hi i have an arf kit i am building my question is does the plane sit level on a tricycle setup or should the nose gear be slightly shorter so the nose of the plane tiltsdowna bit

I think that you would want the nose of the plane to be tilted up a few degrees. That will help to create lift on the take off. Others may have a different idea.

Level is best. I wouldn't go more than about a 1/4 inch lower on the nose. The the plane "rotates" for takeoff it will "pop" off the ground instead of climbing off smoothly and will take more elevator and speed.

I don't like "nose high" because once I land I want the plane to have no lift remaining and not want to takeoff on its own simply because the nose is high. It should need elevator input to raise the nose through neutral.

many thanks for your help guy's

You want the nose slightly low; zero or negative angle of attack for the wing. As you approach flight speed, the nose wheel will lift with just a touch of up elevator and you can make a nice takeoff. If you have the nose up when at rest, landings will be very difficult with lots of bounces.

you've all been a great help thanks again

Depends on your field. Off of hardtop, have the nose down just slightly. On grass, level works best.

no hard stuff where i am just a big field ,nice one thanks

See, I said there would be lots of input. I guess it depends on your style of flying. I have mine set at 1 or 2 degrees. Seems like the take off is a lot smoother. It just seems to fly off the ground

i guess it's just trial and error to a certain degree

Most tail draggers have a positive AOA for good reason.

Trainers can deal with having a neutral AOA, as their large tail surfaces allow you to pick the nose up for takeoff.

For pushers, having no AOA ( level with the pavement ) or even a slightly negative AOA, can be quite catastrophic.

As said it depends upon the plane.

im building an overlander breeze ep 40 size trainer , 59" wingspan with low wing loading ,wing area 558 sq in ,flying weight 4.4 lbs 900kv outrunner with 11 to 14x7 prop not quite sure on prop size yet, 60amp esc ,starting with 3300mah battery 3's to start with then i will chuck a 4's in it later

I prefer level of a degree or two of nose UP

As you can see, it's mostly a personal preference.

yep i don't think i'm really going to know untill the maiden flight but thanks for your input