I recently flew the BLT for the first time and have some questions. I mounted the motor pointing a few degrees to the right per the plan. The plane still requires a fair amount of right rudder trim to fly straight. Could an unequal amount of washout be causing this problem? Or just a heavy wing?

A recommendation to anyone who is building a BLT would be this. Just forward of the wing pylon cut the fuselage off with a saw. Purchase a 3/8" square piece of basswood from a hobby shop. Sand the square stock to fit an inch or so into the fuselage stick at the wing pylon. Apply thin c/a then cut the stick to the appropriate length. Remount the motor and go fly.

This retrofit is stronger than the original design and the additional weight is negligible.

Yes and yes. It's easy to see if your wing is balanced. Turn it upside down and prop it up on something. I added some stripes to my lighter side to balance it out.

Unequal washout will affect how the wing flys. It would be like flying with one aileron higher or lower than the other (although the BLT doesn't have them, but you know what I mean). And the farther out on the wing the deflection is, the more effect it will have--just like a lever.

Checking the washout is easy. Put the wing on a flat surface (I use a glass table). Put one wing flat on the table and measure how much washout you have as well as how the washout 'washes out' down to the root. Check the other wing and correct as the manual suggests.

Is your vertical fin glued parallel to the fuse as you look down the fuse from the nose (stand back at least 6 feet when you do this)? And the wing 'parallel' to the horizontal stab when the wing is on?

Good nose mod. If I crash again, I may just do that. A nose in will likely mean a pylon repair though. Best not to crash at all!

I see your landing gear is mounted as the instructions say. Watch to make sure that the landing gear doesn't cut into the pylon so your landing gear points backwards. Mine did exactly that so I remounted them forward about an inch, angled them forward about 15 degrees and used some popsicle sticks to brace them.

The BLT is a good flyer though. Will handle a bit of wind too.

Yep I was thinking about putting some lite ply above the top of the gear, (where it meets the pylon) in order to reinforce that area. I had a "firm" landing which caused the original box stick fuselage to break. Perhaps I didn't build it strong enough to begin with. I'll try your tips on setting up the wing. Thank you, ehh!

Would you happen to know roughly how much rudder correction would be needed with the engine mounted "straight" rather than offset?

No, I don't think you built the box fuselage too weak. It's just a weak design to begin with.

I can't say how much rudder correction to add. Enough to make it go straight? Can you put a nylon washer or two under the mount to tilt the motor to the right? If not, I bet you could sand the front of your mount at an angle to build in the right thrust. If you think it may go too thin, you could always glue a piece of balsa to it before you sand so you're just sanding away the new piece.

You may want to recheck your CG too. If it is a bit too far back, that may be adding to your problem.