and horizontal stab has started to come off - I guess I should have sealed the edges before attempting to fly. I may try and put some more on but I'm having a real problem trying to match the green colour.
Thats about it for now. Flying the Spit tomorrow but will be back on the Giles next weekend (British weather permitting).
Cheers for now
Pete