Well, I finally madiened today!

It was a long journey for me and the plane... I went through many issues (mostly engine) that kept me from getting airborne. With the help of the RCU Saito threads I finally got going. WOW! What a plane! I had a blast... weather was picture perfect today - temps. in the mid 70's, winds around 8-10 MPH. After a couple rough moments (again) with the Saito .91 things finally got purring the way they should.

First flight was totally uneventful. 1 click of trim on both the elevator and ailerons and things were straight and level. Low rates are very predictable... high rates are a bit much, especially on the rolls and snaps, but I think that's more me than anything else. For now, I've dialed the throws on high down a bit, maybe 15% on each surface.

The power on the .91 is just obscene! Vertical is like a rocket with a 14x7 APC. I typically spend most of my time around 1/4 to 1/3 throttle. Hovers (while sloppy - again my fault) were well below half throttle. The Saito already feels like it's breaking in well with just a half gallon of fuel. I can already easily idle around 2100 / 2200 rpm and let it dip below 2000, but it starts getting rough there. I needed to get a 1.8 size starter and everything fell into place after that.

Now for the bad news...

1. Carrying the plane to the flight line (how I did it with my trainer) I managed to break one of the spars running down the turtle neck when a small gust of wind got under the right side wing. The spar was resting against the bottom of my right arm and just gave way really quickly. Didnt seem like much force to break it at all, but things happen. The Monokote had a 1/4" tear in it as well, but the damage wasn't enough to make me quit for the day - it happened at the begining of my 2nd flight and didn't seem critical or structural.

2. An accidental harrier landing on my 5th flight (it seemed to float forever and then just DROP) from about 4' put a big enough nick in the APC to warrant me trashing it, but everything else seems fine aside from some scratched monokote on the wing tip. Gear was OK - nothing rattling or loose.


Man, I can't believe how much work I put into this ARF getting it airborne! I'm sure the experienced I've gained will make others easier. In one day I managed to cause more damage than I did in four months with my trainer... LOL. I better pickup a backup U-Can-Do shortly. Positive notes are that in 5 flights I've already done things my trainer couldn't even think of. And I've learned some good repair skills!

Pictures show the bracing / repair to the spar. The new "trim" I've added to wing is to compensate for my harrier landing and the subsequent abrasions.

- Wayne