Greetings readers:

Well, thought I would give a post Jets over Kentucky report with Viper and Jet Central Cheetah.

1. First and foremost my continued gratitude and appreciation to Bill Hatcher of Hatcher's Hanger for his skill and complete attention to detail with my Viper. Not a single issue with anything. . .nothing. . .not one thing needed addressing

2. CG was decided to be exactly 1/2 of the distance between rear and forward CG as recommended by Xstreme Jets (Anton) This was set with UAT full and pilot/cockpits in place. Again, perfect but just a tad on the nose heavy side. As fuel burns off, it settled in nicely.

3. Fuel: With both tanks full, We flew Cheetah for 8 minutes then landing and taxi back. We constantly had just above 1/2 tank of fuel remaining after each flight. Cheetah is a very economical turbine with serious thrust and nozzle velocity. And yes, we pressed hard in more than one flight noting Jim Hiller's twilight chase of Larry Kramer and his Rhino powered KingCat ! The chase was on and the race was a tie.

4. Vent holes in the bottom of the fuselage prooved most worthy of the effort. Glas was always warm but never hot to the touch. A recommmended mod.

5. Retracts, brakes, cylinders for doors were installed (reinstalled) as received. Not one issue. Air filled tires were set at 20psi with a hand pump and held pressure all week.

6. Highly recommend the use of the AirPower EV5U all in one valve component. Perfect and eliminates hours of work with the normal servo / valve install. Use Airpower water filter ($14.95) for the air fill system. Either install in the jet or on the fill line from compressor.

7. Control throws and setting. Factory recommended setting are again, tried and tested. They work. Expo and rates to the individual pilots preference.

For those of you who may purchase or have purchased paint in the mold colors, go to your local Ace Hardware store and purchase at least one bottle of "Flitz" polishing compound. I spent almost 8 total hours rubbing out all the finger prints, glue spils and what have you to get the Viper to look good. Then about an hour polishing with Maguires detailing spray wax. Effort was well worth it, but should not have been necessary.

Last, while the fuse may appear flimsey (oil cans) in the area below the main fuel tank, we did nothing to reinforce it. It is simply shell over bulkhead construction and is good as it is. Not one issue with the fiberglass in this area or any other area.

That's it. . .I hit the highlights. If you have any questions, post them and they will be answerd.

"HEY ANTON. . .WHERE IS MY SECOND VIPER ? "IT IS OVER 18 WEEKS ! ! ! ! I need my jet !

Regards,
Eric Clapp