RE: Midwest Tri-Squire
Well, today was the day! [8D]
I ended up having a free evening this week to drop in the electronics and install the windows. I did a thorough preflight before bed last night and took out the TS for maiden this morning. I did a few taxi runs to get the nose gear tracking well and promptly took flight. ROG was within 25 feet or so, easing the throttle up to 3/4, and then WOT at around 30 deg up to altitude. The torque of the Power 15 seemed to pull a bit at WOT and required a small bump on the rudder to keep from rolling. Once leveled out no trimming was needed to maintain tracking and altitude just above half throttle. Winds were heading straight East down the runway at around 5mph and the TS didn't seem to notice at all. At a healthy 3.5lbs I was a little concerned with the weight despite knowing I am in a decent range for wing loading, given the short ROG, I am happy to see she's no pig. Input response seems to be great for such minimal control area affirming the designers wisdom in this area. I did not try any aerobatics; In my haste to get in the air ,knowingly, I neglected to put in a battery strap in addition to the velcro in the battery tray... The pack was secure, I just didn't want to risk anything. Landing was uneventful, though the TS wants to float (nearly too much for my S.T.O.L. field), she seems to nearly land herself. With a total of around 5 flights and 25-30 min total flight time, I wrapped up the day a happy pilot. The Power 15 seems to be the right choice if used as a trainer, though a .10 equiv motor would fly just fine, the extra power is nice. The 2 ZIPPY 4s lipo packs did good for being 2 years old, but the power 15 is a bit much for them, and got them a little puffy, so I plan to order a few new packs before flying the TS again. After nearly 3 years from start to finish, seeing it leave the ground into the sky was thrilling. I have flown a lot the past year, but nothing has been as satisfying. I'll get some final pics up once I get the numbers on... Now that the TS has earned them.