Bryan would tell you further forward than me...but I run around at 28-30% MAC or thereabouts. I like the way the plane feels there. I have tried it between 25-28%, and although it was VERY locked in and had almost zero mixing issues whatsoever, it just felt sluggish to me without a LOT more control throw. Digging the nose a little harder in rolls was the one thing that I never really got used to. We're only talking maybe a small "bump", but it's so much easier with the CG back just a touch from there. Not WAY back, and still a lot further forward tham most, just not as far as some others run thiers.

The other thing is the spin breaks. The further forward your CG, the harder it drops into a spin. One slight problem: the rules say you need to have a simultaneous rotation of the wings with the break. If your plane is set up darned near perfectly trimmed, that ain't gonna happen. It's going to drop like a rock...straight down. I used to try and compensate for this by leading with a little more rudder, but...that can bite you hard in certain conditions. Only speaking for my own plane, somewhere around 30% seems to be the sweet spot where I have darned near nothing in the way of mix, but the plane doesn't dig and need quite so much throw to do the snaps and spins on one throw condition.

heck I could be and probably am "wrong" to a lot of folks, I just know what I like to feel, and it's not always the same thing as others like all the time. And with this I also have to say that a few months from now my answer may be different still LOL

truth is I haven't been flying masters and/or FAI for years and years, but I have been designing for a long time now. I can tell you one thing that I think is probably more true than not: An intermediate level pilot is NOT doing himself any favors by using an FAI set up. A top level set up is hot by nature and not quite as easy for the beginner/intermediate to do the necessary line/radius/roll work. By the time you get to FAI it's pretty much second nature. But if you're still working on it all, you need to be very critical of what YOU need the plane to do. my answer in October is not the same as my answer in June. in June, don't make any drastic changes, because it's probaly too late unless you're at the bottom of the pack and have very little to "lose". This time of year? Set up hotter and above what you need and fly it that way. Start tuning it in to your skills at the first of the year, then go after that last couple of polish points.

it's a learning curve and the best use of practice time is by pushing yourself to your limits. Otherwise just sport fly and forget all this competition stuff [8D] LOL

-Mike