Well, had a little mishap with the nexstar, was winding up for takeoff and hooked a small rock, it nosed over and broke a section out from behind the nose gear. Anyway all repairs have been completed, while it was on the bench I removed all the training aids and took the dihedral out of the wing. My question is, what to expect? will take off rolls be longer? I know landing speed will be faster, will flight be dramatically different? I have no problems flying the plane in its former glory, Just want to know what to expect on take off before it gets a few mistakes high. Cg has been checked and I have balanced it laterally, after the repairs and the addition of some dubro 3 inch wheels It weighs about 6 oz hevier than it did when new but I dont think I will notice the weight difference (hopefully). Thanks to all in advance! OBTW taildragger conversion coming after (next) mishap

With all the changes you made, you really should have an instructor fly your plane. Removing the training aids from my Nexstar resulted in the plane having extremely different flight characteristics that had to be corrected manually with the control rods. I can't remember if my instructor couldn't keep the plane in the air or couldn't get it to loose altitude, but it was definitely something I was not ready to handle at the time and was a small challenge for him.

You can expect the plane to fly faster, roll faster (though not fast) and generally just feel more sporty. Landing will be faster but nothing you shouldn't be able to handle, just do a few practice approaches. Take off length will be much longer and thus give you more time to make steering mistakes during high-speed taxiing. Just remember SMALL INPUTS when the plane is on the ground.

I can't say from experience what to expect without the dihedral (probably only a very few can for that plane), but generally a plane with less dihedral will have as much of the 'self righting tendencies' and thus will not try to roll itself upright as much during a turn. It will feel like the plane is 'fighting you' much less. I think you're right about the weight issue, or lack thereof. The Nexstar has a big flat bottom wing and is very floaty; a few more ounces won't make a huge difference. The plane is not very light to begin with.

Something I just thought of is wing incidence. By changing/removing the dihedral, I'm not sure if you could have affected the incidence, or 'attack angle' of the wing relative to the plane. If it's changed, it will either create more lift, or less, again leading to the plane either climbing more or descending faster, and changing the take-off distance and such.

Have your instructor fly your plane. There is no shame in asking for help, but there is great disappointment in carrying home a bag full of splinters after you just got to the field.

Removing the training aids will affect your trim so be ready for that but you'll most likely find it better without them.

Removing the dihedral? I'll guess it will act a little differently with rudder input and maybe be a nice flyer with better inverted and other characteristics. That's just a guess of course. Regardless, I doubt it will have any terribly negative effects. Just be ready for it to be different and maybe have an experience flyer take it up first as was mentioned.

Yeah.... it will fly a whole lot better. With all the training aids off it will be a fair bit faster but that is what the throttle is for. You will also have to retrim the elevator some. With the aids on, the NexSTAR had a lot of extra lift so down elevator was the normal for level flight. With all the aids off, a "slight" bit of up elevator will have to be set. If not, you may end up in the weeds at the end of the runway(ask me how I found this out).

Bigger wheels will not be noticeable, or the extra weight. I run 3.25" wheels on mine and love them. I never noticed anything wrong with the wing incidence after removing the dihedryl. She still flew great.

As far as take offs and landings, I don't think you will notice a huge differance. This plane lands and takes off great with or without the aids. The plane will roll crisper, do nicer loops and inverted is a heck of a lot easier also. Do not be afraid.... just go fly it!!

Here are a couple pics, again, just to re-wet your apetite for a taildragging DragSTAR!!

Thanks to all! I will be taking it up in the am, would like to have somebody fly it first, but I am the only one within 90 miles that flies RC! SO my learning curve is always a steep one! Just like making sure (all the rocks have been moved and that little one wont hurt anything!) Its so very tempting to take off from the main highway that runs by here but I like my place a little too much to give it away to somebody that my plane collided with!!!!!!!!!

When maidening a new plane (or new setup) it's a good idea to get plenty of altitude before you start playing with the trims. Just concentrate and take off and fly the plane like normal and give it a nice gradual climb into your initial turn and keep climbing gradually. Don't think about moving your hands off the controls or eyes off the plane until you are at a very safe altitude.

It's not going to be an enormous change, but depending on your experience it might feel like more of a mountain than a mole hill (I'm not sure how long you've been flying is all I'm saying).

Remember to practice some altitude approaches. The plane will glide differently and slow down differently, so get a good idea of the descent rate practice controlling your speed for approaches. Again not a huge difference, but the speed flaps do their job and slow the plane down, so it will seem like it's coming in hot to you.

I think you're really going to enjoy the new setup; it will feel like a new plane and be more fun to fly.

Good Luck!

Like gaRC said...take it up 2-3 mistakes high, feel the plane out and trim it. My elevator is set about 1/8" up from level and is balanced spot on between the recommended balance points. It will land a little hotter for the first while, but after some practicing, you will be able to bring her in at a shallower rate of decent and it will still land quite slow.

Curt