Hotspot Question?
#1
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Joined: Mar 2002
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From: Tampa,
FL
I just completed my first flight on a new Hotspot, and whenever I would turn to the right, the airplane dropped the nose and headed down FAST. In most turns to the right, I almost ran out of elevator, but otherwise the elevator was fine.
Can anyone with Hotspot experience help me.
Thank you.
Can anyone with Hotspot experience help me.
Thank you.
#3
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From: Salt Lake City, Utah
Check your lateral balance like woketman suggested and also check your CG. If it's nose heavy it will want to drop it's nose in turns. Are your throws set up the way Wilcox suggests?
#6
Jetman,
Please don't take offense, because this kind of stuff has happened to the BEST of us, believe me!
When you move the right stick straight to the right, does the right elevon go up and the left one go down? After moving the stick to the right, if you then pull it straight back do both elevons go up from there to the point where the left one is around level and the right one is way up?
I ask this question because you said the nose dropped FAST in a right turn and you almost ran out of elevator. That really sounds like a mixing problem of some kind. Your HotSpot shouldn't be doing anything like what you are describing, even if your lateral balance is off.
Woketman is giving good advice, get that Wilcox manual and set up your CG and throws exactly as it says. The HotSpot needs very little aileron throw and lots of elevator throw. I set mine up towards the low end of the recommended aileron throw and with maximum elevator throw and it handles beautifully.
Please don't take offense, because this kind of stuff has happened to the BEST of us, believe me!
When you move the right stick straight to the right, does the right elevon go up and the left one go down? After moving the stick to the right, if you then pull it straight back do both elevons go up from there to the point where the left one is around level and the right one is way up?
I ask this question because you said the nose dropped FAST in a right turn and you almost ran out of elevator. That really sounds like a mixing problem of some kind. Your HotSpot shouldn't be doing anything like what you are describing, even if your lateral balance is off.
Woketman is giving good advice, get that Wilcox manual and set up your CG and throws exactly as it says. The HotSpot needs very little aileron throw and lots of elevator throw. I set mine up towards the low end of the recommended aileron throw and with maximum elevator throw and it handles beautifully.
#7

My Feedback: (6)
I agree with Dustflyer that you need very little aileron throw, very little. But I disagree with when he said "Your HotSpot shouldn't be doing anything like what you are describing, even if your lateral balance is off". It could still be the lateral balance. If it is way heavy on one side, as you turn into that side and start to pull some elevator to maintain level flight, you start to pull more than 1 G. This makes it roll toward the heavy wing and if you happen to be turning into the heavy wing, the turn will steepen. You may notice this and apply more elevator trying to arrest the descending turn and, of course, now you add more Gs and it rolls more and so on and so on. Soon you are beyond 90 degrees of roll and elevator directly causes you to sink even faster. Check the lateral balance. I am not saying that is definitely it, but its the highest probability I've seen yet (unless you have some really funky mixing going on as Dust suggested).




