Help on learning to fly and land the Prodij
05-26-2003 | 02:05 AM
#1
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From: Bakersfield,
CA
Help on learning to fly and land the Prodij
Hello all,
Need a little help from you seasoned pros. I've finally made the move towards my first composite ship.
This 60" plane has the MG06 airfoil and I've balanced it at 2 15/16" (75mm) from LE and added an additional 1/2 oz for safety to make it slightly nose heavy.
I now have about 4 1/2 oz plus a 270mAh battery to get CG on recommended specs.
I launched my new 60" composite Prodij in about 15mph winds not knowing what to expect after the first flight, dont really know what to do to improve the performance just ever so slightly. The plane seemed a little sluggish through the turns and at the recommended aileron throw of just slightly 1/2" and I seemed to be constantly fighting to keep it's speed and elevation up. I did a dive test and it didnt tuck or pull up. I tried a few rolls and it took quite a long distance to complete as they were slower then I'd been used to with my other planes throws. I tried a loop and elevator throw seemed to be ok.
My landing took about 10 attemps to slow it down with flapperon to land it to just a baby's crawl in the brush.
ok.....so knowing all this, here are my questions.
What can I do to the CG to to make it move a little more responsive without adding ballast?
What is a rule of thumb on applying and landing with flapperon?
What causes that "swooshing"wind noise you often hear with some slope racers and how does it adversly affect the performance?
Thats all for now
Thanks
Need a little help from you seasoned pros. I've finally made the move towards my first composite ship.
This 60" plane has the MG06 airfoil and I've balanced it at 2 15/16" (75mm) from LE and added an additional 1/2 oz for safety to make it slightly nose heavy.
I now have about 4 1/2 oz plus a 270mAh battery to get CG on recommended specs.
I launched my new 60" composite Prodij in about 15mph winds not knowing what to expect after the first flight, dont really know what to do to improve the performance just ever so slightly. The plane seemed a little sluggish through the turns and at the recommended aileron throw of just slightly 1/2" and I seemed to be constantly fighting to keep it's speed and elevation up. I did a dive test and it didnt tuck or pull up. I tried a few rolls and it took quite a long distance to complete as they were slower then I'd been used to with my other planes throws. I tried a loop and elevator throw seemed to be ok.
My landing took about 10 attemps to slow it down with flapperon to land it to just a baby's crawl in the brush.
ok.....so knowing all this, here are my questions.
What can I do to the CG to to make it move a little more responsive without adding ballast?
What is a rule of thumb on applying and landing with flapperon?
What causes that "swooshing"wind noise you often hear with some slope racers and how does it adversly affect the performance?
Thats all for now
Thanks
05-28-2003 | 01:58 AM
#2
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From: Boynton Beach,
FL
Help on learning to fly and land the Prodij
Moving the CG aft (take out nose weight) will make the response much better. I am not familiar with your ship as you might need a incidence adjustment. Also when you do that take out ever so slightly the weight until it gets unstable. It sounds like the CG is OK but if controls are usually sluggish it's usually nose heavy.
Another consideration is fighting the slope is the the air is rough to start with and a seasoned pro makes it look smooth as he is constantly on the controls but ever so slightly. Over control is ones worst enemy and in time you will get over that.
Keep in mind you say thats a slope racer and the controls will be slow until you reach up-wards to 80mph+. At those speeds that thing will roll in no time and the elevator will be quite responsive. At 15mph you should be able to put almost a full load of ballast in that thing and it will really smoke. Get used to the swooshing noise as thats a sign the wing is doing its job. At high speeds the air is not happy. At even higher speeds 120+ you start to get the shrieking noise which is a Erie sound and takes some getting used to.
Keep the weight out of it for now and get some stick time in. Play with the CG (Trim it out)a little more and if the wind was 5 to 10 it would be less likely to get bounced around. Just remember when you add the ballast it will land much faster but I am most certain it will fly very stable.
Keep us informed
EC
Another consideration is fighting the slope is the the air is rough to start with and a seasoned pro makes it look smooth as he is constantly on the controls but ever so slightly. Over control is ones worst enemy and in time you will get over that.
Keep in mind you say thats a slope racer and the controls will be slow until you reach up-wards to 80mph+. At those speeds that thing will roll in no time and the elevator will be quite responsive. At 15mph you should be able to put almost a full load of ballast in that thing and it will really smoke. Get used to the swooshing noise as thats a sign the wing is doing its job. At high speeds the air is not happy. At even higher speeds 120+ you start to get the shrieking noise which is a Erie sound and takes some getting used to.
Keep the weight out of it for now and get some stick time in. Play with the CG (Trim it out)a little more and if the wind was 5 to 10 it would be less likely to get bounced around. Just remember when you add the ballast it will land much faster but I am most certain it will fly very stable.
Keep us informed
EC
05-28-2003 | 04:05 PM
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From: MO-VAL,
CA,
Help on learning to fly and land the Prodij
15 mph winds are actually quite low to expect great performance unless you have a stellar slope. In the summer here in SoCal most of the better slopes will be clocking 20-30 mph winds (Vincent, Cajon, Temple Hill etc). 15 mph is very flyable but not great unless your flying Pt. Fermin. These planes are also very sensative to thermals. If your flying on a day with very few thermals moving through it might seem sluggish compared to day then the sky is popping.
If you did a dive test and it tracked straight then do not remove any nose wieght. It's a slope racer NOT a aerobatic ship. Don't expect twinkle rolls like a little warbird or wing. These are designed to go fast straight and turn hard without stalling.
They take a while to get used to flying before you will get the most performance out of it. Make sure you "let it run" planes like this need to get moving before you start wiggiling the stick too hard. Climb, make a pass and do your roll or loop and then continue on. Don't try too many manouvers at once unless the wind is really cooking.
You can increase the throws for faster rolls. I have nearly 50 degrees on my racers (ailerons/flaps). Just make sure you have plenty of exponential dialed in if you st the throws up this much. The elevator should barley move it the CG is correct. I think my whip has only 15 degrees travel each way. Even with these extreme throws it rolls about 1/3rd as fast as my little warbirds.
They all make noise and every one you talk to will have a different opinion on what causes it. Seal all the gaps best you can but you'll never get rid if it completely. Think of it as a "go fast" indicator!
TFLG
If you did a dive test and it tracked straight then do not remove any nose wieght. It's a slope racer NOT a aerobatic ship. Don't expect twinkle rolls like a little warbird or wing. These are designed to go fast straight and turn hard without stalling.
They take a while to get used to flying before you will get the most performance out of it. Make sure you "let it run" planes like this need to get moving before you start wiggiling the stick too hard. Climb, make a pass and do your roll or loop and then continue on. Don't try too many manouvers at once unless the wind is really cooking.
You can increase the throws for faster rolls. I have nearly 50 degrees on my racers (ailerons/flaps). Just make sure you have plenty of exponential dialed in if you st the throws up this much. The elevator should barley move it the CG is correct. I think my whip has only 15 degrees travel each way. Even with these extreme throws it rolls about 1/3rd as fast as my little warbirds.
They all make noise and every one you talk to will have a different opinion on what causes it. Seal all the gaps best you can but you'll never get rid if it completely. Think of it as a "go fast" indicator!
TFLG
05-28-2003 | 05:27 PM
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From: Bakersfield,
CA
Thanks for the info
I had compared notes with a gentlmen and his son who also brought a Prodij to temple hill last weekend and they had the CG moved back a little while having no nose lead at all. Their setup didnt have any aileron differential so their rolls were much faster and their plane seemed to be a little more agile with the conditions. I think I'm going to remove much of the differential and continue with some stick time on it before I try before I start adding ballast and see what this baby can do.
