RE: Reaction 54 Jet Kit
Did the maiden flight on my Reaction today. It was not as snowy as WI but was sure windy and cold (38 degrees when I got there and 44 when I left). It was blowing 6-10 mph right down the runway, gusting to 15. The club had their annual Polar Bear event so I flew my electric Formosa and my Big Boomer. Enjoyed the friendship and had some hot chocolate and cookies waiting for the event to wind down. The club has a lot of guys that fly the SE-5a and it was fun to see them chase the helium filled balloons. Then a little after noon, most of the guys decided they would rather watch football in a warm house rather than be out in the cold.
I did the range check when I first got there and it was solid out to 200 ft (7" ant length). Then I did the turbine running range check after everyone left and it was solid to the same spot. So I pointed it into the wind and the rest is history. It flew just like all the others I have flown. I found I have to reduce the takeoff flaps and once the flaps were up, had to dial in some down elevator. It also took a few clicks of left aileron but was right on the rails. Because it was so windy, landing was without flaps with a couple clicks of power and it was perfect. What a fun airframe.
On the way home, I decided to take the ferry. I took a picture of the Cascade mountains off the bow of the ferry with the snow down to about 700ft. We have had 15ft of snow at Snoqualmie (one of the local passes) in the past 3 weeks so we were fortunate to have a great day today.
Roy