RE: Long ez 46 engine mounting question.
I think the OS 46AX I am using is in the 17 ounce range, took right at 5 ounces of lead in the nose to balance.
Well, we tried it today. The weather was perfect, virtually no wind. The weather vane at the club field suggested a slight breeze out of the east, so west to east was the takeoff plan. The 46 fired up and turning the 9X7 3 blade prop it was SCREAMING! This is plenty of power as discerened from the push-o-meter of the left hand holding the nose at wide open throttle.
Taxied a few times, need to increase the throw on the rudder for the nose wheel as it would make a 30' radius circle turn with full rudder.
Taxied to the west end of the runway, lined up, gradually put the coal to it and as it zipped by I thought for sure the canard was just starting to fly by about 200 feet into the takeoff.....rotated at about another 75 feet and as it got airborne it started turning to the right....
Right as in right for the BIG oak trees!
Got out of the throttle to abort the takeoff and it came down on the right side of the nose pretty hard....hard enough to break the canard at the fuselage and rotate it so the inside edge of the elevator crushed into the fuselage when it did a violent horizontal cart wheel. As for the landing gear, bent the nose gear back pretty good, and the mains?
the mains STAYED ON the plane! Absolutely mangled the gear, twisted and bent the right side around and under the fuselage.....but they didn't rip out and take the bottom of the fuse with them, nor did they get into the wings....thats the only damage!
Should be ready to try again in a few hours of repairs.....nothing major. Here's a photo that aint to sporty as I was swift in getting it back to the hangar. Notice the canard and the main gear!
As for the ground clearence, there is plenty. I'm starting to think that the OS 46LA might be the better engine choice than the 46AX for this particular model, as even though the LA doesn't make the power of the AX, it is about 5 or 6 ounces lighter---hence removing the additional lead in the nose might get the canard flying sooner.