73" cap 232
 

I flew my WM cap 232 73" today after a while. Initially i had placed the battery on the fuel tank, but today, i moved it back about 2" n zip tied it to a spar that houses the throttle servo. So, uncertain as to whether a rearward shift of battery will cause any change in CG, i taped about 3 ounces of lead on the nose. My all up wt. is 10.5 lbs with an OS 1.60 running APC 17x8.

this plane has 960 sq.in of wing area, whereas the same size cap-X has about 1050 sqin.

On flight, i felt that the plane had a heavy feel to it. On inverted i had to press the down stick a little more than normal. n on steep banks, i feel that that plane over rotated a bit. Secondly, it tends to drop its nose in hovers. On attempted harriers it again wants to keep a higher airspeed otherwise it falls out of it.why?

is 10.5lbs too heavy for a plane this size?. what shud the best wing loading be for a plane this size to 3D? how do we calculate wing loading?
secondly, why is there a heavy feel to this plane? cud it be that the nose is excessively heavy?

RE: 73" cap 232
 

Your battery should weight ABOUT 5 oz and you moved it to the rear only 2". Then, to compensate, you put a whole 3 oz of lead in the front. I think you moved the CG ALOT to the front and in bonus, you got a heavier plane.

I have a scratch built CAP 232 at 11 lbs with the same wing area as yours and it is not eccessively heavy. In fact, it flies quite good. At least good enough for 2nd place overall in advanced NE region IMAC.

IMO 10.5 lbs is perfect for this size and you more likely have a CG problem than a weight problem.

RE: 73" cap 232
 

My Kangke Cap weighs 12 lb w/ Saito 180. 10.5 oz is VERY GOOD.

RE: 73" cap 232
 

I agree with 3D Joy about the cg issue since i flew it this sunday as well n found that after getting warmed up to the feel of the aircraft i got comfortable with the CG. is it possible that i remove the 3oz. that i added upfront? how will it perform? im scared n dont wanna take a chance without consulting someone well versed with the issue.

3D Joy, what engine are u using on it? i'm using a 17X8 APC n i seem to build up too much airspeed on throttling up n specially on downlines. should i shift to a bigger prop?

Seanychen, how do u like ur cap? what type flying do u generally do? does urs 3D? whats ur setup?

will keep u posted on its future flights. thanks

RE: 73" cap 232
 

I am using a YS 140 DZ with an APC 18x8W on 30% nitro. The aircraft flies fast and high throttle on down lines are NO-NO. Please don't do it, you can tear your plane apart doing this, especially your light plane with good power I guess. You may try the APC 18x6W as it is the prop for the OS 160 FX and Saito 180. This prop on my engine turns too fast [8D].

Hope this helps.

RE: 73" cap 232
 

what about removing the extra 3oz. nose wt? will it be safe?

RE: 73" cap 232
 

That I don't know, how was your CG before you started changing things ? If it was conservative, then you should be OK to remove all the weight at once. To be safe, you can remove only one oz at a time until all is removed...

RE: 73" cap 232
 

my mistake!! i had previously miscalculated the AUW at 10.5 lbs, whereas when i recently weighed with a few fresh modifications, i found that it weighed in at 11.5 lbs. Is that too bad? though the a/c feels good, yet not too light either. what is the best power to load ratio on a plane like this? what do u guys consider the best wingloading in oz/sqft?

RE: 73" cap 232
 

My plane has a wing loading of about 26 or 27 oz/sq. ft. It is not bad actually but taking it down to 24 oz/sq. ft. would be better. As far as power, it is not bad either but I wish I had a 160 DZ with the same prop. Now that would be perfect.