Someone help me get this Stearman flying!!
Thanks for the input. During reconstruction, I added about 2lbs of nose weight inside of the fuse behind the firewall so that I wouldn't have to put it all out front. I triangulated the CG on the plans downward and found that the plan location is just about exactly at the front of the bottom wing bolt hole. If I balance the plane from the lower wing, the CG is a little rearward of this location. The distance seemed within reason to me until I started adding more nose weight to move it forward. Upon this, I realized how much weight it takes to move it forward even a 1/2" (quite a bit). I immediately became suspicious that I need to move the CG farther ahead. This said, I removed the smoke system and moved the servos two inches farther forward as I knew this would allow me to use less nose weight. I have yet to rebalance since I have done this, but hope that it helps. Looks like my idea about using the TME system on this plane is out the window considering the inability to mount the system in front of the CG and the servos resultant rearward position due to it's mounting. I don't know the rules for how much difference moving the servos forward makes, but given the nature of the plane, I'll bet it helps significantly.
The Midwest plane is built pretty heavy to begin with. The additional weight of the smoke system, Robart struts and the lead up front, resulted in it's greater weight. The weight, however, doesn't seem to be really limiting as the engine has plenty of power and their is a ton of wing area. I don't feel too afraid of adding a little more nose weight. I do think removal of the smoke system and the movement of the servos forward should help keep the weight down a bit better. What should I expect with moving servos forward, big difference?