hyperman

First and foremost, im sorry if am posting this in the wrong place. But considering this is a GP product i figured it was the best place for it.

I have some questions regarding the balancer.

I have balanced a few planes with it and i have 2 different outcomes.

outcome 1 (desired)
When the cg is correct, the plane levels out. When placing a bit of pressure on the nose then releasing the plane returns to level.
Same with the tail. place a bit of pressure on the tail and release, the plane returns to level.

Outcome 2 (confusing)

When the cg is correct the plane is level.
But when placing the same amount of pressure on the nose as used in outcome 1, the plane will continue to nose over.
Same case witht the tail. Remains level until pressure is applied to the tail. then continues to the tail side.


If you could shed some light on why outcome 2 happens, it would be appreciated.

flyranger

I really like the Great Planes products, I'm flying their park flyer Lil' Poke every time I get a chance (it has skis), but the balancer never was consistent for me either! The horizontal arms that support the wing pivot in a gimbal joint that is just too tight to allow free movement. I tried lubes and polishing the "ball" with emery cloth and nothing seems to help. Went back to using my two fingers.[]

roltech

There could be a simple problem with assembling the balancer? I had the same problem when first used, Check the manual #15 if you still have it. I think this is where I solved that problem. I you no longer have the manual re post and I will past on the info from the manual.

roltech

tsekoa

My Feedback: (2)

I am not sure of the physics but what you are experiencing is o.k.. I would guess it depends on the airplane itself. i.e. Is it a high wing, shoulder wing, mid wing, low wing, etc. The amount of dihedral should also make a difference. As long as the airplane sits level when the cg machine pads are placed under the center of gravity on the wing you are o.k. If the plane is a little nose heavy, that is o.k.. Check the cg with the fuel tank empty. And more importantly, do not fly the airplane with a tail heavy condition or you may have a handful of scraps. Good luck.

Bob in Minnesota

Bax

My Feedback: (11)

Usually, the second event happens with a low-wing model that's balanced upright. If the majority of the model is above the balance point, then tipping it over moves the weight forward with respect to the balance point, and the model continues to tip.

Balance the low-wing model upside-down, and it will respond as you mention in the first part.

charlieoneseven

they haven't improved on 2 fingers yet.

rogue7

Bax is absolutely correct. Low wing planes should be balanced upside down. I have several warbirds, and I've balanced all of them on the Great Planes CG Machine. It hasn't let me down yet. I haven't balanced any high wing planes with it -- but suspect that it wouldn't be any different -- only right side up.