I was in over my head. That plane is FAST. It flew like a 39" bat chasing moths!

Anyway, I finally maidened my plane today. I had an idea in my mind of how it would fly (mostly from a stabilty and speed standpoint). So I chose a field that I thought was large enough, and it had a paved parking lot to use as a runway. Nobody was around so all was good. The plane took off like a rocket, and climbed like the space shuttle. I quickly flipped to low rates, and it was still extremely hyperactive and fast. So I started to back out the throttle, but it was still hauling butt. I managed to keep it over the field and off the ground, but it covered the boundries of the field in a flash. So I was way overmatched from the start, no question. I finally backed out so much throttle that I realized it was straight and level, but practically hovering (at 5 feet). So I throttled back up fully expecting it to vault forward, but it must have been too late. I think it stalled and nosed over one of the wings. Fortunately, I guess, it was so low at the time. It busted the front of the cowl, the front of the motor mount, and twisted the front gear. Everything else seemed to be fine. So if the motor is still working, I can replace or fix all of those things.

One lesson I learned is that I have gone as far as I can on my own. I need help!. I am going to have to find a club to join. I just need more space to fly in than I can find anyplace in NJ. And I guess it wouldn't hurt to have a buddy link to somebody. I think I could have flown the plane OK, but it just happened too fast for me to keep up. I was not prepared for just how powerful this thing would be.

Another thing that I learned is that at that speed, even low rates are too much. I'm going to set them a fair amount softer for next time.

I must say though that in spite of the "incident", it was very satisfying to fly it. I was very scared to put it in the air, given all of the issues I had with fitment and whatnot during the build. And I guess you always have the nagging feeling that there is no way that this thing can get off the ground and be controlable. Did I get everything lined up right? Is it balanced? Is the twist in the ailerons a problem? Etc. Etc. Etc. It really was amazing to see it roll up to speed. It tracked straight as an arrow, and then I gave it a little elevator and off it went. And it was nice to actually have enough (too much!!) power to fly without having to keep the stick forward to keep from stalling. I think the Cessna will be a truely nice plane to fly once I soften the controls and find a better (bigger!) place to fly. Some moral support from others at the field would help too.

So I guess I am really out of commission until I can line up a club. I don't really have anything else more mellow to fly until then. My Cub is acting up and I think the motor is done. It just isn't making enough thrust to get above about 15 feet.

Well, I wanted to post-up the guys that helped in my build. I must say I am a little ashamed to have to tell this story. I am humbled. But maybe it will be a realatively cheap lesson that brings me to better things in the hobby. Here's a couple before and after shots.

Andy