I tried flaperons on my extra special. When the flaps went down, the plane nose dropped sharply (scaring me out of much further experimenting). Now I tried flaperons on my TT fun tiger extra and now I set the flaps to go up. This causes the nose to rise. (?) Am I actually getting more lift or less?? This flies so slow I can't tell if flaps are helping or not. I'm still getting used to the plane, so I am not too keen on trying the flaps very close to the ground.
Thanks,
Tom

Often a funfly has CG pretty far back, and often a funfly has a very short tail moment. With a short tail moment and rear ward CG, a funfly could easily be flow using the ailerons as ailevons. As a fact, many pilots with funflys that has had less than successful encounters with the ground, will shorten the fuse, do away with the horizontal stab and elevators, move CG back a little, and fly it as a flying wing. My Aeron, although not tail heavy, could easily be flow like that, even with the passive elevator still there.

DKjens

I had that exact same thought, if my Magic should meet an untimely end.
(Close calls, couple of scuffs, but none remotely near-fatal, so far)

When I've got the flapperons/spoilerons at high throws, It's easy to see that
you could fly it with the elevator locked in place, on those alone. (Well, with throttle, too)

So... surely someone has done this. Pics?

DKJens - remember that the spar has been moved back in the Aeron design. Even though you state that the CG is not far back on your Aeron, its further back than you think comparing it to conventional Fun-Flys. My designs are not conventional (LOL).
How do you like the Aeron? How does it fly and what is your setups, engine, servos, etc.
By the way, I don't use flaps on any of my designs. I find them not to offer anything for me.
Kevin

I like using flapperon's for tight loops.... but only coupled with elevator.... Flaps go down in proportion to elevator going up.... Just makes the elevator a little more effective....

As far as the flaps working like an elevator... I've had the same experience... when I dial the flaps up or down with the ch. 6 knob, it affects pitch the same way as the elevator... raise the flaps and the nose goes up, lower the flaps and the nose goes down.....

You can't use flaps like a conventional aircraft on a fun fly.... I only use 'em to make flat spins crazy tight......

The only reason I have spoilerons on all my planes (flaps up) is in case I loose my ele. My hopes are that I might be able to use the flaps as elevators and get the plane down. I haven't had to do it yet!

Thanks. I am afraid I STILL don't get it though. If flaperons down DROP the nose, how does mixing that with elevator make tighter loops? Should I mix UP flaps (spoilerons, I at least learned they are spoilerons.) with elevator instead? Thanks again
Tom

Just experiment.

It has to do with the short wing to tail coupling... When you use flaps and elevator together, it allows the plane to do some pretty weird stuff.... Cool. I've be experimenting with spoilerons... for harriers. so far it isn't helping much.. but I'm still playing.

You didn't say how much you droppped them. Play with small amounts, say 20°, coupled to the elevator to see how it acts. The idea of flapperons (and spoilerons) on a fun fly is to cause the plane to stall differently, so that more manuevers can be done, or done better. Few actually fly substantially slower with flapperons, and if you're just doing an offset with no elevator coupling (aka flaps), you'll get what you describe.

Thanks. I'll experiment. I'm still feeling the plane out, and the pucker factor just got a little high when the nose pitched down a bit I was expecting the flaps to help the plane go slower into the wind. It goes darn slow and you can easily still pick up a wing and not snap, even slow stalls just drop the nose for a moment. I'll try less drop and coupling. Ooooh, since these are working as spoilerons maybe I'll try really really steep power off descents this weekend before I change them...Sort of a crow... I appreciate the help.
Tom

You can slow the plane down dramatically with spoilerons. I started flying with 60'' slope sailplanes years ago and we would land them coming in real hot and about 10-20 feet out you could kick the spoilerons on and they would slow down enough to catch them. Making the ailerons go up instead of down works better because the plane is more stable with them up. The key however was experimentation. To set it up correctly I get high and turn the spoilerons on and see what happens. Plane noses up right, so land and mix in down elevator with the spoilerons, go up and try it agian until you get the correct amount of elevator mix, then you can turn the spoilerons on and off with no trim changes.

Jason

If your plane is extremely tail heavy to the point where the biggest adrenaline rush during a flight is when you know you're running out of fuel, and you HAVE to land the plane. My U Can Do 3D is a real pig to land. As soon as it slows down, it pitches up, it doesn't react to down elevator unless you give it power at the same time, and then it is easy to have it over react. The best way of bringin it in, is with a little bit of power and a little bit of down elevator, but it has to be very precise. If you flip a little spoileron on, you have to use more power and fly the plane a little nose high, and it's much easier bringing it in for a landing like that, just don't get off the power to much.
DKjens