Brian,

An observation for what its worth.

The TS Composites Oxalys that I flew at this year's Triple Crown had the CG fairly far forward - at around 28% MAC. It was good to fly, but there were some downsides. In PO9, it required a fair amount of correction to fly the 3 Horizontal Rolls (Manoeuvre No 3) and the 4/8 Roll in the Top Hat (Manoeuvre No 5) was also difficult to fly. It was also reluctant to stall cleanly into the 2-Turn Spin (Manoeuvre No 14).

When I built my new TS Oxalys for the 2009 season, I decided to experiment with the CG slightly further back - at around 32% MAC. All of the above manoeuvres became easier to fly. At 32% MAC, I don't believe that the CG is too far back as the model still tucks slightly to the canopy on Right Rudder Knife Edge - requiring a small amount of R to DE mix to rectify.

I have heard it said that you can't have the CG too far forward on a pattern model. However given the choice, I would much rather fly the TS Oxalys at 32% MAC than at 28% MAC.

Other airframes may well be different.

Regards

Bob