ORIGINAL: Ali

I have owned 2 Skygate Hawks, and have flown 3 others. I have 3 friends that own them who fly quite often, and then I would guess at having seen maybe another 5-10 fly a ross the world on my travels. The only time I have ever seen an issue with the rudder was on the prototype model when it was first released at the jet masters. That issue was a result of the rudder servo failing and causing flutter in the entire fin. I know as I watched Stephen Volker replace the servo on more than one occasion, go out and do another flight. Only for the same result. Half way through the flight as the rudder was loaded the servo or something in the servo set up would fail and always with the same result. Sorry but I do not thnk it is a model issue.
Mick, dont get me started o how many Airworld hawks I have owned, flown or seen fly with no issue what so ever.
I see it more and more often where the larger planes are flown in the same way as the smaller jets ( hard ) most of the time the pilot gets away with it, but sometimes not. At the last jet meeting I was at I watched a very competent pilot, who normally flies mainly smallish sport jets ( Bandits, etc ) Fly his new MB339. He was flying it really well, but just a little to '' Hard'' in my opinion. I went over and had a word with him, just offering some advice and trying to explain how these large heavy scale models have so much inertia behind them that it's easy to let the speed build up, and then when flown in the same manner as a sport jet that can be pulled and pushed much harder the loads are so great it can cause a failure. He took the advice on board and will hopefully get any enjoyable flights on that model.
I am just getting into full size flying and as part of it I am trying to fly as many different types as I can. The thing that amazes me is the different VNE's ( Velocity never to be exceeded) There are. Its amazing that two very similar looking aircraft can have such differing VNE's! I think its the same with models. For example.. I have seen people fly jets like Bandits, and Bobcats so , so hard with no issues. Yet I have seen models such as big L-39's and large deltas fold up like a paper bag mid flight in what looked to be a pretty tame flight. It's so difficult to give a comprehensive answer without going too technical. it's also so difficult giving a defined limit for each model. As most manufacturers do not test to destruction, and no models that I know of have a VNE. Even if they did how would we measure and monitor that we did not exceed them?
For me the way I try to work round it is I try to adopt a different style of flying for each model.
I have flown and will quite confidently fly a model such as my BVM Bobcat much harder, faster and more aggressively than I would something like my Skygate Hawk. I try and avoid mixing speed with high G maneuvers. Yes I do some pretty damn fast high speed runs, but I work up to these ( during flight testing away from a show environment before I get flamed ) I also do some high energy sharp pulls, but these I do turbine spooled down. I know for sure that if I mixed both those two aspects f my flight that it would be Bye Bye Bobcat!
The same as when I fly my Skygate hawk ( P-180 powered by the way ) As soon as I am off and cleaned up I am back on the throttle, and I am using that throttle stick nearly as much as some of my flight controls. I watched a Skygate fly in Italy once and the only thing that saved it was the fact it flamed out. The pilot took off and from the moment he took off till the moment it flamed out the pilot never once touched the throttle stick ( No I could not see it but I sure could hear it) The model got faster and faster till it reached it's maximum speed. I was fearing the worst as the pilot was just getting settled in and I thought if he goes for any vertical maneuvers this could be curtains. Luckily the turbine shut down just as he was pulling 45 for what looked as it it might have been a half reverse cuban ( Which I think might have been the first and last time for that model ) After a perfect landing I went up to the pilot and tried to explain that he might try and adopt some throttle management, to which he informed me that he was famed in his local club for flying pulse jets ( No throttle ) and he had never had one of those fail. I did try to explain to him that a small pulse jet delta, although flying fast does not have the same flight loads on the surfaces or controls as this big hawk... Not sure what the outcome was but I am hoping that all went well.
Sorry to waffle on guys, and please dont treat this as me pointing fingers, and having a preach. I am simply just trying to convey some of my experiences ( Good and bad ) As well as some of my worries.
If I can ever be of any help, or give ay advice then please feel free to get in touch.
Regards Al